City of Georgetown or City of Georgetown’s Baptist Churches?

In a time of economic crisis any government has a responsibility to look to its income as much as possible without hurting its constituency. The City of Georgetown City Council has refused to do both and has, as it has so often, caved to the demands of a minority special interest while again refusing to look to the expansion of local business and the positive impact upon the business owners, their employees, the consumers, and the revenues of the City of Georgetown. The opposition expressed from the community, later cited as a rationale for pulling the proposal, came almost entirely from a single source, the Baptists of Georgetown. The Council claimed that opposition to the measure from the community was their reason for suspending the second reading due on the 15^th of December.

 

Last Monday’s City Council meeting explored the first reading of a proposed ordinance to permit the Sunday sale of alcohol in restaurants. The majority of opposition to the measure came from Baptist ministers and Baptist laity speaking on the evils of alcohol and respect for the Sabbath. One speaker of the opposition, a pediatrician with membership in Faith Baptist Church, spoke of fetal alcohol syndrome, an affliction which will not be impacted by the sale of alcohol in restaurants on Sunday. The remainder spoke almost entirely on the sins of alcohol and the need to preserve the Sabbath. Not one person opposing the Sunday sale of alcohol spoke on any matter truly relevant to the City of Georgetown and its governance. Neither were the opposition speakers able to cite any empirical data to back up claims of potential damage to the community. Across the nation, Sunday alcohol sales have increased local revenues and expanded local economies while having no impact on DUI’s or underage drinking.

 

Chad Wallace and the City Council cited pressure from the community and the desires of the community in pulling support for the measure. Once again, the City Council has spoken and acted in accordance with the pressures exerted by a vocal minority of the community, rather than the greater good of the City of Georgetown as a whole. The City Council frequently cites community pressures in its decisions, but never have they conducted a poll or survey. It seems that their “community pressure” comes from a few people with whom they converse on regular basis and those who manage to create access to advance the cause of their special interests.

 

The Baptist Churches have no legal or constitutional right to present a religious argument favoring or opposing measures before city government. While they may be heard out of courtesy, their arguments reflecting religious beliefs must be disregarded. This nation, with all of its constituent lower level governments, is based upon the idea of representative democracy, not theocracy. That is the thrust, and the parry, of the separation of church and State. The Constitution is clear on this issue, as are the various writings available from the Framers of the Constitution, men like John Adams, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson, to name a few. All of these men evinced suspicion of church influence on government as well as government adoption of religion. Apparently, the Georgetown City Council believes itself wiser than the Framers of the Constitution. The Separation protects not only religion from the interference of government, but also the government from the interference of religious interests. Georgetown’s City Council has abdicated its responsibility to represent the interests of the bodies civic and politic while heeding the call of a religious body. They have quashed a responsible measure that would definitely increase revenues and possibly stimulate economic growth at a time when both are desperately needed.