On the 7th Day, States Look to Down Blue Laws

Economy tanked, some seek shot of revenue in Sunday booze sales
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 22, 2009 3:22 PM CST
On the 7th Day, States Look to Down Blue Laws
A customer carries a six-pack of Corona beer, a Constellation Brand, through Chuck's Beverage store in Chagrin Falls, Ohio in this Oct. 5, 2006 file photo.   (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, file)

Recession blues could swallow blue laws, Time reports. State legislatures in Georgia, Connecticut, Texas, Alabama, and Minnesota hope lifting a ban on Sunday alcohol sales will boost revenues. But Christian activists oppose the move, saying cash-strapped families are already feeling pressure. “I don't think we need to add even more pressure to those families by passing this law,” said one.

Historians say politicians, including FDR, often ease alcohol bans to shore up revenue in tough economic climates, and this time will be no different. “It will happen,” one economic professor predicts. “It’s just a matter of when.”
(More Georgia stories.)

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