I thought I had heard the dumbest law in relation to beer and bars, the since recinded "you can't stand and hold a beer in a bar in PEI" law. I hunt these dumb laws out and thought I had heard the best of them. Then I read this: "Utah is the only state that requires people to fill out an application and pay a fee before entering a bar." Wow. Apparently it's a rule that might soon go the way of the dodo but it is still on the books:
Utah's bar industry has come up with a compromise to the hassle of making patrons fill out forms. Its leaders have proposed scanning driver's licenses before customers enter a club to verify nobody under 21 enters. Some lawmakers would like information about who goes into a bar stored on the scanners so police could use it.
So is there a bureau somewhere in Utah where all this data is centrally stored? Does someone go through it to data mine the bar hopping of citizens? Can it be displayed in a pie chart? That is stunningly intrusive in an allegedly free and democratic society.
Comments
Alan - February 16, 2009 4:45 PM
I don't know. That is really really crazy to me. I may have to update as this sound less like oppression and more like planet kook-koo. But the question remains - which bureaucrats sift through the reams of pages of sign ins this would create?
Alan - February 16, 2009 8:13 PM
Oops - I was deleting spam and cut out the first comment in which someone kindly pointed out that that there are beer bars and private clubs in Utah and it is only the private club that requires this sign in stuff. Apparently, you can also bring your own wine or booze to a private club.
Nat Webster - February 16, 2009 9:18 PM
I went to Squatter's Pub and Brewery and did not have to get a membership, and the bar at the hotel where I stayed did not require one either. I'm no expert, but maybe if your establishment is a deemed restaurant it gets around this law.
Nicolas - February 16, 2009 10:18 PM
There should be a "don't vote law and drink" law .
Cranky - February 17, 2009 1:01 AM
Well, to be quite honest, sounds like a careers worth of research data there for some lucky PHD student......the scanners could collect your raw stats and you could go to the bars and do 'participant observation'.....get a degree and get a research grant to sit in a bar and participate in whatever's going on....hmmmm......I'm off to Utah....
Larko - February 17, 2009 1:43 AM
Does this mean that in Utah I would first have to learn how to drive a car before I could get a beer? I am 51 and have never had a driver's license but I would apparently need one to prove that I am at least 21. Nobody in their full senses would believe that I am 20 or younger, though.
Alan - February 17, 2009 7:15 AM
Here in Canada, the government booze authorities actually issue separate ID that is mainly for those who are just over age or who do not drive. I recall a great trade in undergrad in phony versions. When I am down south in NY state buying at a grocery store I get "carded" every time with a store manager being brought forward to have a look at me with my white beard and gang of children in tow.
Jordan - February 17, 2009 12:36 PM
I doubt that anybody will actually data-mine the information gathered, but, like all other liquor laws in Utah, the fundamental point is to humiliate and deter potential drinkers. The dominant religion doesn't like the idea of its members slipping into a corner bar and drinking anonymously. The current private club rules require enough paperwork and documentation that it is hoped that casual drinkers can be turned away. The new rule is actually an improvement on the private club concept, but it still casts the shadow of "we know you who are". They don't actually have to data-mine the data to scare people into believing that their name will appear on some master list and that they might be called before the LDS church potentates to answer for their transgression.
Luckily, things in Utah are never as bad as they sound. I went to school in Utah (go Utes!) and I lived there for almost 10 years. I only ever had one membership to a single club, and yet I never had a problem getting into any bar. The rules are confusing, but they flexible enough if you take the time to understand them. Yeah, its tough having to run to the liquor store before it closes at 7:00 PM to get some warm beer, but you plan for it and deal with it. I'm sure the good people of Utah will find a way to live with this latest humuliation too. To Nat - yes, resturants are not private clubs, but they need to serve food with the alcohol. You just can't roll into Squattesr and get a beer without a plate of nachos. (And next time you are in Salt Lake, skip Squatters and go to Red Rocks).
Wilson - February 18, 2009 5:08 PM
As I recall from a visit a few years ago, members are allowed to have guests, and there were no shortage of kindly local folk with memberships willing to make complete strangers like me their guest. Crisis averted.