To continue our discussion of the capricious limit on liquor permits in the Oregon District, where the  limit of 17 magic licenses reduces competition and free markets- we find that when others sell liquor without state sanction- they  are “hot spots for violence, drugs and prostitution” according to the Dayton Daily headline:

Sanders’ sister, Florence Sanders, said she was surprised and shocked by the shootings because her brother had been selling liquor out of his basement for more than 30 years without incident.

via Bootleg joints can be hot spots for violence, drugs, prostitution.

Note- there is nothing in the article that suggests proof of prostitution going on in bootleg joints, and if we went into any nightclub in the region- and shook down every patron we would find drugs and weapons- luckily the TSA hasn’t taken over the night club business- despite historical bombings of discos in other countries.

There is a legal bar in Harrison Township, often frequented by off-duty sheriff’s officers, that has seen more shootings and violence than we’ve seen from “bootleg joints” yet it remains open (although the name has changed a few times).

It’s also interesting to note that when a well-known establishment downtown has a problem- it’s name doesn’t appear in the paper. Maybe it’s a side benefit of hosting benefits for politicians like Rhine McLin- and even donating a tile mosaic of her Chairmaness.

A “Thirsty Thursday” promotion at a downtown club tied up police officers from three districts during the early morning hours Friday.

It started at 3 a.m. when two officers were at the club on an unrelated call. While talking to club security, a large fight broke out in the adjacent parking lot. ..

By this time, crews from the 1st, 3rd and Central Business districts were in the area of the first block of North Jefferson because of numerous disturbances and fights in the parking lot around the club.

via ‘Thirsty Thursday’ turns into fight night outside downtown club | Dayton area crime.

If it appears that there are different standards for different liquor establishments in the area, it’s probably just your imagination- we can’t possibly have a “Pay to play” government in Dayton, Ohio, could we?

Ask Dennis Stewart about the opposition he faced when he tried to move the Walnut Hills bar a few blocks from the corner of Brown and Wyoming to the back of Brown and Stewart – and the opposition to having liquor closer to campus. Or even the IHOP that wanted to locate on Brown Street- where the protest was that they didn’t want a 24-hour business in the area because of the noise it would cause (ignoring the noisy flying things with rotors from a major employer with a huge new tower next door). The local developer who had a plan for the new Kroger location that could have happened- but was derailed by forces unknown… the list goes on.

It seems as if the invisible hand in Dayton actually belongs to someone or something unknown- and they make sure we are “protected” from…?

Reader Jstults refers to this brilliantly:

I think Dayton’s Organization Town approach is endearing: the funkiness shall happen in these city blocks between such and so hours, however said funk shall not exceed 17 Smedley Total Funk Units at any given time. While being Funky, citizens are encouraged to get Creative, Involved or just Midwest in order to optimize the synergistic effect of being terribly trendy and nearly bohemian during their off-hours. Of course, being an Organization Man, I don’t really care about drunken revelry, as long as it’s not happening in front of my house while I’m trying to sleep…

via Three-minute thinking.

Maybe we should hold a lottery statewide for liquor licenses- and also grant a restricted number of drinking permits via a free lottery to registered voters only (because then politicians can gain favor with voters- giving away pocket drinking permits). The lucky voters who win these permits- can then sell them off to the highest bidder- and you must have a permit to drink and wear it around your neck like a pan handler permit (because those work so well) or risk instant execution by the Department of Boozeland Security….

If this sounds insane- you’ve hopefully started to understand the stupidity of Government overextending its reach with rules that it can’t really enforce legally. Of course, just by using the delay and roadblock tactics they dream up when it suits them often serve the very same purpose.

Why is government involved in these kinds of decisions- and are we better off? Looking at the fall of Dayton over the last 50 years- could it be that our “Organizational Town” thinking is the root of the problem?

How can we have bootleg joints operating for 30 years in a community that rules the Oregon District with an iron fist? Maybe we’ve failed on all accounts and just can’t admit it?