Mediaboss Marketing

These days it seems a lot of people cant tell their left from their right.

That would include Bill Spadea of radio station NJ 101.5 and Kelsey Grammer, formerly of the TV show Cheers

Spadea is traveling around the state pushing the idea that opening up New Jerseys Depression-era liquor licensing system will somehow make it more difficult for New Jerseyans to find neighborhood bars like the one featured in that TV show starring Grammer.

A recent post on the radio stations website was titled Local community bars under assault from far-left Murphy.

Technically, this is what we in the news business call a lie. The proposal by Gov. Phil Murphy would permit a gradual transition to the issuance of more liquor licenses. More liquor licenses mean more neighborhood bars, not fewer. Right now the licenses in a lot of towns tend to be bought up by national chains like Applebees and Outback Steakhouse.

And although the governor is generally left-wing, on this issue hes showing a libertarian streak, said former state assemblyman Mike Carroll of Morris County, who is one of New Jerseys leading conservatives,.

In Carrolls view, conservatives should oppose business licensing.

Licenses are just a barrier to entry, he said. Theyre just a means of restricting competition.

Of course, restricting competition is the point for those who oppose opening up the alcoholic-beverage market.

That includes Grammer. Spadea had Grammer, who grew up partly in Colonia, on his show recently. When asked by Spadea about Murphys plan to open up the licensing, Grammer replied, Its poorly thought out, think.

Whats poorly thought out is Grammers opposition to reform. More liquor licenses means more outlets selling beer like the beer that Grammer himself brews.

Its called Faith American Ale and its brewed in New York State and shipped to New Jersey, among other places. According to a 2020 article in Forbes, Grammer introduced the beer at a grand opening in 2019 of what he describes as a casual seasonal tavern with an outdoor patio at his place in the Catskills.

That sounds inviting. But if Grammer had wanted to open a brewpub in New Jersey back in the days he was acting in that barroom comedy, he couldnt have done it. Brewpubs here werent legalized until 1994, the year after Cheers ended.

That was the first loosening of the license system in the modern era. But brewpubs are still regulated within an inch of their existence thanks to the efforts of the powerful liquor lobby.

They dont want any competition, said Dave Hoffman of Climax brewing in Roselle Park. But this country was built on competition.

At least thats what we conservatives believe. What we get instead is what economists call captive regulation. Thats what happens when business interests use regulation as a means of enriching themselves by eliminating competition.

That may be good for the businesses but its bad for the public. A coalition of 90 mayors recently sent an open letter to legislators arguing that economic growth in their towns has been held back by a paucity of licenses.

Given the exorbitant costs for a license, coupled with the lack of availability and the existing population cap for municipalities, the present system favors the economically advantaged while hampering mom-and-pop businesses and towns with smaller populations, the letter stated.

The signers included the mayor of my town, Bay Head. In Bay Head, if youre looking for a place where everybody knows your name, try the surf shop. Because of its small population, Bay Head has just one restaurant that serves alcohol. But as in a lot of Shore towns the population swells in summer. It could easily support a few more drinking spots.

If this reform legislation passes, it will be the towns rather than the state that will set the limit on licenses.

Thats known as home rule, another tenet of conservatism.

I wanted to ask Spadea how he could call himself a conservative when he opposes home rule and free markets, but he didnt respond to my emails.

I also wanted to ask if hes getting paid by the liquor lobby to push their agenda.

If so, it wouldnt be the first time. A few years ago when I was covering a campaign event for a Republican candidate, I was surprised to see Spadea acting as the emcee. The candidate told me Spadea was paid for his performance.

Taking money from politicians violates every journalistic code of ethics in the book. Station management didnt get back to me when I emailed to inquire about what ethics policies they have, if any.

But I guess theres a free market in radio talkers.

Now if only we had a free market in beer.

More: Recent Paul Mulshine columns.

Paul Mulshine may be reached at pmulshine@starledger.com.

Follow him on Twitter @Mulshine. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook and on Twitter

Excerpt from:
Conservatism goes down the hatch at radio station NJ 101.5 | Mulshine - NJ.com