Every once in a while, I wonder why average American citizens have any faith left in the American government at all. Behold this most-recent example of politicians acting like overlords, rather than the public servants they really are:
A Westport lawmaker who voted to hike the state sales and alcohol taxes was spotted brazenly piling booze in his car – adorned with his State House license plate – in the parking lot of a tax-free New Hampshire liquor store, the Herald has learned.
Michael J. Rodrigues’ blue Ford Crown Victoria, emblazoned with his “House 29” Massachusetts license plate, was parked outside a Granite State liquor store on Interstate-95 South over the weekend, according to a witness who provided pictures to the Herald.
The witness, who requested anonymity, claimed he approached Rodrigues, noted his State House plate, and asked if he was on personal or official business. Rodrigues, who was loading booze into his car, snapped “mind your own business,” the witness said.
This jackass not only voted to increase Massachusetts’ already-high sales and alcohol taxes, but then he drove across state lines in order to buy his own personal alcohol tax-free in New Hampshire. Now, I am not familiar with Massachusetts’ state laws, but here in Tennessee where sales taxes are high and alcohol levies are higher, it is a state felony to bring alcohol into Tennessee from another state. I wonder if MA has something similar?
Furthermore, this is a prime example of a would-be master inflicting all manner of legislation, restrictions, and regulations upon his subjects, while simultaneously deciding that he must be above te laws because he made them. Excuse me, but frak that noise. if anything, the people who make the laws should have double the impact of the law meted out to them, to fully comprehend the restrictions and regulations they are imposing on other people, oftentimes against those people’s will. Remember, these people are elected public servants. They are not our masters, they are not our supervisors… hell, most of them do not even qualify as good leaders. They work for us, they are accountable to us, and they are not above us.
But wait, it gets better:
But in an online interview with The Standard-Times in New Bedford, he acknowledged buying the booze during a bathroom stop while he and his wife were on a weekend getaway in New Hampshire.
He also blamed the brouhaha on “Republican demagoguery.”
“Unfortunately, I think that’s why the Republican Party is in such bad shape in Massachusetts,” Rodrigues is quoted as saying. “The electorate here is smart enough to figure out what they’re up to.”
It is not his fault that he crossed state lines to buy alcohol, it is obviously the Republicans’ fault! It is all a massive Republican conspiracy to do… something. Not sure what. But it is a conspiracy, I tell you!
Words fail me.
(Courtesy of MArooned.)
As far as I know it’s a crime to transport above a certain value of non-Mass-Taxed booze. Sounds like he was close to that limit.
What’s the worst thing tho is that he lives right on the Rhode Island boarder! So if he didn’t hit too much traffic he spent at least 3 hours round-trip in his car driving to the liquor store, and more than likely need to fill the tank up at least once (note that likely Mass Citizens paid the fuel bill for the Crown Vic too!)
Better yet there’s a Package Store at the end of the street he lives on. He just gave THAT guy the finger BIGTIME!
“A couple of cases of alcohol” would certainly probably be close to any state limits there might be, if not over them already.
Supposedly the trip to the alcohol store was either on the way to or on the way back from a vacation he and his wife took up north… I think the article covered it. Still, though, he was dodging MA taxes, and possibly breaking MA laws, in his own little officially-licensed vehicle. Gotta love the gall that takes…
If I were the package store owner, I would almost certainly send a very nice, polite letter to the representative in question, thanking him for his business and support of local establishments. Snarky, me? Naaah.
If I owned that packie down the street from his house I’d be putting up friendly signs in my windows and over my register.
Those guys are getting KILLED by increased taxes, doubly so with the proximity to New Hampshire where the only restrictions on Alcohol sales is that Liquor MUST be sold by the state, all tax free.
You know, if you put together the better aspects of Vermont with the better aspects of New Hampshire, you might just have the perfect state…