City Council may change Sunday bar hours

[Maggie-Doodle]

http://www.wdam.com/Global/story.asp?S=5536157


The City Council may allow bars to serve alcohol later on Sundays.
The council is considering longer hours because of late games and other sports venues..The bar owners/managers as well as party goes will probably welcome the change. I often wondered why they closed things down so early. :smt038 The new law, if passed at Tues. city council meeting would take effect in 30 days...just in time for playoff ballgames.

[HoneyBun]

I understand wanting to watch ballgames but does it have to be at a bar and does it have to involve alcohol all night long? Do we really need more drunk drivers on the road especially with our currently limited law enforcement capacity? Not that it would affect me because I would not be out on the road at night anyway but I'm just thinking of others.

[fuzzis]

I understand wanting to watch ballgames but does it have to be at a bar and does it have to involve alcohol all night long? Do we really need more drunk drivers on the road especially with our currently limited law enforcement capacity? Not that it would affect me because I would not be out on the road at night anyway but I'm just thinking of others.

So...should we not sell alcohol on *any* night?

I really don't understand liquor laws in the south.

fuzzis

[HoneyBun]

I guess I don't understand them either. I am probably a little sensitive in this area since I lost a loved one because of a drunk driver.

[fuzzis]

I guess I don't understand them either. I am probably a little sensitive in this area since I lost a loved one because of a drunk driver.

I am sorry for your loss. ((((((hb))))))

fuzzis

[HoneyBun]

Thank you fuzzis.

[kevin]

I really think that this is a good idea.I do as you HoneyBun hate the drunks on the road! I too have lost a great friend to a drunk driver.I don't think we punish those who break the law enough.Overseas,Bars have machines that were free to see what your alcohol levels were.I think that getting those type of machines in every place that served alcohol would save many,many lives.

[Maggie-Doodle]

HB, I really don't think changing the time limit on serving alcohol will make any more drunks than there are now. IF they want it, they will just buy several before last call and nurse it until they go home. I have seen people buy extra beer and a bucket of ice sold for a set up, then put the beer in the bucket to keep it cold...trust me, they WILL find a way. Just like they will go to the grocery or quick stop and buy extra before shut down time.
Sorry for your loss..it has to be hard trying to live with a useless death like that. I have seen numerous judges be leinient on drunks who were their friends...and it made me sick at my stomach. When I was on the coast working in law enforcement, it was so bad with one well know judge that I called M.A.D.D. and reported him. I don't know if anything was ever done about it or not but at least I could sleep at night, knowing that if one of the people he turned aloose killed someone I would have done the right thing. I mean some of the stuff he did bordered on being criminal...as resetting a persons court date that was on the other judges schedule (the other judge was a toughie on DUI's) and putting the person on his court date....then when the officer didn't show up because he didn't know of the court date change, the charges were dropped. There were many more things he did that was unethical to me but that was one of the worst.

[TheKing]

blue laws are ridiculous and too firmly attached to religion

what happened to separation of church and state?

[hbm]

Nothing happened to separation of church and state, It is not in the Constitution as many think. That term was in a letter by Thomas Jefferson and has been used to help destory our society. No matter where you stand on religion you have to admit that when kids were taught right from wrong in school we were better off. The Constitution only states that the goverment will not form a religion like england did not that either can't intermingle. I agree that we have to many laws that try to control peoples actions that should be common sense and it does not matter when the law says stop drinking. It also won't matter when they pass the law on smoking. The bar will become a private club, charge a couple of dollars for a years membership and not be a public business.

[fuzzis]

No matter where you stand on religion you have to admit that when kids were taught right from wrong in school we were better off.

Ummmmm....schools *still* teach right from wrong, so I'm not really sure what you're trying to say or the point you're trying to make. It is possible to teach right from wrong without bringing religion into the equation. "Character education" happens in most schools, and barring a standard curriculum, most teachers are doing things to help their students figure out how to be good people...how to treat others how they'd want to be treated.

Perhaps instead of blaming this on the schools, you might want to look at another target.

fuzzis

[Conveyor Belt]

blue laws are ridiculous and too firmly attached to religion



Most of the laws we have are related to the Ten Commandments in some form or fashion. Just because they're in the Bible doesn't mean they're not a good idea.
And that's coming from me... me, of all people.

Sometimes I long for the older days when everything was closed on Sunday. It'd be a good thing to force everyone to have some time for reflection instead of living our daily lives. Imagine no Sunday football games, no resturants open, no WalMart or the Mall... nothing to do but spend time with yourself or your family.

[hbm]

The statement I did leave out was teaching right from wrong begins at home. But I get upset when people misquote the seperation of churh and state like it is law.

[hbm]

CB, you really are not old enough to remember stores closed on sundays and possibly wed. afternoons, and a half a day on saturday are you

[nooskye]

Perhaps instead of blaming this on the schools, you might want to look at another target.fuzzis

Like .... their PARENTS!! We are the one's GOD has entrusted them to ... therefore, ultimately OUR responsibility.

