LANGUISH CRYSTAL BALL: Will Caliga's county vote to repeal alcohol prohibition?

[Richard Hakluyt]

It's probably just as well that these things are decided at a local level in the USA. Otherwise how could the kentucky rural types peacefully co-exist with (for example) the SF crowd?

[Alatriste]

And you can't buy booze in a supermarket anywhere but Quebec.  Everywhere but Quebec and Alberta you have to buy from government-owned stores.

Did you copy the Scandinavian system or it was the other way round, they copied yours?

Buying all alcoholic drinks in a government store at first sight seems strange to an Spaniard, but then again we can't buy tobacco in a supermarket, we (not me actually, I don't smoke) buy it from government-licensed stores that almost always sell exclusively tobacco, lighters, and related items.

[Capetan Mihali]

in some states even if they can sell alcohol they can't do it in supermarkets.

*most* states where distilled spirits are concerned.

I didn't know about this rule until a fark article a couple months ago.  I assumed you could just buy liquor at the supermarket everywhere except in a handful of dry counties in the south.  Seems very strange to me to walk in to a supermarket and not have an enormous aisle full of vodka, rum, and whiskey.

I haven't heard of any states except Calif. and Louisiana with such liberal alcohol laws.  I still remember years ago being shocked by all the wine displays at the Publix in Tampa, Fla.

I've actually come to secretly enjoy Pennsylvania's obtuse liquor and beer laws.  Love watching out-of-staters try to buy a 12-pack at the beer distributor only to be sent back to get the whole case or nothing at all.   

[MadImmortalMan]

I didn't know about this rule until a fark article a couple months ago.  I assumed you could just buy liquor at the supermarket everywhere except in a handful of dry counties in the south.  Seems very strange to me to walk in to a supermarket and not have an enormous aisle full of vodka, rum, and whiskey.

And a bunch of slot machines along one wall. 

[MadImmortalMan]

For the curious,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_laws_of_the_United_States_by_state

Thankfully, I won't have to deal with that bullshit.

Nevada |   No |   24 hours |  24 hours    |    Yes |    There are few restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol in Nevada except for age.

State law also renders public intoxication legal, and explicitly prohibits any local or state law from making it a public offence.[35]

[Ed Anger]

yay, sloppy drunks wandering the streets in Reno. It is just like England. 

[Crazy_Ivan80]

LOL America.

Being from California this stuff seems crazy to me too.  I can't believe there is still prohibition in places.  And in some states even if they can sell alcohol they can't do it in supermarkets.   

I didn't notice at first (because I don't smoke), but while in Germany cigarettes are sold in supermarkets, in Austria you have to go to the so called "Tabak Trafik", or tobacco shop to buy them. Mostly those are small places where you can also play the lottery and buy papers and magazines. Kinda similar to not selling licquor at supermarkets in parts of the U.S.

not sure about the reason for it in thestates, but over here (europe) it's usually because of state-monopolies or the remnants thereof. Tabacco, alcohol and salt were 3 of the most important monopolies the state had/has. Hence the special stores that still remain (even if the monopoly in some cases is long gone)

[Caliga]

Being from California this stuff seems crazy to me too.  I can't believe there is still prohibition in places.  And in some states even if they can sell alcohol they can't do it in supermarkets.   

Kentucky allows supermarket alcohol sales (assuming the supermarket isn't in a dry county, of course).  Neither Pennsylvania nor Massachusetts, the two other places I've lived in, allow supermarket alcohol sales.

[Josquius]

Communist scandinavia is infamous for its no booze over 3.5% (in Sweden at least...think its different percentages in the others) in supermarkets law.

[Valmy]

Well, the way I see it, if you must take some fairytales written 2000+ years ago as literal truth, at least don't make shit up or misinterpret them in a wildly incorrect way.

You know as well as I do that people who consider it literal truth have obviously never read it.

For the curious,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_laws_of_the_United_States_by_state

Thankfully, I won't have to deal with that bullshit.

Texas has surprisingly populist laws (try being a landlord here, the law is totally in favor of the tenant...they have more votes after all) and even libertarian in alot of things except for one bizarre quirk where you cannot sell liqour (as opposed to beer, wine, and beer and winelike things) in supermarkets and convenient stores and you cannot sell liqour anywhere after 2 am.  It is so bizarre and arbitrary.

[Maximus]

Baptists have this insane theory (as articulated to me by my mother-in-law) that the "wine" in the Bible is really grape juice.  Remember that, while Baptists do conduct Communion like other Protestants, they drink grape juice instead of wine.  The explanation she repeated to me made no sense, especially given my brewing experience... I couldn't even tell you the details--my eyes kind of glazed over while she was trying to articulate it and I probably just smiled politely and nodded.

Iirc they use as justification for that a passage that says to avoid wine when it is red and moves in the glass.

As usual, justifications for both sides of the issue can be found in the bible.

[Maximus]

You know as well as I do that people who consider it literal truth have obviously never read it.

You know that do you?

[The Brain]

Tonight is the big vote!

Here's hoping my county wakes up and realizes it is post-1933.

Kentuckian Nazi.

[MadImmortalMan]

Well, the way I see it, if you must take some fairytales written 2000+ years ago as literal truth, at least don't make shit up or misinterpret them in a wildly incorrect way.

You know as well as I do that people who consider it literal truth have obviously never read it.

For the curious,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_laws_of_the_United_States_by_state

Thankfully, I won't have to deal with that bullshit.

Texas has surprisingly populist laws (try being a landlord here, the law is totally in favor of the tenant...they have more votes after all) and even libertarian in alot of things except for one bizarre quirk where you cannot sell liqour (as opposed to beer, wine, and beer and winelike things) in supermarkets and convenient stores and you cannot sell liqour anywhere after 2 am.  It is so bizarre and arbitrary.

Another thing odd about Texas (I think it's still this way) is that all alcoholic beverages sold in the state go through only two or three legal distributors. Basically, it's a big monopolistic farce.

[Caliga]

Another thing odd about Texas (I think it's still this way) is that all alcoholic beverages sold in the state go through only two or three legal distributors. Basically, it's a big monopolistic farce.

I refuse to believe that the state which produced LBJ could possibly be corrupt like you are insinuating.