Liquor advertisements

Dear Editor:It's open season for investing in bars in Downey, and you may be angry about this. Those who would rather have another bar than an empty commercial building in Downey should take a look at the crime reports taken at and around the city's liquor-licensed establishments over the last five years. If you're still not impressed by the influence of alcohol in our city, then just take a look at where it's popping up now - Carl's Jr. Carl's Jr. is the next restaurant to sell billboard space for booze on its menu under the guise of cooking with bourbon sauces and glazes. The Jack Daniels brand has already conquered processed food labels for drumsticks and pork entrees sold at Sam's Club, so it's no wonder that Jim Beam set its sights on Carl's Jr. Bourbon sauce on a burger is hardly amazing. What is amazing is the intrusion of a hard alcohol brand into the family-friendly franchise that has never had liquor on its menu. Many Carl's Jr. restaurants are currently showcasing a large window poster with the Jim Beam brand largely sprawled across the front. This is not unheard of at sit-down restaurants but these places usually serve beer and hard liquor too, so the sense of intrusion by alcohol doesn't pervade or pervert as much. When I approach Carl's Jr. and see the Jim Beam brand on the windows and counter menu, I want to lecture someone on business ethics and profiteering. Advertising influences many of us, especially young people. As a kid, I remember wanting to be as cool as the Marlboro Man or Joe Camel. I certainly tried my share of cigarettes sooner than I should have. The city of Downey should be the first to disavow this horrible advertising practice by passing an ordinance that requires greater ethics in advertising. Hard liquor advertisements should not be allowed at businesses that do not have a liquor license, no matter how good Budweiser-battered chicken and Jack Daniels donuts sound. Dan Chantre Downey

********** Published: March 28, 2013 - Volume 11 - Issue 50