The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, January 13, 1996             TAG: 9601130010
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A12  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   25 lines

YES, PRIVATIZE LIQUOR SALES

Where did you get the idea that ``Virginians are comfortable with the ABC system and unsympathetic to proposals to privatize package-liquor sales'' (editorial, Jan. 2)? Did you conduct a poll?

Virginia should get rid of its central warehouse and should privatize packaged-liquor sales. Privatization would save big bucks: building costs, operating and employee costs, employee retirement costs, administration costs. Privatization would also reduce costs to consumers of driving to an ABC store, only to find it closed for any number of reasons.

I don't find the privatization of packaged liquor sales a ``politically sensitive'' subject. I am not comfortable with our present system.

ROBERT L. RINGHAUSEN

Virginia Beach, Jan. 3, 1996 by CNB