[Dartmouth] Dartmouth Crossing

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by Dartguard

There are too many union jobs at the NSLC to risk competition.The provincial government also counts on the profits from the NSLC to run the rest of the operations.

You're probably right.

But I maintain that there's no defensible reason for government to be in the business of retailing consumer goods. None.

It's entirely possible to regulate for health and safety purposes and to tax goods without being the retailer. We do it quite successfully with tobacco and prescription drugs.

[teddifax]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

You're probably right.

But I maintain that there's no defensible reason for government to be in the business of retailing consumer goods. None.

It's entirely possible to regulate for health and safety purposes and to tax goods without being the retailer. We do it quite successfully with tobacco and prescription drugs.

So very true!

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

Yeah, it can be frustrating. I think, though, that government regulation is not about best value for consumers. I also think that with the recent classification of alcohol as a carcinogen, we're not likely to see less regulation for booze. I sure would like to be able to pick up wine or beer with the rest of my groceries, but I really don't think it'll happen.

That classification is the latest attempt by the public health nannys to repeat their success in the war on smoking by finding another dragon to slay. Have to have a reason to keep funding those cushy jobs, after all. The much-ballyhooed report from last year calling for no more than 2 drinks a week to save your health has already been debunked as a pretty poor attempt at social engineering that was produced by a group with some pretty obvious biases and no clue about statistical methods. But I digress…

Recently I heard that NSLC has gone back to the bad old days that I thought had long been eliminated by quietly advising the big commercial brewers to increase the prices they charged the NSLC. From their perspective it is win-win, since the breweries make more money and so won’t be coming to them singing the blues about tough times in the marketplace (which are true enough, as legal weed has taken a big chunk out of that young consumer beer market) and they make a bigger margin for themselves with zero effort. Of course, it’s bad for the consumer, but that is seldom something today’s NSLC worries much about.

I know in other provinces, liquor boards got lots of bad publicity in past years when similar practices were revealed, but when you’re the only game in town that is easy to shrug off. Here, I know that the owners of the Labatt brewery on Agricola St periodically threaten to close the place down in order to get their way. I would guess the big A-B mega breweries in the USA produce identical beer at a fraction of the cost. I am still amazed that the beady-eyed types that run InBev haven’t shut down the local operation here, as they have slashed and burned much of the former A-B legacy.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

... The much-ballyhooed report from last year calling for no more than 2 drinks a week to save your health has already been debunked as a pretty poor attempt at social engineering that was produced by a group with some pretty obvious biases and no clue about statistical methods...

Off to google "Alcohol as carcinogen debunked" now... in the meantime, I have a sleep tracker I've been wearing for a year or so now. I can see that even one drink seems to result in some measurable physiological responses in me: higher resting heart rate overnight, lower heart rate variability overnight, less restful sleep with more interruptions (I wake up more, even if I don't remember doing it), and lower "readiness" the next day. It's moved alcohol out of the "this-will-help-me-relax-after-a-long-day" category for me, but I still enjoy a drink or two with dinner or just because.

[ArchAficionado]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

Off to google "Alcohol as carcinogen debunked" now... in the meantime, I have a sleep tracker I've been wearing for a year or so now. I can see that even one drink seems to result in some measurable physiological responses in me: higher resting heart rate overnight, lower heart rate variability overnight, less restful sleep with more interruptions (I wake up more, even if I don't remember doing it), and lower "readiness" the next day. It's moved alcohol out of the "this-will-help-me-relax-after-a-long-day" category for me, but I still enjoy a drink or two with dinner or just because.

It's hardly news that alcohol is terrible for your health, and measurably moreso than cannabis. That's not to say there is any major issue with either when enjoyed responsibly and in moderation though.