Archive for February 21st, 2011

Majority rule or mob rule … I’m confused.

February 21, 2011

I’m getting confused.

When is majority rule good and mob rule bad?

And when is mob rule good and majority rule bad?

In Egypt, mob rule was good because majority rule – in the form of free and open elections – was being suppressed. Plus, Mubarek was a thug – albeit “our” thug for 30 years. 

Pushing aside the fact that the protesters on the square (about 100,000) were an infinitesimal part of the county’s population (about 83 million), I get that one.

In Wisconsin, mob rule is good and majority rule is bad.  Huh?

The clear majority of Wisconsin voters elected a GOP governor and GOP majorities in their state’s Senate and Assembly.  They got to work and prepped legislation to make government workers pay some (versus none) of their health insurance premiums and pension benefits.

So, the Dem Senators – who knew they were going to lose the vote to the majority —  left the state to preclude a quorum for the passing of any legislation.

Democracy at work ?

And, thousands of teachers were suddenly too sick to work, and sick enough to get sight-unseen notes from cause-supportive doctors, but healthy enough  protest in Madison – where they were complemented by bus loads of union and and Dem operatives – some from Wisconsin, some not – all encouraged by no less than President Obama.

So, the multi-state mob is good, the majority of voters is bad.

I’m having trouble with that one.

Now the big question.

If we’re switching from majority rule to mob rule, how many folks have to march on Washington to get ObamaCare repealed?

I figure that since 100,000 out of 83 million was good enough in Egypt … and 50,000 out of 5 million is good enough in Wisconsin … it should take only about 500,000 congregated protesters in the U.S.

I think the Tea Party could muster that number.

Hmmm.  Let’s be consistent, right ?

Posted in Democracy in action, Health Care / Medical Insurance | Leave a Comment »

Anyone care for a Buck Range Light or a Big Flats?

February 21, 2011

TakeAway: New beer brands from retail giants Supervalu and Walgreens are part of a growing effort by chain stores to make a hit of private-label beer, a category that has proved difficult for retailers.

The retailers are trying to tempt shoppers with lower-priced alternatives to domestic mass-market brews such as MillerCoors’ Keystone Light.

The effort comes amid declining sales volumes for the beer industry, which has been hurt by stubbornly high unemployment.  But store-branded beers have struggled to gain traction for years in the U.S., in part because beer is typically consumed in social settings and brand image is important.

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Excerpted from WSJ, “Private-Label Beers Take a Shot at Earning Joe Sixpack’s Respect” By David Kesmodel, February 8, 2011

Supervalu, the third-largest U.S. grocery chain by revenue, began selling Buck Range Light, a low-priced domestic brew (12-pack of cans for as little as $5.99), in December. Drugstore chain Walgreens recently began offering Big Flats 1901 for as little as $2.99 a six pack. Costco rolled out craft beers under its Kirkland Signature brand in December 2008.

Part of the attraction for retailers is that sales of other store-branded goods—from soap to pasta—have been robust. Revenue for private-label products rose 2% last year in food, drug and mass-merchandise outlets, according to market-research firm Nielsen Co., compared with a 1% decline for branded items.

Annual sales for the U.S. beer market are about $96 billion, according to market-research firm Beverage Information Group. MillerCoors, which has a 29% share of the U.S. beer market, argues that house brands can pose downsides for the whole beer category. “Retailers should be cautious about over-proliferating their beer shelf with private label, unsupported brands that can commoditize the category”. Dave Peacock, president of Anheuser’s U.S. division, said “the industry is defined by players who invest heavily behind brands.” Anheuser-Busch controls about 48% of the U.S. beer market by volume.

Industry observers said it could be tough for Walgreens and Supervalu to build a following for their new brews. “I think it’s a hard sell, mainly because nobody has succeeded on the low-end with private-label beer,” said Harry Schuhmacher, publisher of the newsletter Beer Business Daily.

Edit by AMW

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Posted in Beer & Liquor, Mktg - Brands - Private Label | 1 Comment »