Senator Valentine needs a Zion Curtain for his mouth

So, it turns out that the "Zion Curtain" not only restricts your from seeing a mixed drink prepared, but it will protect your kids from seeing someone pouring a beer.

Because, really, we all know that every kid who drinks does it because he saw a drink being prepared at Applebees.

Now, what's interesting is to see the arguments the Legislature is spitting out on this one.

First, from the Tribune:

Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, who supported backrooms to hide bartenders at restaurants serving wine and mixed drinks, said he did not push for partitions at beer-only restaurants — and he doesn’t know who did.

Waddoups suggested that Mothers Against Drunk Driving might have wanted the partitions, but MADD Utah chapter President Art Brown said he is unfamiliar with the requirement.

Does Waddoups think we're stupid? The provision got put in because someone wrote it in there. And last time I checked, Art Brown is not a member of the Legislature or a part of the Legislature's legal teams.

From the same article:

Despite the confusion over who spearheaded the change, Zion curtains are harming business, said Eric Slaymaker, president and founder of Wingers, which has 23 locations in Utah and 14 restaurants in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Nevada and Tennessee.

“The Legislature says it is business-friendly, but I have a hard time believing that,” he said. “Utah had made some great strides in becoming part of the real world, but now we’re making strides to let the world know they aren’t welcome here again.”

Really,if you don't want your kids to see liquor being poured, DON'T GO TO APPLEBEES! I thought that's what the Free Market was all about.

Then this morning, X96's Radio From Hell interviewed Sen John Valentine, who sponsored the bills. You can listen to the interview here. The part about the Zion Curtain starts about 4:30 in.

In the interview, Sen Valentine said that if you didn't hide the alcohol, then you'd have to ID everyone who comes into the restaurant. Which is stupid. You didn't have to before this law. But wait -- it gets better!

When asked about why the law was necessary, Valentine said it was to draw "a bright line between a restaurant and a bar."

I'm not a drinker, but I can tell when I'm in a restaurant and when I'm in a bar. Restaurants usually have better lighting for one. Bars often have someone at the door checking ID's. Kids are absent in bars. You have to order food in a restaurant, but you don't have to order either in a bar if you don't want to.

When asked about the anti-business image it shows to people outside of Utah, Valentine said ""If you want a true dry area, go to one of the places in the South."

When Valentine said that Utah's Liquor laws work (which makes me wonder why we need this change) because Utah has the lowest DUI rate, the hosts asked him if that wasn't because of the high number of religious non-drinkers here. The reply?

"If religious people are in the majority, shouldn't you reflect that religious value?"

Um, no. If people are really opposed to businesses preparing alcohol in front of their children, they should not take their children to businesses that prepare alcohol in front of children. Let the free market decide.

Besides, Mormon scripture is opposed to Valentine's reasoning:

"We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied." (Doctrine & Covenants 134:9)

Laws like this make Utah and Mormons look bad.

Calling BS on Sen. Waddoups

The first segment on KSL's Sunday Edition with Bruce Lindsay dealt with redistricting in Utah. In the early part of the program, Senate President Michael Waddoups was asked in Congressional District 2 (held by Jim Matheson) was gerrymandered. His answer:

"This district was drawn, along with the other two districts, specifically to have an equal number of constituents through the district," he says. "All three districts have exactly the same number. All three have rural parts of the state in them. All three have parts of Salt Lake County. The intention in drawing this, was to have equality of rural and urban and equality of numbers."

In the 1990's, District 2 was contained entirely within Salt Lake County. Now, it contains portions of Salt Lake and Utah Counties, as well as all of Wasatch, Duchesne, Daggett, Uintah, Carbon, Uintah, Emery, Grand, San Juan, Wayne, Piute, Garfield, Kane, Iron, and Washington Counties.

Now, all three districts radiate from where UT-201 ("The 21st South Freeway") crosses the Jordan River.

Also, do these boundaries make sense to anyone?



The white areas above belong to Rob Bishop. The grey areas belong to Jim Matheson. There's no secret that this is one of the most Liberal neighborhoods in Utah, and has been for a long time. It's just a coincidence that this is where they chose to get their equal population numbers, right?

-Bob

Chris Buttars Get Same Punishment As Last Year

Last year, Chris Buttars made a racist remark, then dug the hole deeper by making more racist comments to try to cover his tracks. That, combined with threatening a judge is said judge ruled against his friend, was enough to get Senator Buttars removed from his chairmanship of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee.

Then, in November, Senator Buttars received a "mandate" (heh, he said "man date") from voters by winning his election with a margin of 1500 votes.

As a reward, Senator Buttars became the chairman of two committees: Judiciary and Rules.

Utah Senate Republicans essentially made him the most powerful person on the hill.

So, after he made some wonderfully unloving comments about gay people and pig sex, we knew his punishment would be harsher, right?

After all, this was strike two.

Well, it's deja vu all over again on Capitol Hill.

To a packed room of reporters, Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, announced he was stripping Buttars of his chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee, because that's where gay-rights bills would be heard. He is also no longer a member of that committee, although he does remain on his other committees, including the powerful Senate Rules Committee.

-Bob

The Optimism of Waddoups

Some people wish for the patience of Job.

I want the optimism of Senator Waddoups. From his opening speech as Senate President two weeks ago:

"I prefer to look on the bright side. Things aren't as gloomy as some would have us believe," Waddoups said. "Revenues are down a little, but we can still eat, we can have homes, we have health care, we have color TV … and most still have jobs."

We can still eat, except for those who can't afford to. Not to mention the fact that we have no idea how safe our food supply is.

We have homes, except those who have been foreclosed on. Anyone want to make a visit with me to The Road Home and congratulate them on having a home with me?

Well, you have health care. Have you ever tried to fight strep without meds? It ain't color TV?

Ad, speaking of color TV's, since when was that a necessity? And can you even buy a black and white?

And fewer people have jobs than when he said this. Go figure.

-Bob

Booze, the Utah Legislature, and all that Jazz

DNews:

Senate Republicans now are trying to stop alcoholic drinks from being poured in front of minors in restaurants, their latest attempt to thwart Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s plans to ease the state's liquor laws.

The governor said Monday he believes there will be progress toward his goal of making Utah more tourist-friendly, but acknowledged there likely will be trade-offs.

"The good news is that it's even being discussed in the first place, because it represents we're not maintaining the status quo," Huntsman said.

But that's exactly what Senate Republicans have said they want. The majority Senate GOP caucus has already opposed Huntsman's proposal to eliminate private club memberships.

On Wednesday, the Administrative Rules Committee will consider whether the existing barriers intended to separate restaurant customers from alcoholic drink preparations are enough — even though Huntsman has questioned their necessity.

"Restaurants are turning into bars," Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, said. "It's making it look attractive. Kids see it and wonder what they're missing. I think we need to be a little more strict."

I wonder what the difference is between Johnny seeing a drink at a restaurant and a Jazz game. Will we soon have to erect walls around the beer stands at EnergySolutions Arena?

-Bob