Winona Question of Alcohol Sales Continues to Spark Debate

I am sick and tired of the Smith County Bible-belt telling me what I can and cannot do in my own town. The notion that alcohol "dirties up" a town is ridiculous. Do you really believe that people don't buy alcohol because they have to make a 20 minute drive to do so? No! The number of people who drink alcohol would neither rise nor fall. People are going to drink, whether they drive to another county to get it or go to a restaurant or bar and purchase it there. The argument that the further away alcohol is the less impact it has on our community is absurd. It is not based on any factual evidence, just some religious zealot trying to convince people that it would change the "dirtiness" of our area. Not only would alcohol sales bring tax dollars to Smith County, it would also allow people to purchase alcohol in closer proximity to their homes, therefore encouraging drinking at home rather than drinking at a bar and getting behind the wheel. Let's give people a chance to exercise their rights rather than assuming that all people who buy alcohol are horrible drunkards who need to have their lives controlled.