Dear Editor,
I have been patiently waiting for someone else to write a rebuttal to the May 5 endorsement of alcohol in Decatur in your paper. So far, no pastor, deacon, or other Christian leader in our county has done so.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, an estimated 95,000 people die from alcohol-related causes each year, making alcohol the third-leading preventable cause of death in the US.
The writer of the aforementioned article says that “the sale of adult beverages is an economic issue for Decatur.” Yet, according to the NIAA, in 2010, alcohol misuse cost the US $249 billion. Will the paltry sales tax revenue to Decatur offset alcohol misuse in our county?
Proverbs 20:1 says: “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” The July 6 vote is a moral issue not an economic issue.
In 2015, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 10,265 deaths (29% of overall driving fatalities). Hasn’t Newton County experienced enough pain from driving fatalities without giving more youth and adults the opportunity to drive while impaired?
In 2018, the World Health Organization reported that alcohol contributes to more that 200 diseases and injury-related health conditions, ranging from liver disease, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, suicides, violence, and road injuries. Aren’t our church prayer lists full enough already of these victims?
Not only is Decatur our county seat, it hosts East Central Community College. According to the National Institute of Health, 80% of college-aged students report consuming alcohol. This question is redundant, but will the availability of alcohol in Decatur give ECCC students a greater opportunity to imbibe?
Vote no on July 6. Let’s invest in our citizens. Thank you very much.
Charlotte Walters Bryan
Little Rock
