Enlightenment

Cramer has asked to be enlightened. I'll be happy to school him.

In looking at the Fiscal Year 2009 budget, I see that the state liquor stores are forecast to provide $11,574,000 in revenue from sales. But the State Liquor Dispensary's FY2009 budget recommendation from the governor is $19,205,100. Unless I'm missing something--or the state liquor stores are returning almost as much profit from non-liquor as they do from liquor--Idaho would appear to be subsidizing liquor sales.

If you can enlighten me on this subject, I would be obliged.

Okay. This might be the only time you ever listen to me.

Your $11,574,000 is liquor revenue into the general fund. And yes, the Gov requested $19,205,000 for an operating budget. It appears you got your numbers from the 2009 Legislative Budget Book. You have to understand state gov't a bit, and you have to look at more than one source.

The state budget has general fund and dedicated fund agencies. The dedicated fund agencies run off their own revenue source, i.e., not taxpayer money. ISLD is a dedicated fund agency. We drinkers fund it.

If you refer to the 2007 Annual Report of the ISLD (the 2009 year ain't over yet), you'll see that sales were $121.6 mil, profit was $42.4 mil. The $19 mil number is the appropriation, i.e., the legislature authorizing the ISLD to spend that dough.

The ISLD distributed $39,152,572 in 2007 (held back $3 mil). $9,577,666 to the General Fund, $9,566,600 to counties, $14,334,900 to cities, $1.2 mil to public schools, and a few other small distributions. So no, no subsidy of the ISLD. Quite the opposite. Drinkers are subsidizing the General Fund nearly $10 mil a year.