Delta Airlines cuts ties with the NRA, angers, alienates conservatives, risks major state tax break (Atlanta: law, to move)

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by DreamerD

Isn't that seriously unethical to threaten a business like that by taking away their tax break? It's crazy how we have these "leaders" who commit these kinds of actions (I'm thinking of KSU and how they abused their positions) and yet they still get to keep their job (I already know the pres. of KSU has already left but still...). The NRA isn't funding Delta's tax break and so they shouldn't be able to push their weight around regarding the breaks. NRA is made out to be this huge thing and they really aren't...they just have lobbyists and money and that's why they are so powerful.

Those are really good comments and excellent points.

Though, one very important thing to keep in mind is that it is not just the lobbyists and the money that makes the NRA powerful, it's their 5 million-plus members as well as the tens-of-millions of voters who agree and politically support their advocacy in a heavily gun-oriented culture in throughout much of the U.S. that makes the NRA and their strong advocacy for gun-rights causes so politically powerful.

The NRA does not exist in a vacuum. The NRA thrives because America's heavily gun-oriented culture enables them to thrive.

The NRA is so powerful because there is a significant part of the population of the country (as evidenced by the estimated 300 million-plus firearms in the U.S.) that wants them to be that extremely powerful on the issue of gun-rights advocacy.

Originally Posted by Newsboy

FOLKS GET SERIOUS! Delta is not going anywhere! Their entire business model depends on the Atlanta hub, which they invented and built into the world's busiest airport. Delta isn't just the largest company or employer in Georgia, but the most valuable airline in the world, with assets near $55 billion. Last year they turned a PROFIT of $5 billion!

Whatever they don't get from the state in fuel tax breaks pales to the huge economic windfall they already receive doing business in the state. They are as much a part of Atlanta as Coke and Home Depot.

This is just election-year political bluster. And y'all fell for it hook, line and sinker.

Those are all also excellent points.

And I agree that this situation with the Georgia Legislature denouncing and attacking Delta over its disassociation with the NRA is largely election year bluster... Election year bluster which corporations like Delta in deep red states like Georgia (and Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Indiana, etc) have largely grown accustomed to dealing with as part of having significant operations in lower-cost, lower-tax red states with strong strains of social and cultural conservatism.

But even if a corporation like Delta may be largely understanding that this is more than likely nothing more than just an election year stunt, it is still extremely deeply concerning (and worrying) when a state's legislative and political leadership appears to be in a state of open warfare with a state's largest private employer and economic engine.

[NC211]

While you guys are barking about Alabama and whatnot, two things are probably occurring in the background as a result of this childish public display of, well I don't know what to call it.


1) All of the surrounding states now smell opportunity and will certainly try and attract one of your biggest employers to them, and they will roll out the red carpet to do so. And even if they fail, they will give Delta options to take to your legislature board as real threats for them to try and counter to keep them happy and there. So they pay fuel tax. Big deal. They'll more than likely make up for that tax in other areas now multiple times over that won't be on the front pages of the paper.


2) Amazon, just scratched Atlanta off their list.


Tech giants and the NCAA put NC through the ringer for their stance on a shared bathroom. What do you think Delta and the like are going to do over this surfaced public political display that creates the image that GA loves their guns and will do anything they can to get more and more and more of them. Whether that's the actual message or not, the media is certainly going to portray it that way. In this day and age, the truth is shaped by the perception and optics of what is being plastered all over those tiny little screens in your pocket. And what those screens are saying today, is that Georgia values their AR15's more than their economic business practices.

[NC211]

PS: I love GA! I'm from AL, have lived most of my life in NC, proposed to my wife, who is now the mother of my children 15 years ago along the sunrise shores of Tybee Island. I've had my doors blown off by grandma in her buick while passing through ATL on I-20 several times while passing through from B'ham to Wilmington. I've seen the creativity of the state troopers hiding places along 20 from ATL to the AL state line. I get it. I appreciate GA, and I hope this all blows over soon enough without hardship. But I mean damn, the optics of this from the political crowd while there is a growing revolt against the NRA, is just poor political execution. Want to remove the tax, fine. But don't go out there saying it's because of the NRA. That's just not smart business. This is like Bubba sayin' that his daughter can't go on that date with the minister's son because he drives a Chevy instead of a Ford.

[Hokiehaven]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Those are really good comments and excellent points.

Though, one very important thing to keep in mind is that it is not just the lobbyists and the money that makes the NRA powerful, it's their 5 million-plus members as well as the tens-of-millions of voters who agree and politically support their advocacy in a heavily gun-oriented culture in throughout much of the U.S. that makes the NRA and their strong advocacy for gun-rights causes so politically powerful.

The NRA does not exist in a vacuum. The NRA thrives because America's heavily gun-oriented culture enables them to thrive.

