Craggy Brewing Company is going out of business. December 1 will be its last day. “This is exciting!” said some local leader, surely. It shows how economic development incentives work. The breweries who come in from out of town, have their higher-ups treated to helicopter rides as they’re wined and dined by economic leaders, and get six-digit tax breaks, news articles, and free publicity on public TV are the ones who succeed. No, no. Don’t throw that crony capitalism phrase around. Besides the fact that you don’t know what it means, the beer companies that got the breaks are green and organic. They’re not capitalistic. They would never touch a profit. All they want is to create jobs and keep the environment clean – as we heard from their free advertising at public meetings. These Craggie yoyos were just trying to run a business. Only some tinfoil hat loonie would construe some kind of connection between . . .
by Leslee Kulba
Wild West blogger