Link:  Massachusetts Eyes Defiance of ‘Blue Laws‘

During my youth, here in Missouri, if you went into a store on Sunday — if you could even find one open — you would see something akin to crime scene tape cutting off your access to certain products.  For me, it was always some cheap little toy, but like most of these silly out-dated laws they prohibited the sale of things like alcohol and required some businesses to close.  Well, because of leverage by large store chains like Wal-Mart those laws are gone in Missouri and elsewhere.  One of the exceptions seems to be the very blue state of Massachusetts, where the state Attorney-General actually plans to waste taxpayer money by investigating stores like Wal-Mart, Family Dollar and Big Lots for doing business on Thanksgiving.

At first blush, progressives might see this as a way to stick it to anti-worker companies like Wal-Mart, but as a pretty liberal guy myself I don’t think any federal, state, or local government has a right to tell any business they cannot operate on a holiday.  For example, what about people who don’t celebrate these holidays for one reason or another?  Why should they be penalized because we want to enforce Holiday enjoyment?  The vast majority of companies close not only for Thanksgiving day, the day after, as well.  Of course, stores and restaurants may be open, but why should anyone say they can’t operate on Thanksgiving day?  I know for a fact that stores like Wal-Mart and Family Dollar open late so their employees can celebrate the morning and afternoon with their families.  Many close on Christmas Eve and don’t open back up until midnight of the 26th — Wal-Mart included.  Why should we force Jewish- or Arab-owned stores to close on holidays they don’t celebrate?  It’s down-right anti-American.   

Of course, extreme Conservatives say this is an attack on Sunday which is, of course, a load of crap. Again, why should we enforce church attendance?  It completely defeats the purpose of embracing Christian ideal.