Special Session Called in Va. to Address 'Day of Rest' (and overtime)

[underpants]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37638-2004Jul8.html

Friday, July 9, 2004; Page B01

Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) on Thursday called a rare special session of the General Assembly to unravel legislation that mistakenly granted the state's private employees the right to time off on weekends.

Tuesday's session probably will last only a few hours as lawmakers convene to revoke a law that requires employers to grant non-managerial workers a weekend day off or be subject to fines ($500) and a requirement to triple the workers' pay.


Legislators accidentally resurrected the obsolete law during their extended 2004 General Assembly session as they were trying to rid the state code of outdated provisions known as blue laws. In this case, though, they inadvertently removed exemptions to the "day of rest" law for most businesses.

Legislative leaders and administration officials said they have heard no calls from religious organizations for retaining the "day of rest" law, which was originally intended to allow Virginians to attend religious services.

Jerry Falwell, one of Virginia's most well-known religious leaders, said this week that the legislative mistake must be fixed because it makes operating businesses "totally impractical" in modern times.

[Submariner]

1. Back in the day when the Nuns were brainwashing me

it was absolutely a "SIN" to work on a Sunday, resulting in some serious time burning in purgatory....really. That Falwell would support Sunday work shows me how phony and hypocritical the christian faiths are. They adjust the commandments and rules to loophole their way around being guilty of any sin. What silly games they play with the god stuff.

[oneighty]

3. Slightly off topic

But it popped into my MT head (Hear that Bush*?). I recall on Sundays in South Carolina one could not purchase a book.

180

[kayell]

7. You can buy books on Sunday here now, but

you can't buy a glass of wine to go with dinner in a restaurant, or much of anything other than groceries before 1 pm. Anyone foolish enough to try for a Sunday yard sale will get a $500 fine. These are in most counties - a few have revised the laws, and most years every county revises the laws to allow for more Christmas shopping time.

I lived in VA when they finally stopped enforcing the blue laws up there.

Falwells quote does show which higher god he serves. I believe the name was mannon.

[underpants]

8. Where abouts?

In Richmond breakfast/brunch seems to be THE place to be seen, before and after church.

No fine on yard sales as far as I know.

[kayell]

10. I'm in SC - that must not have been clear. I used to live in VA

although I don't remember not being able to buy books, up until @1989/1990 there were a lot of things that one couldn't do until after 1. It is still that way here in SC, in all but a few counties.

[oneighty]

11. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

About 1966.

180

[underpants]

4. Apparently MONEY trumps faith even with them

I am acutally old enough to remember when blue laws were being phased out. I can remember empty strip mall parking lots on Sundays (except the grocery stores) but as one locality "relaxed" those rules to create tax revenue the others did as well.

I'm glad Jerry is SO aware of what is practical in this modern world.

[colonel odis]

2. i would think the good reverend fatass falwell

would support a law that made it encouraged employees to honor the sabbath.

but i guess he's more supportive of modern culture than i'd suspected.

[underpants]

5. They are showing their true colors

$$$GREEN!$$$

See #4 above.

[Bronco69]

6. I've never been there, but I heard Falwell owns quite a few

businesses in Lynchburg. If that's true, isn't it amazing that all of a sudden, even though the bible calls for it, a day of rest isn't quite so important?

[underpants]

9. More than just a few

The real estate* alone has made him rich but not rich enough to keep Liberty U going with out a Rev.Moon bailout or two. He recently (last year) got a law passed allowing him to own more than X% of Lynchburg, I can't remember what the number is but it basically set him loose. The law was put in place by none other than Thomas Jefferson who was afraid churches would be able to buy up whole towns.

* He made tons of money early on getting young volunteers to go to church members houses (particularly older widowed members) and have them sign their deeds over to the church, sometimes ON the front porch. Oh the stories I have heard from my Lynchburg native in-laws.