The reckless legislation TABC pushes through forces them to adopt underhanded methods of enforcement. The commission claims bars are public domain, but you can still have an accident in the parking lot and not receive a ticket because it’s private property. I would like to remind everyone that while there is a legal standard for DWIs, public intoxication is at the officer’s discretion. That’s $500 and/or jail time, regardless of whether you even have keys in your pocket. TABC should leave the enforcement – and funding allocations that go with it – to the police, and just deal with alcohol tax revenues, licensing and marketing practices. The 14 percent alcohol tax should also drop if the state intends to pursue this nonsense, so retailers can recover lost revenue. If I wanted to live in a country with secret police I’d move to Iran or Saudi Arabia. I’m asking everyone who is angry about TABC’s actions to write their state representatives and the Sunset Advisory Commission. Tell them you want your privacy respected and disapprove of the government watching over your shoulder, and remember all of this when state elections come around again.
Rashid KhalifeClass of 2005