Blue Over The Blue Law!

I am going to be a little in your face with people I like and respect with this one! I want to start out by saying people can be on the same side but disagree on certain issues. In my opinion the Blue Laws are out dated and unfair. I know some of you will be shocked by my opinion considering I am usually on the pro-religious side of most arguments. However, I believe the people on the pro-religious side of this argument haven’t looked at this in the right way. I think they are trying to do what is right but have picked the wrong issue to take such a stand on.
Let me explain my position with a little more eye opening detail. First, the Blue Laws hurt businesses in Anderson County. I know a large number of people personally that shop at the Wal-Mart in Hartwell on Sunday Mornings. Second, the Blue Laws don’t help the people who have jobs in factories, restaurants, convenient stores or hospitals. It has no effect on the soldiers, firemen, policemen or EMS workers. As a matter of fact it doesn’t even have a lot of effect on the only group that it is directed at, the retail market. Now listen close because I don’t want to lose anyone here. Ok, the law says that Wal-Mart can’t sell certain items before a certain time and Belks, Sears and The Dollar Tree can’t open until a certain time on Sundays. However, almost the same amount of people are already working at Wal-Mart to begin with. As far as the other stores a lot of them bring in employees in early even though they are not open, to do other things. So ask yourself who exactly are we helping by keeping the Blue Laws?
The fact is you are sending our shoppers elsewhere to spend their money. You are punishing our businesses for being in Anderson County. You are refusing to listen to the masses to cater to a very small group of people that aren’t even really benefiting from the Law.
I know all the arguments from the pro-Blue Law side. I also know that people that want to go to Church on Sundays will go to Church and people that do not want to will not no matter what you close! The sale of alcohol on Sunday is a different issue all together! You can do away with the Blue Law and still have a law against the sale of alcohol! The Blue Law doesn’t help any of the people I mentioned earlier and it hurts our local economy. It is archaic and useless and should be done away with! Also, I find it very humorous that a law that is designed to allow people to be able to attend Church instead of working seems to always get suspended for the Christmas season! If you are one of the few that believes we should keep the Blue Law then you should not want them suspended during Christmas and you shouldn’t be going out to eat, buying gas or groceries before 1:30 on a Sunday……right?

Matthew Hilley