Senator Charbonneau has introduced SB 68 which really puzzles me. It allows for Sunday motorcycle sales but otherwise leaves intact the prohibition on Sunday motor vehicle sales.
I don’t pretend to understand the justification for the prohibition on Sunday motor vehicle sales, but assuming for the sake of argument that there is a legitimate purpose for the ban, what distinction could there be between motorcycles and other motor vehicles that makes selling motorcycles on Sunday permissible but selling other vehicles a criminal offense.
Sigh. Our backwards state needs to go through all of laws and simply remove every line that starts “except Sunday.” Anything less is a violation of church and state.
Unless we are going to start banning motor vehicles and shopping on Saturday due to our Jewish friends? How about Fridays for our muslim residents?
Of course the line of reasoning then expands to Christmas… Which shouldn’t really be a federal holiday either. :)
What compelling public interest is served by not allowing vehicle sales on Sunday? And let’s set the bar high for ‘compelling’.
Violation of church and state? Where’s that written down?
Kind of a red herring, unless Indiana is starting up it’s own religion, where this is one of the precepts…and/or making the profession of said religion a requirement for holding public office.
Could the issue be securing financing on a Sunday? Got to admit I never really gave this one much of a thought because I kind of like being able to walk around a lot on a bright Sunday afternoon without being accosted by a salesman trying to meet quota.
Guess motorcycles are only ridden by heathens;-)
I spent over 20 years in the Auto Dealership biz here in Indiana, and due to the nature of the retail beast, I was always grateful to have that one day off a week, but there really is no good reason for prohibiting Sunday sales. Just another old goofy “blue law” that never got changed I guess. Same with the booze sales on Sunday. If a retailer wants to be open, what the hell business is it of the Indiana Legislature?
I’m guessing that the reason auto sales are prohibited on Sundays has little to do with religion or the banks. I think it has more to do with the ridiculous extremes managers of said auto dealerships will go to in order to turn a profit, pushing hours and sales into “midnight madness” and working their sales team 60-80 hours a week; and since it’s all commission based, not caring. because they aren’t paying them hourly. I’m pretty sure the auto sale prohibition on Sundays has little to do with the consumer end, but the employer end: forcing the employers to give their staff a day off.
Motorcycle dealers don’t quite fit this same mold; that’s possibly the logic behind the bill. I am not psychic, however, nor an historian of Indiana code. Thus, I can’t tell you what the lawmakers were thinking either when they made the law, I can only make the educated guess I have stated.
Great point, AA.
However, I think this is something for labor laws to take care of. Should anyone be allowed to work 7 days a week?
I don’t mean to be critical, but Jason’s statement above “Should anyone be allowed to work 7 days a week?” really struck a nerve with me. It exemplifies how common it is for the citizenry to not only accept, but to actually encourage government control your life.
The very thought that you think someone, anyone, should have the authority or power to tell me or anyone else how many days we can work is pretty telling of todays acceptance of the nanny state, as it appears they know what’s best for us.
The problem isn’t really whether we know what is best for ourselves. It’s a desire not to have citizens put in a position where they have to choose between “work 7 days a week” and “not put food on the table.” A person might know that what’s best for them is a good balance between work and other pursuits that allows them to feed their family.
Though, I don’t suppose that the Sunday motor vehicle law is the primary bulwark against people being put in a situation where their only viable choices are the binary ones of work nonstop or starve.
Doug: ” It’s a desire not to have citizens put in a position where they have to choose between “work 7 days a week” and “not put food on the table.”
So the State should make certain no one ends up in this position?
Forgive me, but back in the “stone age” if we found ourselves in this position, we would then better our lot in life by finding a more lucrative line of work, either through training or education. Of course that was before the Government became the answer to all of our problems, which today is absolutely the case. Clearly most Americans look to Uncle Sam for help before they ever look to themselves or that antiquated old safety net formerly known as “the family”.
Tim,
There are some people that live to work. For everyone else, while they might enjoy their job (I do), the work is a way to provide for other activities. In most cases, the whole point of work is to provide for your family. The point of having a family is to enjoy them. Otherwise, why bother?
My point is that businesses, year after year, have been moving towards treating their human employees more and more like resources, something to be consumed. If the trend continues as I see it, there will be two classes: A ruling class of employers and their families, and then the grunts that grind the gears. Getting more education and switching jobs won’t matter, because enough employers will behave this way that there will be no other option. I don’t want to live in that world.
To use an analogy, think of auto racing. The drivers ALL want to go faster. None of them are going to slow down on their own accord just to be safer. However, the groups that run auto racing have discovered in the last 30 years that the technology to go fast has outpaced the technology to be safe. So, they put all sorts of countermeasures to that: Restrictor plates in NASCAR, removing turbos in IndyCar, lower engine size in F1.
As to your point about “better our lot in life”, I used to feel that way. However, the closer I have come to the top of the ladder, the more I have become aware of the backs my ladder’s legs are crushing.
Treating life like a Ponzi Scheme isn’t a good plan. I’ll take your nanny state over that.