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OPINION & EDITORIAL

Density plan dense, indeed

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by Badger Herald Editorial Board

Thursday, January 18, 2007

In early January, the city of Madison garnered national media attention, and it wasn’t just for the university’s Capital One Bowl triumph. Instead, an article spotlighting Madison’s bizarre Alcohol License Density Plan appeared in The New York Times.

The plan, a resolution intended to limit the number of bars downtown, passed a Madison City Council subcommittee in a 3-2 vote Jan. 9. We maintain our skepticism of this plan and challenge the feasibility of a program backed by faulty logic and questionable motives.

The Alcohol License Review Committee falsely claims the plan will reduce binge drinking by increasing liquor prices and help remedy other downtown problems like crime. However, alcohol will remain readily available on campus and students will be even more likely to attend unregulated house parties. Worse, if overcrowding occurs at existing bars, revelers will likely turn to watering holes farther from downtown Madison, possibly leading to an increase in drunken driving and widening the area police must monitor to ensure student safety.

City officials say they are frustrated with the amount of time police officers spend addressing alcohol-related crimes, but they must realize there is no proven connection between the number of downtown bars and crime. As City Council President Austin King pointed out, to assume such a link exists is an attempt at garnering support for this Prohibition-like plan. It is safe to say that Madison — like any other growing city — will always have crime, regardless of the number of drinking establishments.

If preventing crime is the city’s main objective, officials should focus their attention on increasing the number of police officers monitoring the downtown streets during the most problematic times. The only viable solution to downtown crime is increased police enforcement — not limiting the number of places where people can have a drink.

Furthermore, with obvious vacancies lining State Street, it seems as though the city is in no position to be selective as to what kinds of businesses are welcome. Instead of dictating who can set up shop downtown, the city should abide by free-market principles and welcome establishments that can bring revenue to the city and attract students and tourists alike.

A strong drinking tradition is ingrained in the cultures of both the city of Madison and the rest of the state. Instead of being embarrassed by the local image, members of ALRC and city government should embrace Wisconsin culture and stop interfering with downtown businesses.

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