Randy Kuhl and microbrews
We’ve been giving Randy Kuhl a pretty rough time lately, so here’s something we applaud him for: he is a member of the Small Brewers caucus in Congress. His district and its environs are home to several excellent microbrewers: Custom Brewercrafters (CB), Southern Tier brewing company, and Rohrbach are the three I’m most familiar with, though I’m sure there must be others (if you define “environs” loosely enough, you could include Ommegang and Saranac).
In its first press release, the Small Brewers Caucus says:
The House Small Brewers Caucus, co-chaired by U.S. Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) and Greg Walden (R-Oregon), is currently composed of 34 Members of Congress who share an interest in the issues of importance to America’s small brewers. Brewers Association Board of Directors who were in Washington that day to participate in the American Craft Beer Week celebration, listened as Congressman Walden stated that the primary mission of the Caucus is to provide an interactive opportunity to learn about the dynamics of running a small business as a brewery, the brewing process itself and the quality and value of the beer and brewing activities. Several other Congressmen also in attendance spoke briefly to the group, among them Congressman DeFazio who is himself a homebrewer and a primary sponsor and leader in the successful effort to pass House Resolution 753 of 2006 commending American craft brewers and recognizing the first American Craft Beer Week.
(hat tip to the Brookstone Beer Bulletin).
Randy, we may not approve of most of your policies, but next time we drink a local microbrew, we’ll raise a glass to you!
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Does a man who has been arrested multiple times for driving under the influence of alcohol and putting people’s lives in danger really deserve a glass raised to him?
What do you mean “we’ll†raise a glass? I certainly won’t.
Tough crowd.
I do think it’s good that he did this.
And better we raise a glass to him than that he raise a glass…
It’s good? Yeah, in the sense that he joined a “Caucus” that affects, oh I don’t know, maybe one-millionth of the economy, and said caucus hasn’t done a single thing yet except meet and listen to talks, yeah, I guess that’s good. Let’s wait until we actually see some policy and legislation from this caucus. And before we really commit ourselves that this is good, let’s wait to see if Kuhl votes to empower the owners of these breweries at the expense of trampling workers rights, a position that wouldn’t surprise me.
Fun Fact of the Day…
Rochesterturning reports that Randy Kuhl has joined the bi-partisan House Small Brewers Conference…….
I cautiously agree with you, since I don’t trust Kuhl’s political allegiances, but, in theory, craft brewing is a Good Thing.
Microbreweries, brew pubs, etc. tend to be owner-operated small businesses which provide decent, if not great jobs, and which reinvest money into their community. They are also a fairly “green” business, apart from high water usage and some waste disposal issues. Most importantly, brewing locally greatly reduces the amount of energy used for transportation.
By comparison, the national brands of beer are owned by multinational “beverage companies,” and brewed by regional brewers. (For example, High Falls does a lot of “contract brewing” of national brands.) While the jobs at breweries owned by multinationals tend to be unionized, hence better paying, the corporations that own the breweries are scary in other ways. They big political campaign contributors, mostly with a libertarian-tinged corporate conservative agenda. In particular, Constellation Brands out of Canandaigua, was a heavy contributor to Republican campaigns in the 2004 election cycle.
No one said anything bad about craft breweries. That isn’t the issue. The issue is that Kuhl is interested in it and appears to be spending tax-payer funded time on it.
Kuhl could propose legislation that allows more chemical additives into so-called craft brews. Kuhl could propose legislation that allows craft breweries to engage in unjust labor policies. Just because Kuhl is interested in them doesn’t imply he is going to do something that progressives would approve of.
Furthermore, lets suppose craft brewing is one-ten thousandth of our economy. Then it would be fine by me if Kuhl, as my representative, spent one-ten thousandth of the time he devotes to economic issues on craft brewing. However, I’m willing to bet that if he spends even one hour on it, that’s way more importance than it deserves.
sorry to pile on, but I have to agree with earlier comments. With his past issues with alcohol, Randy should have stayed the hell away from this one.
the cynic in me thinks that it is typical that he finally does something locally, but it is still just to benefit himself. I wonder how much free beer this will net him.
The irony of an alcoholic being a member of the Small Brewers Caucus is not lost on me either. However, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) alerted me to something else that I agree with Kuhl on: voting against a bill providing $2.4 billion in military aid to Israel. While I’m sure there were other, more nefarious reasons for his opposition to the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, not providing any more of our taxpayer dollars to support Israeli terror is a step in the right direction.
I was thoroughly disgusted to receive the following message from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:
“Representative Randy Kuhl voted tonight to cut the U.S.’s $2.4 billion in aid to Israel. The U.S. and Israel have long been strategic partners in the Middle East on fighting terrorism.
