I have several friends who own restaurants, taverns and bars. These friends are hard-working, law-abiding residents who pay taxes and contribute to the economy of the community, and they instruct employees to follow the law.
So why is the Washington State Liquor Control Board allowed to run sting operations to deceive these establishments into selling liquor to minors? What good is it to try and trick these owners and their employees to shut them down? When that happens, owners, employees and the community all lose.
Don’t get me wrong; if these establishments routinely break the law and sell liquor to minors, they should be punished, but why should the liquor board have to bait these establishments by sending in a minor who a district court judge described as “deceptively mature-looking in appearance.” The liquor board has to do its job, but it should be done in a professional and above-board manner.
Duane Burckhard
Vancouver
