The controversy surrounding the new voting law in the state of Georgia raises important issues regarding the governance of our country and the role of corporations.
Corporations are big and have a lot of economic clout, so there is justified concern about them abusing this economic power.
It’s why there are such strict lobbying laws in Washington. We want to make sure that corporations don’t step over the line of representing their legitimate interests in legitimate ways.
Corporations such as Atlanta-based Delta are now falling over themselves to see who can be the most zealously out front and condemn Georgia’s new voting law.
After President Biden, who called the new Georgia law “Jim Crow on steroids,” suggested that Major League Baseball pull the All-Star Game out of Atlanta, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred wasted little time to announce plans to do just that.
But isn’t the key issue about the “democracy” of the voting law? And wasn’t Georgia’s law passed by a democratically elected state legislature and signed into law by a democratically elected governor? Who are these multinational businesses to condemn what Georgians passed into law by their own state democracy? Who is Major League Baseball to use its economic clout to punish Georgians for a voting law that was passed legitimately and legally through the machinery of their own democracy?
According to Statista, 32% of Major League Baseball fans are Republicans, 38% are Democrats, and 30% are independents. Manfred reportedly earns $11 million in compensation to serve this diverse group of fans what they want — great baseball. One widely quoted businessman now claims Atlanta will lose $100 million in tourist revenue as a result of pulling the game. Who is hurt here, and why?
When CEOs speak out in the name of their company, they are not speaking as private citizens but as an employee of their company. They are paid to serve customers and produce value for owners — shareholders.
I happen to have Delta Million Miler Status and Diamond Medallion Status. I make considerable effort to adjust my flight plans so I can maintain this status.
It does not please me at all to discover that Delta CEO Ed Bastian does not spend every waking minute of his time on the job making sure customers like me get the best service possible.
Somehow, Bastian and other corporate CEOs have mistakenly concluded that they are being paid tens of millions for their opinions on voting law and matters concerning black Americans. As a black American and Delta Diamond traveler, I disagree with everything I have heard from Bastian on both these matters, and I urge him to spend his time on what he is paid to do.
Here’s what famed economist Milton Friedman had to say on the subject in his classic text “Capitalism and Freedom”: “The view has been gaining widespread acceptance that corporate officials … have a ‘social responsibility’ that goes beyond serving the interest of their stockholders …”
He continues: “Few trends could so thoroughly undermine the very foundations of our free society as the acceptance by corporate officials of a social responsibility other than to make as much money for their stockholders as possible.”
In 2019, Delta had 91,000 employees worldwide and around 30,000 in Atlanta. As private citizens, the 30,000 who live in Georgia can exercise their political proclivities as they choose. In this way, Delta influences local politics. However, the common interest of all Delta employees worldwide is the economic welfare, the business, of the firm that pays them.
No doubt it is the left-wing activism of groups like Black Lives Matter, and the Democrats with this agenda who now control the White House and Congress, that has motivated CEOs to step out on Georgia’s voting law.
In doing so, they are abusing the economic power of their firms and, as a result, damaging the economy and the political integrity of our nation.
Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
Part of me wants companies to stay out of politics yet another part likes this idiots to put their foot in their mouth and lose business. I’m not one to go by the strict definition of ‘boycott’, but I have a long memory and I play to avoid Delta, Coke and MLB for many years. I don’t need them. If enough of us do the same, it will become apparent how stupid they were. Unfortunately many Americans have short term memory and fall back to their old habits before long. Exxon should have had to file bankruptcy had all the upset people followed thru in 1989.
I totally agree with Ms Parker! CEOs should use their positions to run the companies who pay them! They are NOT ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES of anything and should not encourage sports people to move athletic events because it goes against their thinking!
I will boycott Delta & Coca-Cola because of this!
If enough of us will do so, it will make a difference!
Boycott Coors Beer because they own the stadium in Denver where the game is going to be played. If you have any investments in any of those corporations, SELL NOW! Driving the stock down has a real affect on those fools.
I’ll have to check with my mutuals/stock broker, to see IF i do have any stocks there.. BUT IF I do, they’re gonna get shifted SWIFTER than you can say “open a can for me!”
THING IS too many americans, do NOT ACTUALLY boycott these leftist orgs.. WE talk up a good talk, but when push comes to shove, we fall in line… IF MORE OF US ACTUALLY WALKED the walk, then maybe we COULD Make a difference..
