Reed Already Doing Damage Control Following Passage of HB 757
Mere hours after the controversial HB 757 was passed, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said companies and conventions have expressed reservations about coming to and staying in Atlanta. Also in jeopardy, Reed said, was Atlanta’s bid for the Super Bowl.
“I have probably an hour and a half worth of calls to make to convention [organizers] considering pulling out the city,” Reed said Thursday morning. “I’ve got in-person visits with four CEOs in the tech space between now and [next] Wednesday.
…
“I can’t express the amount of damage being done to Atlanta and Georgia’s reputation as the business and cultural center of the Southeast.”
Lest you think Reed’s fears are isolated or unjustified, nearly every trade group based in Georgia echoed his sentiments.
One bright spot for Reed and his allies is that Governor Deal was not a fan of the earlier version of the bill.
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The crazy part is we already saw what happen in Indy! And why the state backed off, and told the McKoon squad in their state, we cannot afford this! Metro Atlanta and Georgia has way more on the line via convention and entertainment business than Indy.
READ BELOW:
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/01/25/official-rfra-cost-indy-up-12-conventions-and-60m/79328422/
…..The furor surrounding last year’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act might have cost the city of Indianapolis as many as 12 conventions and up to $60 million in economic impact, the city’s nonprofit tourism arm confirmed Monday evening.
Though they come with some caveats, the numbers from Visit Indy represent the most tangible effects yet of a controversy that city officials and business leaders long warned would cause real damage to Indianapolis’ reputation……….
Does not compute – my questions on the other thread –
Maybe legislation like this would be less likely if there were less judicial activism in Washington. Like going back to Roe v Wade.
Oh, I do think I know how the Constitutional system work, thanks you—but it is not former ACLU Counsel Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s version. My version is closer to the recently-departed justice, the successor of whom is of great controversy now.
“Judicial activism” = extending rights to people I don’t approve of.
And placing in the Presidency that candidate that I do.
Depends what you mean by “rights”, and whether they clearly are in the Constitution, or whether it is interpreted as a “living, breathing” document that “evolves” with the times. That is how we got RobertsCare a few years ago, which I am reminded of at tax season when the IRS has to ask if you have had health insurance, which should not be any of their business. But unfortunately it is because of John Roberts. But I digress…perhaps all those threatening boycotts should be asked what powers faith-based organizations should have. It is not a hypothetical question—the Catholic Church in this country is dealing with it as pertains to RobertsCare (OK, I’ll call it Obamacare) and the contraceptive mandate, a matter of litigation these days.
We got RobertsCare the same way Hobby Lobby was made a person.
And the people have spoken. Oh. Wait.
John Roberts did not give us the ACA. Congress did and they have apparently been unable to muster enough support to reverse their decision.
Faith based organizations should have no secular power. No ability to lobby for laws. No ability to endorse political candidates. They should stick to their faith, to charity, and good works. Otherwise, they are just another business. And should be taxed accordingly.
Thank you. Universal healthcare is a blessing and a boon to most people. In future years, we will look back on not providing single payer healthcare as a sorry time in our history.
The GOP was able to fabricate opposition to ObamaCare from discontent with the Great Recession. Opposition is hardly on anyone’s radar, other than those goal from the first year of President Blackenstein was that it fail..
Yes, and as I recall in 2010, control of Congress flipped from D to R in large part because of Obamacare. So I guess something good did come out of it. Maybe something Obama should have thought about as he laments GOP control of Congress today…….
No ability to lobby for laws, eh? Well, I guess then Martin Luther King Jr. should have just stuck to his pulpit back in the 1950s and 1960s. No marches or anything like that—sounds like mixing Church and State. And the Catholic bishops—well they just need to suck it up and embrace parts of Obamacare they don’t like. As for endorsements, well yes, IRS regulations don’t allow for that, but it has not always been applied equally—like back in the 1980s, a lot of people criticized the likes of Jerry Falwell for endorsing Reagan, but did not seem to share the same outrage when Jesse Jackson was campaigning in black churches.
Georgia is not as conservative a state as it was 10 or 20 years ago, such as in 2004 when 76% of the state voted to ban same-sex marriage (even heavily Democratic DeKalb and Fulton Counties voted for it) and is changing and moderating (as seen in 2011 when Governor Deal thankfully signed legislation allowing for retail Sunday alcohol sales–maybe 1030 alcohol at Sunday brunch next?), but people moving down here and expecting the views of the Boston Globe and New York Times to be widely held statewide are a bit out of touch with reality.
