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Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday Shopping in Manitoba
The issue of Sunday shopping often comes up around Christmas, when retailers expect a large spike in business for the holiday season. Being the evil capitalists that they are, they would like to "capitalize" on that shopping frenzy and be open to meet the customer demand.
There is a government prohibition on Sunday shopping in Manitoba, the government says when a business can or can't be open, and they provide monopolies to certain businesses by allowing them to stay open for extended hours (like convenience stores) while others cannot.
So, why Sunday? Why not Tuesday? Or Saturday? The answer is... Christianity. In a country that supposedly has separation of church and state, those people not of the Christian faith are forced to live by its tenant of keeping the Sabbath day "holy", by not doing business on that day.
But wait, you CAN do business on that day; if you are a gas station, convenience store, hospital, TV station, cable company, hydro worker, moving company, etc. It seems that those services are acceptable to the moralists, but oh no, want to go buy a TV on Sunday after 6PM? No way you heathen!
So as usual various business organizations beg the government for permission to do business on this holy day, in order to take advantage of the increased business this time of year.
Chamber seeks longer Sunday shopping hours
I would love to see business owners just open up the hours that they want and ignore the government regulations. What do bureaucrats know about running a box store? Why do they get to set the hours? The answer is because if you don't obey their dictates, the men with guns come and shut you down.
If you don't support Sunday shopping, then don't shop on Sunday, and don't force the rest of us to adhere to your standards.
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I welcome feedback and I ask for civility in the exchange of comments. Vulgarity is discouraged. Please express yourself creatively with other language. We discuss ideas here, attacks on a person are discouraged.
Posted by Freedom Manitoba on November 30, 2009 in Economic freedom | Permalink
Comments
I am from Alberta and I remember when businesses defied the Sunday shopping prohibition. As a Christian I can choose to shop or not. I wish to use the government as tool.
The government in Manitoba is not doing this because they are being moralists. They are doing it because they are afraid of losing votes. It's that simple.
It is wrong and the sooner this law is changed the better.
Posted by: TM | 2009-11-30 10:46:41 PM
It is simply about control. They feel the power whether it makes sense or not. We will abide.We are Canadian.
Posted by: peterj | 2009-11-30 11:26:23 PM
I feel sorry for people who feel a compulsion to keep the temples of commerce going 7 days a week. If you want a standard of comparison, Australia is one of the most secuarlized countries on earth but its shopping districts come to a standstill on Sunday. If you can get away from you negativity to Christianity, you can see that shutting down stores for one day out of seven is a blessing for everyone.
Posted by: Rob | 2009-12-01 12:16:59 AM
Rob,
I have the right to shop on Sunday if I please. You, on the other hand, have the right to stay home. And shutting down store isn't a blessing for everyone just because you've decided that it is.
Posted by: Charles | 2009-12-01 6:58:17 AM
Rob, it is not up to us Christians to decide what a blessing is to someone else.
Posted by: TM | 2009-12-01 9:47:57 AM
@ Rob "I feel sorry for people who feel a compulsion to keep the temples of commerce going 7 days a week."
That's not what I said, I said that it should be up to business owners to decide when to be open.
Posted by: Freedom Manitoba | 2009-12-01 10:16:49 AM
Forget shopping. Buy everything under the table. Pay no sales tax. Sell your own skills/labour under the table. Pay no income tax. If you have a store, sell out the back door; receive goods the same way. Barter, not bucks. Babylon for the baldy-heads. Bangarang for the Blackheart Liberarians.
Posted by: Agha Ali Arkhan | 2009-12-01 10:26:05 AM
That would be great except that Wal-Mart wont't sell me that new TV under the table. I would love to pay no income tax, but my employer withholds it from my check under government threat. Not so easy.
Posted by: Freedom Manitoba | 2009-12-01 10:49:37 AM
Usually a plebescite on Sunday shopping is couched in the terms of local economy versus quality of life.
It might have been OK to have restricted shopping 50 years ago when the population was more homogeneous, both culturally and religiously, and smaller.
Now more people work odd shifts, are busier, aren't Christian to start with, or Sunday is the only time to get their shopping done.
Basically, our society has changed. It is much more diverse and secular. If you need to observe the Lord's Day, then by all means do so, but don't expect everyone else to.
Posted by: Ed Ellison | 2009-12-01 11:46:52 AM
Irene, I don't think Rob was saying he would impose this on us but rather that it would be good for us in his opinion. Big difference. He is right if he means that we all would benefit by taking time off regularly. However, if and how often that is should never be imposed by the state.
Posted by: TM | 2009-12-01 12:48:22 PM
One more way to squeeze Christians out of the workplace. It's okay to make allowances for every other religion, but Christian beliefs must be kept private. It doesn't mean much to me, since I'm not a practising Christian, but even I can see what's really happening here.
Posted by: dp | 2009-12-01 1:17:45 PM
Even if some business are open 7 days a week, that does not mean people are working 7 days a week. It would provide more work for people.
Posted by: Freedom Manitoba | 2009-12-01 2:33:25 PM
I've only met one person opposed to Sunday Shopping and he was a small retailer who wanted a day off a week because he couldn't afford not to stay open to meet his competition. Classic rent seeking. He probably should have remained an employee with that attitude.
