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To the eighteen states and one county in Maryland which control the sale of alcoholic beverages: Print E-mail
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Written by Boogie Bless   
09/18/2007
I like beer. Dark, full flavored, unfettered (although regulated for safety) beer in abundant variety should be a right of all free men. Wine has its place in my heart also, but mostly when in the company of women. I am not really a hard liquor man but I have had my share of fine spirits and would think it rude to deprive someone of their chosen elixir. For me, the freedom to consume alcoholic beverages, in a public venue, until the early hours of the morning need be a god given right. Yet we as Americans are forced to endure a diminished form of this activity when in your respective states and county. The following are my points of contention:
  • 3.2% beer
  • Last call at 1AM
  • No alcohol sales on Sunday

I understand that the 21st amendment gave states the right to decide on the control and distribution of alcoholic beverages in their given territories. However, these absurd and arbitrary stipulations should be repealed or at least reviewed. The points listed above have little value when enforced and may in fact interfere with a concept which is the most important in American society – capitalism. When states were given the right to have a monopoly over alcohol they must consider the citizens within their borders. Also, by having these restrictions, states may inadvertently encourage bootlegging.

These constraints on alcohol sales are relics of the past. 3.2% beer; Why? We no longer need a reintroduction to alcohol. Prohibition has been over for quite a while. If the consumer wanted watered down beer I believe there would be a market that is not artificially created by state government.

No alcohol sales for off premise consumption on Sunday; Why? Does Jesus Christ really care if I buy liquor on Sunday? I don’t think so, nor do I care. Is this a means to curtail abuse? I only have a problem with alcohol if there isn’t enough around. Seriously, how many sales are forgone due to the mandatory closing of state-operated/operator-owned stores on Sundays? This is not only a question for the states addressed herein but the nation as a whole. The no sale on Sunday law is the most egregious and could be considered a violation of civil rights.

Finally, ending my evening out at 1AM is unacceptable. I am a native New Yorker, 1AM is when the party is beginning. Ending service at a bar at 1AM and closing at 2AM is a bad idea on principal alone. It causes the establishment to lose sales. It also forces the patron out on the streets without any time to allow the effects of the alcohol consumed to dissipate. It may even allow for an argument to be made where the state is a co-conspirator or enabler of drunken driving offenses.

In closing, I appeal to your sense of humanity. These constrictions to alcohol sales impede my pursuit of happiness. As an American I demand and expect freedom in regard to when I can buy alcoholic beverages and freedom of choice as to the alcohol content of the beverage I chose to consume.



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