Disproportionate Punishment

People and businesses should respect and obey the laws of the land despite how dysfunctional, unenforceable, or just plain ridiculous the laws may seem. With that said, why does the UDABC continue to harass business owners who violate any one of the confusing liquor laws in this state? Just give them the penalty and be done with it!

An Iggy's franchise owner is the latest to feel the pain of wanting to sell spirits in Utah. "In 38 years of owning restaurants, I have held 35 liquor licenses and received six violations," said Ipaktchian. "That's six too many, but I have been unable to discover any absolute means of making sure that all 800 employees do not violate laws they know and understand." said Hersh Ipaktchian, who said he lost $150,000 to $200,000 in sales, as well as wages for the more than 80 employees at his newest restaurant.

Lets say Mr. Ipaktchian averaged even 100 full-time employees during his 38 years. That’s roughly 7.6 million man hours of labor with only 6 violations, or 1 violation every 2,311 days.

Yes, Mr. Ipaktchian, one violation is to many, and you should have to pay a fine for every one of them. But, the State going out of its way to make things harder for you is wrong.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11044211?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

Voting does make a difference!

While I regularly find myself leaning towards the left on many issues, I made a point to vote for Gov. Huntsman on the 4th. He has been a supporter on a specific issue that tributetobeer.com is passionate about; the departure from out-dated, broken, or just plain ridiculous liquor laws.

Gov. Huntsman seems to have now made it a priority to get rid of the membership requirement to drink in certain Utah establishments. This has been a blight on Utah tourism dollars, and Gov. Huntsman is smart enough to see that. He also, doesn't seem swayed by the opposition's view that this will be a slippery slope to increased drunk driving, underage drinking, and overall crime. This is the message that organizations such as MADD would like you to believe.

So good job Gov. Huntsman! I'm glad I played a small role in your big "W" on the 4th.

a bit more on this story:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_/ai_n27961715

Could it be true!

Could drinking $1000 worth of beer and recycling the cans last year have paid you a bigger return than if you had purchased $1000 of AIG stock?

I'd like to think so, but check out the facts at Snopes.com

http://www.snopes.com/humor/business/beer.asp

Liquor commissioners behind closed doors!

Liquor commissioners don't seem to want to talk publicly about the Supreem Courts ruling to limit the police stings on bar patrons. Are these 5 commissioners plotting ways to limit YOUR intake of alcohol in other ways? Probably not, but one thing is for sure, they finaly met some resistence in Utah and they don't like it.

Thanks again to the Utah Supreem Court's ruling that "Police may no longer apply drunken driving standards, such as a flushed face or unsteadiness, to determine if a waiter has served too many drinks to a customer. From now on, police must have some circumstantial evidence that a suspected drunk poses a danger to himself or others before they can issue a citation for public intoxication."

see full article here:
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10801279?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

How to Open a Bottle With a Ring!

I have never tried this personally, because I only own one ring, and it is of the wedding type. But, if you wear one that you wouldn't mind scratching up, this would indeed be a helpful skill to master.

Enjoy!

http://www.wikihow.com/Open-a-Bottle-With-a-Ring

Oh, it's the money stupid!

When frustrating political events happen in Utah. Like the discontinuation of selling "Malternatives" in the grocery stores. I often wonder, "where is the voice of the drinkers in this state?" So, I go and do things like, create an online community, with the intention of give a voice to the people (www.tributetobeer.com). However, I am often reminded that its not what the people want, its how much money the "people" can give the governing body to sway their perspective on things... Duh!

This article from the Salt Lake Tribune illustrates perfectly what I am talking about. "Big Tobacco" has a voice, because they pay for it. The question is, does Joe Six Pack have the money for an opportunity to say what they want to say?

Can I buy a vowel please?

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10875192?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

Don't worry St. George, beer available tomorrow!

"Even though the state removed a ban on Election Day alcohol sales at restaurants for this year, St. George's ordinance on beer sales would still have been in effect without the council's Thursday action."

“State legislators, led by Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake City, pushed to have the ban removed last fall, saying the law had no rational basis and voters could simply vote after drinking at home.”

Hallelujah!

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10870668