Arnold Schwarznegger in "The Wrath Of Grapes"

[lame54]

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chuck21-2009jan21...

The governor is proposing to increase California's wine levy.
By Jerry Hirsch > > >
January 21, 2009
Is this the end of Two Buck Chuck?

A proposal to raise the state tax on wine to a level more than six times higher to help close California's giant budget deficit would kill the $1.99 price for Charles Shaw wine, said Fred Franzia, who created the famous label sold by the Trader Joe's grocery chain.

Charles Shaw, of course, is the formal name for the California wines sold since 2002 that are now widely known by their nickname Two Buck Chuck.

The proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would raise the tax on wine to 29.6 cents for a 750-milliliter bottle from 4 cents.

"It's like shooting Charles Shaw in the eye," said Franzia, chief executive of Bronco Wine Co., which owns the brand. The profit margin is already so low we will have to raise the price."

Consumers have differing opinions on the excise tax, which is a levy on a specific good, often at the producer or supplier level and folded into the retail price, rather than a sales tax, which is paid directly by consumers.

But Franzia and the rest of California's wine industry are fighting furiously to derail the tax increase, which is part of Schwarzenegger's plan to close California's budget gap, estimated to reach $41.6 billion by the middle of next year

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE8cVV6NGxM

[Piewhacket]

1. lol. good story, great title.

[Book Lover]

2. So it would become Two-buck-fifty Chuck?

BFD!

[lame54]

5. Shouldn't that be up to Trader Joe's?

[Book Lover]

7. I was assuming the increase would just be passed onto the consumer

but yes, I assume TJ's or the winery could eat the increase if they felt it was more important to keep the "Two Buck Chuck" brand. My point is that if the price rose to $2.50, I think customers like me will still see it as a good deal. It's not bad everyday table wine.

[Maine-ah]

11. 2-buck up-chuck

that shit is nasty. Took one sip and poured the rest down the sink.

[Hubert Flottz]

3. The Terminator has just about terminated Kolley-4-knee-yaa!

He really helped out ENRON though.

[GReedDiamond]

10. Here's a link that explains one way that Schwarzenegger...

...sold out the People of California in favor of the Big Energy crooks, from October 2003 - "Schwarzenegger's First Role As Governor-Elect of California: The Deregulator"

http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Articles8/Leopold_Arnold-...

Governor Davis, deposed in the recall effort orchestrated by the GOP which resulted in Gov. Schwarzenegger, had pending lawsuits that should have brought at least $9 billion back to the State from the energy providers who gamed the system, Enron being the most notorious among many.

Schwarzenegger was in Big Energy's pocket from the beginning, and one of The Gropenator's first acts as Governor was to "settle" the lawsuits brought by Davis.

Arnold Schwarzenegger = Bad Actor / Worse Governor

[Hubert Flottz]

12. Arnold was an ENRON set-up...

California Under the GOP & All About
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

http://www.yuricareport.com/California/Contents_to_Cali...

[Cleita]

4. Arnold finally has grasped that he has to raise taxes somewhere, but why

on cheap wine, one of the few pleasures working class Californians have left? How about a port tax on all the shit coming into our California ports from China and elsewhere in the world that is shutting down our manufacturing base? Actually, he needs to be taxing the rich, especially the rich from foreign countries like all the rich Saudis and those who are from out of state who have bought up much of our best real estate and commercial interests. Those are the people who should be taxed.

[FirstLight]

6. Can I get an AMEN!?

You said it sistah!

but I doubt that ahnuld really gives a shoit about the little guy's need to have some wine after being screwed by the system all day/week...
and the richies are his "friends"

why doesn't he just tax more restaurants...like Planet Hollywood!

[Cleita]

8. Is Planet Hollywood still around? I thought it went under.

Another one of Arnold's, the great businessman's, failures.

[Orsino]

13. Tone-deaf to America's history of antitax rebellion.

Taxing domestic wines in general is rather stupid. Taxing all wines above a certain price would be smarter.

[lame54]

9. .