Editorial: Not a matter of degree

Officials in Dothan and Houston County will ask the local legislative delegation to introduce a measure that would allow local voters to consider approving the limited sale of alcohol on Sundays.

If approved, there would be little change in the way business is conducted today. A recent change in state Alcoholic Beverage Control board’s interpretation of club licenses means that 17 restaurants that now offer drinks on Sunday will lose that option as their licenses come up for renewal. Approval by voters would allow those restaurants and others to sell drinks on Sunday without a club license.

Houston County jumped on the bandwagon in anticipation of similar requests from restaurants in the proposed Country Crossing development, which will be constructed outside the city limits.

Expect a flurry of opposition to the proposed change. Churches and anti-alcohol groups usually take a stand against expanding the sale of alcohol.

Because this change is expected to pass handily, local officials should weigh the pros and cons of eliminating this vestige of colonial-era blue laws altogether and allow for the sale of beer, wine and spirits seven days a week at any business that meets licensing requirements.

Blue laws, which were created to prohibit shopping on Sunday, have been systematically dismantled since World War II. Many states are now considering the elimination of bans on Sunday alcohol sales as a means to address budget shortfalls in these lean economic times.

If some restaurants can sell alcohol on Sundays, shouldn’t every retailer have the same option?
It seems that it’s not really a question of degrees. Just as a woman cannot be “a little bit pregnant,” a community that allows Sunday alcohol sales in one place, or a dozen, might as well extend the privilege to any vendor fit to sell alcohol the other six days.

UPDATE

We heard from several city officials following a Feb. 19 editorial questioning whether members of the city commission had discussed the merits of an annexation request outside of public view before unanimously approving the measure without comment.

According to the officials, there was no discussion at all. The request was accompanied by a staff report that outlined the pros and cons of the request and a recommendation to annex the property.