If North Carolina wants to see its future, it can look to Kansas and Indiana. The North Carolina Senate is following the trail blazed by Kansas Governor Sam Brownback on taxes and Indiana Governor Mike Pence on discrimination.
In Kansas, Brownback engineered massive tax cuts that left the state struggling to cover its expenses. The governor said the tax cuts would spur massive economic growth and, following free market magical thinking, would lead to more state revenue. Neither happened. Instead the state faced a huge budget shortfall and a downgrade to its credit rating. This year, Brownback is raising taxes on cigarettes and liquor to fill the massive budget hole. Regardless, he still pledges to eliminate the income tax.
In North Carolina, Senate Republicans are following Brownback’s ideological zeal. They are continuing to cut taxes and reduce funding for state services. Like Brownback, they are running into opposition from the common sense wing of the Republican Party. However, if they win the legislative battle, look for huge cuts to education and then regressive tax increases like the ones in Kansas to cover the costs.
In Indiana last week, Governor Mike Pence signed into law a “religious freedom” bill, an Orwellian distortion of the First Amendment. The bill allows businesses to refuse people service based on religious beliefs. The bill quite clearly intends to let people discriminate against gay people and is the same argument segregationists made against integration in the 1950s and 1960s.
The reaction to the bill was swift and harsh. The tech company Salesforce announced it was canceling business in Indiana. Angie’s List said that it would cancel a $40 million expansion in Indianapolis and several organizations said that they would cancel conventions scheduled to be held in the state.
A similar “religious freedom” bill is moving through the legislature and President Pro-tem Phil Berger introduced a bill that allows magistrates to refuse to marry gay couples for religious reasons. If these bills pass, we should expect a similar reaction to the one in Indiana. Governor Pat McCrory should be watching closely. He can stop the embarrassment.
North Carolina is falling victim to the political alliance of the free-marketeers and the religious extremists. With their ideological blinders firmly in place, the free-marketeers believe that businesses will overlook discrimination in favor of lower taxes and less regulation. The Christian Right could care less about economic growth. They just want to make sure that they have the freedom to discriminate and prevent society from falling into their version of moral decay.
In reality, businesses and people across the country look at North Carolina with bewilderment. They see a state that just a few years ago was a beacon of progress, in the most positive sense of the word, that has been taken over by reactionary forces. Instead of seeing lower taxes and less regulations, they see anti-education policies and an assault on our public university system. They see a state willing to codify discrimination while the rest of the country is moving beyond LGBT biases. In short, they see a state moving in the wrong direction. If we continue in that direction, we’ll all pay a steep price.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
Seventy-eight percent of the public is Christian. The idea that Christians are “dumped on [sic]” is utterly insane.
http://religions.pewforum.org/reports
I believe there were of a sudden 200 hundred bills introduced a couple of days ago. Whatever all these legislative additions to the regulations that affect our lives will likely be discovered when the wreckage is well completed.
Why don’t you get out of our N.C.Politics period. I’m christian. I’m not closed minded people have a free choice in how they want to live there life. But you nor anyone else has the right to enforce your beliefs upon another. There is not a single mosque that’s going to let a Christian in it nor a Muslim school. I personally do not eat pork but Muslims want jobs that handle pork but the ability to refuse to do that aspect of it. I’m all for it. If they don’t want to handle pork honor that. But do not force a christian with a business as well to go against their belief as well. You have to find a way that honors all. Why do none of the Gay community not open a wedding shop? Open a bakery I’m positive they exist and if not they need to invest there hard earned money like the Christian business person did. I’m working volunteer with our GOP these politics stink to high heaven. Myself and hundreds of thousands of Christians who built this state off our backs are sick of getting kicked in teeth locally and nationally. The truth of the matter is just this it would be a crying shame if every Christian vote in this state goes to a liberal in the next election because we are sick of getting dumped on. We voted in the conservatives that we did so they would represent our voice and the fact is this the Republican party most certainly can not afford to lose the Christian votes in this state nor in this nation 2017 don’t think for a second the Christian community is not watching State wide and Nationally. We already have a President who would rather vomit than to credit God believing people with anything so Mr. Back off your christian thing. We exist we own plenty of business in this state. We are not discriminating any more than the Muslims do. I was ashamed for the first time in my life today to Pat McCrory shoot down backing christian business owners and Christian’s in general who do not in there heart and faith want to participate in same sex marriage. States the constitutionality of it..That’s crap with his statement it signs a bill for this state. I pray that Thom Tillis and Burr both oust that one. I do believe they have their rights. Hire a Gay magistrate. I do believe if a Muslim does not want to touch pork so be it honor that too. You have to honor all in this or your Sir with your Ideas segregate others.
