Blue laws, why do any of them exist?

[wuliheron]

For the longest time people couldn't marry anyone outside their own race and couldn't even drink out of a fountain. Now you ask why we still have some blue laws. Because conservatives are full of shit when they say they want fewer laws. They just don't anyone else's laws.

 

[dawp]

Another idiot who thinks "liberals" would change it. 🙄

Actually liberals(Democrats) did end the worst of it in the '80s. That was before republicans took over the state in the '90s, Before that very few stores could stay open on Sundays. They were changed soon after I moved to Texas around 85-86.

 

[dank69]

There is a small kernel of truth in what you heard. In the 1950's CT had a rash of late night package story robberies where the clerks got murdered. To address the problem the state legislature pushed the package store closing time back to 8 PM, where it has been ever since.

Incidentally that robber-Mad Dog Taborsky-was the last person to ride the electric chair in CT. His legacy-the mad dash to the packie to be there before 8 PM-lives on in infamy though.

Blue laws originally covered a lot more than just liquor sales, but I don't know if CT can claim the "honor" of originating them. I always thought it was the Pilgrims in MA that started this sad trend.

Hmm, I never heard of the mad dash legacy. I know we fried Michael Ross in 2005 though.

According to wiki anyway, some preacher in CT started the Blue laws in some sort of scheme.

 

[Bateluer]

OP, you couldn't go some where else?

 

[dawp]

OP, you couldn't go some where else?

not without driving across the state border.

 

[Thump553]

Hmm, I never heard of the mad dash legacy. I know we fried Michael Ross in 2005 though.

According to wiki anyway, some preacher in CT started the Blue laws in some sort of scheme.

Michael Ross got a lethal injection, not the chair. His was more of a government assisted suicide in any event. He was a serial rapist/killer who, after a decade plus on death row, withdrew all his appeals and instructed his counsel not to file any more.

 

[dank69]

Michael Ross got a lethal injection, not the chair. His was more of a government assisted suicide in any event. He was a serial rapist/killer who, after a decade plus on death row, withdrew all his appeals and instructed his counsel not to file any more.

Ah yeah, that's right.

 

[Fern]

Making life MORE inconvenient is practical? How?

I live in a dry county (but all the towns/cities in it are wet).

We are basically a resort/retirement county. Much of the population is elderly retirees from out-of-state. This is not a dry country now because of any religious reason.

Law enforcement doesn't want bars etc in far flung parts of the county because of the difficulty in policing them. We simply don't have the personel to respond to reports of fights or drunken drivers etc all over the county. (We're in a mountainous area and response times are slow). For this practical reason we are a dry county with all liquor stores, bars and clubs located in a municipality. (The exceptions are resorts outside any municipality limit, they are allowed liquor sales etc).

Fern

 

[pcgeek11]

Buy your shit on Saturday.

 

[Fern]

-snip-
Why do we still have blue laws? Answer: Christians.

WAAAAAY too simplistic.

It's often a coalition of business interests with some Baptists tossed in.

E.g., the county next to me is dry. It's primary industry is tourism. But like most dry counties there are many exceptions (which some here don't seem to realize). Restaurants, lodges/Guest houses/Inns, private clubs and resorts are all allowed to sell alcohol by the drink. No bottles sold by liquor stores are allowed.

When the residents wanna change the laws all those in above (Hospitality) industry and their employees fight to stop it. It's simply in their business interests to have customers come there to purchase a drink instead of buying a bottle and going home or back to the lodge/resort.

Fern

 

[Kanalua]

You can move.

 

[Brigandier]

Blue laws suck, yeah, but you just have to plan ahead.

It's funny there's such a hub-ub over blue laws when any other substance is fine being criminalized.

Thank god alcohol is safe, with no negative side effects, or else everyone would be hypocrites.

 

[fskimospy]

The blue laws have their origin from Christians, but as Fern said they have a lot of entrenched interests perpetuating them today. Yes, they are really stupid. Then again, most of America's laws about alcohol are really stupid.

 

[Zorkorist]

WAAAAAY too simplistic.

It's often a coalition of business interests with some Baptists tossed in.

E.g., the county next to me is dry. It's primary industry is tourism. But like most dry counties there are many exceptions (which some here don't seem to realize). Restaurants, lodges/Guest houses/Inns, private clubs and resorts are all allowed to sell alcohol by the drink. No bottles sold by liquor stores are allowed.

When the residents wanna change the laws all those in above (Hospitality) industry and their employees fight to stop it. It's simply in their business interests to have customers come there to purchase a drink instead of buying a bottle and going home or back to the lodge/resort.

Fern

No. It's Religous freaks.

It's people that have a Religous objection to liquor being sold (on Sundays.) Other interest groups, like Car Dealerships, enjoy Sunday as their one day off, and so Car Dealerships support taking Sunday off.

But, it is simply Religion that stops liquor sales on Sunday, or (everyday) in Counties, etc.

That's the fact.

-John

 

[Zorkorist]

I live in a dry county (but all the towns/cities in it are wet).

We are basically a resort/retirement county. Much of the population is elderly retirees from out-of-state. This is not a dry country now because of any religious reason.

Law enforcement doesn't want bars etc in far flung parts of the county because of the difficulty in policing them. We simply don't have the personel to respond to reports of fights or drunken drivers etc all over the county. (We're in a mountainous area and response times are slow). For this practical reason we are a dry county with all liquor stores, bars and clubs located in a municipality. (The exceptions are resorts outside any municipality limit, they are allowed liquor sales etc).

Fern

LOL. That whole post is LOL.

You might as well state that we are a Police State, and you can only drink in designated areas.

You can only smoke, in designated areas.

Fast Food is available, in designated areas.

Please see your Block Captain for details.

-John

 

[Fern]

LOL. That whole post is LOL.

You might as well state that we are a Police State, and you can only drink in designated areas.

What? That is in fact how it works. Public drinking of alcoholic beverages is only allowed in designated areas within the city.

You can only smoke, in designated areas.

Where have you been? That's also how is it in many cities.

Fast Food is available, in designated areas.

Correct. We generally refer to it as as 'zoning laws'.

Fern

 

[dainthomas]

yup.

nothing to do with blue laws, though.

I think the arguments in favor of it are lower insurance costs for gas station owners and job creation.

And every time it comes up to be overturned it fails, because gas is still consistently cheaper here than in Washington. And people hate getting out in the rain.

 

[GoPackGo]

All "Blue Laws" should be called unconstitutional and tossed out. Especially laws against drugs, prostitution and an established legal drinking age.

 

[Kadarin]

Yes, you can plan ahead, yes, you can go somewhere else... But the point is that there's no sensible logical reason why you should be forced to.

 

[piasabird]

Maybe you are an Alcoholic?

 

[airdata]

We need a new rule. We need to evaluate laws for our current times. The concept of having laws grandfathered in is ridiculous and benefits nobody.

The new rule is that if the law was proposed today, with the internet and all we now know, would it be passed into law. If yes, it can remain a law. If no, the law should be considered null and void.

Maybe you are an Alcoholic?

ROFL...

I assure you I'm not an alcoholic. I can't even tell you the last time I drank anything, but could tell you that it was no more than a single beer.

 

[Zorkorist]

We don't need new laws, as afterall Dry Counties are prohibiting people from drinking, because of their laws.

What we do need is for counties, states, governments and religions, to stop passing laws against personal freedom.

-John