In what sort of place does the government get to determine whether you can open a restaurant at an airport, according to whether your political beliefs line up with the politicians in power?
Iran? North Korea? Egypt? China? Cuba? The old Soviet Union? Russia today?
Actually, over far too much of our beautiful globe the marketplace is not anywhere close to free. Instead, it’s maniacally manipulated of, by and for those wielding political power.
Including in Denver, Colorado.
“Chick-fil‑A’s reputation as an opponent of same-sex marriage has imperiled the fast-food chain’s potential return to Denver International Airport,” reports The Denver Post, “with several City Council members this week passionately questioning a proposed concession agreement.”
The article notes that the “normally routine process of approving an airport concession deal has taken a rare political turn. The Business Development Committee … stalled the seven-year deal with a new franchisee of the popular chain for two weeks.”
Popular?
Yes, extremely popular … with customers. A senior airport concessions executive said the restaurant was “the second-most sought-after quick service brand at the airport” in a 2013 survey.
Not popular among politicians, however, who claim concern about DIA’s “reputation.”
That’s about it, really. The company itself isn’t accused of any form of illegal or politically incorrect discrimination. It is merely that the company’s ownership and management have expressed disreputable (to some) opinions. And might donate a portion of its profits to political causes that politicians on the Denver City Council don’t approve of.
In a foreign country, with an unfamiliar cause, almost no one would hesitate to call this what it is: despotic.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
