Guest Post by Show Me Sam
Well the Missouri liquor wars are heating up. What’s at risk? Your wallet and the free market. As Jim Lembke from United for Missouri lays out here, SB365 and HB 759 is just an anti consumer anti free market imposition. Know what happened in other states that proceeded with anti competitive laws? The prices soared and the profits ballooned. Using legislation to pad your bottom line is nothing more than crony capitalism.
Our system of government was never designed to choose winners and losers in the market place. Why would Missouri Republicans support such an anti free market bill? Why would Speaker Tim Jones all of a sudden shift away from his core conservative values? That my friends is where the story gets UGLY.
Guess who has registered to lobby the Republicans in Jefferson City? None other than ex Speaker of the House Steve Tilley.
Missouri Ethics Reports. Good old Steve is ginning up Republican support for a very anti republican values bill. Steve has never been known for anti cronyism of perfect ethics. One just has to look at his bank stock ownership in a Missouri community bank for his million-dollar PAC.
Why would “Banker Steve be lobbying for one of Missouri’s major Democratic donors? Why would an ex speaker of the Missouri house want to create a 60% market share monopoly for a liberal Democratic donor?
Now with sunlight shined on Banker Steve, the strangest part is who has joined his camp. Good Republicans like Caleb Jones, Todd Richardson, and none other than Speaker Tim Jones have picked up the torch to champion a terrible bill.
Did Banker Steve promise board seats at the bank? Did Banker Steve promise to have the major Democratic donor switch sides and start to support Republicans? What would Banker Steve promise to make these three Republicans go all in for such a bad bill? That will be the next shoe dropping very soon.