Alcohol remains legal in Athens

The Huntsville Times | August 15, 2007 | KEITH CLINES

[Eric Blair 2084]

ATHENS - People here apparently like things the way they are.

By wide margins Tuesday, voters in all of Limestone County chose not to increase the sales tax rate and Athens voters elected to continue the legal sale of alcohol.

With all but provisional ballots counted, the bid to increase the sales tax by 1 percent countywide failed 7,875 votes to 3,991 votes, or 66.4 percent against to 33.6 percent for.

The pro-alcohol sales vote in Athens won by a similar margin - 67.9 percent (4,288 votes) to 32.1 percent (2,030 votes).

The Limestone County Board of Education asked for the sales tax to borrow $50 million to build schools and renovate existing schools to meet an expected student population growth spurred by military jobs heading to the area.

The additional penny sales tax would have generated an estimated $5 million for county schools and $1.5 million for Athens schools each year.

Limestone County schools Superintendent Barry Carroll said Tuesday night he was disappointed with the results and the voter turnout.

"We put a good plan together," he said. "The sun will come up in the morning and buses will roll. We just won't be building any new facilities.

"The people have spoken and they said they didn't want new facilities."

[Eric Blair 2084]

A follow up and resolution to a lively FR debate here on this thread:

Alabama City Considers End to Alcohol Sales

I'm sorry I missed the original debate. There were some interesting things said.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Big Brother, Nanny State, Grant Junky, Bogus Study, Junk Science, Social Engineering, Sheeple Control, Health Nazi Ping!!!

This is an extremely low volume ping list. 1 per day max. To be added to or deleted from this ping list, please click one of the follwing:

Eric, you are a genius add me to your ping list or Eric, you are a jackass, take me off this ping list

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We the People Sheeple of the United States Nanny State, in Order to form a more perfect Union Socialist Utopia, establish Justice Socially engineer a country of non smoking, physically fit, tea totallers, insure domestic Tranquility Smoking bans in bars, limits on unhealthy food and social drinking, provide for the common defense Universal Healthcare, promote the general Welfare health of the population whether they like it or not, in order to save above mentioned Universal Healthcare entitlement program from bankruptcy, and secure the Blessings of Liberty Dependency to ourselves progressive liberals and our Posterity Hitler Youth who we brainwash through public school education, do ordain decree and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Nanny State of Liberals

[Calpernia]

Blood Alcohol Level Required for posting!

[Eric Blair 2084]

You probably saw this, but a follow up on your Athens, Alabama alcohol ban. Apparently the Taliban lost the election.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Yep. I’m at 0.000 right now. I saw that you were askin for a ping on the last comment of the original thread.

[Uncle Miltie]

[Eric Blair 2084]

What the heck is that?

[Gabz]

Nanny State PING

I’ve also included a few of my “public school” thread friends in this ping, because the sales tax was for schools.

On the surface a penny increase in the sales tax to go toward building new schools is a way to spread the cost to everyone, sales taxes are inherently regressive and hurt those least able to pay the most.

[Veto!]

Ah yes, Athens, home of democracy. The polis has spoken. The national drink rules.

[Uncle Miltie]

A favored white wine of Athenians: Retsina.

[Veto!]

Great minds! See my post #9 on this thread.

[Turret Gunner A20]

RE: # 4

Alwys nice to see that so many smart citizens took heed of my wise counsel. Ahem!!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[auboy]

Alcohol remains legal in Athens

My first thought was it better remain legal in Athens. Wouldn't want a bunch of mad Dawgs roaming the streets. ;-)

[Oztrich Boy]

I assume there will be dancing and smashing of plates

[Eric Blair 2084]

You probably know this, but for the benefit of others, the smoke nazi's have latched onto the religious right in Alabama in their efforts at a statewide smoking ban. They couldn't find more than a dozen NE, progressive, elitist liberals so they did the next best thing.

[Gabz]

Scary bunch..........

[dmz]

who is the cross dresser in the middle of the front row?

It’s a man, baby.

[tfecw]

""The people have spoken and they said they didn't want new facilities.""

Wrong! They are going to have to look at how to build the extra school facilities with their current funding. I bet it never even occurred to this fool to cut outdated or failing pet projects to fund this.

[TigersEye]

And elsewhere in Georgia...

Atlanta considers banning baggy pants