Norcal2's Blog

The problem with the current "private club" law is that Utah happens to have world class skiing and entertainment drawing many visitors to this location who are confronted with the concept and will or won't participate.  I caved in for the first time this year when we took two friends to a ski resort.  We've lived here over 2 years and refused to "join" a club, local or otherwise, but here we were with out of state visitors so we gave in just this once. 

Driving for miles to find some state liquor store that is a  minimum provider is frustrating.  It is as if wine is just for the high instead of wine tasting and appreciation or an ingredient for recipes.  How I miss going to the grocery store and picking from a wide range of specialty wines to serve guests for dinner or enhance a recipe. 

But isn't this the problem?  That assumption that everyone is a drunk, so hide it?  So Utah doesn't provide the best of wines, and clubs charge a private club fee, and liquor stores are run by the state lacking quality if you can find one, and prices are off compared to most states.  We can't even order specialties few here have heard of online.  What does that leave us with?  Nanny state controls that are outdated, ineffective and costly.  The assumption that everyone is a drunk is quaint and Utah can keep doing it but the penalty is locals buy out of state and bootleg in so they are basically unimpacted - and tourists make jokes.

It no longer matters to me except that Utah is off the hook in abuse categories like drugs etc. and these laws seem to have the opposite impact lawmakers may have hoped to see when passing these concepts.  You can't stop someone from abusing alcohol but you can help them laws in place or not.  And you can't pretend everyone is a drunk. 

I'd rather see locals and tourists going to a club and having a drink or two than what I see when visiting friends who pull out the bootlegged booze and over indulge as if there is no tomorrow.  They may do this because they feel cheated or because that is the end result when you try to kill a market that won't die.  The state should never be the entity selling alcohol to the public and the clubs should not have to embarrass themselves by asking people to sign up for a club someone is just visiting once or occasionally.

Just because someone else doesn't approve of drinking doesn't make drinking go away.  People have an occasional drink in most cases and when they do they make sure they have what they prefer.  These laws are as effective as banning booze was way back when.  The club issue can be cleaned up easily by changing the language and the process.  In terms of "private club" just call it a "cover charge" like everywhere else in the world.  Problem solved.  But when calling it a cover charge stop asking for private information as honestly legal private entertainment is none of this state's business. 

As it is I suspect only a heavy drinker will participate in this form of intrusion because many casual drinkers would resent a state even thinking they can ask who you are let alone make you fill out a form.  That means the private clubs may only be encouraging those they thought they would turn away in many cases.  Doesn't matter much either way other than tax revenue because Utah residents and visitors seem to know how to work around the oddity, and do.