“Representative Kuhl claims to support Israel, but voting to cut all U.S. aid to Israel tells a dramatically different story,†said Jennifer Crider, Communications Director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “It is essential that the U.S support our strongest ally and the only democracy in the region, but Representative Kuhl’s vote against Israel threatens their security and our own.—
My following response to the authors of this message went unanswered:
Ms. Crider and Mr. Thornell,
As a true liberal Democrat, I’m disgusted that your group supports the despicable acts of the terrorist state of Israel that are bought and paid for with our taxpayer dollars. Their illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and the Apartheid state that they created are the main reasons for the rise in Islamic extremism. The United States should no longer subsidize the subjugation of the Palestinian, and to a lesser extent Lebanese, people. This is something that both parties should agree on, for the safety of Americans all around the world. For once, I actually agree with Rep. Kuhl and disagree with my own party. What better way to send a message to our Middle Eastern counterparts that we’re serious about peace in their region? There is no greater disruptor to peace in the world today than Israel.
The rhetoric that you used in your remarkably unsubstantive message is beyond shallow. You state that Israel is “…our strongest ally and the only democracy in the region…”, but are they really our ally? Does the USS Liberty ring a bell? Do you support our ally’s incessant bombing of innocent Lebanese civilians last year? More than 1,000 Lebanese killed, nearly a million displaced from their homes, and their infrastructure nearly wiped out; is this what the Democratic Party should stand for? Furthermore, your concept of “democracy” is dubious at best. The Israeli democracy is no different from the Palestinian democracy. Israel elects murderers like Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert and their “centrist” Kadima Party while the hardline neo-fascist Likud party is once again rising in popularity; should it be no surprise that Palestinians support Hamas in overwhelming numbers? Democracy doesn’t work in the region. Our best ally is Jordan, a monarchy that is in danger because of our policies. Would we prefer Hamas gain power in Jordan through “democracy”? The US helped to create this untenable situation and the DCCC stance will only further it until we reach oblivion. Some things are more important than raising funds for elections.
I am deeply troubled by and disappointed in your message.
MAT
Do any politicians, liberal or conservative, have any backbone? Have I gone astray? Am I wrong on this? Are liberals now taking an anti-Palestinian approach? If so, I may find myself on the path to being a registered Independent.
I agree with you about this, MAT. The trouble is the power of AIPAC and their success is labeling everyone who criticizes Israeli aggression as anti-Israel (or even anti-Semitic). The idiocy of this is that it is clearly in Israel’s long-term interests to stop the neocon war-mongering. Advocating what is actually in Israel’s best interests is considered “anti-Israel” by the most powerful Israel-related lobby. Craziness…
I am in agreement with you about not trusting Kuhl’s motives, but brewing is potentially a big business for upstate NY.
Until the early 20th century, upstate NY was the major producer of hops (the herb which makes beer bitter) in the US, and, before that, it was known for its hard cider and apple brandy. The area has conditions perfect for growing hops, barley and fruit, abundant water perfect for brewing, cheap land and is within a day’s drive of most of the big East Coast cities.
I’m not saying that craft brewing will be the salvation of the upstate rural economy, but it’s a business where upstate has some serious competitive advantages and craft brew is the one growth area of an otherwise stagnant beer market.
The reason I care about this issue is that NY is primarily an agricultural state, regardless of what NYC might say. Encouraging “agricultural tourism” and “high value-added” agricultural products (e.g., wine, cheese, farmer-consumer co-ops) is a key to reviving rural America. Given that New York’s major source of exports and revenue in the past few years has been agricultural products, we need to pay attention to that sector of the economy.
Thanks, Thomas. You hit it on the bullseye. That’s what I wanted to say, but was too lazy.
Just like the Arab-Israeli conflict makes anyone involved too deeply go crazy. I’m crazy enough, so I stay the hell away from the issue.
IMO, Israel is doomed in the long run. Historically, foreign invasions of the Holy Land have only lasted about 100 years before the invaders are driven out or go native (e.g., the First Crusade, Ottoman Empire, British Occupation). Right now, Israel has more citizens living abroad than at home and its birth rate is static - except among the Ultra-Orthodox who are exempt from military service. By comparison, birth rates in Palestinian-controlled areas and in neighboring Arab countries are high and show few signs of slowing down. Eventually, sheer demographics will make the Israelis a minority in their own territory, at which point the end is near. Whether the end will come via invasion or economic integration remains to be seen.
What does disgust me is that, historically, the vast bulk of U.S. foreign aid has gone to Israel, often in the form of military aid. The U.S. has gotten so used to supporting Israel because it’s Israel that we’ve forgotten why we are supporting it (as a pro-western democracy in the Middle East). So much more good would have come from spending the money on peaceful uses elsewhere in the world. $100 million a year in direct aid to villages in Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan or Sub-Saharan Africa would do far more good for U.S. interests in the long run than $1 billion a year in military aid to Israel.
I stay away, too.
But it’s hard not to think that the current neocon strategy is doomed.
Okay, glad to know I’m still in the right camp. It’s frustrating that the only 2008 Presidential candidate with the right stance on Israel is Kucinich and he doesn’t have a chance in Hell of getting the nomination. Of course, Kucinich is right on just about everything.
Dude. Please, no Israel talk here. It just turns into a big mess.
Can we agree that there are intelligent people on both sides of the issue and end it at that? More than one site has been destroyed by Israel-bashing and counter-bashing in the comments.
Besides, not really topical here.