Author Topic: The Dilemma Of Prosperous Red States  (Read 69 times)

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Offline Kamaji

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The Dilemma Of Prosperous Red States
« on: April 06, 2022, 01:29:43 pm »
The Dilemma Of Prosperous Red States

Republicans who tout their business-friendly environment need to realize it comes at a cost.

By Paul Bradford
April 5, 2022

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last week signed the legislation liberals deride as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Informed readers will know the bill simply bans sex indoctrination to kids in kindergarten through third grade. But the facts won’t get in the way of hysteria and the Left has convinced Disney, one of the largest employers in Florida, to fight the law.

“Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that,” the Walt Disney Company declared in a statement. This decision was largely driven by pressure from activists and the company’s employees. Disney has already donated $5 million to the Human Rights Campaign to fight against the law and plans to donate more to similar organizations.

DeSantis doesn’t seem to mind this resistance. “If the people who held up degenerates like Harvey Weinstein as exemplars and as heroes, if those are the types of people and all that, that are opposing us on parents’ rights, I wear that like a badge of honor,” he said at a press conference.

The Florida Republican’s dismissal of Disney’s complaints is exactly the right thing to do. Too often Republican governors are swayed by powerful interests to vote against bills their voters want. Last year, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem vetoed a ban on transgender athletes in girls’ sports because the NCAA objected to it. In 2015, then-Indiana Governor Mike Pence neutered a religious freedom bill after several corporations protested.

DeSantis shows a new model to follow, one also demonstrated by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Republican legislators in Georgia. Corporations were not happy with the Lone Star State’s new abortion restrictions, but Abbott still signed them into law and strongly defended them. Corporations threatened Georgia over its election reforms and the MLB withdrew its All-Star Game from the state over the sensible measure. Georgia stood by its reform in the face of the backlash.

These shows of strength are all well and good, but they do invite the question of how much these states can withstand the pressure. Many red states boast of their business-friendly policies that draw companies from all over the country. Florida and Texas have received a major influx of refugees from blue states in the wake of restrictive COVID policies in left-leaning places. These states are particularly generous to large employers.

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Source:  https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/05/the-dilemma-of-prosperous-red-states/