The world loves options. Doesn’t everyone like options? Fishing today…should I go to Lake Bemidji or to Lake Irving? 15 feet of water or 30 feet of water? I’m at Arby’s ordering off their value menu….9 options…should I have a Jamocha shake or a chocolate turnover?  Remember the days before cable tv when your only options were two or three channels? Now you have 150 options. Everybody likes options.
Business and the Free Enterprise system in AMERICA is based on offering options.  Government is suppose to SUPPORT AND UPHOLD this free enterprise system. Businesses thrive on COMPETITION making everyone better. Some are successful because they tinker with the business model, do things better than their competitor, or offer more wanted options. Ford offers the SYNC system in their automobiles while GM offers ON STAR. Each vying for the public acceptance. Sometimes these options are successful….sometimes they are not.
Sometimes government does not support options. For example, the medical facts have proven that SMOKING is unhealthy and being exposed to SMOKE can be dangerous. The FACTS are clear and obvious and in this case for the good of society the government has eliminated some options with SMOKING.
So let’s look at proposal giving the OPTION of a 2am bar closing to bars within the city limits of Bemidji. We can argue that its not necessary, but why not let a business have the OPTION to do it? Maybe its not necessary but is it our place to dictate this? So if its not necessary…it will be a huge failure and nobody will use this option. So it will be a non issue. Why are a few local bars against it if its such a miserable policy? (One has to wonder if they are doing their best to stifle competion and other ideas that may challenge their own operations). But the free enterprise system supported by government will allow the consumer to vote by choosing to partaking or not after 1 am. This system has worked for decades and needs to be allowed to function. Any business person thinking of doing business in Bemidji (and creating jobs and creating new tax base) would after to wonder what type of city we are if our goal is to stifle the free enterprise system.
There are those who have tossed out  unsubstaniated statements on why the option of adding an hour to closing time is BAD for the city. Their facts: “Minnesota Public Radio reports when it comes to alcohol, Bemidji State University students are notorious for risky behaviors like binge drinking and driving under the influence”. Was this a report that was done by MPR or just a story about college students in general? When did it run? What facts back this statement up that BSU is worse than St.Cloud State or University of Minnesota Duluth? (I am sure the administration and students are proud of this quote).Â
And don’t continue to bring up a bar (Git R Done) that happened to be open till 2am and all of the trouble they had with that establishment. Bottom line people who knew the bar operations (which is closed which tells you something about the way it was run) will tell you it had NOTHING to do with the 2am closing and EVERYTHING to do with the management. We could discuss the old BADA BING bar in Bemidji that had a ton of problems and police calls to it AND IT CLOSED AT 1 AM so that must be a problem too.
Everyone I hope has the best interests in the city in mind. I like others do not want to promote a crime filled Las Vegas type atmosphere in Bemidji. Look…show me FACTS that tells me that there will be more drinking, more accidents, more costs, more crime. With the MAJORITY OF LARGER cities in Minnesota at 2 am…SHOW ME THE FACTS. If someone is drunk at 2 am they were probably over the limit at 1am. If you believe this arguement, then wouldn’t it make sense to shut the bars down at midnight? Same FLAWED LOGIC. Bottom line….let the Free enterprise system work.
Great Blog. I think BABA was the wrong group to lead this charge against the 2:00am optional closing. Same group that in the past has voiced opposition to lowering DWI limits, the smoking ban, and wanted Cross as Sheriff. Hard to believe their viewpoint now is all about protecting public safety and not protecting their wallets. Let’s come up with some real relevant facts. Not studies from 20 years ago. I think Phil Hodapp is doing a great job as Sheriff, but I feel his apprehension to this issue is more political than reality. He has to take that stance. But let’s be real. An extra 60 minutes is not going to create some sort of snow removal and street fighting Armageddon on the city streets of Bemidji. No more than closing at 11:00pm is going to have some huge positive impact on drinking. Law enforcement would tell you that off record. Stupid people are stupid people. You will have the same of amount of incidents. Look at the Beltrami court report sometime. There are more alcohol related incidents before midnight than after. I would even be in favor of restaurants/bars getting an annual permit to be open to 2AM. Law enforcement could annually review how many incidents occurred at each establishment and grant or decline permits based on that. If a bar has twice as many police calls now that they are open until 2am, then you have an argument to limit their hours back to 1am. Make the bars that want to be open that late, police themselves or adhere to the consequences. Again, the 2am is OPTIONAL. If a bar owner thinks it will cause too many problem in his establishment, stay closed at 1am.
Why stop at 2 a.m.? What is the purpose of dictating what time an adult beverage can be consumed? I would suggest that having an official closing time results in all the impaired drives getting on the road at the same time.
Businesses should be able to be open whenever they want.
I think mandating a closing time was created by people who have never had a shift job and have trouble relating to someone who perhaps gets of work at midnight. What is 2 a.m. to one person is the same as 5 p.m. to another, its just a matter of perspective
You people are idiots and are very young!! yes there is a difference in the 2 am bar closing. It’s not helping the economy in this way:
people go out one hour later now just to be able to stay out until 2 am.
people are late to work because they don’t get enough sleep when they get home at 3am or later…compared to 1am closing times.
people are becoming alcoholics because they have more time to drink
people are getting more drunk at seriously highr levels of impairedness
Do I need to keep going on?
Maybe bars should start cutting people off that are intoxicated, but unfortunately they don’t care!!
Have you ever sat sober in a bar parking lot at bar closing and watched all the young girls that fall down and need to be helped up to keep from falling? or watch the idiot men get into fights? This is great entertainment for our younger generation…NOT!!!!
GET A GRIP IDIOTS.
The places with the least amount of alcohol related incidents per capita have extended bar hours. Europe, Chicago, NYC-none of them have the rush of drunks leaving at 1, 2 a.m. like most communities do. It’s going to do two things in Bemidji; have an enormous economic impact, and two, delay the alcohol related incidents one hour.
Bemidji should maybe think about extending the opening of bars and liquor stores. That’s where we have a problem. Those people on the moral side of the argument should fight for that. Regardless, it’s not going to be controlled by bar hours. If it were that easy, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
I agree with the comments above, I believe that the BABA was just protecting their own interests with the 1 A.M. bar closing. I have read alot of the letters in the paper and they always bring up church and God, th elater bar closing has nothing to do with your god or religion at all as it is a matter of Goverment not religion. I think the old boys club downtown forgets that we are a goverment run country not a church run.
Not sure what all the fuss is about. Let the market decide. Bemidji should be well past the puritan regulations of the past. Next, let’s get rid of the Sunday no alcohol law. That law is another far right based mandate not necessary in a plural society. SJD, Hong Kong/Bemidji
I saw this blog posted on Bemidji Pioneer. I am a reporter for Lakeland News and I very interested in hearing a different side from those who attend the city meetings. It would be great to show the other side of Bemidji residents who haven’t had their voices heard.
Please feel free to contact me at my email address jdonith@lptv.org if you are interested in talking with me.