Isn't Labor Day great?
My love of the day comes not from the cookouts or the three-day weekend -- although they're nice -- but for the opportunity to laugh at a stupid rule associated with it: the old adage of not allowing oneself to wear white after Labor Day.
It's a harmless mantra that many people learn early on in life, but it just oozes "dumb" to me. But mostly, it reminds me of other traditional rules and laws we follow without thinking about where they come from.
It's time we update our social constructs and, more importantly, our legal codes, to reflect modern issues. Fashion serves as a less-significant microcosm of the dead weight carried by states' legal arms. Legislative dockets across the United States are bloated with outdated and ridiculous laws, and Pennsylvania is no exception.
Blue laws -- laws restricting or prohibiting business on Sundays -- are the most relevant example. The state's blue laws prohibit car dealerships from being open on Sundays, a holdover from a time when Christianity dominated American laws. Almost every state has its own set of blue laws, which almost always take place on Sundays in the United States. A number of states have chipped away at them through the years or have simply refused to enforce them, but many remain. Pennsylvania is far from alone when it comes to keeping its residents from buying a car on Sunday, as 12 other states have similar laws.
Wouldn't it make sense for these states to allow dealerships to remain open, especially considering the economic doldrums the nation is facing? Rescinding the law would have been even more beneficial during the "Cash for Clunkers" campaign the federal government operated over the summer.
Additionally, in an Aug. 6 press release, Pennsylvania Sen. Mike Stack specified Sunday as the second busiest shopping day of the week -- it would only make sense to allow car dealerships to open their doors on Sundays.
Stack introduced legislation last month that would permit the buying and trading of automobiles for one Sunday a month. Stack has tried to break the grip of the state's blue laws before -- he tried to introduce a similar bill during the 2005-2006 legislative session. His intentions are in the right place as the country limps through its worst recession in decades. These arcane and outdated laws need to be cleaned out of the books not simply to save space in legal documents, but to more clearly define the division of religion and government.
Eliminating blue laws would help strengthen the First Amendment's commitment to the separation of church and state. While I understand that many American laws share common ground with the core beliefs of Christianity and any number of other religions, the fact that blue laws still exist points strongly toward Christian influence.
That influence has become the cultural norm. Many blue laws remain on the books simply because of local tradition and have little or no religious impact on citizens, but these traditions came out of the religious background all other blue laws arise from. Christianity preaches an overwhelming amount of the same principles as our laws enforce, but it's too overt for state governments to ban activities on Sunday, the Christian Sabbath.
With 78.4 percent of the nation self-reporting as some denomination of Christianity, it's inevitable that the religion will play a huge role in our country's day-to-day life. However, religious traditions shouldn't still have an impact on legislation regarding when consumers can buy goods or take part in certain activities.
For now, however, don't plan to buy a new Chevy this Sunday anywhere in the Commonwealth -- especially if you want to wear your new white dress.
