The Shatterproof Beer Cans

I wonder when Bethel is going to have their next vote to decide on how to control the flow of booze into their wonderful little city.  Let's go wet, let's go damp, let's go wet.  It'll be good because this, it'll be bad because that.  Blah, blah, blah.  According to my favorite online paper, the last vote had a 35% voter turnout.  They compared it to the last Anchorage vote for mayor, which had a 30% turnout.  I don't know what Bethel's normal voter turnout is, but I'm going to guess that it's well below 35%.  I can also guess on what Bethel residents see as the most important issues going on in their wonderful little city.  Booze on the mind.  Whether someone drinks or not, booze on the mind.

Makes me think about another little place in Alaska that once decided to prohibit the sale of glass bottles.   Glass bottles that contain booze in them.  Because people go crazy and go around smashing those glass bottles over peoples heads?  I wonder what it would be like if the little spot on the map called Dillingham decided to go damp or dry.  The booze from Dillingham not only causes major problems in Dillingham, but in all surrounding little villages.  Assault, rape, kids doing bad in school because their parents drink 24/7.  The list goes on & on.

So if you tell someone that they can't do something, it's going to work like magic and solve all of the problems.  Right?  Tell them it's illegal to drink because horrible things happen when they do.  They won't drink anymore.  No more assaults & rapes.  Seems to make sense to me, knowing that most of these assaults & rapes are alcohol related.    Ban something and everything will be ok.

Wrong, in my opinion.  Only makes it harder to get.  They have to put more effort into getting it.  Spend more money in the process.  The little infant in mommy's arms is going to have less formula because mommy & daddy have to spend more money to get the banned booze.  Banned booze costs more, and more money doesn't just appear out of thin air.  That more money for banned booze is going to come out of the light bill money, food bill money, the little infant's formula & diaper bill money.

So why do people continue to vote on something that's not going to be effective?  The respectable people in the neighborhood "know" what's right, because they don't have the same problems as "boozers" in the neighborhood.  Maybe some of the "boozers" see that they have some problems and are desperate for solutions.  Who knows.    

My solution:  Don't ban glass bottles.  Don't ban the booze that comes in them.  There's a slim chance that the little infant in mommy's arms will have extra food because there's extra food money.  Because buying a bottle of booze won't cost ten times its normal price.  Don't put more restrictions on something that's going to be done anyway.  Make the consequences harsher for law breakers who broke the law as a result of consuming alcohol.  Adding restrictions to alcohol use only MAKES more law breakers.