Do we really need Blue Laws?

D

Dark Virtue

New Member
On my drive home today, I heard this story on NPR:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6626793

Do we really need these Blue Laws? Are they outdated, meant for a time that has since passed?

Do you have any laws like this where you live?

I'm not THAT old, but I remember when there were very few stores open on Sundays. Here, in Houston, most stores are open from noon to 6. You can't buy hard alcohol on Sunday, but you can buy beer...but only after noon.

Just wondering what you guys think.
 
The crux is that you really shouldn't have laws that infringe upon the rights of those that differ from you.

That said, I think that there shouldn't be a law that forces you to conform to activities that are against your rights.

So, while I don't think that there should be a law that says that businesses cannot be open or sell alcohol on Sunday, I also don't think there should be a law that forces that store or business to do so.

In other words, such decisions should be in the hands of the business owners and the community. If a community/city decides that stores should be closed on Sundays, then that's the "unwritten law" that the community chooses to live by.

Some people would argue that it's a person's "right" to buy alcohol whenever they want it. I would concede to that... but at the same time I would say that if there are no stores in your area that sell it, you are out of luck, sorry.

Obviously, this can be abused, too. If a store chooses not to sell beer to a person of Asian descent, for example, then this is race discrimination and should not be tolerated. If you offer a service (like selling products) then issues of race/gender/religion should not be grounds for denying service.

It all comes down to common sense... (something lacking in today's society)... if Bob's hardware is closed on Saturday because he likes to go fishing that day, then so be it. If Munchy-Mart is closed on Sunday because it's a Christian-owned business then so be it. If Jack's Liquor Shop wants to sell booze on Sunday, then so be it.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Separation of church and state... the government can make no law even related to religion. However, if a community, city, state, etc. chooses to prohibit the sale of alcohol on Sunday, then they are within their rights to do so as long as it is not with respect to religion.

This is off topic, but this could easily become an argument around the Ten Commandments issue. Having the Ten Commandments hanging on a wall of a courthouse or a pedestal in the front lawn isn't even law related. There can be no law made prohibiting it, nor a law endorsing it. It can just be... for no other reason than the majority of people want it to be there.
 
In New York they passed a law last summer that allows the sale of beer/wine starting at 8 a.m. as opposed to noon on Sundays, and liquor after noon. However right after I moved here from South Carolina, it was still against the law to sell alcohol on Sundays (in SC), unless it was beer or wine in a restaurant, but since that has changed. I think the reason most people argue that blue laws shouldn't be made is the separation of church and state, and most view them as a violation of that. Yet you can't go to ANY Chic-Fil-A restaurant on a Sunday (if you're lucky enough to live near one) because of COMPANY POLICY. Not even in a mall, they're locked up, but it's always been that way. So yeah, if someone doesn't want to be open on Sunday, or sell alcohol, it should be left entirely up to the proprietor IMO, especially small businesses like local convenience stores. I don't think there is a law PROHIBITING anyone from not selling whatever they don't want to sell, but in businesses involving alcohol I'm sure it hurts business.

I think Blue Laws these days are really in terms of "how much is too much" and safety precautions, like limits on how many hours bars can be open, and at what times. I know here a lot of people at Cornell University want the city to extend the bar closing times to 3 a.m. because "it's much safer for people to be drunk in a bar than rushing out of the bar at 2 and hurrying to a house party", but 2 or 3 a.m. you're still going to have drunk (and in some cases, underage) college students wandering around the streets (sometimes by themselves) which is quite dangerous at any time of the day. But back to my theory, I don't think blue laws on the particular subject of alcohol would be necessary if restraint and self-control were thought of as more than just old-fashioned.
 
I agree with Kidan. The only interesting blue law that I've ever heard of is liquor stores being closed on days when the polls are open... a good sentiment, sure, but ineffective given that you can still drink at bars or just buy your stuff the day before.
 
Anyone have a response to the article?

I understand no one wants to participate in the commercialization of Christmas, but I think the retailers have a legitimate concern on their hands. At the very least, hopefully this will turn into a catalyst for discussion and change.

I might be a bit more understanding of laws like this...IF, they actually had a legitimate reason for being in existence, and not based on religious issues, especially religious issues that don't have any bearing on me.

That being said, hey, it's the law of the land, so that's the way it is. I just don't think it needs to be that way.
 
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