Georgia Senate to take up religious freedom cause (Atlanta: 2015, home)

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by ipkl07

Is this the bill that if passed all these companies mentioned they'd leave the state of Georgia and wouldn't relocate to the state of Georgia I think last year? Movies wouldn't film in Georgia or would stop shooting the movie or movies in Georgia? etc

If you lose millions of dollars or more in revenue I don't think that serves the people of Georgia well at all; furthermore, if jobs leave the state of Georgia, and companies refuse to relocate to Georgia, because of the bill I'd think he'd veto the bill again. He's suppose to do what's in the best interests for the people who live in the State Of Georgia. This would not be in their best interests having this bill.

I remember hearing about this bill last year when I lived in Georgia. Businesses can refuse services based on religious beliefs.

This bill is NOTHING like the controversial one from last year. It's a worthless piece of crap. That's why nobody is worried about it.

[ipkl07]

Good to hear they aren't pushing this bill again. Thank you for the replies.

[fieldm]

"If elected governor, I promised to sign a mirror image of the federal [Religious Freedom Restoration Act]," he said. That 1993 law prohibits the federal government from unduly burdening freedom of religion. It was mainly intended to protect Native Americans’ sacred land and ceremonies involving illegal drugs, but also played into the recent Supreme Court decision allowing Hobby Lobby to stop covering employees’ birth control.

"Am I hiding that I am a strong advocate for religious liberty? No," Cagle said, acknowledging his personal faith. "But I will tell you, I am not for discrimination. We should be known as a state that is inclusive for all.”

Cagle, who’s served as lieutenant governor since 2006, focused mainly on pursuing economic growth.

"This is a new type of economy," he said. "I want to be a governor who understands where the economy is going."

Cagle touted the state's movie industry and called Georgia the “No. 1 state for business." He promised to create 500,000 jobs in four years and enacting a $100 million tax cut in his first 100 days.

Cagle was also excited about the possibility of internet retail giant Amazon building its second headquarters in Georgia. But to get it, "we've got to have a workforce that is second-to-none," he said.

In the Loop: Cagle Seeks Middle Ground on 'Religious Liberty' Bill | Flagpole Magazine | Athens, GA News, Music, Arts, Restaurants

Don't like him flip flopping. That's dangerous to me.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by fieldm

"If elected governor, I promised to sign a mirror image of the federal [Religious Freedom Restoration Act]," he said. That 1993 law prohibits the federal government from unduly burdening freedom of religion. It was mainly intended to protect Native Americans’ sacred land and ceremonies involving illegal drugs, but also played into the recent Supreme Court decision allowing Hobby Lobby to stop covering employees’ birth control.

"Am I hiding that I am a strong advocate for religious liberty? No," Cagle said, acknowledging his personal faith. "But I will tell you, I am not for discrimination. We should be known as a state that is inclusive for all.”

Cagle, who’s served as lieutenant governor since 2006, focused mainly on pursuing economic growth.

"This is a new type of economy," he said. "I want to be a governor who understands where the economy is going."

Cagle touted the state's movie industry and called Georgia the “No. 1 state for business." He promised to create 500,000 jobs in four years and enacting a $100 million tax cut in his first 100 days.

Cagle was also excited about the possibility of internet retail giant Amazon building its second headquarters in Georgia. But to get it, "we've got to have a workforce that is second-to-none," he said.

In the Loop: Cagle Seeks Middle Ground on 'Religious Liberty' Bill | Flagpole Magazine | Athens, GA News, Music, Arts, Restaurants

Don't like him flip flopping. That's dangerous to me.

I can't say that Casey Cagle is flip-flopping.

Cagle has been pretty consistent in speaking in support of religious liberty legislation during the time it has been a hot front-burner issue over the past few years while ramping up his campaign for a gubernatorial run in 2018.

At the same time, Cagle has had an increasingly close relationship with and has been a sweetheart of the state's business community during his three terms as Georgia's lieutenant governor.

