In a surprise move (especially by a Republican governor) ole Arnold Schwarzenegger decided to tackle our state's deficit problem by increasing California's wine tax from 4 cents per bottle to nearly 30!Although inexpensive wines (such as Charles Shaw's 'Two Buck Chuck' at Trader Joe's) wouldn't exactly suffer a huge loss of sales (it's price would get bumped to slightly over two dollars), my problem with this law has more to do with principle than practice.Yes, wine is a "luxury item" but it is also an integral part of California's economy... and in this job market, we need to be focused on creating more jobs - not killing the few industries that are actually holding steady.. for the time being.Read more here and here and stock up on affordable wines now. If there's any time we Americans need to be reaching for a drink - both to celebrate our new President and to drown the sorrows of our troubled economy - its now!*Photo borrowed from this LA Times article.