Churches should preach love and tolerance, provide charity and good works. Preachers who endorse candidates are paid shills and should lose any tax benefits.
Marching for social justice and tolerance is protected free speech and exactly what churches should be doing. Lobbying the GA legislative goobers is not.
Coastal Cat, Jesus did not come to earth to preach tolerance; he came to save us from our sins, paying the ultimate sacrifice at Calvary (as in Good Friday coming up in a few days). As Billy Graham pointed out, God was so intolerant of sin, he sent his Son to die for us. Jesus did not preach “tolerance” when the woman was about to be stoned for adultery; instead he told her to sin no more. Yes, he said we should love all, but that did not mean toleration of sin.
Something in your corn flakes this morning? The point is not about judging others; it is about what is the purpose of Christianity. And avoiding sin is a focus. That is why their is personal confession (penance) in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches; the Catholic and Anglican worship books also feature public confession of sins. a publication from the Eastern Orthodox Church (Antiochian) put it well a few years ago—Church is compared to an ark, which, like a ship, has a destination, the kingdom of heaven. The captain is the Lord, and the disciples (apostles) assist him in leading the ship to its destination. As for telling people how to live their lives, government does it every day. It sets speed limits on the roads and traffic devices to regular motor vehicles; the IRS and Department of Revenue direct you to pay taxes; local ordinances regular how high the grass can grow in your yard, how loud the music can be coming out of your house, perhaps even how many cars can be in your driveway. The question is the balance between government and individual rights, which is an ongoing debate on which people can disagree.
What Jesus is purported by Augustine to have said to the woman at the well is immaterial. Your religious beliefs are also irrelevant inasmuch as you should have the freedom to act as you desire until that action infringes upon others. At that point, and only at that point do you need a law. Unfortunately not all of our laws meet this criteria but that doesn’t justify creating new ones that are also unnecessary. Individual rights spelled out in the Constitution are those that are there specifically to be protected from the will of the majority. Or to paraphrase Larry Flynt, we can’t have 4 wolves and a sheep voting on what’s for supper.
As to the ongoing campaign for “religious freedom” orchestrated by some of the greatest con artists this nation has ever seen I refer to James Madison, often considered the father of the Constitution, “[I have] always regarded the practical distinction between Religion and Civil Government as essential to the purity of both and as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.” This is from June 3, 1811 in a letter to the Baptist Churches in Neal’s Creek and on Black Creek, North Carolina reasoning why he as President vetoed legislation passed by Congress gifting them land for missions in the west.
As I said many times , the McKoon squad are doing their best to kill jobs in our state! Looks like no job is safe, unless you are a lawyer like Josh McKoon with RFRA style legislation.
……….Religious liberty’ bill jeopardizes Atlanta Super Bowl bid………
….If Georgia chooses to turn the “religious liberty” bill into law, be prepared: Atlanta may not get a Super Bowl.
That was the suggestion from the NFL on Friday when the league released a statement in response to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s question about whether the league had any position on Georgia House Bill 757.
The statement from league spokesman Brian McCarthy reads, “NFL policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard. Whether the laws and regulations of a state and local community are consistent with these policies would be one of many factors NFL owners may use to evaluate potential Super Bowl host sites.”……..
http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/football/religious-liberty-bill-could-prevent-atlanta-super/nqnyK/
Certainly a hell of a mess. How I see it: The legislators put their ugliest foot forward and after very public wrangling, wringing and washing of hands the damage was done. They then retreated to a reasonable level of staying out of faith based organization’s beliefs but the perception of wrong-ness remains. Now Deal can decide if this is the hill to die on.
Meanwhile a bunch of lobbyists and attorneys made money, the state is embarrassed and the legislators wasted an incredible amount of time when they could have been doing more important things.
“NFL policies…discrimination based on age, gender…” Really? Hmm, haven’t seen any 90 year-old grandpas playing quarterback, or any women as linebackers. Sounds like discrimination to me…
I guess the sports world thinks it has to have a position on every political issue—the Confederate flag, MLK holiday, and now religious liberty. Doubtless if a major abortion bill were coming through, they’d threaten a boycott because so-called “women’s rights” would be at risk. Reminds me of old story, some Hollywood actor asked if he had a position on some issue, may have been the Vietnam War, and he basically said, “I am just an actor; why should anyone care what my opinion on that is?”
As for the Super Bowl, considering we have to bribe them to come here (with tax incentives), well, maybe I’d be content to let some other place pay the bribe…