Letter to the Editor: 3.2.12

Todd Broker
lecturer in
College of Business

It is very important for the people of Murray and the Murray State campus community to realize that the Keep it Out of Murray petition is, and has been, a response petition both times it has been circulated. If Keep it Local (2009) or Grow Murray (2012) would stop being the aggressors by trying to bring packaged liquor stores and bars to Murray then our community wouldn’t have to be divided and restaurants would stay the way they are, which I believe is how most people want it to be.

Furthermore, no one should feel “slapped in the face” as some apparently feel because they believe that the Keep It Out petition is somehow holding people hostage. That’s ridiculous. If the people of Murray have the right to vote on packaged liquor stores and bars, then they should also have the right to vote on keeping things the way they are or going back “dry” (which is the only petition guaranteeing no expansion of alcohol).

This community voted consistently to keep Murray “dry” for decades before the 2000 “moist” vote and there are still plenty of people who would love the chance to vote on that issue again. Of course, this wouldn’t even be an issue if “Grow Murray” had not been the instigators.

Finally, the notion that anything people buy in surrounding areas should be legally sold in Murray is ludicrous. It’s likely that people from this community visit surrounding states for strip clubs, pornography and even drugs. Does “Grow Murray” think we should add these “businesses” to Murray just to increase revenue for more police cars? I sure hope not. The truth is that expanding alcohol further can be just as damaging to our community, and I hope there are enough people in Murray who feel the same way.

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