Brewing Change: AFP volunteers brought down barriers for small North Carolina brewers

“If you succeed too much, we will punish you.” Sounds silly, right? Well, that’s what used to happen to many small North Carolina brewers who couldn’t grow their businesses. The government was taking distribution out of their hands and putting it into those of bigger companies if they produced one pint of beer more than the government allowed them to.

When Al Bouldin, a local AFP volunteer, saw how these top-down regulations stifled local breweries, he decided to act and get the government out of his beer.

He and dozens of AFP volunteers knocked on doors, canvassed, and talked with state lawmakers to get that absurd barrier out of the way and let the people of North Carolina thrive. Just ask Pig Pounder Brewery in Greensboro. They’re now able to produce thousands more barrels of their award-winning beer and keep growing their business.

Like local breweries, other industries face regulatory pinches on its supply that make us less prosperous:

• Energy: Unnecessary regulations, cronyism, and an archaic permitting system prevent businesses from providing Americans with reliable and affordable energy. We can change this by streamlining regulations and allowing all energy companies to unleash the full potential of American energy.
• Labor: Outdated legislation is preventing American workers from following the professional opportunities that will give them a purposeful life. Workers must be free to choose what, how, and where to work.

These policies are rooted in the flawed idea that top-down planning brings the most prosperity to people. They could not be more wrong; history shows that freedom and opportunity are the engines of prosperity in society.

Regardless of industry, the results are always the same whenever unnecessary regulations are removed: businesses grow, more jobs are created, and prices go down. Everybody wins.

Burdensome regulations might sometimes seem too big to bring down, but that’s not true. If we roll up our sleeves, organize, and advocate for policies that bring freedom and opportunity to people, we can bring down even the largest barriers.

That’s what people like Al do every day at AFP. We have thousands of committed, driven local volunteers working to empower millions of Americans to reach their full potential.

• AFP Iowa partnered with WIlliam Burt to change a law that prevented him from operating his mobile barbershop to serve his community
• In South Carolina, AFP worked tirelessly with Gillian Kohn to repeal certificates of need in health care, a piece of red tape that kept her husband Mark from receiving the treatment he needed.
• AFP helped tear down overregulation in Ohio with Senators Kristina Roegner and Rob McColley that kept countless businesses locked away from success.
• In Nevada, AFP empowered Louis Koorndk to fight and repeal onerous short-term rental regulations that prevented everyday Americans like him from making the best use of their property.

There are many more people and businesses out there that need an Al. To learn more on how to get involved in tearing down barriers, click the button below.