I believe in the separation of Church and State, and am especially wary of the State becoming a Church.
I don't believe that the Government can dictate morality any more than I believe some old book can. I also think that the last person who should be in the business of dictating morality is a politician or bureaucrat. This is why I agree with Paul's position that if laws like those must exist, that they should be created and enforced at a more local level. At least this way, if someone feels that their local government got it wrong, they have choices, different places they can go where laws are to their liking.
I'm also a firm believer in property rights. If I work hard to generate income, I own my money and should have full control over it. If I spend that money on opening a store, I should have full control over that store, and who I choose to do business with. If I don't want to associate with felons, Christians, blondes or people with funny glasses, I should have the right to my property that allows me to put up a sign and refuse service to those people. However, I would of course be financially burdened by the lack of revenue generated by my store, and may potentially go bankrupt... assuming I'm not "too big to fail," of course.
Since somebody brought them up, Jim Crow laws are a perfect example of the Federal Government's complete inability to dictate morality.
I don't believe that the Government can dictate morality any more than I believe some old book can. I also think that the last person who should be in the business of dictating morality is a politician or bureaucrat. This is why I agree with Paul's position that if laws like those must exist, that they should be created and enforced at a more local level. At least this way, if someone feels that their local government got it wrong, they have choices, different places they can go where laws are to their liking.
I'm also a firm believer in property rights. If I work hard to generate income, I own my money and should have full control over it. If I spend that money on opening a store, I should have full control over that store, and who I choose to do business with. If I don't want to associate with felons, Christians, blondes or people with funny glasses, I should have the right to my property that allows me to put up a sign and refuse service to those people. However, I would of course be financially burdened by the lack of revenue generated by my store, and may potentially go bankrupt... assuming I'm not "too big to fail," of course.
Since somebody brought them up, Jim Crow laws are a perfect example of the Federal Government's complete inability to dictate morality.