New York Considering Outlawing Happy Hour
As part of their push to treat every American citizen like an irresponsible child incapable of making their own choices, the nanny statists in New York City are considering policies that would outlaw drink discounting.
[Sources] said the anti-booze sentiment at the agency has reached a fever pitch, with officials recently asking state officials about the “legality of liquor in ice cream,” referring to potent products infused with bourbon, rum and tequila.
A prohibition on discounted drinks is solidly in line with [Commissioner Thomas Farley's] goals, which he outlined in his “Take Care New York 2012” report.
Farley said he aimed to “reduce risky alcohol use,” noting [that] alcohol-related hospitalizations in 2006 were roughly 209 per 100,000 people. His goal was to reduce this number to 170 per 100,000 by this year.
“DOH will advocate for policies that reduce access to alcohol by adolescents and for limits on sales practices in communities and campuses that promote drinking among adolescents and heavy drinking among adults,” the document reads.
This is hardly a new idea. In 2007 the North Dakota legislature considered a ban on late-night drink specials proposed by state senator Tony Grindberg, and in 2010 the City of Fargo was pushing to outlaw most drink specials entirely.
Oddly enough, the ban in Fargo was being pushed for by owners of some of the city’s largest bars, making it seem suspiciously like an attempt to undercut their smaller competition who were luring in business with drink discounts.
But whatever the motivation, and wherever these bans are being proposed, the concept stinks. Because it assumes that individuals who drink to excess are not responsible for their actions. Rather, the drink specials and marketing of drinking establishments are to blame.
If the government is going to start putting price controls on bar sales, maybe the government should just run the bars and parcel out booze to citizens at whatever prices they think are appropriate.
Or maybe we should recognize that this is a free country, and free citizens ought to be able to buy/sell booze for whatever prices they want.
Prohibitionist policies don’t work.
Tags: Asshats, happy hour, nanny statism, prohibition
