Spineless Senators to blame
The sponsor of legislation allowing voters the chance to vote on Sunday alcohol sales at stores withdrew his bill when he realized he could not get it passed out of the Senate Regulated Industries Committee Wednesday.
The committee was supposed to vote on the bill Wednesday, but supporters knew by the time the meeting began that they wouldn’t have enough votes to pass it.
It marked the third consecutive year the bill to allow Sunday sales has stalled in the Senate.
Sen. Seth Harp (R-Midland), said he would bring the bill back up in the future and supporters hinted they would make it a campaign issue next year
Its clear the Republican Party of Georgia would rather be in the minority.
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I saw the headline to this on TweetDeck and posted this:
“Hmmm… Senate Leadership likes SB 31 and doesn’t like SB 16. They must not want to be Senate leadership much longer… ”
Chris, you should probably be somewhat afraid that we’re thinking alike!
The GOP talks a good game about local control and the best government is the government close to the people, but it is all BS. They won’t let local communities decide when to sell alcohol and they won’t let local governments set their own taxes. For some reason the GOP leadership in the Gold Dome thinks it has to interfere in local issues. It doesn’t! Stay out!
Freedom=zero; nanny state government=1.
How’s that whole “the government shouldn’t be a nanny” thing working for you?
Ridiculous.
It’s not a big issue, I realize that, but it’s a very simple issue.
Just more proof that conservatives prefer tyranny to freedom.
Ya’ hear that, Senators?!….an issue so simple, even a DAWG gets it!!
Lack of individual freedoms should be a big problem for all of us, but sadly, in today’s society, it isn’t. I surely need them to dictate to me when I can buy beer. I need them to tell me what types of handguns and magazines I can own. I need them to intimidate the banks into notifying them when deposits are made over a certain amount. I need them to tell cancer patients that they cannot benefit from the pain relieving effects of marijuana. I need them to tell me how I can use the private property that I own in order to save a rodent. And how about them mandating, during drought conditions, that Lake Lanier release millions of gallons of water to save a few mussels. Hurray for the Nanny State!
I went to a commuter school and even I get it.
One more fine example of our “leadership” (those are air quotes) having to ask lobbyists how to vote, or in this case, if they even have permission to vote.
Ya’ hear that, Senators?!….an issue so simple, even a DAWG gets it!!
Errrrr, yeah?!
With all due respect, wasn’t this all an exercise in futility anyway, since the Governor has made it clear he would veto a Sunday Sales bill?
I am suprised. It was about allowing local entities decide whether or not to sell alcohol on Sunday. Local control
I supported the bill
YES! YES! YES! We don’t need Sunday Sales in our State which because of this, has a bunch of Legislators that are as Pure as Gold!
This has been a huge disappointment to me, especially after all the hypocritical comments I have heard from our legislature. They don’t want this to be a campaign issue in 2010… Too bad!
“They don’t want this to be a campaign issue in 2010″
They have just guaranteed that it will be.
They don’t want this to be a campaign issue in 2010″
They have just guaranteed that it will be.
I don’t think folks will vote solely on the fact that they can’t buy beer on Sunday. Just buy enough on Saturday.
I agree this should be a local issue, but I don’t care enough about it to vote for a Democrat
The larger issue here isn’t about beer on Sunday, it’s about CONTROL.
Time and again we are seeing this legislature decide that control is left best centralized in Atlanta versus handed to the people. Each community of people should have the right of self determination on governance within the rule of law.
Certain Republicans in the legislature seem to have forgotten this and are actually taking steps to eliminate local determination and rather set directives onto local communities.
It’s really time that we have more Republican primaries and begin to clean out the cubbard of some of these weaker office holders who are nothing but mere puppets of leadership and lobbyists.
salty, I would say it was probably moot, in that regard, but the fact they wouldn’t let it get that far speaks volumes.
The TRUE conservatives….even those personally opposed to Sunday sales and who would fight it back home….. recognized that letting it be a local issue was the right thing to do.
So . . . how’s the war on tobacco going?
I choose to drink beer and channel my anger in other areas. But hey, this is a great song. And I always find it fascinating how lawmakers like to legislate morality. We’re talking about POLITICIANS here folks. A good portion of them HAVE NONE. ZERO!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-jOEAufDQ4
Republicans once again prove that they want a bigger, more intrusive government that limits your freedom of choice.
Despite my personal support for this issue, I doubt we’re going to see some incumbents lose solely on this issue. After all, we didn’t see massive protests of thousands of people marching to the Gold Dome chanting, “We want SB16!”
People are more likely to get up in arms over a right taken away, not about maintaining the status quo.
Right. And I have no problems with politicians taking calculated risks. What irks me is calculated dishonesty.
They may not lose just on this issue but combined with SB31 and whatever else comes up before the end of the session, you never know.
plus 2 points for Dash Riptide.
I would venture to guess that a vast majority of the electorate hasn’t got a clue about SB16 or SB31. What’s gonna haunt these phony conservative politicians is when people are able to take a look back at when the BS started. Perhaps this is why there’s the need among the political class to keep piling it on, so as to keep the masses distracted. I mean who really has time (especially among productive Americans) to actually sort through the BS?
Time to wipe the slate clean and go find some actual conservatives. Sonny would have vetoed local control regarding alcohol sales anyway….well, if Ray McBerry wins in 2010, we’ll have our first Republican Governor, and I guarantee Ray is for local control.
I wonder how many of you guys are going to blast our Republican leadership at the coming rounds of Republican events….mmm. You know you guys can count on me.
I guess that I am one of those “booze lobbyists” describes by “Salty Nuts”, but I’m not using some sort of fake username to hide behind.
