Looking after IL wine consumers

The wine war that needs ending ("End the wine war," Editorial, March 11) is really a war against Illinois consumers who have been pushed around, punished, and ignored for the sake of protecting the profits of a few politically powerful alcohol distributors.

These alcohol distributors, who enjoy a state-mandated monopoly and state-protected profits, claim that if I have the right to have wine shipped to me from an out-of-state retailer, minors will get their hands on the wine. Yet Illinois already allows shipping by out-of-state wineries, in-state wineries, and in-state wine stores, and there are safeguards in place to prevent access by minors.

The proposed new legislation, HB 2462, will restore my right to purchase wine from any legal source in the United States, just as I can now purchase sweaters, chocolates, and books from companies located outside Illinois. Moreover, the legislation will add important provisions for collecting state taxes on out-of-state wine purchases, with estimated and much-needed new revenue to the state of between $1 million and $3 million annually.

It's time to bring balance to the law, to look after Illinois citizens for a change, and to tell the corrupt Illinois distributors that their profits are not more important than consumer access to legal products.