By Scott Tibbs, May 20, 2011
Last year, the Indiana state legislature was subjected to much well-deserved ridicule for a law that required retailers to ask for a photo ID for every customer, with an exception for customers who appear to be at least 50 years old. Many retailers decided to simply card everyone to be certain they were in compliance with the law, leading to the silly scenario of 85-year-olds being asked to produce a photo ID for a bottle of wine.
This law was beyond silly. There was no reason to meddle with the current law, but nanny state ninnies are always looking for a reason to "do something" to solve a problem - even if the solution is worse than the problem. In this case, that solution was forcing every business with a liquor license to card everyone, no matter how old they are.
What is beyond perverse about this situation is that that our legal system allows the murder of children while we fiddle with these petty regulations. My pastor Tim Bayly often says that when you abolish God's moral law, you do not end up with fewer laws. Instead, always replace it with an infinite number of man's petty laws. You can murder your child, but you better show ID to buy a beer and "show your papers" to get some cold medicine.
The legislature patched the law to "only" require stores to card people if they look like they are younger than 40. It is still silly. Look, the law should be this: If someone looks like they could be younger than 21, card him before you sell alcohol to him. If not, then don't card him. Why is this so hard?
