Some thoughts

Recently, Congress proposed a tax increase on beer to pay for universal health care. No mention was made of an increase on wine taxes, and that's likely because of the perception that wine drinkers are more sophisticated and intelligent than beer drinkers. After all, we hear a lot about "Joe Sixpack" and how hard it is to inform him about anything. We never hear about "Joe MD20/20" who drinks a whole bottle of cheap, fortified wine at the end of the day.

I don't know why this perception has arisen. Anyone can make wine. The grape wants to ferment. That waxy coating on the grape on the vine has yeast in it. Just smash it and it will ferment.

But barley doesn't want to ferment. It wants to make more barley. Someone has to take the barley and malt it. Then someone has to soak the barley in hot water, drain it and boil it and then add yeast. And to do that, you need a people that isn't transient. The first cities grew up around the grain fields, not the vineyards.

I think it's time we ask the government to stop assuming that people who drink beer are stupid, uninformed rednecks who would rather drink and inbreed more than participate in government.