Posted on 03/24/2012 8:56:57 AM PDT by DogByte6RER
These are the places in America where alcohol is still banned
The year was 1933. America's fourteen-year experiment in sobriety was over; the federally mandated ban on the sale and manufacture of alcohol had been lifted. All across the U.S., people welcomed the repeal of prohibition with open arms and flowing taps.
Or rather, most of them did. Meet the counties where America's "noble experiment" never died.
When prohibition lifted almost eighty years ago, many communities (particularly in the Bible Belt) voted to keep alcohol bans in place at the local level. Today, there are still more than 200 "dry" counties nationwide with what most would consider excessively stringent liquor laws. There are even more that remain partially dry (or "moist," to those familiar with the particulars of prohibition legislation).
It's interesting to compare the effects of early 20th century prohibition against those of 2012. America's first experiment with alcohol regulation was a failure on many fronts. Alcohol consumption remained rampant. Thousands died from poorly prepared bathtub liquor. But on the other hand, it also fueled a pretty badass culture of back-alley science and innovation. Smugglers looking to bootleg booze had to come up with innovative ways of eluding the law. Sometimes this involved coming up with creative ways to hide cargo; other times all it meant was being able to outrun whoever was chasing you.
In many ways, prohibition was the catalyst for the first (and arguably biggest) large-scale Do-It-Yourself science movement in the nation's history; home-brewing became extremely popular during prohibition, with magazines like Popular Science publishing how-to guides for assembling DIY distilleries, and measuring your alcohol to keep it within the ABV standards outlined by the eighteenth amendment.
Today, however, it seems like the only real benefit to prohibition is the sense of moral superiority that it instills in those who support it — and that's a reality many of the country's driest regions are having to face up to. According to the BBC, many communities that have been dry for decades have been forced to re-evaluate their non-alcoholic standards in light of hard economic times. If you look at the map, you'll notice that many of the dry and moist counties are interspersed with wet ones. With establishments in dry communities losing business to those in counties that permit alcohol, there are many who feel that the prohibition model cannot hold.
"I hope that we can move into the 21st Century and take advantage of a lot of the things that other communities have," explained Paul Croley, a local lawyer who recently led a campaign to change the status of Williamsburg Kentucky from dry to moist. (The tiny community voted on Tuesday — by a margin of just 14 votes — to finally allow the sale of alcohol in restaurants).
"It is time to wake up and realise that our standard of living can be as good as our neighbours."
I imagine imposing your rules on the unsuspecting and unwilling people of the county would be greater freedom?
You have to explain how that works
This is why I thank god that I live in Nevada. I can buy a bottle of Everclear at a gas station at 4AM on Easter Sunday.
I travel for a living and work very irregular and long hours. There is nothing worse in the world than getting back to the hotel at 2 or 3 in the morning after working 16 hours, and not being allowed to wind down at the bar with a beer or two.
Can you please explain what you mean by "imposing your rules"?
Yeah, I’d give up alcohol for that. /s
I like it. While I won’t land in any of the dry places, we have choice and vote with our feet. That promotes freedom, like state’s rights.
It would be interesting to compare auto accident statistics between dry and wet counties to see the actual effects of alcohol and MADD.
Ugggghhhh!!! Look at all of those sourpusses! They have the same expression as that sourpuss on that failed dollar coin that Jimmy Carter promoted some 30+ years ago. I'm gonna now go pour me some Jim Beam and feel better about myself.
And you can’t buy beer at the LCB. For that you have to go to a “distributor” which are few and far between and you can only buy beer by the case.
Interestingly the PA county where I live has some of the biggest rates for DUI arrests in the country.
“Imposing your rules” was a poor choice of words on my part.
What I really meant to say was ‘imposing your morality’ on the people of the county who chose to remain dry and you are trying to force to be wet.
Is that what you call ‘freedom’, to use your choice of words? Go upthread and read your posts.
You need to explain that.
See, there you go again. I'm not sure you read any of my posts, because it's pretty clear I wasn't advocating using force to make anybody do anything.
I think post #70 was quite clear on that.
I'd be happy to explain further, but until you clear up your misconceptions above, I'll just say this:
Local governments and municipalities that use their authority to impose dry county laws are not exercising freedom, they are curtailing freedom.
Yes, local governments CAN ban the sale and serving of alcohol, just like Mayor Bloomberg can ban salt shakers, and San Francisco can ban non-hybrid cars (or whatever new prohibitionist fad comes around).
But that is what leftists do. They think that because 51% or more of the people support a policy of less freedom, that means we all should live with less freedom.
Supporting a dry county policy simply because you don't like alcohol and don't want it served makes you no better than Obama really. You might as well invite Michelle down to give you more pointers on what types of food and beverage items should be legal or illegal. I thought this was still a conservative crowd, but apparently not.
It’s banned in public in many places. It’s sale in stores is restricted by day and hour and it’s sale in open containers is restricted by license and hour and variety.
Additionally MADD is pushing towards 0.03 BAC for drivers and some organizations are pushing for 0.01 BAC for ALL bar workers including performers (strippers and musicians).
Prohibition? Really? Naw...
And tobacco is limited in its use as well.
But dopers think by demonizing alcohol and cigarettes (which are prohibited by some employers even in off hours and don’t have the same lingering effects as dope), they will be able to see all substances “equalized”.
agreed. locals controlling their environs always better than
people in LA, NY, etc..telling me whatfor.
It may not be my brand of freedom but the people there have made a free choice. The people in those dry counties are free to endure it, move away, or try to change it.
Its a beautiful thing and should be celebrated.
The nanny state (whether local or federal) is antithetical to freedom and should never be celebrated. People voting for less freedom for themselves and and imposing it on their neighbors is not beautiful, and should always be opposed by any freedom lover.
Whatever you say comrade.
In dry county where a business is banned from serving alcohol if they choose, Cripplecreek sits in a coffee shop, that only serves decaff (because caffeine has been banned by the local city council), and eating a soy burger because meat has been deemed bad for the environment and digestive system by the local county board. He reaches for the salt but then remembers that has been banned also, and ponders how thankful he is that the government is looking out for his health.
The beautiful sunset is interrupted by the check from the barista, since all restaurants and businesses are ordered to shut their doors at sundown by city ordinance, because well, it's not safe to be out after dark.
He pays the check for his government mandated decaff and government mandated saltless no-meat soy burger, and as he's driving home in his government mandated hybrid car, he says to himself:
"Isn't freedom wonderful?"
You are missing Alaska and HI?
The line of cars from Pine Ridge to White Clay on the day government checks arrive would take your breath away...it is quite a sight.
Geez...do they ALWAYS take pix of this power-mad control freak from the floor?
It’s to protect his self esteem because he is so short.........
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