Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site trwatf.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!trwatf!root From: root@trwatf.UUCP (Lord Frith) Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Re: liquor laws Message-ID: <926@trwatf.UUCP> Date: Thu, 16-May-85 15:09:42 EDT Article-I.D.: trwatf.926 Posted: Thu May 16 15:09:42 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 17-May-85 06:03:48 EDT References: <434@cvl.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: TRW Advanced Technology Facility, Merrifield VA. Lines: 55 > As I understand it, the principle of separation of church > and state is primarily to minimize government interference in > religion, where religion does not harm civil rights. It can hardly > be said that banning sales of these two things (or of other less > dangerous things) on Sunday is harmful at all (although it might > make business in these things less efficient or profitable). Possibly we WOULD have a safer highway if liquor sales were banned on weekends. But then again... people would probably "stock up" by buying liquor on the 7th day and getting drunk on weekends anyway. It's the principal of the thing that matters here. Who is to regulate what I buy or what I do any day of the week? As long as I don't hurt anyone I should be able to go about my business unfetered by state or federal buerocracys. Liquor sales are not dangerous in themselves. Abusive drinking (especially before driving) is... but how can you regulate this without stamping on someone's freedom of movement? It's a touchy issue. > There frankly some things are more important than money -- and here > there are three more important things than business -- religion, safety > on weekends, and democratic opinion. If you took a poll, I would be willing to wager that the majority of people would not care about liquor sales as such. They would no doubt become more incensed to see some local government "lording it over them" by telling them that they can't buy liquor or drink it when they want to? This goes for the "Blue Laws" as well. > Would you like to support a law to ban liquor sales six days a week? Banning liquor sales won't change how often people use it. It's also unreasonable to ban people from conducting free commerce for such a large stretch of time. The liquor retailers would have a fit... not because they would loose money... but because they would be disallowed from doing business for 6/7 of a year! You can't conduct business on this basis. It's too restrictive. I'm a fan of responsible and not legislative action. > I can see plenty in favor of this, which has nothing to do with religion. No kidding. I can't imagine a bill like this passing through either the senate or the house. It would be tuff enough just getting something like this through a local municipal government. Frankly, I think the majority of people that would push for such a resolution WOULD be those with deeply religious convictions. -- UUCP: ...{decvax,ihnp4,allegra}!seismo!trwatf!root - Lord Frith ARPA: trwatf!root@SEISMO Nasha Lutcha!