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Cagle backs Sunday sales vote[February.27.2009]The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle has been accused of blocking Sunday alcohol sales legislation in the past, but he’s now making it clear that he supports letting voters decide the issue. Cagle, the Senate’s president, has been getting a lot of calls and letters on Senate Bill 16, which allows communities to hold a referendum to vote on Sunday sales of beer, wine and liquor at stores. Alcoholic beverages can already be sold on Sundays in many areas at restaurants and bars. In response to supporters of the bill who have been contacting him, Cagle is sending out a letter — obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution — saying he personally opposes Sunday sales for religious reasons. But he adds, “I recognize we live in a democracy where the wishes of the majority must be respected. For this reason, I have not opposed a referendum that will allow voters to choose whether or not to allow Sunday sales. “While I would vote against such a change at the ballot box, I do not believe the Legislature should deny voters of our state a chance to make this choice for themselves and their community,” he wrote. That viewpoint puts Cagle, a Republican running for governor in 2010, on the opposite side of the Christian Coalition of Georgia and Gov. Sonny Perdue. The Christian Coalition has already vowed to make it a Republican primary issue next year. And one of Cagle’s opponents, Republican Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, has already come out against Sunday sales. The Sunday sales bill is set to be considered by the Senate Regulated Industries Committee next Wednesday. |
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