Photo by lorigoldbergMontgomery County is considering allowing liquor sales on Sundays. This is an excellent idea, and one that the District of Columbia should consider as well.
Antiquated ‘blue laws’ that prohibit the sale of hard liquor or other kinds of alcohol on Sundays continue to be prevalent across the United States, despite their origins in the Puritanical urge to force a religious standard on the community. I’d certainly argue that McGowan v. Maryland could stand another look at this point, but we needn’t even go that far to correct what amounts to useless government meddling in commerce and personal behavior: Movements to repeal such bans in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York passed back in 2003 without much fuss, and there’s no reason why D.C. area jurisdictions shouldn’t do the same.
It’s not illegal to consume liquor on Sundays, after all, or order a drink at a bar — it’s just not possible to buy or sell an entire bottle. This is just a weird double standard that inconveniences businesses and individuals alike.
Montgomery County’s measure has been nominally put forward (by Councilman Mike Knapp, D-Germantown) as a way to raise revenues, albeit modest ones, for its cash-strapped government. If politicians need a budgetary excuse to repeal a needless and unjust law, that’s fine.
In this election year, it would be nice to see even more area politicians standing up in favor of a common sense change like this one. It’s good for small business owners, who would after all still have the option of staying closed on Sundays if they so chose, and it makes life less complicated for average residents. That it also might increase sales tax revenues without imposing a single additional tax is just one more reason to take proposals like Knapp’s seriously.
