Citizenship is the common thread that connects all Utahns.
The term citizen has an inherent political meaning that describes a relationship between the people and its government. Citizens have a set of rights and responsibilities, including the responsibility to respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others and the right to express oneself.
This would certainly include your right to participate in public policy decisions and a lawmaker’s responsibility to respect public opinions that are different from their own.
When it comes to Utah laws that govern the sale of alcohol, the interests of Utah citizens tend to be overpowered by Utah lawmakers who believe they know best. And it’s no secret that nine of every 10 legislators in Utah are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who typically take a strong stand on all alcohol related issues.
In fact, most of the laws governing alcohol are made by or managed by people who don’t drink and have never had a drink. It’s easy to see why responsible drinkers and non-LDS citizens feel disenfranchised by the law-making process.
We believe that there is an opportunity to communicate our concern for Utah beer laws that should be changed, while demonstrating empathy for issues of importance to the state’s predominant faith.
Specifically, we can focus on improvements where we can find common ground.
One of those areas would be to make changes to the Utah law that requires heavy beer to be sold only in bottles and cans. This law creates an unnecessary financial burden on Utah’s businesses, and has a devastating affect on Utah’s environment.