I follow politics, can you tell? I also do what I can to ensure legislation I want to pass is passed and legislation I don’t want passed is shot down. Often though I’m amazed at the apathy of most people when it comes to our political system. It’s almost impossible to rally people to make simple phone calls to their “representatives” asking them to vote against things like the PATRIOT Act. Until last week I didn’t think there was anything you could do that would get people active in fighting the cronies at our capitals. You want to know the secret to raising a political army? Get alcohol involved.
Minnesota’s liquor laws are quite special in their complexity and stupidity. Due to our laws a brewery can not sell more than 3,500 barrels of liquor a year and have a restaurant at the same time. This has put a kibosh on Surly Brewing Company’s plans for a massive new facility which would include a restaurant. All of the sudden the most politically apathetic people I know are all fired up to fight these laws. They’ve gone from yelling about fighting “the evil lobbyists” to meeting with a lobbyist group. The irony is delicious I will admit.
So I’ve come to the conclusion that the best way to raise a political army is to somehow involve alcohol. I’m trying to figure out a means of doing this with every political issue I care about and you should to.
Is this actually surprising? Being denied the ability to go to a brewery and get tanked is far more tangible for most people than an infringement on liberties that either primarily affects others or is largely invisible to many of its victims (i.e., wiretapping).
Even beyond that, though, I expect part of the issue is that this feels to most people like something where their actions can actually *accomplish* something. Getting face time with Scott Dibble is a lot easier than it is with Amy Klobuchar. Pushing back against a heinous federal statute that (sadly) appears to enjoy serious public support seems much more daunting than attacking a local regulation that most people would agree is nonsensical.
Also, TIL Chris Burg has a blog. Do your comment sections have a resident left-wing troll yet? I’m willing to engage in either regular or concern trolling.
I have no dedicated left-wing troll yet although they do try to descend onto my page whenever I post a piece tearing somebody like Rachael Maddow apart. Feel free to post whatever you wish.
And I do understand the tangible effect of the brewery issue but in the grand scheme of things it seems far less important that fighting against government encroachment on our rights.
As for Scott Dibble being easier to get a hold of than Amy Klobuchar that’s and understatement. I’m of the firm belief that it is completely impossible to get so much as a response from Klobuchar on anything unless you’ve donated huge sums of money to her campaign at some point. Her office can’t even life their fingers long enough to send back a canned response to a typed letter.
But as a rule the more local a representative is the easier they are to get a meeting with, of course they’re likely to completely ignore anything you state as they know better than you or me.