Hitler Would Be Proud

Last night I had something happen to me that I thought would never happen again. Emma and I had gone to dinner as is usual on Friday night. Also as usual I order a Margarita with our Mexican food. So the waiter asks for my I.D. Yes, he who is older than dirt got carded!  He told me that he had to check to see if my driver's license was expired because he couldn't serve me alcohol if it was. I showed him the I.D. and got my drink.  I chose not to abuse him in public but will let the restaurant owner know that he needs to train this young man a little better.

For the record there is no law that says an establishment can't sell alcohol to someone with an expired I.D. In fact there is no law that says they must check I.D.s at all. However there are laws that penalizes the hell out of a business if they sell to a minor. And because of this most businesses establish rules for their employees that, if followed,  will reduce or eliminate the possibility of selling to a minor.  Hence you card a broke down 60 year old man?  Where has common sense gone?

In my research I found the problem.  Did you know that to serve a drink in Texas you must be certified?  To get that certificate you must take a sanctioned course. So my waiter probably just got through taking the course. He was regaled with laws and regulations and told that he would be held responsible if he served some illegally.  So the Gestapo that is TABC made a believer of him and he drank the whole glass of kool aid! Or he gets some perverse pleasure out of annoying and old man.

My last blog entry spoke to the heavy handedness of government and how it is working to snuff out small businesses. Here is another prime example.  Everyone agrees that underaged drinking is a problem.  So instead of personal responsibility being assumed by the parents the government decides that the business owner needs to take it on. At some point we started giving parents a pass. WTH? I'M not saying businesses should get a pass either. But the kids must know that the consequences of underage drinking is more than a slap on the wrist. If that means fining the parents as well, so be it!!

On their website the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission plainly states the above information.  I have not taken the server certificate course because so far I don't have to have it to make myself a wine cooler. However I expect that at anytime.