Gov. should stay out of business

It has long been said, “The government that governs least governs best.”

That quote has been attributed to both Thomas Jefferson and Henry David Thoreau, but the idea behind those words is one that resonates with the American mentality. We value our freedoms.

We love the freedoms our Nation enjoys, and we are rightfully wary of any and all government attempts to dig into our personal and private affairs.

Nowhere else is that truth evident than in the First Amendment of the constitution; powerful words that grant us the right to worship as we please, speak as we wish, and peacefully assemble where we will.

So the question becomes this: if we don’t want the government in our lives and we value the freedom to make our own decisions, why do some state’s lawmakers feel the need to pass separate “Religious Freedom” laws?

The First Amendment already grants you the freedom to worship, but it also contains an establishment clause which states in quite clear language that there should be no preferential treatment of one religion over another.

If you wish to practice your religion, you are free to do so. However, in the event that you want to run a business in the public square, you will likely encounter others who do not share your faith. The establishment clause levels the field and considers both your beliefs as equal. A good business owner would treat their customers with equity, and the ideal would be that government should not step in and dictate that treatment.

But on the other side of the argument, inequitable businesses shouldn’t receive patronage based on the belief that they should be free to discriminate for any reason.

That brand of hatred is simply bad for business, something Indiana is learning the hard way in the fallout of Gov. Mike Pence signing the State’s Religious Freedom Act into law.

It is our opinion that the government should stay out of business and not make laws that sanction private business practices.