Sunday alcohol sales may come to Dorchester

Image by flickr user Mikey G OttawaImage by 20080721_beer_sales_sunday.jpg State law says it's immoral and you can't have it on Sundays. But they're talking about beer, not the scantily clad midriffs.

Oh Sunday alcohol sales, what a mess. You can buy a drink in Charleston, North Charleston, Charleston County, Summerville, Goose Creek, etc. But, drive a little farther out to get a drink, say just into the more rural parts of Dorchester or Berkeley counties, and you'll be staying dry on the Sabbath.

beerThe state says no. See the counties and towns that say yes.Depending on where you live in the metro area the practice could seem sane or inane. But most of the state's regions do not allow Sunday alcohol sales (the state keeps a list of the few areas that allow Sunday sales).

So a proposal by Dorchester's County Council to allow Sunday sales across the county has been met with mixed feelings. On one hand people see how the policy only drives business from dry bars to wet ones across the street, but there are still many folks that believe keeping alcohol shelved on Sunday's helps breed wholesomeness.

The Post and Courier did a good write up, but they had a hard time of finding anyone who had a passionate quote on the topic.

Personally, I've always thought anyone who wants to drink on Sundays is smart enough to buy it on Saturday. So while the spirit of the rule may be sound, I doubt it has little effect in practice (I've also never heard of a study done on the subject).

Most of the area's in South Carolina that do allow Sunday sales are on the coast, likely because of the demands of tourism.

But, while we're on the topic, let's not forget that the state doesn't allow beer and wine to be sold at the same register as liquor, and that while you can buy a gin and tonic on Sunday in Charleston, you can't buy a bottle of gin. It's a more than bit perplexing.

And let's not forget, if the law allows me to buy a porn mag on Sunday but not a Budweiser in the name of family values, then there's really something amiss.

If you live in Dorchester and would like to have your say, the proposed referendum will be held at the County Council meeting Monday night at 7 p.m. at the Summerville Council Chambers at 500 North Main Street (map).