Maine town approves ordinance to ban chain restaurants

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

[Cinnamon Girl]

Going for the nazi argument doesn't usually work out rhetorically, as in this case for example. If the citizens of the town take a vote and decide they don't want chain restaurants, again, how is that socialist? Please try to explain without nazi references if possible. Nantucket requires all the commercial buildings to be gray with white trim. Are zoning laws socialist? If a state has blue laws, is that socialist?

[Katya]

I don't have a problem with small communities choosing to do this...I would have a problem with the federal govt making that decision for all of us, I even think the state shouldn't impose this sort of coercive ordinance.
But small towns and communities are made up of individuals, who just might decide it's better for business, or they don't like the aesthetics of the mundane....and that's okay.

[Woodstock]

Being one that lives in a quaint and lovely little Chesapeake Bay town, I say, "Good for them!"

[Clemenza]

Does this ban cover Starbucks, aka the largest employer of homosexuals in America?

[TheForceOfOne]

Better for whose business? The people in the cabal calling the shots? Those reaping the profits of a captured audience?

Who's in and who's out? Liberal Ben & Gerry's in? all companies who have made political contributions to conservative candidates?

Picking and choosing from a selective list agreed upon by Liberals or from those who pay financial tribute to the town or political party in favor of the local politicians?

It creates a breeding ground for extortion, blackmail, bias, etc.. and shreds the notion of capitalism in a free market.

[TheForceOfOne]

So what businesses do you have in this quaint and lovely little Chesapeake Bay town?

Exxon? Mobile, Starbucks? Dunkin Donuts? Sears? Wendy's?


Since you are for this then you must be willing to rid yourself of all these businesses, right?

Or is it selective discrimination?

Who gets to drink from the water fountains and use the bathrooms?

[R. Scott]

Imagine, a town where a person can set down and eat real food, not chain food.

[R. Scott]

Some of the best meals I’ve had on the road were in small town restaurants and diners. Some of the worst have been in chain restaurants.

[TheForceOfOne]

Depends on who makes the list of who's in and who's out, politically.

[Windsong]

(sound of crickets)

Good post :)

[spunkets]

It's health and safety thing. For the children, of course.

[Woodstock]

Our town is a small tourist town with local shop owners. The main streets are lined with antique shops and boutiques. I live here by choice and because it is so pretty and quiet. I try to buy everything locally to "vote" with dollars. I sure prefer the local crab shack to Applebees and local coffee shop puts Duncan Doughnuts to shame.

People have a right to decide which stores and businesses move in to their town.

[marty60]

Ditto that.

[TheForceOfOne]

Nothing wrong with that, its good to have choice. This is a matter of restricting those choices.

[TheForceOfOne]

So you think you should be able to say whether its Exxon or Mobile or Hess that provides you gas?

What cars are allowed to be sold?

What brand names appear on your grocery store shelves?

What you are doing is dictating what choices people should be allowed based on your preferences or the town making a monopoly on goods and services. At least Walmart would fight for your business, these hooligans want to carve up the pie amongst themselves without the fear of competition.

[Gabz]

A better measure would be how well bars in Hoboken have done since the NY smoking ban. Very well, indeed.

Same thing in Maryland after the Delaware ban. We were still living in Delaware when the ban took effect, on the day before Thanksgiving, and just started taking our business another few miles into Maryland.

The name of the place escapes me at the moment, but one of the really popular beach places just closed up shop in Delaware and reopenned in Maryland right after the ban.

[wolfcreek]

Socialism, plain and simple.

It may well be however, the monotony of having the same crappy chain rest. at every intersection is growing tiresome. Every time you look around, you forget where your at because everything looks the same.

[TheForceOfOne]

Open a restaurant.

[weegee]

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

[R. Scott]

I’m not much in favor of government regulation - even small town ordinances. In this case I personally prefer the independent over the chain because of quality, but it seems that few small independent restaurants or diners can compete with chain pricing.