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oh well, when it comes to wealth its the Jews, Gays, then everyone else. Nothing wrong with being wealthy. Maybe gays just do a good job looking rich. Anyway Ill still say talk with wallet.
"Talking with their wallets" is just what national (and many international) business interests are threatening to do if this controversial legislation that they find highly offensive and unwelcoming passes into law out of the Georgia General Assembly.
They will "talk with their wallets" by just simply boycotting the Atlanta metro area and the state of Georgia and not spending any money in Georgia.
After the massive economic, public relations and political fallout that happened in Indiana last year when that state's legislature passed a controversial RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act) that many in the national and international business communities found very offensive and uninviting at the urging of that state's deeply socially conservative governor (the now severely politically damaged Mike Pence), the powerful forces in the national business community have demonstrated that their statements of intention to economically boycott the state of Georgia are not idle threats.
The threats of a massive and damaging economic boycott of the state of Georgia should this controversial piece of legislation pass into law must be taken very serious and at face value. This is a very serious situation that has very real and far-reaching consequences for the economic well-being of both the Atlanta metro region and the state of Georgia.
Add in that Atlanta is a very high-profile city/metro area that is a major economic force for the entire Southeastern U.S. and that a very high-profile presidential preference primary will be held in Georgia in about 8 days or so, and the increasingly powerful forces highly opposed to this type of legislation will not hesitate to make a very high-profile public relations example out of the currently vibrant Atlanta and Georgia economies and reputations.
I do fear that after the candidates (all candidates regardless of party) get here and start grandstanding, one of them is going to take the opportunity to bring this legislation up. It doesn't matter who does it. It will not be good for Georgia, especially Atlanta.
This legislation has not yet passed, but the media firestorm has been huge. On one hand, I am happy the threats were not idle, but on the other hand, as a small business owner, I am concerned that clearly some damage has been done.
The film and tv industry here made it clear they will leave if it passes. That's billions of dollars lost there alone. It was during that same meeting that Deal announced the bill would go through changes.
Even the threat of state sanctioned discrimination is poison for the economic engine.
I do fear that after the candidates (all candidates regardless of party) get here and start grandstanding, one of them is going to take the opportunity to bring this legislation up. It doesn't matter who does it. It will not be good for Georgia, especially Atlanta.
This legislation has not yet passed, but the media firestorm has been huge. On one hand, I am happy the threats were not idle, but on the other hand, as a small business owner, I am concerned that clearly some damage has been done.
The film and tv industry here made it clear they will leave if it passes. That's billions of dollars lost there alone. It was during that same meeting that Deal announced the bill would go through changes.
Even the threat of state sanctioned discrimination is poison for the economic engine.
A very high-profile public figure has already brought up the issue of same-sex marriage.
Franklin Graham, son of famed televangelist Billy Graham, held a major political rally in Liberty Plaza (the new gathering place for state-sanctioned rallies across from the Georgia State Capitol) back on February 10th. Over 4,500 people attended the rally at the Georgia State Capitol at which Graham lamented what he called the sins of the nation and called for the return of God's voice to politics.
At the rally, which received much coverage from local and national mainstream and right-of-center media outlets, Graham specifically called out same-sex marriage as a great sin that has been flaunted and celebrated.
Graham's political rally seemed to have the effect of revving up Georgia's strong base of social conservatives to push back much more strongly against same-sex marriage than they were already going to do. Graham's political rally also seemed to encouraged Georgia's social conservative-dominated legislature to pass religious liberty legislation that was much stronger than was originally proposed by House Speaker David Ralston who only supported the passage of a largely-symbolic piece of religious liberty legislation that had the support of both the state's business and LGBT communities.
Atlanta (CNN)—Evangelist Franklin Graham on Wednesday urged thousands of Christians gathered near the Georgia Capitol to make their voices heard in this year's elections, saying the consequences of inaction are dire.