Suzzannah: Have you ever read the U.S. Constitution? Are you familiar with the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause? Did you ever take an American History class? We are a nation of laws. We are not a nation of scriptures. The U.S. Constitution is law. The Holy Bible is not. I find it shocking that you would suggest that a gay person should have to seek out a gay magistrate. Magistrates serve at the pleasure of the taxpayer. If they can’t do their job because of their religious beliefs, they’re in the wrong job. Should a black person have to seek out a black magistrate? Perhaps you’re ignorant & need to understand how our laws work.. Please…try reading sometime!
“Perhaps you’re ignorant”
Yeah, perhaps.
“Please…tey reading sometime!”
Don’t ask too much, now.
OH, Suzannah!
“Myself and hundreds of thousands of Christians who built this state off our backs…”. Really? First, I don’t believe you are 200 years old, and, second, I do believe that there were tens of thousands of blacks slaves who could have said the very same thing.
“…..we (Christians) are sick of getting dumped on….” Really? Ever wonder how non-Christians, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, atheists,and gays feel?
“We already have a President who would rather vomit than to credit God believing people with anything…” But you say “I’m not closed minded..”?????
“We are not discriminating any more than the Muslims do….”. Go ahead. Give me an example……
Fred:
Your reading comprehension of what the First Amendment says and means seems as poor as your reading comprehension on the acslaw.org article you shared. You might want to read it again (in your case, then maybe a third or fourth time) until you realize that it really does not reinforce your position.
And insofar as the other URL you shared, I sense some guile and misdirection in your offering us a Washington Post piece that’s a year old and not written with the context of the Indiana situation at hand. How about sharing with us the full editorial voice of the WP, printed just a few days ago? For your convenience, let me do that for you (see below). BTW, it does not reinforce your position either.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/keeping-them-safe-from-gay-marriage/2015/03/26/88ea407c-c772-11e4-a199-6cb5e63819d2_story.html
Instead of fighting what is basically a restatement of the first right outlined in the First Amendment, why not work on expanding this map?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/03/30/where-the-lgbt-community-is-explicitly-protected-from-discrimination-in-3-maps/
First Amendment to the US Constitution:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Should politicsnc.com be forced to accept advertising from the John Birch Society? Should a Muslim school be forced to admit evangelical christian missionaries? Should a florist be forced to provide services to everyone who comes in her shop?
People who are advocating for gay rights are being remarkably shortsighted and overreaching by trying to argue that it should be illegal to refuse service based on sexuality. The consequence of legislating and adjudicating “must serve” to be the law of the land has profound consequences – most significantly abolishing the first amendment to our Constitution.
A number of marriage equality advocates have voiced support for the Indiana law despite what they view as questionable origins: http://www.acslaw.org/acsblog/indiana%E2%80%99s-rifra-the-law-is-complicated-but-the-anti-gay-politics-are-not
Finally, here’s an interesting article form last year on where things stand in the states regarding RFRA-like legislation: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/03/01/where-in-the-u-s-are-there-heightened-protections-for-religious-freedom/
Fred, thanks for reading. If the Birchers want to advertise with PoliticsNC, send them my way. I’ve courted conservatives and liberals to advertise here without much luck. I’m a small businessman and don’t believe that my bank account cares where the money comes from as long as it’s legal. Muslim schools can’t discriminate against evangelicals. If an evangelical wants suspend his or her beliefs to go to a Muslim school and abide by the rules, he or she will come out a better educated and probably more open-minded person. However, these laws are as much about politics as policies. They are designed to send a message to gay people that it’s okay for people to discriminate against them and to send a message to the people would discriminate that they can treat gay people as second class citizens. It’s the same argument that segregationists used against African-Americans during the Civil Rights Movement.