Editorial: Don't get involved in this

Everywhere you turn, most businesses are open on Sunday. Casinos are open around the clock, seven days a week, 365 days a year. For that matter, most restaurants and retail businesses, including many mom-and-pop establishments, are open every day of the week. Yet there is one segment of the Las Vegas economy that is conspicuously closed on Sundays -- new and used car dealerships.

Car dealers have a "gentleman's agreement" with each other which requires them to shut down on Sunday. But Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny wants to codify this unwritten pact, ensuring that new car dealers stay closed on Sunday in Clark County (originally she sought to also have used car dealers shut down on Sunday, but opted against it after they said they needed the extra day to make enough money to stay viable).

Some dealers say an ordinance is warranted because they want to give their employees at least one day off. Failure to enact a Sunday prohibition on car sales, they argue, could put them at a competitive disadvantage if other dealers opted to violate the unwritten agreement and were open for business. In addition, they contend, it's a good neighbor policy for nearby residential areas.

But this proposed ordinance is ridiculous and should be rejected by the Clark County Commission. There is no need for government to arbitrarily dictate what days of the week an entire industry should be open. If there are car dealers who want to be open on Sundays to provide their customers with a more convenient time to shop, that should be their right.

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