Say no to sale of alcohol on Sunday in Lancaster

I knew it was just a matter of time after they changed one blue law before that someone would want alcohol sales here on Sunday. I was 100 percent right.

Someone has started a signature petition to try and get a referendum put on the ballot. If she is successful, I hope the residents of this great county will say no. Lancaster is just fine without alcohol sales on Sunday.

Those supporting alcohol sales on Sunday are using the same reasoning they did before – concerns about people going to Rock Hill or Charlotte to buy this or that. Well, you know what? The fact is no matter what we do, we will never be able to stop people from going to either place for one thing or another. We aren’t like Charlotte or Rock Hill, nor do we choose to be, on this issue and maybe a few more.

I really don’t think it’s a bad thing if they want to go out of town to drink on Sunday. The bad part is after they drink, they come back and drive on Lancaster roads. We have enough problems with DWIs Monday through Saturday. I feel sure local law enforcement would be glad for any small break they can get.

If that many people are traveling to Rock Hill or Charlotte on Sunday to drink alcohol, maybe we should post deputies at the county and state lines. That could surely bring in revenue.

As for restaurants losing money because folks are going out of town on Sunday, I feel certain these restaurant owners knew the law when they decided to locate here. Who could blame them for wanting to move here? Lancaster is a great place to live and work.

There are many successful restaurants in Lancaster open on Sunday. For those who live in Indian Land, if you take a 20-minute drive to Lancaster you will find plenty of restaurants. Those include Jomars, Mullys, Captain’s Galley, Applebees and many others. Some serve alcohol Monday through Saturday. Some do not. Some don’t serve alcohol or open on Sunday. Chick-fil-A is one.

Perhaps those restaurants in the northern end of the county could talk with some of the above restaurant owners to find out the secret to their success.

I really don’t think most businesses would base their decision on locating here because of one day without alcohol sales.

Lancaster has a lot of other great things to offer. If we lose one business here or there, we will still be OK. You win some, you lose some. We are a strong people and county. We have survived a lot and we are still going.

But if the newspaper really thinks we are losing tax revenues, perhaps we should raise taxes in Indian Land on people who have lived here less than 15 years, to equal the rate in Rock Hill or Charlotte since the demographics are about the same.

Does that sound crazy? Well, that is no more crazy or troublesome than not being able to go without a glass of wine for one day. Maybe we should talk about getting some professional help. Or do like most people around here who want to drink on Sunday. Go buy a bottle on Saturday night and put it in the fridge to chill.

On Sunday afternoon, go to any of the local restaurants and enjoy a great meal. Then go home, put on your comfy slippers, get in your favorite chair and enjoy a glass of wine in the comfort of your own home. This would be your own personal business and I would feel a lot safer on Lancaster roads.

As a Christian, if it were up to me, I would ban alcohol sales altogether. But I can’t, so I have to live with it and try to help those who may have started with one glass that has now turned into a bigger problem, but that’s another story.

If I can live with the sale of alcohol for six days, is it really too much to ask, (even if you say you don’t believe in God,) to not sell it for one day?

It’s not always about money, but a way of life. Finally, and most importantly, God said in Exodus 20:8, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

In case you didn’t know, this the Bible belt and you are right, it is personal. Sometimes with man, change is good, but God’s word never changes and we, the residents of Lancaster, will prayerfully say no to alcohol sales on Sunday.

Gail Stevens is a Lancaster County

resident.