So the challenge for Cagle is to be a strong advocate for a religious liberty issue that animates the deeply socially and religiously conservative base of the Georgia Republican Party's voting coalition during the GOP gubernatorial primary while not doing anything that might alienate the state's business community whom he has very close ties with.

[primaltech]

The "middle ground"... that sounds great! The middle ground would be, we keep all these millions of churches everywhere in our state, but they have to pay taxes. People can still worship fictional/invisible deities all they want, but we take "In God We Trust" off of the state flag (and half the license plates, and rural police cruisers and etc.). I'm all about that middle ground.

Oh, sorry, I forgot "middle ground" means, Christians still get all kinds of special treatment that the rest of us can only dream of, but maybe we mostly won't let chain retail corporations refuse to treat all their employees/customers with basic human dignity and basic social kindness and equality and respect and professionalism. Yeah... the freakin' middle ground. Jesus, this country.

[bhammaster]

If Georgia doesn’t drop this crap we will lose job opportunities from progressive businesses and industries and many leaders in those industries have said this.

If Georgia wants to continue to grow and have actual jobs for it’s citizens it has to drop the backwards bubba politics and join the 21st century.

[whodean]

"But I will tell you, I am not for discrimination. We should be known as a state that is inclusive for all.”

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by bhammaster

If Georgia doesn’t drop this crap we will lose job opportunities from progressive businesses and industries and many leaders in those industries have said this.

If Georgia wants to continue to grow and have actual jobs for it’s citizens it has to drop the backwards bubba politics and join the 21st century.

Those are excellent points with which I fully agree.

The problem for a political figure like 2018 gubernatorial frontrunner Casey Cagle is that the politics of the GOP primary process demand that the religious liberty issue be acknowledged and addressed.

Basically, Cagle has to get out in front of this hot-button social issue (a religious liberty issue that is viewed as being extremely important by the state's domineering bloc of social and religious conservative voters) and push for a relatively very moderate religious liberty bill or get run over by the issue when a much more conservative GOP gubernatorial candidate (like a Brian Kemp or a Michael Williams) pushes for, runs on, wins and signs into law a much more hard-line religious liberty bill that severely alienates the state's business community and does severe damage to the state's image.

If a moderate centrist like Cagle does not get out in front and lead the way on this issue, a hard-line candidate farther to the right will and many of us likely will not like where we end up.

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Those are excellent points with which I fully agree.

The problem for a political figure like 2018 gubernatorial frontrunner Casey Cagle is that the politics of the GOP primary process demand that the religious liberty issue be acknowledged and addressed.

Basically, Cagle has to get out in front of this hot-button social issue (a religious liberty issue that is viewed as being extremely important by the state's domineering bloc of social and religious conservative voters) and push for a relatively very moderate religious liberty bill or get run over by the issue when a much more conservative GOP gubernatorial candidate (like a Brian Kemp or a Michael Williams) pushes for, runs on, wins and signs into law a much more hard-line religious liberty bill that severely alienates the state's business community and does severe damage to the state's image.

If a moderate centrist like Cagle does not get out in front and lead the way on this issue, a hard-line candidate farther to the right will and many of us likely will not like where we end up.

I would rep you if I could B2R, but I need to spread it around.

I just can't wrap my head around this self-destructive behavior, in the name of what I consider a non-issue. It's just unbelievable to me that some are willing to wreck our economy over this.

Some may remember that Indiana went through this when VP Pence was Governor, and they rammed it through the Legislature with his encouragement. It was a disaster, and they had to repeal most of it and change the wording of the Bill around. But the damage was already done, and Indianapolis still suffers from the effects to this day through no fault of their own.

I honestly believe that this is driven by push-back and outrage on the religious far-right over over gay marriage.

[magnetar]

Every single person who's aware of how our state legislature runs is aware of these comments. Cagle's dog whistle to the radical right was very effectively done. Atlanta's business-friendly environment might not mean anything if Cagle and his suburbanite friends dedicate all their efforts to placating the unwavering conservative minority that provided the base for their support.

Who would have ever imagined that the Republican party would be the anti-big business party... going against the prevailing wisdom of the business community to embrace Trump's bigoted worldview.