These laws controlling the sales of alchol and tobacco products are unfair. I worked a few months in a gas station-convenience store which had numerous clients from all over the country with every types of identification and in all stages of toxication and without influence.

Through the Texas Alcohol and Tabaco Commission, I received a certificate which allowed me to sell the products. The course's attempt was to teach us individuals of the regulations envolved with sale of these products as teach us means of "customer fraud" in their attempts to buy the controlled products.

At the time, I was too light headed and overwhelmed by my future occupation, and it took all I had to pass the class and be prepared to become a sales clerk.

However, it's been a year since the job and I now have a clear focus on the issue...the laws are unfair!

Without the support of the state, stores are expected to decipher "attitutdes" as well as "valid" ids when everyone knows "good looking" false ids are as easy if not easier to obtain than "valid" ids. Also, the judgement required by the store on whether the customer is "intoxicated or not" is really just too much expectation.

After working with the "typical" gas station-convenience store sales clerk, I believe I can safely say we are ordinary to below average school grade making people with expectations from the state that are truely too high to meet.

If the state wants us to play the "cop" role, then let us have the equipment to do it:

1-Breath Analysis Machines: everyone with intent to purchase any alcoholic beverage should be required to take this test at the counter prior to completion of transaction.

2-ID Scanner: everyone with intent to purchase any alcoholic beverage or tobacco product should present an ID which must be scanned for validity.

3-Register Beeper: The registers should beep for 30 seconds to 60 seconds at the time when alcoholic beverage sales ends each day, and when it is allowed to be sold again the next day. If per chance the clerk misses the beeper, then when the ID is scanned the register should be programed to notify the clerk of the expired time on the product sales.

As is, the laws only seem to reprimand the clerks in positions usually taken for dire necessity of economics. We make mistakes as everyone else might, but our mistakes are felonous when selling to an intoxicated person or one who holds and invalid id. We are not as smart as you may expect us to be and we are just plain tired of loosing our Consitutional Rights over a six pack!

Furthermore, the clients presenting false IDs and attempting to purchase when intoxicated should be the ones responsible for their acts. With the suggested equipment, one does not have to go to jail when the machinery detects a drunk or an invalid id, but it surely will aide the citizens of this country to stay clear of "bumb" raps and felonous police records!