Granholm Might Bring Michigan Alcohol Sales Into the 21st Century by Finally Allowing Sunday Morning Sales.

Now that the Michigan Legislature is well on the way to making Michigan safe (or at least gaining enhanced revenue) from Bootlegging, the Governor is about to sign a law regarding alcohol sales that make sense:

The Detroit News: Bill to expand Sunday liquor sales heads to Granholm's desk

This bill will allow sales on Sundays and also on Christmas Day afternoon(but still not the morning of Christmas Day - apparently there's a concern about a drunken St. Nick driving his reindeer into the Capitol Dome in Lansing if the sale is allowed before noon or something).

Of course, making sense is never reason enough in Michigan these days, it also has to raise revenue:

Bars, restaurants, retail outlets and golf courses can sell beer, liquor and wine Sunday mornings for an annual fee of $160, under the bill. Establishments now pay $90 to sell liquor starting at noon Sundays.

So the state will get an extra $160 a year from the establishments that wish to sell on Sunday mornings, and that adds up pretty quick. Still its a bill whose time has come.

Getting rid of the ban on Sunday morning alcohol sales, an anachronistic ban well past its time, is certainly a good idea. It also had one of the lamest outcome-determinative don't-pass-the-laugh-test rationales behind a Court decision -- ever -- associated with upholding the ban. The Michigan Court in its decision held it wasn't establishing religion by banning sales on Sunday morning and Christmas when Christians were supposed to be in church - not at all, it was quite disingenuous and held it was a common day of rest as alcohol sales were especially tiring to workers that just happened to be on Sunday and other commercial activity could occur in the same store by those same workers which was less tiring - yeah right.

This will get rid of the roped-off aisle in stores like Costco and Kroger on Sunday mornings and make it easier to pick up a bottle of wine or champagne at the last minute when you're heading over to a friend's place for brunch.

So let's hope Michigan gets rid of this outdated Blue Law.

Perhaps the legislature will get sufficiently enthusiastic in its modernization drive to repeal the blue law against Sunday car sales in Michigan?