"I don't think we're going to make it another election cycle if we don't get God's voice back in the political arena," the reverend said after speaking to an estimated 4,500 people in Atlanta on a cold, blustery afternoon.
Graham has embarked on a 50-state "Decision America Tour." Atlanta was stop No. 6.
"I want to get Christians to run for office at every level. The Christian voice needs to be heard," he said.
Graham's tour has a three-fold purpose: call the nation to prayer; remind people to vote part of a Christian and civic duty; and to have people look at the election year from a spiritual standpoint.
During his speech, the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham lamented what he called the sins of the nation: abortion and same-sex marriage (which he called a great sin that has been flaunted and celebrated), and pride, materialism, racism and the Hollywood glorification of sex and violence.
"We have a problem and that problem is called sin," he told the crowd. "... But God loves us."
In urging the crowd to vote for candidates who live biblical principals, Graham referred to something his father said in 1952.
"I feel that we going to have to meet our political obligations as Christians and make our voice known if America is to be preserved with the type of Christian heritage which has given us the liberties we now enjoy," Franklin Graham said, quoting his dad. "For unless America turns back to God, repents of its sin, and experiences a spiritual revival, we will fail as a nation."
At this point in time, it seems to appear that some type of legislative sanction concerning the marriage issue may be passed as a nod to Georgia's anxious community of social conservatives and to give political cover to supermajority Republican legislators in advance of the GOP legislative primaries in May. Legislative leadership feels that it must give its legislators cover after voting for a large tax increase for transportation and talk of funding transit last year that did go over very well with GOP base voters.
Last edited by Born 2 Roll; 02-23-2016 at 01:17 AM..
My main thought is, how nice it would be to live in a society were no one believed in irrational unproven concepts, or at the very least, they could not sanction them in customs, and laws. We may evolve to that point in the future.
A very high-profile public figure has already brought up the issue of same-sex marriage.
Franklin Graham, son of famed televangelist Billy Graham, held a major political rally in Liberty Plaza (the new gathering place for state-sanctioned rallies across from the Georgia State Capitol) back on February 10th. Over 4,500 people attended the rally at the Georgia State Capitol at which Graham lamented what he called the sins of the nation and called for the return of God's voice to politics.
At the rally, which received much coverage from local and national mainstream and right-of-center media outlets, Graham specifically called out same-sex marriage as a great sin that has been flaunted and celebrated.
Graham's political rally seemed to have the effect of revving up Georgia's strong base of social conservatives to push back much more strongly against same-sex marriage than they were already going to do. Graham's political rally also seemed to encouraged Georgia's social conservative-dominated legislature to pass religious liberty legislation that was much stronger than was originally proposed by House Speaker David Ralston who only supported the passage of a largely-symbolic piece of religious liberty legislation that had the support of both the state's business and LGBT communities.
At this point in time, it seems to appear that some type of legislative sanction concerning the marriage issue may be passed as a nod to Georgia's anxious community of social conservatives and to give political cover to supermajority Republican legislators in advance of the GOP legislative primaries in May. Legislative leadership feels that it must give its legislators cover after voting for a large tax increase for transportation and talk of funding transit last year that did go over very well with GOP base voters.
Risky political move especially if voters respond by electing a democratic Governor in the next election. Does the Governor still have the option to veto?
Last edited by Atlwarrior; 02-23-2016 at 10:09 AM..
Risky political move especially if voters respond by electing a democratic Governor in the next election.
Well, religious liberty legislation is not really all that risky on its face in a state like Georgia with a deeply conservative and deeply religious electorate in which evangelicals make up a dominant voting block, particularly in the primaries of the Republican Party which currently dominates state politics.
The only way that religious liberty legislation possibly becomes risky is if there is some kind of really embarrassing economic and public relations backlash that motivates moderate and progressive voters to join the electorate and vote for Democrats in a statewide general election....Which the election of a Democrat to the governor's office still might be a stretch considering that about at least 55% of the Georgia electorate is likely not going to vote for a Democrat under almost any circumstances unless a Democrat is definitively populist conservative on some key issues like gun rights and abortion that resonate with a deeply conservative electorate.
