posted 01-24-2002 23:59            

How noble a gesture. Somebody give them the key to the city, already.

On second thought, what moron in his right mind thinks Augusta would be a better community if bars were open until 4 a.m.? That's just adding another hour for people to drink and drive, drink and kill, drink and rape, or beat their spouses or commit any number of uncivilized acts that are so often associated with drunkenness. Not to mention all those inebriants who end up with lampshades on their heads.

After all, a lot of people who are still in bars at 3 a.m. couldn't pass a sobriety test. Add an hour for another round or two of frozen daiquiris, we'd bet most could not blow below .08 on the breath alcohol gauge if their drivers' licenses depended on it.

It's not as if the Richmond County Sheriff's Office doesn't have its hands full already trying to keep drunks from driving. Sheriff Ronnie Strength opposes the scheme for good reason. And it's not as if the court isn't busy enough with the clog of drunken driver cases it has to process.

We have nothing against our local watering holes. Every community needs social gathering places like pubs, nightclubs and - yes, even your garden-variety bars with wink-and-nod names like "The Office." They add certain charms to a community that some residents want, and they take away certain charms that other residents want. They have a right to exist - within circumscribed limits.

But for the city to expand an already bloated government by extending serving hours is just plain chicken, when what community leaders have been asking for is a more tightly run municipality.

People voted for consolidation to get rid of duplication and waste, get better law enforcement and a more efficient government. They didn't think they'd get a city government that would encourage more drinking and driving.

The commission, if it's sober, knows what the right thing to do is. Don't take a swig of this tempting budget concoction.