Todd Curry Kowtows to Special Interest

It turns out that the organized attack against proposed legislation that would allow you to have wine shipped to your house (handy for those rare visits to Napa Valley) is actually funded by Tennessee wine and liquor wholesalers. [Gasp! Holy profit motive, Batman! You mean this blatant manipulation of the voting public is really just about money?]

That's right, gentle reader, the liquor industry is shamelessly sending out brazen, barefaced, unmitigated lies to constituents in a desperate attempt to shut down any possibility of competition from out-of-state retailers.

OK, "desperate" may be inaccurate, because their smear campaign is actually working.

Rep. Curry Todd (R - Collierville), whom I have met and respected, is apparently backing off of the very legislation that he sponsored!

Todd said he now intends to abandon efforts to pass the Internet wine sales bill. . . .

All four sponsors said they have been bombarded with critical comments on the pending legislation from constituents who had received information from Tennesseans Against Teen Drinking. Shepard said several "preacher friends" got faxes.

All four also said that, once they had talked with complaining constituents and explained the legislation, most people dropped their complaints.

A bill that will pour $10 million per year into the state's treasury is being killed because of a special interest and they are getting away with it.

Why am I not surprised.

HT to Mick Wright, who has previously expressed his disappointment with Todd.

 

Posted on Tuesday at 9:47 PM in category Stanley, Paul (R-Mem)
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