To the editor:

For more than the past decade, countries that once comprised the Warsaw Pact have been making the often painful transition from a government-run, planned economy to something resembling a free market. I recall one Russian expert who said their biggest challenge was trying to convince the government bureaucracy their job was not to stifle economic growth but to facilitate it.

This observation came to mind after reading how state regulators are trying to thwart a local liquor store owner from providing a good service to his customers (“Cork & Barrel over the barrel,” Journal-World, July 24). Some of the charges against this businessman are just plain ludicrous (i.e. providing a catering service, allowing customers to buy on credit or selling soda and glasses). These residual ordinances from the time of Carry Nation are apparently selectively enforced and need to be removed.

Let me propose a toast to the folks at the Kansas Department of Revenue Alcoholic Beverage Control: “Penalizing and making it more difficult for legitimate businesses is not the answer for solving the state’s fiscal crisis.”

Ray Finch,

Lawrence