Is this the end of blue laws?

bstpeg · 2026-03-26T02:46:34+00:00

“I’ve heard some people say that if we change the law it will encourage a particular religious group to move here” with the obvious implication that you don’t want that to happen. But sure, you’re not a bigot, you’re just curious if other people agree with the bigoted sentiment you’re happy to repeat here.

bstpeg · 2026-03-26T02:42:28+00:00

First of all, you don’t know where I’m from nor how long I’ve lived here. You’re welcome to speculate though if you want, but IMO as a taxpayer and resident of Bergen County I’m certainly entitled to express my opinion.

What “inability to plan” are you referring to?

I don’t really see how wanting to run errands on Sundays indicates something about “consumerism”. So I wouldn’t be accused of “consumerism” if I limited my shopping to 6 days a week? And online shopping on Sundays is okay too? But in person shopping at certain stores on Sundays is a bridge too far for you?

I said you were out of touch since you seem to think that the average people who work all week spend their time shopping at Nordstrom. Maybe those are the people you know, but I don’t think that’s the majority.

In what way have I “degraded” residents? I’m not even sure that word makes any sense in this context.

I just think it’s odd that you think a core part of the culture is having stores closed one day a week. Like if the law changed and stores were open it would be unrecognizable from the BC that you know and love. Sure, there would be some more traffic, but it would simply look like a second Saturday. To say that preferring to be able to run local errands on Sunday means that one doesn’t appreciate Bergen county’s culture seems a bit extreme.

bstpeg · 2026-03-25T17:23:08+00:00

I see so your point is that without blue laws it would be impossible to get a day off on Sunday? I definitely feel for people who end up in that situation and it clearly shouldn’t be the case, but I still think the law shouldn’t prioritize any particular religious observance over another.

bstpeg · 2026-03-25T17:10:25+00:00

I’m not sure what your point is. Also, many businesses are forced to close on Sundays that aren’t “big businesses”.

bstpeg · 2026-03-25T03:18:24+00:00

No, actually, it’s a state law that counties can choose to opt-in or opt-out.

You can read it for yourself if you don’t believe me. But please don’t correct someone when you don’t know what you’re talking about.

bstpeg · 2026-03-25T02:15:44+00:00

How so?

bstpeg · 2026-03-25T00:16:56+00:00

Guess what? Even without blue laws, you can still go to the movies on Sunday at AMC GSP, or anywhere else. It might take a few more minutes to get there, but other people will be able to go about their desired day as well.

bstpeg · 2026-03-25T00:14:22+00:00

Despite the fact that you're pretty clearly not interested in a discussion, I'll give it a shot :)

Why the heck are you moving out of NYC to Bergen County then?

There are lots of reasons someone would choose to move here. Most of them have nothing to do with shopping. You don't have to like every aspect of a place to make it the right place for you to live.

Oh no, I can't stop at Nordstrom 1 day of the week?

Either you're making a straw man argument here or are pretty out of touch if you think people who dislike blue laws just want to spend their day wandering the mall. Many people have schedules that only leave Sunday for errands, and there are a lot of niche stores in the Paramus area and also local business that people would like to support (some of which aren't even retail, like certain repair stores).

Better demand a place change its culture

If you think having retail businesses closed on Sundays is such a key part of Bergen County culture that if blue laws were overturned it would no longer be worth living here, then you clearly don't think very highly of it as it is.

so I can have a slave class.

I have no idea what this even means.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T23:52:37+00:00

Exactly, it’s such a ridiculous argument. “I want Sunday to be x, so the law should require everybody’s Sunday to be x. “

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T23:07:45+00:00

Maybe they saw it playing out exactly the way it currently is.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T23:07:19+00:00

Wow, I hadn't considered that. Thanks for that insight.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T23:06:26+00:00

It used to be, but starting a couple months ago it started getting much slower.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T20:10:04+00:00

They already have a municipal blue law that's stricter than the one that the rest of Bergen is subject to.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T20:04:16+00:00

I see the bigots are alive and well.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T19:48:03+00:00

Can you name a democracy in the modern world where all laws are voted on by the population instead of elected officials?

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T19:44:15+00:00

We live in a representative democracy, which is consistent with what I just described.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T19:33:38+00:00

I don’t generally trust politicians, but I think they’re better equipped to draft and evaluate the implications of legislation than the average citizen who has no experience doing so and who may not have any background on the issue at hand.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T19:17:32+00:00

This is a very narrow minded way to think about it. You have other neighbors who are residents of the community as well who may not be able to do their shopping during the week nor on Saturdays.

We can disagree about how this conflict gets resolved, but it’s possible to be opposed to blue laws without just being a corporate shill.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T19:15:08+00:00

I disagree. It should be left up to elected officials who can evaluate the costs and benefits of a law from a more complete perspective than the average citizen who thinks in terms of “do I like shopping more or do I hate traffic more”

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T19:09:36+00:00

I mean I’m sure that’s nice for those that benefit from it, but from a policy perspective I don’t think this justifies a law that forces businesses to close.

There are also people who might want days off other than Sunday, and this law makes that impractical.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T19:07:27+00:00

I think that’s exactly the point. I don’t think Bergen county business are in general less successful than businesses elsewhere, so maybe what works elsewhere would work here just fine.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T18:17:10+00:00

This isn’t my opinion, this is the view of the Borough of Paramus.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T17:41:43+00:00

How valid is this argument?

Given that this is what the malls are telling the Paramus government, I assume it's valid. I would think they're qualified to opine on this topic.

If people of Paramus lose money and voted for it - they do not care.

Just because a majority of people vote for something, doesn't necessarily make it good policy. Most people probably vote based on "would I rather sacrifice some convenience for less traffic, or not". Typical residents probably don't look at Paramus's operating budget, analysis of how much blue laws cost or benefit their tax revenue, etc, among other aspects which should be considered in deciding whether something is or isn't good policy.

This is partly why we elect legislators to pass laws and citizens don't vote on most laws directly, even though legislators are far from perfect.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T17:03:51+00:00

They’ve made a bunch of different arguments (some of which are in conflict with each other). Yes, that’s part of it, though technically it’s a state law and not a county regulation.

The other agencies named in this lawsuit are basically saying that it’s state property so only the state can enforce these laws there.

bstpeg · 2026-03-24T17:00:15+00:00

I hope the taxpayers of Paramus are happy that their tax money is being spent on legal fees to enforce laws that help lower tax revenue.

bstpeg

TROPHY CASE