RSS
Home
One final tweet to free the hops
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
.jpg)
HB373 currently awaits the governor's signature
UPDATE: Governor Riley just signed the Free the Hops bill into law. Please be sure to send him a tweet of thanks. Instructions below.
There are quite a few senior Republicans in Alabama who feel that the Free the Hops campaign serves as a perfect example of how an Internet-based, citizen-initiated issue campaign should be conducted. Even folks opposed to the legislation are impressed by the professionalism with which it has been run and by the dedication of the bill's supporters. They say this campaign should serve as a model for other issue campaigns in the future.
For many supporters, the Free the Hops bill has been their first engagement in the political system. They''ve worked their tail ends off while maintaining a level of dignity often missing in Alabama politics. After years of hard work, the bill has passed in both of Alabama's legislative chambers - which is no small feat in this state. The bill is now sitting on Governor Riley's desk, awaiting his signature.
If for no other reason, the Governor should sign the bill because failure to do so will be a slap in the face to a generation of people becoming involved in politics for the first time. It will tell them that their voices aren't important and their activism is merely a waste of time. Signing the bill will not just encourage supporters of the bill to stay involved in the political process, but it will also encourage those sitting on the sidelines to become more politically active, as well.
Today's Huntsville Times provides a few additional reasons for Governor Riley to sign the bill:
Riley recently signed a bill allowing groceries stores to sell stronger wine. The new limit is now 16.5 percent as opposed to the old limit of 14.9. Stronger wine could be sold before but not in grocery stores.
Even so, nowhere in Alabama is beer with an alcohol content greater than 6 percent lawful to sell. Thus, beer lovers willing to pay are driving out of state to buy their brews, some of which are imported.
Like the new wine law, the beer proposal would not allow the stronger beverages to be sold in convenience stores. That should discourage some underage drinkers from trying to purchase either product. In addition, the higher price of the so-called gourmet beers would almost certainly discourage consumption by teen-agers.
In addition, Alabama already has a number of both private and state-owned liquor stores where hard liquor of 86 proof or higher is sold daily. Singling out beer for special restrictions seems ineffective.
And it's bad fiscal policy. The state is losing an undetermined amount of taxes each year to beer drinkers who drive to Tennessee or other states to make purchases. At the same time, income from sales is diverted to those other states and doesn't end up in the cash registers of Alabama businesses.
Governor Riley has until Monday to sign the bill into law. Free the Hops has suggested politely contacting the governor to urge him to suppport HB373, the Gourmet Beer Bill. According to staffers in the governor's office, these calls are very important and being considered by the governor. Here's the necessary contact information.
Switchboard: (334) 242-7100
Fax: (334) 353-0004
Email form: http://www.governor.alabama.gov/contact/contact_form.aspx
Additionally, key Free the Hops people were impressed with the level of online activism displayed when we used Twitter to urge Senator Hank Erwin to end his filibuster of the bill. At an event the other night, Free the Hops President Stuart Carter asked if I'd help encourage folks to send Twitter messages to the govenor's office to augment the telephone calls and e-mails.
If you don't have a Twitter account, it's very easy to use. Simply sign up here and tweet away. For those of you already tweeting (and the rest of you once you sign up), here are the necessary components your message should contain:
@GovernorRiley #alpolitics #fth (insert your message here)
Here's a sample of one possible message you can use:
@GovernorRiley #alpolitics #fth Please sign HB373, the Gourmet Beer Bill. We've worked very hard on this legislation.
Please include the #alpolitics tag, as it makes it easy for journalists and bloggers to see your message to the governor. Likewise, the #fth tag makes it easy for beer enthusiasts to track messages send to Governor Riley.
The governor's office is listening to us. It just takes a few seconds to send your message, and it makes a big difference. We're in the ninth inning and now is the time to put one final effort into the passage of the Alabama's Gourmet Beer bill.
Related Articles:
Comments
