Liquor laws impose on all

I disagree with a lot of what Mayor Anderson said in the Dec. 18 edition of the Deseret Morning News with regards to statewide liquor laws.

First, he favors change in the laws due to the "unreasonable imposition on so many people." I'm skeptical of the magnitude of the burden liquor-drinkers are under, and I'd like to point out that making concessions to them does not come without imposing on everyone else. One of the reasons I decided to stay in Utah after moving here from the East is that it's nice to avoid the omnipresence of things like liquor in advertising, stores, and so on — this is not something I want changed.

Next, the mayor spoke of the "tremendous cause of embarrassment" to us when people come from other states. Again, it's an exaggeration, but also just because he's embarrassed doesn't mean everyone else here is. It frightens me to think that the mayor's policy decisions would be so influenced by the superficial opinions of those not only outside his city, but outside his state.

If there are practical reasons for updating the liquor laws, then let the discussion center on the costs and benefits, not on the fear of "looking so foolish to visitors," as he put it.

I hope that if Gov.-elect Jon Huntsman does work to change the liquor laws, he is not overly influenced by a minority that, while vocal, is still a minority, and that changing the laws to accommodate some people does in fact impose on everyone else.

Dave Brueck

Saratoga Springs