This past Friday, I was asked to buy some beer for a party. On my way to the grocery store, I deposited my Stimulus Check, then used some of that to buy a case of Bud Light. A few hours later, I realized that this seemingly normal sequence of events was an ironic microcosm for the economic disaster that this country faces, and I was part of the problem.
Over the past decade, our government has engaged in a series of actions that have resulted in the devaluation of the US Dollar. From
artificially low interest rates to printing up “free money” and distributing it as “stimulus checks”, our dollar has become more and more worthless on the global market. Just like its dim-witted citizenry, this country spends more money than it makes. What makes the government different than its citizens is that the government doesn’t go bankrupt — the money just becomes increasingly useless.
As a result of this, the prices of imported goods (oil, anybody?) have skyrocketed, and our country is quietly being bought out by the Europeans.
That case of Bud Light, which is produced by now European-owned Anheuser-Busch, was direct support for the collapse of the dollar and those who are profiting off of it. Cashing that check devalued the dollar, and the devaluation of the dollar is partially responsible for the sale of AB to InBev. Regardless of which came first, the downward spiral we are traveling upon will be difficult to derail unless we make changes now.
My first change? I’m done buying foreign-owned beer that tries to pass off as “Great American Beer” for my cheap beer selection.
Let’s take a look at the currently popular beer purchases:
Anheuser-Busch products? Nope, soon-to-be owned by InBev, a bunch of Europeans.
How about that nice Pete Coors guy and his Coors Light? Oops, Molson owns them up in Canada. Tap the Rockies (and give the profits to Canadians) indeed.
Well, there’s always that dreaded Miller filthwater, right? Wrong. Owned by SABMiller, which stands for South African Breweries – Miller.
That covers about 90% of what you’ll find on the shelves. Now this is where things get really sad: The largest American-owned beer company is now Pabst. What Pabst doesn’t want you to know is that they don’t even brew beer (and clearly don’t know how) – that’s done by our foreign foes in MillerCoors.
Yuengling - Great stuff, but I’ve never seen it in California.
Iron City Brewing - I.C. Light is probably the closest thing to a “Great American Light” beer you’ll find. Unfortunately, it’s brewed in Pittsburgh, and those of you who know me know that I won’t touch it. My devotion to the Cleveland Browns is above even beer
Shiner (Spoetzel Brewery) - I absolutely love this stuff, and will drink it on my upcoming trip to Austin, but I’ve never seen a Shiner Light out here. Shiner Bock will do for now.
At this point, I give up. It’s even worse when I realize that I’d like cans so that I can bring them to the beach. Perhaps it is time I stop buying a “Great American” light beer, and move on to the other delicious brews we have and make my friends deal with it.
The time is ripe for an American to step it up, make the next popular light beer, and distribute/market it like mad. While you’re at it, get the NASCAR crowd up in arms. Pabst could step up to the table, but they need to start brewing their own beer again before I jump onto that bandwagon. Until then, I’m drinking Shiner and Fat Tire.
And as a footnote, how did Friday’s party go? Well, during a wild drinking game, my friend accidentally swallowed a quarter, and couldn’t get it back up. What’s really miserable is that by the time he ‘passes’ it, it will probably be worth about half as much.
HAHA very true my friend Drink that Fat Tire. Brewed in Colorado by Americans! Also you have Odell Brewery 90 Schillings. Micro Brews (no pun intended) are the way to go..
Gareth couldn’t be more right. Drink local. More than drinking American, you’re keeping money in your community. There are plenty of quality beers on the market, both in bottles or available at the brewery, that are produced by privately owned, local brewers. Give them a try and open your palate up to some really interesting beers.
I have to post this. I received this e-mail from a Molson Coors representative. Check it out. I’ll do some research soon:
————
Mike - in a recent blog you noted, “How about that nice Pete Coors guy and his Coors Light? Oops, Molson owns them up in Canada. Tap the Rockies (and give the profits to Canadians) indeed.”
