Private Clubs No Longer?
Private Clubs requiring "membership" have been a long held quirky fact of life in Utah, but is electronic scanning a fair trade?
Back in the 1980s Utah permitted liquor licenses only to a few chosen establishments. The number of permits was based on the population: 1 liquor license for every 10,000 residents. This made liquor establishments more scarse and created a very clear divide between non-Mormon and Mormon social establishments.
Other quirky laws: private clubs could not advertise to the public, and liquor could only be served in mini-bottles. These strange laws resulted in clever tactics by alcohol selling establishments like a sign that read "Ice cold bee?" It also gave Utah a national reputations as a place "impossible have fun."
A lot of the weirdness has dissolved over the years because many in Utah's ski tourism industry fought to change these laws to attract more visitors. By the time the Olympics arrived in 2002, advertising and drink consumption restrictions all but disappeared. But the private club law remained, along with the difficulty for clubs to obtain liquor licenses.
Now with both Governor John Huntsman and the Utah hospitality lobby backing the of removal of private club restrictions, it seems that there is a growing consensus that Utah should trade private clubs for a more 21st century solution-- electronic tracking.
Senate President Michael Waddoups would like to use this tracking system to keep record of patrons' identities as well as their consumption. If this tracking system becomes a state-wide database, all of this data could be used to better prosecute DUI cases, without direct officer involvement or blood-alcohol measurment devices. Add survelence cameras into the mix, and prosecuters could successfully make cases against patrons for public intoxication days after their night out on the town.
If all of this data were stored and maintained, divorce attorneys, accident attorneys and criminal justice lawyers could have a field day smearing anyone who has a night-life record. Is this really a fair trade for paying an $12 per year membership fee?
Utah Stories has been seeking to interview Michael Waddoups. Our phone calls have not yet been returned.
More on Utah Liquor Laws
LDS Church Involvement in Utah liquor policy
Utah liquor debate from City Weekly Founder and Zephyr Club Owner
story sources: WorldWide Religious News
