Maine town approves ordinance to ban chain restaurants

Boston.com ^ | November 8, 2005 | Boston.com via the Associate Press

[wolfcreek]

No thanks! I do business with several rest. and it seems to me to be the hardest job in the world.

[Frank T]

I didn't say the town was being nazi-like. I just pointed out, that contrary to your point of "how can it be socialism if it's a democratic vote," that the socialist agenda *can* be implemented democratically. As an example, National Socialist Germany, where they voted in socialists.

I did not say that socialism was the case here. Read more carefully, and don't put words in my mouth.

To more directly speak to the question at hand, socialism was a political system by progressives to try and move the means of production from capitalists to workers. That is what socialism was to socialists. Is that what is happening in Ogunquit? No, the workers at McDonald's are not being given the deed to the joint.

What is happening, though, is the erosion, or farce, of individual sovereignty to either own and operate a place of business, and to undermine the freedom of free assembly. Some have suggested the term "fascist" to describe this, but again, different people have different understandings of some of these words. When someone says this is "socialism, plain and simple," I *get* the point, and that's what important.

Because whether the town banning chain restaurants is socialist or fascist, it's truly part of the same political project. It's all about Progressives trying to re-shape the social relations of free people, using statist means. Sometimes they are social democrats, other times Communists or Fascists. But they all these techniques are inherantly anti-American, or at least, anti-American Constitution.

[Argh]

Hah! I love it!

[SheLion]

If you are ordering take-out, then they still get your business.

But there is no tip money involved.

[Cinnamon Girl]

Do blue laws, dry counties, and zoning laws constitute being anti-American, yes or no?

[TheForceOfOne]

I believe smoking bans are illegal. In San Francisco the NRA is taking on the local government over the newly enacted prohibition on handgun possession which defies Constitutional rights per the second Amendment.

What we have here is local government stepping on the Constitutional rights of all citizens to freely trade within this town and reserving Constitutional rights for a selective few who have already established businesses there and have favor with political leaders.

Constitutional rights are worthless unless they're guaranteed for all Americans.

It is not the fault of big business if people choose to approve of and buy their products. They have the right to conduct business freely and compete against their competitors in a capitalist society.

If this town doesn't want or like Walmart or other businesses all they have to do is let them in and not buy their products and they will leave. What they have chosen to do is avoid that fight because they fear they will lose. If that is they case then they are obstructing economic growth for their own financial benefit. They're creating a monopoly using the local government as a weapon against competition.

[Katya]

Look, I also think small conservative cities and towns should be allowed to have their say and restrict strip clubs, adult book stores and as we've seen in many regions around the USA...dry counties. Community standards can run the gamut...who are you and I to decide what those standards should be? For some they'll be morals, others aesthetics, as long as the citizens of those communities are given the right to decide all is well. If you're on the losing side, you also have the right to move.

[TheForceOfOne]

And what if they decide no black people or no fatty foods, or no cars. Sooner or later that argument slams the against the wall and crumbles under bias, prejudice, collusion, etc.

[Katya]

I don't think you can compare commerce and individual rights...there have always been commerce restrictions, most have been geographic, ie. zoning laws.