[nooskye]

Owning a Company that cateres to the club and their patrons ... I can say that early cut off of sales doesn't really effect our bottom line any. We throw a party Thursday, Friday and Saturday Nights, every week ... by the time Sunday rolls around, we are tired as all get out, some of us have been hung over for three days and still others (like me and the hubby) are tired of being without our kids and it's time for family and of course the game ...

Now .... when it does effect us is when Special Occassions ... like New Year's this year ... falls on a Sunday. That one is really gonna effect us. It is going to cut out one of our BIGGEST money making nights of the whole year. Regardless of everyone being off on Monday or not ... And I'm going to admit, it's because of the City Ordinances ... one of which says that 'No Dancehall shall operate after the hours of 2:00am' ... so now, not only can we NOT drink after 1:45 (which is Sports Rock's mandatory shut off time) ... we can't DANCE either????? :smt102 ... We are told what we should and shouldn't say to be "politically correct" and we are told what we should and shouldn't wear ... Do I still have a bed time too?? It sounds like the ramblings of my Mother ... not my Government.

I would like to add that in Georgia, Flordia and even Alabama and Louisana (like wise up North in places likes NYC and NJ) ... night spots stay open 23 hours a days. Their purpose? NOT to allow the drunks free reign ... but to allow the drunks to do what they are there to do (which is to have a good time) and leave in an orderly, some what structured fashion ... instead of being turned out on their drunk a$$es all at once ... conflicts and all, throwing the chaos into the streets & waiting for the police to handle the problems. In my opinion, this is just another way to shed some of the responsibility that should come with owning a nighttime establishment. Taxi's, breathalizers AND police should be present at all times, no doubt ... but there's got to be a better way than cutting off someone's entrenepurial rights to turn a profit ... just because someone doesn't agree with another's lifestyle. And I mean no offense because I can't stand the smell of alcohol ... and I have been known to take a local AA's Party over a traditional one ... but it's not my place to judge another's action or presume to tell them what to do. It was said before, and it is SO very true ... I've seen it many of times ... if alcohol is wanted ... alcohol will be gotten. Unless we go back in time to prohibition, and even then ... it was bootlegged.

**One more thing ... you guys would be suprised to see how many people come in and DON'T drink vs the ones who do ... Should their good time be cut short because everyone's worried about the ignorant ones who drank to much????? **Which, again, points directly to the establishment's responsibilities of "keeping tabs" on their customers and their intake of alcohol**

[Conveyor Belt]

CB, you really are not old enough to remember stores closed on sundays and possibly wed. afternoons, and a half a day on saturday are you

I am old enough to remember most business that I can remember being closed on Sundays. I don't remember anything about wed or 1/2 days on saturday. I'm old enough to remember ash trays in the supermarkets...

[58ford]

A while back I was mowing the lawn on a sunday & decided I wanted a beer.
I walked to the store & the owner made me wait 7 min. because he couldn't sell me beer til noon.
Does this "Blue law" make any more sense than the others?
I'm not going to church drunk or sober.

[justme]

I know for a fact that you can go to one place in town that will sell you alcohol before noon, it just does not get rang up in the computer before noon. Others I know follow the rules. Does it make a difference? I think it is stupid. I think they should change the ordinances on the hours of the bars operation - I agree that it would keep the mass chaos from hitting the streets at 2:00 Am

[Maggie-Doodle]

I really don't think it matters one way or the other if it is sold before noon, afternoon, or on which day. As far as I am concerned it should be sold 24/7..just like on the coast. IF you are going to drink, you will get the alcohol, one way or the other. I can't see it makes a difference what hours or what days it is sold. There are just as many drunks up here as there are down there....I also think hard liquor should be sold in all the stores, just like LA. Pearl River County is a dry county as far as hard liquor is concerned and there are more drunks and alcohol there than enough...sometimes making something "forbidden" makes it just that much more enticing!

If someone wants to drink, they are going to find the alccohol one way or the other...you only have to look back to prohibition to prove that point.

[aaron]

I tend to agree. If it were me, I'd sell it 24/7 and put you in jail for 6-12 months if I caught you drinking in your car.

[Maggie-Doodle]

The city council changed the law at todays council meeting. It was unanamous and is taking effect immediately. Here is the link to the story. It only awaits the mayors signature.

http://www.wdam.com/Global/story.asp?S=5553574

[nooskye]

So ... they changed it FOR a Football Game?!?! *sheesh* Capitialism at it's best, I guess .... :) LoL! Is this particualr game that important to USM and Memphis? A Bowl Game maybe???

[cowgirl]

just more work for police officers. with none to respond in a timely manner. leadership and foresight are important elements of superb organizations. hattiesburg, residents and others are laughing loud.

[TheKing]

smalltown mindsets astound me

some people need to get out, see the world -- understand that a great deal of the time...when we estimate that a certain behavior will ensue after extending bar hours for two frikken hours on sundays,the exact opposite will be true

you act like its gonna be anarchy and drunkenness in the streets moreso than it is now because of 2 hours

as far as the people claiming 'people should be home with their families, et al', I say this: It is not the governments job to legislate morality...if you and your family are at home spending time together, thats all you need to worry about.