Posted by: John Chittick | 2009-12-01 3:56:10 PM
If you own a business you should be free to have it open for any hours you choose on any days you choose. If I don't agree with the hours of I business then I do not shop there, But I believe it is wrong for the government to set store hours or to tell store owners when they can open and close there stores.
Posted by: Sheldon | 2009-12-01 8:42:03 PM
Hi, If you want to talk Christianity and the Sabbath holy then you should know that Saturday is the Sabbath (7th day) and Sunday is the 1st Day of the week. Look in any online dictionary, Google it. Church and state should always be separate. Church and state combination has taken the most blood in the existence of the human race. Why would someone take away religious liberty for all by enforcing Sunday holy doctrine? Suppose people do not read their Bible anymore.
Posted by: Clifford | 2009-12-23 10:32:07 PM
"Suppose people do not read their Bible anymore."
Posted by: Clifford | 2009-12-23 10:32:07 PM
Clifford you are a enigma, on the one hand according to your website, you are a proselytizing fuck, and on the other hand you make perfect lucid sense on an issue where control and human ignorance is the only reason you have had any success at all, yet you seem willing to relinquish it. I guess this proves you truly are a heretic.
Posted by: Boris Dlugosch | 2009-12-23 10:58:17 PM
The Christian Sabbath is Saturday and not Sunday
Sunday Laws will happen though because the devil knows that Saturday gives respect to the creator God since that is his day.. GOD Bless
Email me at [email protected] if there are any questions or if you need prayer.. I am here for everyone as Christ would want me to be
Posted by: darnell | 2009-12-24 12:38:17 AM
It's hard to imagine there are people who still think stores should be closed Sundays, but sadly it seems they still exist.
Posted by: VMS | 2009-12-24 8:02:35 AM
Email me at [email protected] if there are any questions or if you need prayer.. I am here for everyone as Christ would want me to be
Posted by: darnell | 2009-12-24 12:38:17 AM
The belief in a sabbath only exists because of less than intelligent people like you Darnell. Your inane religion requires you to hamper my life in order to enrich yours, and I say off with your empty worthless head.
You say you are here for everyone as Christ wants you to be, did christ speak to you Darnell, you religious flake?
When you imagined jesus the devil speaking to you were you at a very low point in your life, say for instance doing time in a prison?
Only born agains write in the terms you do, "born again" fervor seems to be the most dangerous type of believer, and again their heads piled in a pyramid should send a clear message, and if it doesn't who cares more heads for the pile.
Marx had the right idea regarding religion, it is too bad he wasn't smart enough to understand the void he would create, and in turn fill the void giving his human captives a new purpose absent of dogma.
Darnell you are a religious weakling, you lack confidence and direction this is why you ask what doesn't exist to guide you. Is it any wonder why you are nowhere?
Next year spend less time thinking about what in no way can help you, and rely on Darnell for a change, once you have confidence you won't need what you call god and jesus.
I got Jesus and elbow to the eye socket for Christmas!
Posted by: no proselytizing missionaries aloud | 2009-12-24 8:28:39 AM
aloud?......what a dink.........allowed!
Posted by: no proselytizing missionaries allowed | 2009-12-24 8:43:55 AM
I feel sorry for people who feel a compulsion to keep the temples of commerce going 7 days a week
Posted by: Charles | 2009-12-01 6:58:17 AM
"Compulsion" by defintion does not fit unless you use it the boradest of terms. I am guessing from what else you wrote Roberto that this could not be possible from someone with such narrow spectrum of vision.
Also referring to the circumstances in Australia as being heaven sent is truly delusional, get some help before you cannot discern between reality and the imaginary hand of god, thats right, its too late.
Posted by: Gods reflection is the most evil traits in man | 2009-12-24 9:15:27 AM
Posted by: no proselytizing missionaries allowed | 2009-12-24 8:43:55 AM
I will pray for you my friend.. and i know God will work in your life and change you..
God Bless
Posted by: darnell | 2009-12-24 9:21:54 AM
hello
Posted by: ryan | 2009-12-25 10:15:43 AM
"I will pray for you my friend.. and i know God will work in your life and change you."
God Bless
Posted by: darnell | 2009-12-24 9:21:54
Darnell I am a life time atheist warrior, a believer in understanding and only accepting of the truth. You are wasting your time praying for me, yourself or anyone, and if you have any sensibility, you will one day realize this reality.
Never mind God,or praying, you are running out of time, live life for darnell, because darnell doesn't need those obvious fabrications in order to acheive what ever it is, he is in need of, or in search of.
What happened to you, or what is it that you are lacking that would make you want to believe in the manner you do?
Do some real good in your life help someone or something. Take a no kill shelter animal for a walk, offer some assitance to the elderly, but do something that can actually make you feel like a contributing human being, and not just a pawn of those whose agenda was around long the world was all about economic control.
Enough scapegoating darnell, live life for darnell because I can take care of myself.
"Man is welcomed into a church for what he believes, and kicked out for what he knows"
Mark Twain
Posted by: Atheists dot org..."we are bigger than US steel" | 2009-12-25 11:29:11 AM
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