You Don't Say...

After 5 days of pretty bad press, Sen. Waddoups has started to back-pedal off of his call for a "drinkers database".

Even though he hasn't ruled out the need for a database of drinkers, Senate President Michael Waddoups said Tuesday he's worried about the state being seen as Big Brother when it comes to regulating alcohol.

Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, said the perception is that lawmakers are ready to "now begin the 'Big Brother,' if you will, supervision of all of the drinkers in Utah" despite having made no decisions about whether to collect information on private club customers.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has called on lawmakers to eliminate private club membership requirements. Private clubs, Utah's equivalent of bars, now require customers to fill out applications and pay a fee before they can enter.

Huntsman told The Associated Press he is opposed to creating a statewide database to track bar patrons, calling that "a rather frightening, almost Orwellian, proposition" that would make the state even less friendly to tourists.

Orwellian??? Big Brother??? Gee Governor, you don't say????

The common sense arguments to this proposal came from two Salt Lake City Democrats.

Sen. Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake, said he was concerned about people drinking and driving and underage drinking, but that addressing those concerns didn't need to be so intrusive. He pointed out that there are people who never drink who also like to go to private clubs to dance and socialize.

"Why is it anyone's business they are there?" he said.

Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake, said it was not an inconsistent position to allow individuals the personal choice to drink and to also want safe streets and communities. He emphasized strengthening and enforcing existing drunken-driving laws and parental education programs as the appropriate ways to achieve those goals.

Thank you Senator McCoy. Instead of parroting propaganda from MADD, these Senators are coming up with common sense solutions that not only preserve individual freedoms and personal choices (even if the choices are bad ones) they are also proposing stiffening the consequences of making the bad choices! As someone who has lived in states with bigger drunk driving problems than Utah has, I have seen first hand, the devastating results of letting repeat drunk drivers back out on the streets.

Senators Davis and McCoy have the right idea here. Let's step up enforcement of existing laws. That really is a no-brainer. Education - again no brainer.

Personal freedom and personal responsibility go hand in hand. Kudos to Senators Davis and McCoy for reminding us all of that basic tenent of democracy!