This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Being an adult in Utah is tough. According to elected officials who make our laws, we can't be trusted to make choices in our own lives. Like little children, we must be given strict boundaries.
The state doesn't trust us to consume alcohol wisely, so they control it through state-run liquor stores. They make sure kids can't see cocktails being prepared in restaurants, and they send liquor police to restaurants to make sure customers eat food with their drinks.
The state (or the LDS Church, which actually controls the state) doesn't want us to gamble, so millions of potential tax dollars leave Utah every day, as Utahans purchase lottery tickets or visit casinos in neighboring states. And even Utah's senior citizens can't play bingo at their senior centers without buying little candies, because paying 25 cents for penny candy is OK, but paying 25 cents for a bingo card constitutes gambling and is against the law, even though there are no cash prizes.
As much as Republicans in Washington, D.C., bemoan regulations that restrict corporate or individual "freedom," Republican-led Utah has to be the mother of all Nanny States!
Carl Clark
Magna