Utah State Sen. John Valentine (pictured), R-Orem, has thrown a new anti-alcohol bill into the mix, aimed at protecting our precious youth from the dastardly sight of a restaurant worker mixing a cocktail.

The bill, SB187, would make it illegal for a restaurant to prepare a drink where patrons could see it - and mandates 10-foot walls to block the view.

Valentine's bill also widely expands the definition of legal intoxication, to include "easily observed outward manifestations of behavior or physical signs produced by the over-consumption of an alcoholic beverage." It's a definition so broad and vague that even acting a little quirky or exuberant could be interpreted as drunkenness.

Meanwhile, as the Tribune's Dawn House reports, the legislature is planning to cut funding for a successful ad campaign aimed at curbing teen drinking.

Inspired by Sen. Valentine, I offer this proposal: The state should erect a 10-foot wall in the Utah House and Senate galleries, so children won't be exposed to erratic behavior. Also, people could receive citations to people who exhibit "easily observed outward manifestations of behavior or physical signs produced by legislating or the over-consumption of self-righteous rhetoric."

Labels: alcohol laws, Utah Legislature