If anyone wants to ask a “real person” about this issue and some of the dynamics of what happened, please feel free to fire away.
I promise my language won’t be “salty”.
Jim Tudor
“Booze Lobbyist”
GACS
Jenny
I’ve located a video of a family that consumed too much fluoride.
http://tectonicforces.blogspot.com/search?q=crest
Game Fan,
I’m glad to see that my message is catching on. But did you find anything on families who consume GMO’s?
Shep Great Job! ha haha ha ha ha LOLOLOLOLOL
And for a bonus, what’ s the name of the Titanic’s band leader?
How about this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAKaJE4gjYg
A question for those supporting Shafer for Lt. Gov… Would your man have voted the bill favorably out of committee or not? Is Harp on the bandwagon?
The bill’s withdrawal damages the GOP brand generically. The action further makes the case that GOP rank and file would rather protect their party and either fear or protect their leadership than represent their constituents. Another action like the House gas tax bill passed earlier this week demonstrating it’s about Power and not Policy. Pathetic.
Burkhalter made a case “local control” case for a constitutional amendment no less to re-establish Milton County in an AJC editorial today, demonstrating what the party thinks of the intelligence of the Georgia electorate.
Every year it comes up. Every year it is defeated.
The idea is to allow Alcohol to be sold in stores on Sunday.
Alcohol is legal. It is also a deadly, addictive drug. It kills more people than all illegal drugs combined.
Marijuana is illegal. It’s proven effects are much milder than alcohol. If you are caught with 420 in your possession, you not only go to jail, you can lose ownership of your car or house. If you have cannibis residue in your urine, you can lose your job.
None of these penalties are in effect for alcohol. Alcohol is legal.
Alcohol users get a sweet deal by being legal. Alcohol producers get to advertise, and buy influence in the corporate monopoly media. This monopoly media wages a war on drugs, which can get you arrested if you use marijuana.
Alcohol users get a sweet deal, and yet they love to whine about not being able to buy their poison on Sunday. They should appreciate what they do have, and quit whining.
So Progressive Dem is FOR local control when it comes to booze sales, but AGAINST it when it comes to the people of the once and future Milton County deciding how their tax dollars should be spent. And Burkhalter is just the opposite…I smell hypocrisy everwhere! It it has the same odor as something from a bull’s rear end.
Jenny,
I want to hear Ray McBerry go on the record saying he would sign an alcohol on Sunday bill.
Sincerely,
Doubting griftdrift
Where was Eric Johnson when it was time to vote? He was a co-sponsor.
The think that this issue may finally be a wake up call for retailers in the state. Here you have the state’s largest employer in sheer numbers but in reality has never engaged its employee base. Retailers have mostly always been non-political, primarily as a result of their “customer is right” mindset that carries over to the political arena. Don’t make anybody mad has been their mantra.
Frankly for many elected officials there has been no perceived downside to opposing legislation that would enable retailers to enjoy the same opportunities that are afforded in basically the rest of the country.
So this issue is really at a crossroads. There are more than 600,000 employees who are directly impacted. Do they care? Can they be engaged? Until that question is answered at the polls the current political realities that exist in the Georgia Senate will remain in place.
c murray,
My issue about Milton was to look at other alternatives before creating a 160th county. Nobody can be against self-determination, but there may be other ways to improve and control local government besides creating a new one.
Chamblee54,
you have some serious issues referring to people who drink alcohol as “users.” That’s insane.
And the war on drugs is a crock, too. 80% of arrests last year were for possession–so clearly they ain’t going after the war lords. The law enforcement agencies use SWAT teams (I believe that would qualify as a standing army since that is military-is it not?) , invade personal property without a warrant on the suspicion of possession, etc. It is out of control. What you do on your private property, is just that, private.
This false righteousness that it’s ok to buy and sell on Sunday, but somehow buying and selling alcohol is sinful, reveals a very shallow understanding of civil government, Old Testament law, and conservatism.
GriftDrift, we will have current commentary concerning the legislation beginning next week on GeorgiaFirst.org, and the Sunday Sales of Alcohol will be discussed, and Ray’s views presented. I recommend that you check it out, and be encouraged. Not all our Gubernatorial candidates are tyrants.
I see, we’ll, I tend to think there might not be much of an option for the folks in N. Fulton. However, I stand corrected in calling you a hypocrit. Glad I can agree with a Dem on something though, with regards to the Sunday Sales.
You see or don’t, yet I don’t care if you do or do not. Because you know why? I lived up to myself, you haven’t.
I’m one of those ignorant ones that believed in G-d and country, one of those fools that believed if we were old enough to die while serving our country at 18, we were old enough to drink at 18.
So Bucky Plyer and Eric Johnson, where are you brave bold assholes now?
My only is in Afghanistan, yet you two bitches, where are you?
Safe and judgemental due to the rest of us yet you assholes want to judge us all.
b’ville,
Sen. Johnson was a sponsor of the bill, yet “supporters knew by the time the meeting began that they wouldn’t have enough votes to pass it.”
Why show up if the bill is going to be withdrawn?
anonymole, it’s called intestinal fortitude. Even in defeat, I stood my ground when lives were on the line, including mine Is that too much to ask of a politician, to vote or sway the vote?
As it has already been stated elsewhere, he was at another hearing supporting an important piece of legislation that did pass.
In military terms, you are asking him to send his soldiers into a battle they can’t possibly win. What kind of military strategy is that?
What kind of military strategy is that? We’ll see in July of 2010.
One of us has chose poorly. Hopefully it’s me, but I doubt it.
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