From: bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein)
Subject: Re: Sunday Liquor Sales
Organization: The World
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 03:35:41 GMT


From: phil@miracle.com (Phil Hill)
>bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein) writes:
>>I didn't say they couldn't, being threatened with being fired unless
>>you come to your minimum wage or thereabouts job on Sunday is the
>>point. I realize white-collar types often work Sundays, but they also
>>still get to whine about it or even (heavens) say things like sorry,
>>no-can-do, promised the kids I'd take them to the XYZ. Try that if
>>you're a cashier for K-Mart if they call you at 8AM Sunday cuz someone
>>else just called in sick and see how fast you end up on the dole.
>
>Barry, your comments sound like you are someone who has never held a job
>in his life, either blue or white collar.

Nice try, but at almost 40 I have worked nearly continuously since the
age of 12 and held, I dunno, a couple of dozen jobs ranging from sales
to university lecturer to golf caddy to furniture mover to
construction to farm work to medical research to perfume counterfeiter
to sysadmin to programmer to ceo, etc. etc. Heck, I was once one of
only 20 registered, professional cross-sanders in the United States
and you probably don't even know what that is!

Well, hey, way off the mark.

But maybe you have a comment to make that will shed some light on the
topic...?

>If this K-Mart employee is called at 8AM Sunday, all s/he has to say is
>"Sorry I'm Busy". If K-mart then tried to fire this person, all s/he
>would have to do is go to the labor board, and s/he would have their job
>back, with back pay. Firing someone for such a resson would be illegal.

You're the one in a dream world kid, go over to your local K-Mart and
ask some of the low-level employees how much faith they have in a
labor board versus finding themselves out on the street fast.

Sorry, it may be the world you wished you lived in, but it ain't the
one you live in.

>First, K-Mart (or any other employer) can't fire someone because they are
>unable to come in to work on Sunday (or any other day of the week).

That's right, the manager can not put that down as the reason you were
fired a week or two later.

However, "attitude problem", "consistently slacking off" or any of a
dozen other hard to verify reasons are always handy.

>You don't need to go to a laywer in the above case, as I've already said,
>the labor board will handle such a matter for FREE.  If you wan't to sue
>for additional damages, a laywer will probably take such a case for FREE
>(well... he will wan't a LARGE part of your winnings).

Right...

And exactly what do you base all these strongly held opinions on???
Free lawyers? Pardon me, I'm choking...

>As for the number of people in NY fired, since such an act is illegal I'd
>guess that it's in the 1-10 range (some employers don't know the laws).  As
>for suggessfully regaining their jobs it's probably around 50% (many employees
>don't know the laws, or just don't care).  In either case it's not a major issue.

Man, it's easy to type in any bullshit isn't it, you just punch them
keys and out it comes...

--------------------and the second part--------------------

>Barry, perhaps you should learn about the original reasons for the "blue laws".

Oh do tell oh Mr "Lawyers are free, just ask!".

>A long, long time ago the all powerful church decided that drinking on Sunday,
>would be a bad idea.

And which "all powerful church" might that be?

And is this any particular place or time? Try to narrow it down to a
particular continent and century perhaps.

>After all, when given a choice, many people would prefer
>to drink instead of attend church.  Because the church held great clout, the
>blue laws were born.

So you think it revolved around just drinking? And that couldn't
possibly have anything to do with the part that you're interested in?

And how many did you have before writing this note? Was it Sunday?

I think (ahem) it had a lot to do with WORKING on the Sabbath, or
requiring others to do the same. You might refer to the Ten
Commandments as one point of reference.

>A long time ago, some people challenged the blue laws, siting the constitutional
>seperation of church and state.  The goverment defended itself by stating that
>the blue laws were not religious in basis, but the main purpose was to protect
>the small businessman.  The blue laws allowed the "Mom and Pop" stores to close
>on Sunday with out worrying about the big nasty giant super stores.  Thus,
>"Mom and Pop" got at least one day off per week.

You might spell it "citing", not really a spelling flame since one
wonders how closely your poor spelling mimics what in the world you
might think the word means.

And what case was this you are citing exactly? Roughly when was this
case?  Nearest century will do.

>Now, the "Mom and Pop" store is almost extinct.

Is that so? Yet Presidents of the United States continue to campaign
on the issue of small business being the largest employer in the USA?
And the Small Business Administration continues to be one of the
largest programs in the US Govt.

Damn, you better set them straight pal! They're operating under a
DELUSION!

>In these days of BJ's wholesale
>club, Super Stop and Shop, and Wal-Mart the small business has almost been
>eliminated due to competition in another area: SELECTION.  The blue laws insured
>that those nasty big companies couldn't blow away the little guy by simply
>staying open more hours.

Really?

Gee, I've never heard this before...wonder why. Just stay open more
hours and whammo, makes sense I guess, all there is to it, it was so
obvious and they all missed it...

>But one thing the blue laws couldn't stop was the
>big companies blowing away the little guys by providing a vastly wider selection
>and cheaper prices.

Man, is that all there is to it? Makes you wonder why those big stores
keep going out of business or showing so much red ink (Macy's, Sears,
etc), I guess they oughta call you for some advice!

>Most sane people (I guess that excludes you Barry) now see that the Blue Laws
>are pointless.

I guess you are absolutely right, which is why we still have Blue Laws.

That politicians don't dare to run against them (at least in this
state) no doubt has to do not so much with most sane people but ALIENS
WHO THREATEN TO EAT THEIR BRAINS.

>The "Mom and Pop" stores are gone.

I guess the ALIENS got them too!

Better tell the govt to close down the SBA! Better cancel those $11M
in new loans the state of Mass just made available for small
businesses! Damn, why didn't they make YOU governor? Everyone else is
just twisted!

>Now this state needs to improve it's
>economy.  It would make sense to open liquor stores on Sunday, rather than
>have people drive across the border to NH and buy there.

No doubt that's all it takes to improve the MA economy. Hell, out of
the $50B/yr business those lost liquor sales must account for, who
knows, maybe a million bucks! I wondered why the streets look so empty
on Sunday around here, everyone is in NH buying trunkloads of liquor!

>Organization: Miracle Computer Consultants

Motto: If you get anything out of us, it will be a Miracle!

heh heh, thanks, you were today's entertainment.

-- 
        -Barry Shein

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