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What If liquor stores could be open longer?
Joe Shooman
04 December 2011



Well, that’s an easy one.

They would be able to sell more beer and stuff. Some churches would probably get upset. Maybe a few idiots would get squiffy and throw peanuts at the police.
And life would go on.

Overindulging in capitalism

Certainly, overindulgence - whether a race to get slack-jawed, dribblingly horizontal or years of statistically significant, cumulative use - can and does have drastic physical and mental effects. Equally, people are more than capable of risk-assessment and intelligent analysis of what ingesting substances will do to them.
There is a section in any community that is more prone to excess than others. You could have ale shops open for only half an hour a day and some people would still find their way to getting wasted. In countries with extremely high duty (even higher than Cayman) like Iceland or parts of Scandinavia there’s a huge tradition of home distilling for this very reason. Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘blind drunk’.
And look at what happened with Prohibition. Hardly a roaring success, that, was it? Unless you were a rum runner, of course. God bless capitalism.

Two arguments in favour of keeping liquor stores open longer:

The economy is broken and store owners need to survive.
Everywhere else seems to do it.

And against:
People would be able to buy drink.
See point 1.

Tourists and tarpon beware

The truth is that there’s nobody with a gun at your head forcing you to get drunk; there’s no reason why, on walking past an open liquor store, the compulsion will suddenly be there to neck a bottle of mother’s ruin, get naked, jump in the water and carve swastikas into passing tarpon.

Indeed, I would be willing to bet (though obviously not for money, for that is also bad and wrong) that the vast majority of us walk past several open bars every day (which serve alcohol well into the night, by the way) without feeling the need to detour for an eight-hour binge of Absinth and fire cocktails before joining a black metal cover band and shooting bolts of devil-driven wild guitar feedback at huddling packs of shuddering-jowled lobster-tanned tourists looking down the road the wrong way.
Here is the news: having a drink is not the same as being a drunk.

Addicts are not criminals

Drinking is not a social problem, but addiction is. Changing access hours, delivery restrictions, can only ever be plastering over the cracks in a society that cares more for outward appearances than underlying issues. Because addiction’s not a crime. Overindulgence in itself isn’t a crime.

If a society wants to simultaneously tax, consume and vilify a legal substance - as it seems to do - then it ought to look at its
motivation. It’s a particularly human trait to be able to hold such stunning double - or triple - standards, but not a particularly useful or progressive one.

Opening up liquor stores a little later in the evening has very, very little to do with any of that.

Because it’s always five o clock, somewhere.

There’s nobody with a gun at your head forcing you to get drunk. 

 
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big berd
What If liquor stores could be open longer?
Posted by big berd on 12/8/2011 2:17:59 PM

INFACT, banana republics thought process is exactly why we don't have sunday shopping.

And look at the mess that causes.

People driving like morons, driving dangerously to get to point A to B. And if you follow the herd, and you blow saturday to do shopping. Or heaven forbid you miss saturday shopping. Then as a working person, you either have to wait a whole week until the next saturday, to get whatever you need to get. Or again, rush down town, right after work, driving like a moron. To get to the stores before they mostly all close at 6pm.

And all for what...so we can force people to go to church!

God is supposed to be all powerful. You think he honestly gives a damn if you pray sunday or saturday, or monday for that matter. Or should I say, go to church, so you can put money in that collection plate, to give someone who reads a book, a job.

NO where in the bible does it say SUNDAY is the day of rest. It says the 7th day he rested. Well great. maybe my 7th day is monday or saturday, and yours is sunday. Who is deciding sunday is the day?!

Forcing someone to do anything, never solves anything. The best you get is half measures or work done.

Can't be that religious of an island if you gotta force people to go to church now, are we?!
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big berd
What If liquor stores could be open longer?
Posted by big berd on 12/8/2011 7:27:09 AM

Banana republic

WHEN has overt control over anything, solved anything.

As far as I know, the US and Canada have massive anti drinking campaigns. Have huge, life altering consequences for drunk drivers.

BUT SURPRISE...there are still drunk drivers.

Only you can put yourself in check.

How retarded. Lets close the liquor store early, so no drunk drivers. Errrr. Does the liquor store only allow you to buy one bottle of booze per trip? So when they are open, if the person has enough money for a bottle now, and then have enough for when it's closed. They are certainly going to have enough to buy two bottles or more when it's open. So why the heck not open the liquor store later. Do I truly need to point this out?

So then, what the heck is the difference. The only thing forcing liquor stores to close early is doing. Is it inconveniences all of us. And it no further stops drinking and driving.

You truly remind me of christopher reeves. You know, the old super man. Before he was crippled he didn't give a rats arse, about spinal injury. Soon as he is crippled, he is all of a sudden a champion for the spinal injury cause.

Give it a rest, Draconian measures have never solved anything. But it inconveniences everyone.
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janeblow99
What If liquor stores could be open longer?
Posted by janeblow99 on 12/7/2011 8:50:24 PM

Banana Republic,

Your underlying point is sound but you're getting off the path too soon.

