More Bad News for the Service Industry

The offender is not at fault - the provider is to blame.
Does this really make any sense at all?

Posted as a MySpace bulletin last night, by "Travis" (of Albuquerque) under the header:

THIS IS BULLSHIT

I am writing this on behalf of myself, a fellow co-worker, and all those in the hospitality business. Tonight at work, a gentleman comes in and orders a beer and a burger. He hangs out for about an hour and pays his tab for one beer and a burger. SID (Special Investigations Division) comes in shortly after he leaves (walking home) and presents a breathalyzer test with results of 0.17 BAC from the gentleman that had one beer and a burger. (The law states that it is illegal to serve someone with a BAC of 0.14). They proceeded to give my co-worker a citation for serving someone who is intoxicated. This gentleman, who had one beer and a burger, is a valued customer, who regularly comes in for lunch and has one beer and a burger. This evening he came in as always, showing no signs of intoxication. He was calm and cool, well spoken, and genuine, just as always. My co-worker greeted him as usual, and served him one beer and a burger. Now she is staring down a fourth degree felony and a thousand dollar fine! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY PROPOSTEROUS!!

Is she a criminal? NO! What she is, is an artist. A good one at that. A kind good person who always looking out for the benefit of others. What she isnt , is psychic. How would she have any inclination that this gentleman had five beers before he came in? What if she had asked and he said he didnt have anything. She had no means of determining that he was in anyway (legally) intoxicated. The point of this story should be clear. The new laws put into effect recently are completely absurd. Can we not serve anybody? Do you we have to go through twenty question with every customer before we serve them. Do we have to cut every person off after three drinks? Or even one!?

I have been bartending for ten years now. I am a professional bartender. We are not all college kids getting our friends wasted. There are some of us that take pride in what we do because we love what we do. Helping people through low times and celebrating their high times. Turning a bad day into a good day. We are not there to be down anyones throat about how much theyve had to drink. Thats their own business. In fact the fourth amendment in the Constitution of the United States of America states that we have the right to privacy.

Now, I am a single father. I have my daughter half of each week. I also have about thirty-seven thousand dollars in credit card debt, a car payment, insurance, my daughters school payment, gas, rent, etc. Just the same as most everyone in this business. We work in the bar industry so we can make good money, spend time with our kids, pay our bills and build a good future. What if the money I make gets cut in half? I lose my credit, my daughter loses school, I lose my vehicle, end up on welfare, with no future. With the new laws, this what I am faced with. Losing my job because I dont serve anyone or risk getting a felony and a fine EVERY TIME I SERVE A BEER! I understand that the state wants to stop drunk driving, but destroying peoples livelihood is the worst way to go about it.

This is harassment and unconstitutional. Please forward this to everyone in the New Mexico area. This needs to be stopped.