Alberta PC gov't continues its war on fun

Just when I thought this government couldn't get any more useless and intrusive, "Prohibition Eddie" is continuing his war on fun.

I have made the prediction that this PC Ed Stelmach government will soon raise the alcohol drinking age to at least 19 to match our adjoining provinces, if not higher or back to 21.  I am further convinced of this with today's stupid announcement that they are banning the sale of beer with an alcohol content of more than 12%.  

Since Ed's been in power, they have banned happy hours having cheap drinks, have limited a person to two drinks after the midnight hour.  They have taxed booze and revoked it leaving much of it at higher prices.

I don't know anyone who binge drinks on this higher-end beer.  And it is higher-end.  I remember being in San Francisco this August at a really cool bar on Haight Street that had the widest variety of beers, stouts, ales, malts, and Pislners I have ever seen.  I tried a couple that were above 12% in alcohol content.  They were delicious but let me tell you, I wouldn't have a second one of that same kind.  Very filling.

With the recent passing of their "comprehensive distracted driver" law which studies show that it will actually INCREASE accidents, it's nice to know that there's a nanny-state government right here in "strong and free" Alberta.  It's nice to know that they are incrementally removing responsibility and freedoms.  It's nice to know that I'll never vote for this party ever again.

So why stop at beer?  While we're at it, let's ban ALL booze with an alcohol content above 12%.  That will wipe out many wines, all liqueurs, and hard booze.  And while we're at it, let's just ban all booze.  Because if you make an argument that high-alcohol boutique beer is a problem, then you HAVE TO argue that all booze is a problem.

And "Prohibition Eddie" will soon have a real problem--declining revenue and a vast underground economy run by gangs.

Forget what I said about happy

Premier Ed Stelmach's Conservatives are setting minimum prices of $2.75 for a 12-ounce bottle of beer, or an ounce of spirits or liqueurs; and $1.75 for a five-ounce glass of wine. Under the new rules, happy hour -- when drinks are often sold below the regular price -- must end by 8 p. m. and cannot offer drinks at prices below the new minimums. Limits also will be placed on the size and number of last call drinks. "There's concern with the rising violence in and around drinking establishments," said Fred Lindsay, the Minister responsible for the liquor commission.

Well Fred, so what happens when the violence and fights continue? Because they will. Then what? Raise them even more?

Drug pushers and gang members who often cause violence could care less about this.

And what about the bars that have low drink prices for their regular patrons to enjoy but have never had an altercation as a result? Why is the government meddling in private business like this and setting prices?

I couldn't be more angry with the PC government in Alberta and not happy at all with Ed. This has to be one of the stupidest laws I've ever seen in my lifetime.

You know what's next? Raising the minimum drinking age to 19 or 21. Just you watch.

Minimum Drink Prices

So the Stelmach Alberta government's solution to the two cops who were attacked over the weekend outside an Edmonton bar is to:

A) Hire more cops

B) Have better police training

C) Penalize the bar for poor security

D) Raise drink prices and limit happy hour for everyone

Well, if you said D, you are correct. Unfortunately.

This is a stupid, stupid idea. I've commented on this and raising the drinking age before. The government has no business in price regulation ... I know, I know.

But what happened to the $650,000 spent on the "Cage Your Rage" campaign. Remember that from back in June 2007? Ooh, wow, looks like it worked wonders!!!

Doesn't this government have better things to do?

I'll say it again ... I believe bars (any business for that matter) should be able to stay open whenever they want and set prices to whatever they want. Having more security and police in place, curbs anyone thinking of crossing the line. Think Vegas folks. Anyone unruly in Vegas, security is on you faster than you can imagine.

When police are unable to do their jobs, it's not the businesses' fault if operating legally. Instead of spending money on stupid laws and useless "awareness" campaigns, why not hire and train more police?

I've obviously got no problem with police enforcing the law. No one should. That's what they're there for! As a population grows, like in Edmonton, you're going to need more and more police.

So with higher and higher drink prices, does anyone really think anyone is going to drink less and prevent the odd idiot nimrod not be violent on the rare occasion? I don't think so.

I can't believe I'm even commenting on this. Premier Ed, sorry to say, but this is a really, really stupid idea and won't do a thing but hurt businesses trying to bring people into their establishments, make a buck and employ people.

More on why not to raise the drinking age

Like with most contraband, you limit it by law and it goes underground. Something that's taboo becomes an exciting novelty. There really isn't a lot of binge drinking going on amongst the 18 year old crowd on campuses and in the fraternity houses. How do I know? I was 18, then soon in a fraternity, and a responsible adult, learning from mistakes early on.

And there's a professor guy who agrees. h/t to Vitor for this study...

