Booze distribution law

There's a bill working its way through Congress that would turn over regulation of distribution from the federal level to the states.

Good deal, right?

Maybe not so much.

Thanks to lobbying by the distributors, passage of this law would most likely kill direct sales and insure that there's always a middle man in the transaction. The article speaks to beer distribution, but I'm guessing this would have a large impact on wine sales as well.

States pretty much have had the right to regulate alcohol since repeal of prohibition with the 21st Amendment. A few exceptions, such as conflict with the interstate Commerce Clause, do exist where the Federal Law trumps states rights. That's why you see dry counties in Kentucky and not in Indiana and why these two states differ regarding Sunday sales, etc, etc, etc.
BTW, I think it is bad law to remove the Federal Courts from jurisdiction in cases involving state alchol laws, much as I would oppose Federal Courts from jurisdiction over say discriminatory state laws. But then again I guess I'm a big gubmint guy and think there are limits to this whole state's rights issue which I thought we had settled 150 years ago.
'Redwinger

Free The Grapes has had quite a bit of discussion about this: http://www.freethegrapes.org/ . Unfortunately Kentucky is one of them worst states already for direct mail order of wine and liquor and this can only make it worse! We should all work to make sure this Federal law is not passed.