The DUI's are also manageable, if the roadblocks actually BLOCKED the roads. Having been through numerous checkstops, and pulled to a stop at the officer with my window down ready to verify my sobriety - only to find the cursory glance at my vehicle registration being met with a wave on through does not solicit faith in the system.

It is frightening how often drunk driving happens on this island, the fact that we have as few DUI accidents as we do boggles my mind.

Why aren't we as the public demanding the checkstops already in place be utilized to actually remove hazardous/drunk drivers from the road - regardless of when their registration is up??? Especially heading into peak Christmas party season. A year without your license for being charged with a DUI is much more palatable than living the rest of your life with the guilt of that one stupid decision that killed someone.
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Banana Republic
What If liquor stores could be open longer?
Posted by Banana Republic on 12/7/2011 4:02:35 PM

Big Berd

I agree; the few have spoiled it for the responsible restnot only restricting social activities but having literally spoiled other's lives.
Imagine this scenario; a DUI crashing into another car, not killing the driver but severely crippling and leaving the victim mentally impaired. The wife having to live with this every day her of life; until the death of one or the other.
Immediate death would have been preferable; memories fade.
Remove the word imagine and say; I know them.

With regards to DUI this is what has influenced me in the way I've expressed myself on this issue; tainting the way I've presented my case.

In a perfect world I wouldn't care how long liquor stores stay open; clubs/bars can stay open 24 hours a days, bring on the casinos, and sit in front of the TVs and computers all day long.

Party Hearty, Drink 'til you Drop, Puke up Dinner/Lunch/Breakfast all at the same time, Walk around with one hand covering one eye in order to cure Double Vision.
At the end of the night put them in a wheelbarrow and slosh them into the back of a pickup/taxi and pour them out onto their front lawn. Have a good day.

If the only harm is to oneself, I don't give a crap.

My only concern was not to have people get behind the wheel when they're [expletive] Drunk!

Editors; Handle [expletive] any way you want or substitute, but this is the way I feel about this situation. Edit as you like.
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JustCanadian
What If liquor stores could be open longer?
Posted by JustCanadian on 12/6/2011 11:51:29 AM

Does Cayman not have laws where the liquor store owner is bound to not sell to a patron who already appears impaired? Bar owners/managers have the right and obligation to refuse someone who appears to be impaired already. They do it everywhere else in the world (well exempt a few places too small to mention, or religiously dry countries). Therefore, it doesn't make a difference if liquor stores are open longer. If the owners follow the rules than the few who have issues with alcohol will be denied access at 5pm or 11pm...same diff...
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firery
What If liquor stores could be open longer?
Posted by firery on 12/5/2011 8:17:07 AM

Big Berd

I feel your pain...but, unfortunately for the responsible majority, its the irresponsible minority who cause chaos in the world and for whom most laws and restrictions have to made.

And, of course, the innocent always suffer for the quilty and in too many cases, the guilty go scot free.

Face it,my friend, that is the world in which we live and I don't see it changing anytime soon.


Cayman has proven to not be a very responsible society with the privileges that have been afforded...the number of alcohol-related driving deaths is too stark and dark an evidence to ignore.

As long as this stays the case, the restrictions in place, in many instances will remain.
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big berd
What If liquor stores could be open longer?
Posted by big berd on 12/5/2011 7:10:25 AM

So as usual. Banana republic agrees that a few should spoil it for the responsible rest.

So lets all live our lives around the few people who cannot control themselves.

I mean, that's the excuse for the hours allowed open for night clubs, the hours when alcohol can be sold. It is even the excuse why we cannot have a casino on the island.

Heck, lets all look at everything in our lives, and let the few that may abuse it, regulate it.

TVS! can't have tv's in our homes, cause there are a few out there, that would stay indoors all day, and that would affect their health.
COMPUTERS! can't have computers in our homes, because some might become addicted to being online.
CARS, can't have cars now can we. Some might drive dangerously.

Seriously.........

Lets all stop using the minority, for the laws, rules and excuses here.

Shoot, government complains about money shortage. A casino would fix that fast. And give Caymanians a job. Especially out of work high school students. Lowest wage starting at any casino is 15 dollars an hour.
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Banana Republic
What If liquor stores could be open longer?
Posted by Banana Republic on 12/4/2011 3:16:21 PM

For the majority, of casual social drinkers, extending store hours would not provide them with an increased incentive to purchase more than they currently would. They pretty much have set patterns as to when and how much they consume.

And yes, there are those Addicted to Alcohol.
Due to some miscalculation of theirs they usually find themselves without drink too early in the day/evening.
These would be the true beneficiaries of longer selling hours.
The stores would make a few more dollars, but at whose and what expense.

Now, as for responsibility.
1) The person who, has with impaired judgment, decides he/she needs more to drink. They're harming themselves but have the potential to harm or end up killing others through reckless driving.
Or
2) The liquor store owner, through extended store hours (or not), providing the opportunity for greater liquor consumption to an already impaired person.
This would be for the Courts to decide.

Bottom line is, don't make a bad situation worse!
It's all up to Choices.
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