Actually, Molson did not purchase Coors. Molson Coors Brewing Company was created during a merger of equals in 2005 between Coors Brewing Company and Molson. The company is headquartered in Denver and Montreal and is traded on both the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. It is both an American and a Canadian company.
In terms of the US business, nearly all of the brewing happens in the US for US consumers. And, in fact, all of the profits generated in the US over the years have stayed here to be reinvested in our US business. The MillerCoors joint venture provides roughly 9,000 US jobs, and our products are distributed by hundreds of US distributors — independent, and often family-owned, US businesses with tens of thousands of US employees all across the country.
Here is some additional background on Molson Coors: Molson Coors Brewing Company is one of the world’s largest brewers. It brews, markets and sells a portfolio of leading premium quality brands such as Coors Light, Molson Canadian, Molson Dry, Carling, Coors, and Keystone Light in North America, Europe and Asia. It operates in Canada, through Molson Canada; in the US, through the MillerCoors joint venture; in the U.K. and Ireland, through Coors Brewers Limited. For more information on Molson Coors Brewing Company, visit the company’s Web site, http://www.molsoncoors.com.
Regards,
Kabira Hatland
Kabira Hatland
Molson Coors Brewing Company
M: xxx.xxx.xxxx
E: xxxxxxxxxxxx@molsoncoors.com
——————–
(I’ll give this contact info if you want it)
This brief message is with regard to the Sirius / XM Satellite radio merger that you and your committee have the ultimate approval of:
Please stop impeding business. It is unethical and un-American. I, the paying customer, will decide what business transactions are worthy of success or failure.
Early this morning, I participated in an event I never would have imagined myself taking part in: I went on strike with a labor union.
Specifically, I was a guest picketer for the Writers Guild of America (WGA), joining my dear friend Sarah Watson, writer on NBC’s forthcoming primetime show, Lipstick Jungle.
For those of you unaware, the WGA is a union which represents TV, film, and radio writers. The WGA is striking against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which is an industry trade group consisting of U.S. film production companies and studios (ie. GE/NBC/Universal, Disney, Time Warner, etc). Every three years, these organizations negotiate a basic contract. However, in 2007, negotiations failed, and a strike began on November 2, 2007.
The way I understand it (heavily dumbed down — explaining it is neither my jurisdiction nor purpose), there are two major sticking points to the WGA’s strike:
DVD Residuals The writers want 8 cents for every DVD sold, double their current 4 cents. That is 0.4% of the revenue from a $20.00 DVD.
“New Media” Residuals Writers currently get no money when their work is viewed through Internet downloads, streaming feeds, IPTV, or phone downloads. They want to receive the 2.5% for these (which is what they’re paid on traditional television).
The funniest thing about this strike is what a social event it seems to be for the writers. Everyone I talked to was in optimistic spirits, and was very friendly to Sarah and myself. After all, being out of work for many months at a time is nothing new to a writer. Among those that I met were
Craig Williams, writer of Underdog (and some really cool upcoming ideas),
Zach Estrin, Co-executive Producer of Prison Break,
The Writers are not dumb, nor are the studios. As Internet and TV are quickly merging (take, for instance, AppleTV, Verizon FIOS, and even the growing popularity of streaming protocols such as Sopcast), each side must stand their ground and try to gain as much leverage over new media as soon as possible. This is especially true since the lines between TV and Internet are blurring and all forecasts of new media are vastly underestimated.
As a Libertarian, I find the entire situation to be a slap in the face to our country’s economic system, which resembles more and more of a joke every day. While I’ve never been pro-Union, I find it absolutely ridiculous that 6 of the largest corporations in the world can unite and dominate an industry with basically no competition between each other.
Our supposed ‘free market economy’ is dominated by corporate interests which have contributed to the disappearance of the middle class — a middle class that is vitally important to the survival of any democratic government.
