This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In regards to Weber County's banning of alcohol at Pineview and Causey reservoirs, I have to say it is a shame that once again our politicians have taken the easy way out instead of doing the right thing.
Their arguments were that we needed to control litter at those beaches. Here's a crazy idea: Punish people for littering. We shouldn't be bothering people who want to consume alcohol on the beach and then clean up their mess.
Unfortunately, politicians at all levels of government prefer to take the easy way out, which is to take a hammer to the problem and just ban something, in this case alcohol.
The right solution would have been to ticket those caught leaving trash on the beach. After all, the same law-enforcement officers who will now be going after alcohol could just as easily be used to go after those who litter.
We need leaders who will actually work to fix a problem in a way that leaves liberty intact, not those who will take the easy way out time and time again.
Kevin Bryan
Ogden