Thoughts on Chick-Fil-A in Boston

So the mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, wants to ban Chick-Fil-A from opening stores in the city because Dan Cathy, the president of Chick-Fil-A, has made some remarks that have been construed as anti-gay. Cathy said "I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say ‘we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage’ and I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about."


Does the mayor have the right to ban this company from operating in his city? Absolutely not. It is not the government's place to refuse this company the right to purchase property and operate a business simply because the government (and specifically one person in this government) doesn't agree with what the owners have said.


Don't we have a right to free speech? All that Dan Cathy did was exercise this right. He believes same-sex marriage to be wrong and he voiced that opinion. If you agree with him, great! If you don't, you can go try to convince him that he's wrong. If his comments immensely offend you, don't eat at his restaurant! But certainly it is not the place of the mayor to ban this business that has committed no crime, no wrongdoing other than voicing a controversial opinion.


Let the company be free to do what it wants. Let it say what it wants. Let it operate stores where it wants. If Bostonians are such proponents of gay rights, then no-one will eat at their store and they will be forced to relocate. But we should never allow government to refuse a company its basic rights because it supports a position contradictory to that of the government.


For the record, Chick-Fil-A is an equal opportunity employer. The culture of Chick-Fil-A, in Cathy's words, is to "treat every person with honor, dignity, and respect - regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender."


I understand if you are a proponent of gay rights and you wish that an anti-gay company would not establish itself in your city. But you must recognize that it is not the government's place to ban it from doing so. You must realize that the company has the same rights as any other company to operate in your area. If you don't realize these things, you are encouraging our government to discriminate. You are endorsing a non-existent right of government to discriminate against businesses for what they believe.


I am amazed at how many passionate, young people do not realize government's role in the scope of things. It's frightening. If our nation's youth cannot recognize a government's overreach of power, we will guarantee our children a very restrictive and oppressive one. I will be overcome with despair the day that I resign my political voice to opposing big government instead of proposing and supporting helpful public policy. I can only hope that day has not already come.