The NRA is so powerful because there is a significant part of the population of the country (as evidenced by the estimated 300 million-plus firearms in the U.S.) that wants them to be that extremely powerful on the issue of gun-rights advocacy.


Those are all also excellent points.

And I agree that this situation with the Georgia Legislature denouncing and attacking Delta over its disassociation with the NRA is largely election year bluster... Election year bluster which corporations like Delta in deep red states like Georgia (and Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Indiana, etc) have largely grown accustomed to dealing with as part of having significant operations in lower-cost, lower-tax red states with strong strains of social and cultural conservatism.

But even if a corporation like Delta may be largely understanding that this is more than likely nothing more than just an election year stunt, it is still extremely deeply concerning (and worrying) when a state's legislative and political leadership appears to be in a state of open warfare with a state's largest private employer and economic engine.

The NRA thrives because they push their agenda locally, very aggressively, you don't have to look any further than Florida to see that is true and to some extent here now.

What's funny about this is is that the NRA isn't all Republicans, it's certainly heavily Republican leaning, but not only representing them, so it's silly that Cagle would say such a thing.

[Hokiehaven]

Originally Posted by NC211

While you guys are barking about Alabama and whatnot, two things are probably occurring in the background as a result of this childish public display of, well I don't know what to call it.


1) All of the surrounding states now smell opportunity and will certainly try and attract one of your biggest employers to them, and they will roll out the red carpet to do so. And even if they fail, they will give Delta options to take to your legislature board as real threats for them to try and counter to keep them happy and there. So they pay fuel tax. Big deal. They'll more than likely make up for that tax in other areas now multiple times over that won't be on the front pages of the paper.


2) Amazon, just scratched Atlanta off their list.


Tech giants and the NCAA put NC through the ringer for their stance on a shared bathroom. What do you think Delta and the like are going to do over this surfaced public political display that creates the image that GA loves their guns and will do anything they can to get more and more and more of them. Whether that's the actual message or not, the media is certainly going to portray it that way. In this day and age, the truth is shaped by the perception and optics of what is being plastered all over those tiny little screens in your pocket. And what those screens are saying today, is that Georgia values their AR15's more than their economic business practices.

While I agree, to some degree, I don't know that Amazon necessarily says no to GA, the reason being money talks and they have more money than anyone. Delta is huge, but Amazon has money spitting out everywhere and it's only growing. Bezos is the richest man in the world, if he wanted to slow the GA assembly, he could and Amazon could do far more to counter such attacks.

Furthermore, he certainly is aware that by moving Amazon to GA he could swing GA politically locally and nationally with his 50,000 man operations and spouses equaling 100,000, plus the numerous other entities that follow Amazon to wherever they set up shop, probably in the 400,000 range, and the vast majority of those would probably be leaning more blue votes.

Considering how razor thin the margin really is in GA, he could throw the tide democratic in the deep south, so you could see how he may not drop ATL right away because of a political skirmish.

It seems fairly obvious ATL is one of the top spots for them, I don't know that this has as big of a play, it may actually encourage him to take on the right harder in their backyard because he's one of them few people that really can. Putting it in Boston or DC won't do anything politically per se.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by NC211

1) All of the surrounding states now smell opportunity and will certainly try and attract one of your biggest employers to them, and they will roll out the red carpet to do so. And even if they fail, they will give Delta options to take to your legislature board as real threats for them to try and counter to keep them happy and there. So they pay fuel tax. Big deal. They'll more than likely make up for that tax in other areas now multiple times over that won't be on the front pages of the paper.

All of the surrounding states have conservative state legislatures that are hardly above the antics we've just seen from Georgia's. It's gonna take a WHOLE LOT more than this for Delta to uproot.

[flamadiddle]

Sounds like Delta just took a $50M kick in the nuts. ouch!

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018...-with-nra.html

[Beretta]

This is not the Amazon thread. Please post All posts about Amazon on that thread. Thanks!

[civis]

Originally Posted by flamadiddle

Sounds like Delta just took a $50M kick in the nuts. ouch!

Georgia lawmakers yank tax break for Delta after airline cuts ties with NRA | Fox News

GA lawmakers are rather disgusting, they do deserve recall at this point, because their corruption by NRA now is more than obvious.

[seussie]

GOP efforts of cutting Delta’s tax breaks and those tweeting in support of it shows that the GOP actions and Delta’s were both political. And Citizen’s United is a thing. It is a sad state of affairs when a company faces fast-tracked legislative blowback because some people have the privilege to feel victimized that they lose their discount. It’s not news that businesses and lobbying hadn’t always played a major role in politics. To pick on Delta is calculated malarky like some have already said in this thread. I don’t foresee this lack of a cut forcing Delta’s hand, but if they do choose to leave it won’t be shocking how GA might feel the void of a gaping hole in industry.