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Religion no reason to keep blue laws[January.22.2009]By: JOSH WHITEThe Red and BlackPosted: 1/22/09 I wanted a drink last weekend, so I tied my shoes for a beer run. I stopped when I realized it was Sunday. Upon remembering that, for some reason, Georgians still can't purchase alcohol on Sunday from grocery, convenience or liquor stores to drink in our own homes, I just gave up and sat on the couch. Our so-called blue laws make no sense, as more enlightened states decided years ago, but year after year we take them in stride. In only the first week of the 2009 Georgia General Assembly, state legislators began working to legalize Sunday package sales. State Sen. Seth Harp introduced a bill that would allow Georgians to vote on the issue by referendum, and more such legislation could follow. Officials such as Harp should keep Georgians questioning the logic behind our blue laws, since many people in the state - I know a lot of people - want Sunday sales. The extremely vocal minorities that block such efforts can never give legitimate reasons for their objections. Sunday purchasers won't devolve into insane beasts. People won't incite whiskey-fueled riots or mow down Sunday school classes just because they can buy beer or wine to drink in their own homes. Buying a bottle in a store isn't the same as slouching and drinking it there, eventually standing to hit on passing teenage girls and/or brawl with clerks. It's not a foregone conclusion purchasers will drink and drive. People most likely will consume their alcoholic beverages in the comfort of their own homes. Besides, we already can drink in restaurants on Sunday. The "one more day free from alcohol" argument doesn't hold. Let's say you have religious objections to Sunday drinking. You certainly should feel entitled to these objections, and should air them - in your preacher's office, not the governor's. No matter how you feel about religion, I'd like to think people would agree that elected officials should not formulate public laws based purely on faith - their faith, not mine, perhaps not yours and certainly not the faiths of millions of Americans. Despite revisionists' misinformation, there does exist a separation between church and state at all levels of U.S. government. And if you don't like drinking, nobody will ever force you to buy alcohol on Sunday. Watching other people bring bottles to store counters will not at all sully your soul. It's true - allowing alcohol purchases for an extra day will tempt people who otherwise wouldn't drink on Sunday to do so. I don't see how that's a problem. Alcohol holds the status of a legal drug in America. Its use is permitted as long as the consumer is above a certain age and acts responsibly. The consumer shouldn't drunkenly drive, buy for minors or slap cops. Sunday sales will not in themselves encourage such behaviors. The blue laws exist because of religious beliefs of long ago and they hassle only those who want to relax on a day off from school or work. - Josh White is a graduate student from Carrollton majoring in public administration |
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