Weekend Round Up

I'm closing out the weekend with a round up on a few issues that have captured my interest but were more than adequately covered elsewhere. First, Dan Cathy had this to say in an interview in Baptist Press.

"We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that."

Of course, he was pilloried for this and was slandered for making "anti-gay" comments. KT notes that there is not a single sentiment about gays in that statement. Rahm Emmanuel famously stated that Chick-Fil-A does not represent Chicago values (see picture below.) The leftist diatribe and invective from elected officials reminds me of totalitarian regimes where punishment of businesses for incorrect thought is the norm. Mark Steyn, of course, hits it out of the park.

Meanwhile, fellow mayor Tom Menino announced that Chick-fil-A would not be opening in his burg anytime soon. “If they need licenses in the city, it will be very difficult,” said His Honor. If you’ve just wandered in in the middle of the column, this guy Menino isn’t the mayor of Soviet Novosibirsk or Kampong Cham under the Khmer Rouge, but of Boston, Massachusetts. Nevertheless, he shares the commissars’ view that in order to operate even a modest and politically inconsequential business it is necessary to demonstrate that one is in full ideological compliance with party orthodoxy. “There is no place for discrimination on Boston’s Freedom Trail,” Mayor Menino thundered in his letter to Mr. Cathy, “and no place for your company alongside it.” No, sir. On Boston’s Freedom Trail, you’re free to march in ideological lockstep with the city authorities — or else. Hard as it is to believe, there was a time when Massachusetts was a beacon of liberty: the shot heard round the world, and all that. Now it fires Bureau of Compliance permit-rejection letters round the world.

Sad but true.

Meanwhile, the flagging economy is both good and bad news. Bad news, because people are suffering. GDP growth fell to 1.5% last quarter and job creation is not keeping up with population growth as evidenced by the employment-population ratio. This means that those seeking first time jobs, like my son, and those long term unemployed, like friends of mine, are going to have a harder time finding work. The good news is that people have mostly given up on blaming Bush for the economic conditions and this may be what it takes to get Obama out of the White House and the Democrats out of the Senate so that sensible economic policy can be pursued. But its not a guarantee, the Republicans under Bush pursued some ridiculous policies that rightly got them broomed out of office. From The Hill:

The poll, conducted for The Hill by Pulse Opinion Research, found 53 percent of voters say Obama has taken the wrong actions and has slowed the economy down.

The overall Presidential poll numbers don't seem to be trending yet, but history shows that economic conditions have a significant, but not overwhelming effect on the election.

Meanhwile, Mayor Bloomberg, has carried the definition of the Nanny State to its logical and absurd extreme. Here is the actual headline:

Mayor Bloomberg pushing NYC hospitals to hide baby formula so more new moms will breast-feed.

Regulating breast milk production? Hizhoner has become self-parody. His obsession with everything relating to bodily health belies an underlying mental disorder.

Have a great week. I will be vacationing in San Luis Obispo later this week, so the blogging will be light after Tuesday.

If you don't toe the party line, Rahm will have to enforce some Chicago values on your business.