"McCardell thinks that, on campuses, a drinking age of 21 infantilizes students, encouraging immature behavior with alcohol and disrespect for law generally. Furthermore, an ``enforcement only'' policy makes school administrations adversaries of students and interferes with their attempts to acquaint students with pertinent information, such as the neurological effects of alcohol on young brains. He notes that 18-year-olds have a right to marry, adopt children, serve as legal guardians for minors, purchase firearms from authorized dealers, and are trusted with the vote and military responsibilities. So, he says, it is not unreasonable to think that they can, with proper preparation, be trusted to drink."

Perhaps this is why when a group of us Albertan Canadians would go to the U.S. at 21, we were also able to not only handle our alcohol much better than Americans, due to already having 3 years experience, we were more responsible with it because we knew the consequences already. I even noticed a difference between the 19 year olds in Alberta compared to BC where the legal age is 19.

Why do I keep posting about this subject? Well, the Alberta government is looking into it and in my opinion, if implemented, the law would fly in the face of freedom, as a continued war against fun. So I ask Ted Morton (someone whom I supported in the PC leadership race actually), is there a study on drinking problems "in the high schools"? Because I haven't heard or known there was one.

Age of reason...

It's not only me who feels the way I do about why we don't need to raise the drinking age.

Banning 18-year-olds from legally drinking could just push their habits underground to bush parties or house basements, in places where they're not supervised and pose just as severe a threat, argued Shirley Lowe, executive director of the Old Strathcona Business Association.

Hmm, isn't that what I said in my previous post?

"They also recognized that raising the legal drinking age might simply displace the problem of violence: underage drinkers might do their drinking at bush parties instead of bars," the roundtable report said.

Yep.

Mo Blayways, a bar owner and president of the Old Strathcona Hospitality Association, said upping the policing levels in busy districts should be the top priority. But he reasoned that a higher drinking age, along with a barrage of other measures like drink-price minimums, might have some effect on violence levels.

Police! Who would've thought? But my friend Mo runs Devlin's Martini Bar where the age requirement is 21 years.

Granted, there are some bars on Whyte that attract that 18 year-old triple highballs for half price crowd. But what's need is more security and bar staff to handle these situation promptly.

Drink price minimums to a point are good because you don't and can't have a bar giving out free or dirt cheap drinks, but there's a line somewhere. Maybe a $1/ounce. But that's it.

Staggered bar closings is the dumbest idea. Hello more lineups and frustrated folks who'll fight even more.

As I said, how about no closing time?

Alberta Tories look at raising the drinkin' age ... again

$650,000. What a freakin' waste of money. The Alberta government is implementing a "Cage Your Rage" campaign to curb fighting in bars.

Alberta has been growing like crazy lately and has been getting many under 30 folks coming here from other provinces to work. This has definitely raised the number of patrons at local waterholes.

But raising the drinking age won't do a thing to stop fighting. The under age crowd will find a way. They'll have more house parties when the parents aren't home, or in their aparments, at bush parties, illegal hall parties, and they'll find the booze. There has been a bit too much violence at house parties in the Greater Edmonton area over the last few years. Raising the age just might increase that.

I can see it now, they'll announce when the drinking age will be raised, to even 19, and you'll see a slew of 18 year old guys stocking up at the liquor stores and having their own parties after that date.

Actually, what should happen and what will solve a lot of problems (especially on Whyte Avenue) is to allow bars to stay open as long as they wish (like in Vegas) if they can afford to, while at the same time stop serving over-intoxicated patrons. People in Alberta work really weird hours, why should they be denied these freedoms?

The problem starts when all the bars close and drunk patrons pour out into the street all at the same time looking for cabs, food, etc. Now that bouncers and bodyguards will soon have to be trained like real security guards, they will be better enabled on dealing with and be responsible for handling situations inside and outside their establishments.

Telling an 18 yr old that he can vote, smoke, fight in a war, but not have a beer slaps in the face of liberty. The clear large majority of bar patrons are responsible.

All these regulations on bars, patio sizes, drink prices, closing times, blah blah blah, do NOTHING.

After the freak Canada Day riot on Whyte Avenue way back (which was actually started by out-of-province hoodlums in their mid-twenties), I wrote to the Edmonton Journal saying that we simply need a patrol car at each major intersection on the popular strip and more beat cops. Well, they finally did it and violence on the avenue has dropped dramatically (as long as the Oilers don't make the playoffs, but they had the whole works of cops out for that one eventually).

What's also stupid is how the city hasn't increased the number of cabs allowed in six years! It has become very difficult to find a cab once the bars all close at the same time. Again, stupid regulations.

Now you may think I'm contradicting my libertarian principles due to my strong stance on no smoking in bars. It's simple. In a bar, when someone is drinking, it doesn't affect me at all. If someone is smoking, even at the other end of the room, it does, especially the bar staff who are subjecated to it on a daily basis. There's a big difference there.

If that $650,000 should go to anything, it's more cops who can actually enforce the existing laws, not bureaucratic pet projects that will likely do nothing to change someone's behavior (in some cases, might actually cause a backlash).

Welcome to the new nanny state.