Unless the Republican supermajority just absolutely lights itself (and the state) on fire, the election of a Democrat to statewide office seems to be mostly (but not completely) improbable at least for the better part of the next decade or so until the state's demographics might have changed enough to affect the makeup of the electorate.
At this point in time, Democrats still have much work to do to escape from their current super-minority position and become competitive again in Georgia.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Atlwarrior
Does the Governor still have the option to veto?
The governor always has the option to veto if the legislation makes it to his desk.
Though, what Governor Deal seems to be trying to do is affect the process of the legislation so that the economic and public relations fallout will not be as severe as it currently seems to be on track to be after religious liberty legislation passes out of the Georgia Legislature.
Governor Deal has let it be known in the past that he personally supports the passage of religious liberty legislation as long as it is not too extreme. But Deal also does not want to do anything to harm the vitality of Georgia's booming film and television industry that he has personally put much political capital into fostering the development of since he has been in office....Which is the dilemma for a socially conservative but not extremist Nathan Deal.
To the state's Republican leadership, some kind of fairly strong religious liberty legislation has to come out of this session of the Georgia General Assembly. The question is how strong will it be? Will it be strong enough to satisfy the state's increasingly anxious dominant voting bloc of social conservatives while not strong enough to cause a severe economic and public relations fallout? That's the current political calculus that Governor Nathan Deal and House Speaker David Ralston are dealing with at the moment.
“This very assembly working on this bill has invested billions of taxpayer dollars growing an industry that would leave this state,” said Brian Tolleson, who owns an Atlanta-based digital entertainment company called Bark Bark and works with studios and media companies from New York City to Los Angeles.
“They will boycott coming to shoot anything here,” Tolleson said. “The powers that be in the industry really want to defeat Georgia’s rise as entertainment destination. And we’re handing it to them on a silver platter.”
I'd like to think Georgia isn't that stupid to let things like this happen with bigotry, but then... this is Georgia. I could totally see them screwing themselves.
"Talking with their wallets" is just what national (and many international) business interests are threatening to do if this controversial legislation that they find highly offensive and unwelcoming passes into law out of the Georgia General Assembly.
They will "talk with their wallets" by just simply boycotting the Atlanta metro area and the state of Georgia and not spending any money in Georgia.
After the massive economic, public relations and political fallout that happened in Indiana last year when that state's legislature passed a controversial RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act) that many in the national and international business communities found very offensive and uninviting at the urging of that state's deeply socially conservative governor (the now severely politically damaged Mike Pence), the powerful forces in the national business community have demonstrated that their statements of intention to economically boycott the state of Georgia are not idle threats.
Nothing will happen we will be just fine. Dont be such a drama queen about it. Who are these Businesses you are talking about? Coca Cola, Home Depot, Norfolk Southern, Delta Airline? Name names. Who is leaving Atlanta because of a bill that annoys gays? Who is going to boycott Atlanta? The gays? If you think this bill will stop gays from spending their money in Atlanta you are not that bright. Think with logic and not emotions man. Everything will work itself out. Atlanta wont be phased by this, im definitely not.
Nothing will happen we will be just fine. Dont be such a drama queen about it. Who are these Businesses you are talking about? Coca Cola, Home Depot, Norfolk Southern, Delta Airline? Name names. Who is leaving Atlanta because of a bill that annoys gays? Who is going to boycott Atlanta? The gays? If you think this bill will stop gays from spending their money in Atlanta you are not that bright. Think with logic and not emotions man. Everything will work itself out. Atlanta wont be phased by this, im definitely not.
Yea being able to discriminate in the name of religious liberty won't have any negative consequences. But putting that aspect of it aside (which is obviously horrible enough to be against this), why would you push legislation that would potententially prevent individuals, businesses and their money from coming here?
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