Lawmaker Says Businesses Should Be Able To Turn Away African-Americans

A Republican lawmaker in South Dakota believes that businesses should be able to deny services to African Americans, gay people, or anyone else who offends their religious beliefs.

Phil Jensen, who the Rapid City Journal describes as the state’s most conservative senator, argues that the government should get out of the way and allow the free market to shut down discriminatory businesses. Last session, he introduced a measure that would have allowed employers to turn away undesirable clients without any legal repercussions:

“It’s a bill that protects the constitutional right to free association, the right to free speech and private property rights,” he said.

Jensen goes so far as to say that businesses should have the right to deny service based on a customer’s race or religion – whether that’s right or wrong, he says, can be fairly addressed by the free market, not the government. “If someone was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, and they were running a little bakery for instance, the majority of us would find it detestable that they refuse to serve blacks, and guess what? In a matter of weeks or so that business would shut down because no one is going to patronize them,” he said.

The measure, Senate Bill 128, ultimately died in committee, after LGBT advocates and even some Republicans characterized it as “a mean, nasty, hateful, vindictive bill.”

Multiple states have defeated similar proposals, including Mississippi, Arizona, Ohio, Indiana, Georgia Kansas, Maine, Tennessee, and Idaho. Missouri is the only state that is still considering a similar measure.

Hotwired wrote:Oh my.. In my business I refuse to work on unruly animals, animals that are humanized, and some that are outright dangerous. Does this make me the " king of my business?" Should I be forced to work on them?  Doctors still even after our savior placed obama care in play still can deny people because they don't accept a particular insurance. I wonder what would happen if a Gay went into a store owned by a Muslim?? Oh course stories like these get swept under the rug http://libertyunyielding.com/2014/03/02/muslim-barber-refuses-cut-hair-lesbian-whose-rights-trump-whose/
and rarely make the news and hardly ever are posted here 

I don't recall seeing anything on this posted here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/29/antonio-darden-susana-martinez-hairdresser-new-mexico_n_1310219.html

Hotwired wrote:Oh my.. In my business I refuse to work on unruly animals, animals that are humanized, and some that are outright dangerous. Does this make me the " king of my business?" Should I be forced to work on them?  Doctors still even after our savior placed obama care in play still can deny people because they don't accept a particular insurance. I wonder what would happen if a Gay went into a store owned by a Muslim?? Oh course stories like these get swept under the rug http://libertyunyielding.com/2014/03/02/muslim-barber-refuses-cut-hair-lesbian-whose-rights-trump-whose/
and rarely make the news and hardly ever are posted here 

I don't recall seeing anything on this posted here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/29/antonio-darden-susana-martinez-hairdresser-new-mexico_n_1310219.html

BigAndy9 wrote:Anybody should be able to turn anybody away.

And they can.  I do it on a daily basis.

groomsy wrote:

BigAndy9 wrote:Anybody should be able to turn anybody away.

And they can.  I do it on a daily basis.

if they are being disruptive yes you should but not because they are black

if you wanna lose their money thats your choice tho

groomsy wrote:i didnt say you did Andy but isnt turning away blacks the whole point of this topic? unless you're from south africa

victorismyhero wrote:AHHH....BUT.....it doesnt work like that does it....well only one way......

certain shops, supposedly running as "general stores" seem to think its ok not to serve things that "offend" them...which is very discriminatory when the only shop open at night in your area wont sell you beer, or a pack of bacon for tomorrows breakfast.....