Sunday alcohol sales for first time in Indiana!

Safe drinking water wasn't exactly plentiful in the colonies. People were often a bit tipsy a lot of the time trying to stay hydrated with spirits. Fortunately refrigeration and pasteurization came along at the same time in the roaring twenties as did a little bit of money in commoners pockets. When you only have a third grade education and no TV you tend to entertain each other with each other. The Temperance movement had some of its roots in devout Protestantism and Catholicism trying to keep people behaving less like horny drunk savages.

 

The Pilgrims had what they called "Small Beer" which was barely fermented alcohol that even children would drink. It kept the water somewhat safe to drink, aboard ship and in villages.

When the Cod fishermen were here (fishing and drying cod, but not settled) they introduced the Indian Massassoit to small beer, and so when he ran into the Pilgrims, the first words he said was, "Do you have any beer?"

Imagine that shock, 6000 miles from home, not a person around, and in walks an Indian into your village that asks for a beer? It almost sounds like a bad joke.

 

I’m pretty sure that the partitioned area in a festival type setting is to make sure the underage kids don’t get their hands on beers bought by their overage friends. It’s hard to police a large open area, and when you’re selling to over 21 they can walk away and hand them to the underage friends, so the organizers have to separate in order to get the beer permits.

 

In NH we have "NH State Liquor Stores" they are in towns and on every highway. We sell booze cheaper than anyone else in New England, so everybody and Canadians come here to stock up, hence the stores on the highways, and they are BIG stores. And we (the state) get the revenue. Beer and wine are sold everywhere and anywhere from 6 am to 1100 pm seven days a week.

 

Got ya now, a little slow sometimes

 

Live Free of Die! (Now that is pretty dramatic, DIE!, but my wife from New Hampshire never lets me forget it.

But don't forget your fireworks stores. Up until a few years ago we could only get sparklers legally in Maine, and even now, nothing great for fireworks. Now in New Hampshire...a man can buy a case of C-4 legally if they want!

 

Live Free or Die, it's on our license plates, and I believe it defines us as a people here. The actual quote I think is from NH militia General John Stark at the battle of Bennington VT. against the British in the revolutionary war. "Live Free or Die, because death is not the worst of evils." We get to do, and have things here, that folks in some other states can only dream of.

 

I like your seat belt law!!! The only one in the nation, or shall I say, the only state in the nation without one!!

Of course the "View Tax" is a little obnoxious. Not sure how that got slipped in under the Live Free or Die mantra, but we all slip now and then!

 

Yeah, but no sales tax, and no income tax. Property taxes are a little high, but oh well. Nothings free, and we do have small gov't.

 

Yes, very true.

Everything you said is why Maine has the highest tax burden per capital in all the 50 states. It is not that our property taxes are high, it comes from a combination of ALL taxes.

 

We have the room(hotel) and meals taxes to take advantage of all the vacationers, skiers, & snowmobiliers. The no sales tax has our store parking lots full of Mass. and Maine shoppers.

 

It’s crazy how expensive things are in Maine.
In the 60’s my grandfather bought land in Maine because all of his hunting spots in mass were becoming developments. Before he passed he split the property amongst his six kids. My mother didn’t care about going up there so I got the property. Some of her siblings built homes and live there now. We have a small “camp” and go up quite often. I buy nothing in Maine and usually buy stuff in NH for the people that live up there. Anything from food to building materials.

I would love to live in Maine some day but the high price on everthing and lack of employment oppurtunity keeps me in NH.

 

Katie worked at the Littleton Lowes at the lumber register before we were wed , and this time of year it would be nothing to have several customers come in and buy $10,000 worth of supplies because it was tax free. Most came from Vermont there, but also Quebec. A few from Maine, but it was a bit away from the line. This time of year was big because people had their tax returns, but even during other times of the year, it happened.

Maine has never voted down a bond issue in 40 years, so people have learned, if you want something; do an end-run around the legislature and put it up for vote. Mainer's vote it in leaving the legislators scrambling to pay for what the voters wanted. They typically use fees and taxes to pay for it all. Now about maxed out, they are putting the burden on towns whose only recourse is to increase property taxes. An example of this is that Maine was the first state to vote in State health care. It is not 100% coverage for residents yet, but eventually will be. Just give it time...