Blue Laws

One awesome thing about living in California is the absence of inane and archaic blue laws. I have no idea why Texas clings to restrictions on the sale of alcohol that make it seem like prohibition just ended last week. For those of you not from Texas, in Texas: liquor stores can not open on Sunday, liquor stores can't be open later than 9pm, you can't buy hard liquor at the grocery store or drug store, and you can't buy wine/beer before noon on Sunday.

Most states aren't as silly as Texas, but I haven't lived in most states so I am reveling in the awesomeness of California's lack of restrictions. Many liquor stores are open late. You can pick up a bottle of wine with your groceries on Sunday morning. You can get a bottle of vodka at the drug store. You can buy quality brands of scotch at the grocery store. You can put off buying hard liquor until Sunday.

Perhaps the most awesome thing is that they have store brand liquor and wine. All the competition means prices on liquor and wine are a couple of dollars cheaper per bottle than for the exact same bottle back in Texas. Also, there are a number of quite enjoyable wines for less than $5 a bottle. The wines less than $5 back in Texas were seldom fit to marinate meat with much less drink. The $2.99 Trader Joe's wine is perfectly fine to drink with a weeknight dinner.

In general, I oppose most governmental restrictions on business. Relaxing the laws around a perfectly legal product makes it much more an everyday part of life. Selling hard liquor at the grocery store implies that it is a drink to be enjoyed with or after a nice meal at home. I can't seem to find where the quote originated from, but "Every great drink consists of two essential ingredients: moderation and responsibility". Which is true of anything we eat or drink.