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Our Opinions Thomasville voters will go to the polls Tuesday to vote on the question of whether or not to allow the sale of alcohol within the city limits. Like all wet-dry campaigns, this has been a heated and emotional debate with tempers flaring on both sides. That is regrettable in a small town like Thomasville where people are close and usually supportive of one another. Legalized sales, along with good controls, are preferable to a so-called dry status that really isn't dry at all. Alcohol can be legally bought just five miles or so north of Thomasville in Wilcox County, or citizens can drive about 30 miles south to Jackson and buy beer or liquor. Jackson citizens approved municipal sales in 2005 and that prompted some Thomasville citizens to seek a wet status too. Legalized sales are about money and the economy in one respect. Jackson realizes over $200,000 annually in alcohol taxes and their overall sales tax income has grown since 2005, partly, we would think, because of alcohol sales. But it isn't just about tax income either. We have strange liquor laws here in the south. Many people who do not live here do not understand why they can't pick up a bottle of wine at the local grocery store or have a beer when they go out to eat pizza. As a result, business and industry sometimes shy away because they do not understand these strange laws. True, Thomasville has grown in recent years as a dry community and we applaud that growth. But the growth might have been even more extraordinary with legalized alcohol sales. We certainly do not condone drunkenness, unruly or immoral behavior or the neglect of families. Alcohol can be abused, there is no doubt about that. But the problems of alcohol exist in Thomasville now and in all of dry Clarke County. They also continue, in Jackson, where legalized sales are permitted. The problems of alcohol are going to always be around regardless or whether sales are legalized or not. The Thomasville City Council has been responsible in enacting a zoning ordinance that was long overdue before the alcohol question came along. It as well as an alcohol control ordinance ensure that if Thomasville votes wet, regulatory safeguards are in place. Don't be misled by false information that would suggest otherwise. Many people see the alcohol question strictly as a religious and moral issue. We respect people's religious opinions and we aren't about to get into a scriptural debate. Some Bible verses condemn alcohol but others view wine and drinking in a different light. The Bible also condemns gluttony, it should be noted. Jackson has been selling alcohol legally since 2005. The city has not been adversely affected and unless you see the beer truck unloading at a local store or walk directly by a display case in the store, you don't really know the city is wet. You have to look at the city's coffers to see the difference. We support the legalized sales of alcohol, in Thomasville and everywhere else. We'd like to see all of Clarke County authorize sales. The old concept of wet-dry counties and cities that dates to 1937 when Alabama was wrestling with how to control alcohol after prohibition has long been outdated.
One last word: Regardless of the vote Tuesday, Thomasville residents on both sides of this issue are still going to be living side by side after the outcome is announced that evening. We hope they can let the matter rest regardless of how the vote goes and that life will get back to normal in that good city.
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