Monday, December 5, 2011

I'll Drink To That...!


On this same date, the end came to what was one of the most failed experiments in modern times.

The government learned that you cannot curb the appetites for alcohol just by making it illegal! What you do instead is to create a lot of rich gangsters.

Sounds a lot like the "war on drugs", doesn't it?

Dec 5, 1933:
Prohibition ends

The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment and bringing an end to the era of national prohibition of alcohol in America. At 5:32 p.m. EST, Utah became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, achieving the requisite three-fourths majority of states' approval. Pennsylvania and Ohio had ratified it earlier in the day.

The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century, these groups had become a powerful political force, campaigning on the state level and calling for national liquor abstinence. Several states outlawed the manufacture or sale of alcohol within their own borders. In December 1917, the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes," was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. On January 29, 1919, the 18th Amendment achieved the necessary three-fourths majority of state ratification. Prohibition essentially began in June of that year, but the amendment did not officially take effect until January 29, 1920.

In the meantime, Congress passed the Volstead Act on October 28, 1919, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto. The Volstead Act provided for the enforcement of Prohibition, including the creation of a special Prohibition unit of the Treasury Department. In its first six months, the unit destroyed thousands of illicit stills run by bootleggers. However, federal agents and police did little more than slow the flow of booze, and organized crime flourished in America. Large-scale bootleggers like Al Capone of Chicago built criminal empires out of illegal distribution efforts, and federal and state governments lost billions in tax revenue. In most urban areas, the individual consumption of alcohol was largely tolerated and drinkers gathered at "speakeasies," the Prohibition-era term for saloons.

Prohibition, failing fully to enforce sobriety and costing billions, rapidly lost popular support in the early 1930s. In 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was passed and ratified, ending national Prohibition. After the repeal of the 18th Amendment, some states continued Prohibition by maintaining statewide temperance laws. Mississippi, the last dry state in the Union, ended Prohibition in 1966.

What I don't understand is why do the PTB continue to pursue avenues that have long ago ceased to be effective? There has to be some better way to approach the problem.

I can't help but think that instead of making a few industrious criminals rich, we need to find some way to recoup part of those vast amounts of money and put it back into the infrastructure of this country!

Just a thought! Coffee in the kitchen this morning, if that's alright with you!

10 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

The "War on Drugs" makes a lot of politicians and military brass rich; that's why we still have it.

HermitJim said...

Hey Gorges...
Like the old saying goes..."follow the money!"

It would be nice to see some of those funds go to repairing the water supplies, the dilapidated bridges, the broken streets, and all the other parts of this country in need of major overhaul!

Thanks, friend, for the visit today!

Sixbears said...

Do what they eventually did with booze: legalize it and tax it.

Dizzy-Dick said...

I don't drink any more, nor do I use drugs and never have, so I don't really care one way or the other.

JoJo said...

Yes make it legal and tax the hell out of it.

Coffee in the kitchen sounds wonderfu its freezing out there. Our high today is going to be 48.

HermitJim said...

Hey Sixbears...
That may be the most sensible answer. I just can't help but think that there has to be some solution !

Thanks for coming by today!


Hey DD...
I quit the booze when I started on blood thinner.

I'm thinking that if the profit margin were taken out of the drug business, things might get harder for the thugs!

You stay warm in the country, my friend! Thanks for coming by today!


Hey JoJo...
Pretty cold here as well. Nice and coz7y in the kitchen, though.

I think it's time for a big pan of gingerbread!

Thanks, sweetie, for coming by today!

Mayberry said...

What Gorges said. The "War on Drugs" is big money for nanny.gov...

HermitJim said...

Hey Craig...
Certainly big money for somebody!

Shame that we can't side track some of those profits!

Thanks, buddy, for coming by today!

TROUBLEnTX said...

I agree with all, make it legal, tax it to hell. But, since when does the govn,,ever have any sense?

Momlady said...

I have a Gordon & Co. gin bottle that says "For Medicinal Purposes Only". Made in 1917. Wonder if it's worth anything?