Hate to Say I Told You So

Well I am so glad that the rush job of the General Assembly on Friday afternoon was so incredibly productive for all parties:

More than 500 bars in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County were eligible to say open an extra hour on Inauguration Day, but only one did.

The legislation postponing last call for an hour was rushed through the General Assembly last week and was signed into law by the governor Monday.

The owner of ACME Bar and Grill in Annapolis, Kevin Epley, said taking advantage of the change was a "no-brainer." He paid the required $200 fee to the county liquor board so he could stay open until 3 a.m.

Many bar owners, however, said the extra hour wasn't worth the $200 fee. Rams Head Tavern general manager Mark Colberg said he didn't expect man people would be drinking after 2 a.m.

So glad that we hustled this legislation through the process, with all of the extreme benefits the people of Maryland the residents of Anne Arundel County received. Though I think, in reality, the only "no-brainer" in this process was the one where somebody thought such cockamamie legislation was actually a good idea....