I fully support the writers’ power to unionize and convene, but I also fully support the corporations power to fire their employees and do things their own way. That’s business.
Although this strike has very little impact on my life and that of my family, I feel that it is indicative of the bigger picture — the pendulum has swung too far, and the time for mass corporate backlash is near.
My question to you writers is this: What next? Let’s say you get everything (or almost everything) you bargain for. You are still pawns in the system, stuck in a traditional business which does not fully understand the future of technology and no longer appreciates the people it serves.
Isn’t it time for something new? Why settle for this, when you can take a risk to do better — to compete with the system by starting your own production organization. After all, if you’re not willing to take this risk, then you’ve already lost.
An internet television network! Down with the terrestrial television networks! It is the only next logical step. Newspapers are sinking because of the internet, why not the networks? They put out nothing but crap these days anyway.
Everyone is a pawn in the system except the CEOs, so I don’t think it’s a matter of branching out and creating a writer studio. Then the actors would create an actor studio and the producers a producer studio, and television/movies would swirl further down the toilet.
If the 2.5% you mentioned is what has been the working pay-paradigm for television writers, I cannot understand how that same figure does not directly translate to “new media.” Even if the money in new media is less than that of old media, it’s still the same slice size of simply a smaller pie.
I think the way that things work now is the way they have to work, but it might take a protracted strike for these uber-wealthy studio executives to realize that Jim Morrison was right: They’ve got the guns, but we’ve got the numbers.
There’s no profit to be had in running a studio without the creative engine of writers. A new slate of reality programming might be headed our way, but I imagine while some will catch, the majority will pass by in utter failure. Writers might seem like creepy crybabies, but it takes creepy crybabies who’ve been shit on their whole lives and who were forced to develop a keen wit and wild imagination in order to overcome the bleak reality of their shituation in order to develop the bittersweet creativity necessary to create worlds and people and situations that go beyond the limits of your common yokel’s imagination.
All it takes is five minutes of YouTubing to see just why the deep pockets of major corporations are necessary to create a full season of quality programming. For ever “I like turtles” gem you find, there are literally 10,000 videos of disturbingly low-quality production and creativity. A full season of a major production like a show like Friday Night Lights, 22 episodes at 43 minutes per episode, is something like, if my multiplication is correct, and it’s probably not (I’m a writer), 946 minutes of production. “I like turtles” was 30 seconds.
So, sadly, the current system of deep-pocketed megacorps is a necessary evil.
But I agree: more competition is more than necessary.
During the late afternoon of September 12, 2007, Republican Presidential Candidate Dr. Ron Paul came to the USC campus in Los Angeles to speak to a great number of students and have dinner with his benefactors.
For those of you who don’t know, Dr. Paul is a congressman who has represented the 22nd district of Texas from 1979-1985 and 1997-present. He is an Air Force flight surgeon who was drafted and served during the Vietnam War, and spends his non-political time (on weekends and such) as an obstetrician, having delivered over 4,000 babies.
Ron Paul and his wife Carol have been married for 50 years and have five children.
Despite those unbeatable characteristics, that’s not why I love this man. I love Ron Paul because when it boils down to the basics, he believes in three major things:
Constitutionalist freedom,
Sharply lower taxes, and
Non-interventionist peace
It’s really that simple, and his voting record backs it up. He voted against the Iraq War, he voted against any loss of civil liberties, including the horribly-named Patriot Act, and he has never voted to raise taxes.
So on September 12th, I donned my Ron Paul t-shirt and made my way up to USC. After an absolutely stunning National Anthem sung by Baraka May, Ron came on the stage and gave a great speech to the crowd of students. Ron warned of our uncontrollable fiscal policy, loss of personal freedoms, the dangers of preemptive war and meddling in other peoples’ business, and border security.
