Blessed by nature with gorgeous scenery, abundant fisheries, and, in recent deacdes, large offshore oil wells, Norway is rich in many ways. But don't try to find a lot of good restaurants. Norway taxes alcohol at just about then highest levels in the world. A beer in a bar can cost $10, and riding a ferry to Oslo from Denmark subjects the traveler to hordes of people schlepping alcohol back home.

An attempt is being made to re—evaluate the alcohol taxes, but establishment politicians claim it is good to keep taxes high to discourage alcohol abuse. I am sure that there greed for tax revenue has nothing to do with it, because I realize that socialist states just love cutting taxes.

Of course, repressing alcohol always backfires. Learning moderation, and learning to enjoy alcohol as part of social gatherings, and as a part of a meal enables us to enjoy this great gift of God. Jews, after all, are required to bless the wine as part of the weekly Sabbath observance, while many Christians take wine as a Holy Sacrament. Making alcohol unduly expensive, or even illegal, teaches the young that it is a forbidden fruit, to be guzzled whenever available.

I truly hope that Norway recovers its senses, and allows its people to learn to enjoy alcohol responsibly.

Thomas Lifson   10 19 04