Why I will vote ‘No’ on November 6

On November 6 this will appear on the ballot in York County:

Countywide Question
Shall the Department of Revenue be authorized to issue temporary permits in this county for a period not to exceed twenty-four hours to allow the sale of beer and wine at permitted off-premises locations without regard to the days or hours of sales?

Yes, in favor of the question
No, opposed to the question

This is a good illustration of obfuscate! The question is, 'Shall we allow the sale of beer and wine on Sunday as well as every other day?’ Currently, beer may be sold all day, every day, except between midnight Saturday and 7 am Monday. I will be voting, No.

In this post I will explain why I am voting No, not attempting to persuade anyone else to do the same. So don’t get your knickers in a knot if you don’t like my reasons!

First, the issue of Sunday. I know this is the last of the Blue Laws. When we first moved to York in 1989, the Blue Law was still in effect. You could not buy anything other than groceries on Sunday until 1 pm. I suppose this was an attempt to ‘honor the sabbath.’ This is not the reason I will be voting No.

Second, the matter of government. I believe in limited government, so I suppose it seems kind of odd that I would cast a vote that allows the government to determine when I can buy alcohol. My reasoning goes like this: I’m not asking the government to do anything it is not already doing. It already forbids the sale of beer on Sunday and my vote is to not change that. See, I am a conservative, Don't change anything. ha!

Now to the positive reasons:

What a difference there is between Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday night! Well, actually, they start drinking on Thursday night in Rock Hill. And you simply don't have that on Sundays. We all know that if this passes, Sundays will be a madhouse for at least the first few weeks, “Hey, we can drink our brains out on Sundays too!!” I do not look forward to that.

Then there is the matter of restraint. So many people have no self-restraint and I think the government can and ought to supply it. “They will get it somewhere else.” I realize that possibility, but nearly every one I refuse the sale of beer to on Saturday nights, simply won’t go up the road to Tega Cay, where they can purchase beer. Restraint.

Our society is already rushing headlong toward unrestrained gratification of every desire and confusing that with ‘freedom.’ As in, “If I want to do it, it should be immediately available.” I don’t believe it is beneficial for a society to spend so much of it’s energies getting drunk and/or stoned. And that is where so many are today. Will refusing the sale of beer on one day stop that trend? No, but it is a speed bump.

A couple of objections that I have heard:

“Will one day make that much of a difference?” All I can tell you is how nice Sundays are. I really don’t see how people are inconvenienced by the inability to buy beer on Sunday.

“We’ll lose tax revenue.” I don’t care! Money is not God.

To sum up why I will be voting No:

It provides a nice break from the alcohol frenzy that makes up the rest of the week.

It promotes restraint and self-control, which I believe is good for a society.

It encourages planning. If you want to drink on Sunday, then buy it on Saturday. What’s so hard about that? This must be something people need help with because I regularly hear at 2 am Sunday morning, “Is it Sunday?”

That’s why I will vote No on November 6.