I write about topics I'm passionate about
National or local
What the Bud Light Boycott Gets Wrong
Published May. 12, 2023
"The firestorm ignited by Anheuser-Busch continues to rage as consumers express their disdain toward the company’s partnership with controversial transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Boycotters are taking their business elsewhere, causing Bud Light’s sales to crater over the past month. But as effective as this boycott might seem, most conservatives are doing it wrong — and have been for a long time."
The FDA is Punishing Distillers' Good Deeds - Again
Published Aug. 8, 2022
"More than two years after the Food and Drug Administration solicited distillers to help solve a hand sanitizer shortage at the onset of the deadliest pandemic in a century, the federal agency continues to prove the maxim that 'no good deed goes unpunished.' Distillers exemplified the exceptional greatness of American small businesses by contributing the essential products needed to combat a public health emergency."
How Recalling CA Gov. Gavin Newsom Became My Business
Published Feb. 20, 2021
"Politics, like sex, is not a suitable subject for discussion in a professional setting. This strong conviction led me to maintain my business’ apolitical and nonpartisan stance from its founding. My business’ nonpartisanship will continue, but I can’t afford to be apolitical anymore. If California small business owners want to survive, it is imperative that we get involved — specifically, in supporting the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom."
The Domino Effect of the Government-Created Labor Crisis
Published Oct. 13, 2021
"How are there a record-breaking 11 million open jobs in the United States while 7.6 million Americans are still unemployed? The unintended effects of government economic intervention have proven to be longer-lasting and more extensive than anyone imagined. Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and blue state governors like Gavin Newsom are to blame for implementing and continuing terrible, short-sighted policies that disincentivized people from working."
State Must Find a Way to Protect Our Health and Our Small Businesses
Published Dec. 11th, 2020
"On Dec. 5, I woke up to the news that almost the entire state of California was once again shutting down a significant portion of the alcohol industry—indefinitely. I found it painfully ironic that this announcement came on Repeal Day—the 87th anniversary of the ratification of the 21st Amendment, which officially repealed Prohibition. On a day that should have been a celebration of the defeat of a nonsensical law, all bars, distilleries, breweries, wineries and even restaurants serving food were told to cease indoor and outdoor service."
Craft Distilleries Should Have the Right to Ship
Published Nov. 10, 2021
"The state of California is about to re-ban an entire industry from selling and shipping its products online. Every business should have the right to sell their goods by any means they’d like. As long as sales are conducted in a responsible manner, it shouldn’t matter if it’s through a brick-and-mortar shop or online store. Although wineries convinced the state to recognize their right to conduct commerce decades ago, spirits distillers have lacked the deep pockets and lobbying power needed to influence California legislators."
15 Days to Flatten the Curve: 1 Year Later
Published Apr. 14, 2021
"On Mar. 19, 2020, Governor Newsom mandated that all Californians shelter-at-home and completely closed thousands of businesses, including mine. Omniscient experts presented scientific charts of bell curves illustrating that if we quarantined at home for just fifteen days, we could prevent a catastrophe in our hospitals. I accepted that this sacrifice was part of my patriotic duty to protect fellow Americans from a deadly virus and assured myself my business would recover. I did not imagine that fifteen days would become one year – and counting."
Is Paso Robles' and Atascadero's Total Ban on Fireworks Necessary?
Published Jul. 7, 2021
"Rivaling Christmas, Independence Day may be my favorite holiday. It’s a celebration of our founding countrymen’s refusal to comply with oppressive orders by a totalitarian monarch. Last year, Independence Day celebrations were almost canceled by wannabe autocrats who erroneously declared it was too unsafe to BBQ with friends outside in the open air and warm sun. Although the ban on gatherings wasn’t attempted again this year, residents of Paso Robles and Atascadero were prohibited from a freedom-affirming activity almost as patriotic as adorning a pickup truck with Old Glory: lighting small cardboard tubes of gunpowder on fire to make loud sounds and pretty colors."