Rather than read my words, see Part 4 of 5 for yourself:
It’s not that complicated people. If you want dead American soldiers, don’t vote for Ron Paul. If you want high taxes and socialist regime, don’t vote for Ron Paul. If you want the government spying on you, stealing your property, and censoring your voice, then certainly don’t vote for Ron Paul. As for the rest of you, what in the hell is the problem?
Ed Griffin, the man who introduced Dr. Paul to the followers, put it best: The only person who can win for AMERICA is Ron Paul.
And with that, I officially launch my support for Ron Paul for President 2008, and I will write-in if necessary.
This past Friday, I was asked to buy some beer for a party. On my way to the grocery store, I deposited my Stimulus Check, then used some of that to buy a case of Bud Light. A few hours later, I realized that this seemingly normal sequence of events was an ironic microcosm for the economic disaster that this country faces, and I was part of the problem.
As a result of this, the prices of imported goods (oil, anybody?) have skyrocketed, and our country is quietly being bought out by the Europeans.
At this point, I give up. It’s even worse when I realize that I’d like cans so that I can bring them to the beach. Perhaps it is time I stop buying a “Great American” light beer, and move on to the other delicious brews we have and make my friends deal with it.
The Writers are not dumb, nor are the studios. As Internet and TV are quickly merging (take, for instance, 
Anton said,
07.20.08 at 1:43 pm
HAHA very true my friend Drink that Fat Tire. Brewed in Colorado by Americans! Also you have Odell Brewery 90 Schillings. Micro Brews (no pun intended) are the way to go..
danO said,
07.20.08 at 2:10 pm
I think this is a sign that the world is ready to drink BertoMeister, BertoLight, BertoMilfmania, and BertoRuffielada.
You need to start brewing your very own beverages.
Gareth said,
07.20.08 at 9:03 pm
There really couldn’t be a greater time than now to support local craft brewers…nice write up
Mario (Brewed For Thought) said,
07.21.08 at 11:06 am
Gareth couldn’t be more right. Drink local. More than drinking American, you’re keeping money in your community. There are plenty of quality beers on the market, both in bottles or available at the brewery, that are produced by privately owned, local brewers. Give them a try and open your palate up to some really interesting beers.
Berto said,
07.24.08 at 2:35 pm
I have to post this. I received this e-mail from a Molson Coors representative. Check it out. I’ll do some research soon:
————
Mike - in a recent blog you noted, “How about that nice Pete Coors guy and his Coors Light? Oops, Molson owns them up in Canada. Tap the Rockies (and give the profits to Canadians) indeed.”
Actually, Molson did not purchase Coors. Molson Coors Brewing Company was created during a merger of equals in 2005 between Coors Brewing Company and Molson. The company is headquartered in Denver and Montreal and is traded on both the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. It is both an American and a Canadian company.
In terms of the US business, nearly all of the brewing happens in the US for US consumers. And, in fact, all of the profits generated in the US over the years have stayed here to be reinvested in our US business. The MillerCoors joint venture provides roughly 9,000 US jobs, and our products are distributed by hundreds of US distributors — independent, and often family-owned, US businesses with tens of thousands of US employees all across the country.
Here is some additional background on Molson Coors: Molson Coors Brewing Company is one of the world’s largest brewers. It brews, markets and sells a portfolio of leading premium quality brands such as Coors Light, Molson Canadian, Molson Dry, Carling, Coors, and Keystone Light in North America, Europe and Asia. It operates in Canada, through Molson Canada; in the US, through the MillerCoors joint venture; in the U.K. and Ireland, through Coors Brewers Limited. For more information on Molson Coors Brewing Company, visit the company’s Web site, http://www.molsoncoors.com.
Regards,
Kabira Hatland
Kabira Hatland
Molson Coors Brewing Company
M: xxx.xxx.xxxx
E: xxxxxxxxxxxx@molsoncoors.com
——————–
(I’ll give this contact info if you want it)
lon said,
07.30.08 at 6:18 pm
May I recommend Genesee “Genny” Cream Ale?
http://www.creamale.com/