I could not have said it better, thank you for pointing out the 800# gorilla in the room, these things only work if we are ALL in. You cannot brag around the water cooler all week about how you are in, and then sit down with a coke and watch the “big game” it doesn’t work that way. I have not watched ANY professional game from the point forward of each one of them making their ignorance known. The nfl went first, from the first kneel by kapernick, the second the league did not deal with it, I was gone, each in turn has bit the dirt, the big thing I have not missed it one bit. At some point these people need to understand, your ONLY job is entertainment and the only difference between YOU and a trained monkey, is the amount of money you make, you are both entertainers.
True that John. One of the bigger hypocrites i saw was one of my longest running former military friends.. STILL OWNS HIS season tickets to the bears.. YET HAS FOR YEARS been saying “I Will boycott the NFL as long as they keep pandering to these overpaid thugs.. SO he MAY NOT BE GOING< but still is financially SUPPORTING THEM BUY renewing his season tickets!
Unfortunately I have done all three starting with MLB in the 1980’s when they began their strikes.
I cannot affect them any more because I already have. It must be new blood now that wakes them up.
The CEO of Delta Airlines is a member of August National Golf Club in Georgia. I would assume that he will do the honorable thing and resign from the most iconic club in the horribly racist State of Georgia as proof that he puts his money where his mouth is.
Tucker and others have pointed that out. BUT MOST SAY they DOUBT he will do so, as that would PERSONALLY affect him.
I think it would be great, IF THE CLUB itself, Rescinded his membership! WITHOUT A REFUND.
Wilddog is suggesting boycotting Coors beer. Why? They are paying to advertise on this stadium, which is booking another game to make money. They did not push MLB to pull out of Georgia. Boycott MLB games. Do not pay to view, do not buy tickets. Walk away and let the owners try to pay those millionaires on much reduced revenue. We made them rich, we can break their bank as well.
BUT BY advertising at that stadium, they are in effect, saying “WE agree” with what the MLB is doing…
I will not fly any woke airlines, I want safety over some idiot CEO indea of diversity and that goes with them enforcing face diapers on us when they are useless and most smart people know it
Wake up
Just letting everyone know that Democrats in Arizona are planning on canceling and moving the 2023 NFL SUPER BOWL LVII from their state. You should definitely NOT buy tickets for that one. Just like NFL, NBA and MLB.
I will not be participating any longer.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian is a “woke racist”. Bastian probably takes critical race theory courses from Al Sharpton. Boycott Delta!!!!!!!
Once again all they have accomplished is to hurt the everyday worker. Guess what, that worker is democrat, republican and independent. So, these businesses now own the collateral damage. Workers should hold them responsible.
NOT just the average worker, BUT ALSO all their share holders.. EXPECT DELTA Stock to take a massive dump.
AMEN!!! That hurts them more than anything else!
I am also disappointed in Delta and Coke. I expected as such from MLB which I gave up on a few years ago. I am a Platinum member with Delta and even though I will probably use my benefits this year, I may re up with a different airline for next year.
Don’t go to American Airlines or Spirit. They’re just as bad.
With the rate all these airlines are going cracray, there won’t be any choices left, domestically, at this rate.
And it gets JOYFULLY worse. Now that Abrams and Warnock have let the cats out the bag so to speak by badmouthing the voting legislation and subsequently, unwittingly, unleashing a outraged response from all true Democrats including all WOKE companies in Atlanta including the MLB folks and our great grand leader in the Oval Orifice — they have found out the ricochets can kill — jobs and business’ that is. As I understand it, Abrams and Warnock who claim to be, or, are obviously aligned with the black community — most of whom “probably” voted Democratic (based on the Cobb County voting results) are doing the “Whoa Nellie, backtracking two-step in quick time”. So far, the upshot is that the area will lose about, according to the news media – fake or otherwise, $100,000,000 in revenue and business. More than 50% of the population and the businesses are black or black-owned and a large percentage of the employees, again based upon population numbers are black. How many of the Delta employees are black? How many of the Coca Cola employees are black? To make matters worse — or better – depending upon how you look at it — the MLB players themselves are getting ready to throw some monkey wrenches into the works as well. Way to gp Abrams and Warnock — Way to go. A Perfect Storm.
SINE a large chunk of blacks are on welfare, i doubt they care how many jobs get lost, AS THEIR INCOME IS govt guaranteed.
I too have a Delta Credit Card and I’m not at all pleased with the subject corporate action especially since I believe, as a former poll worker, every voter should identify themselves with a proper ID such as a driver’s license to vote. If you don’t drive there are several other methods of identification one being applying for a state issued ID card where they are offered, a passport, etc. If you have to prove who your are to cash a check at a check-cashing store, to enter a municipal building, perform a bank transaction, become eligible for food stamps, etc. you should property identify yourself when voting. Since when can I fly Delta without presenting a form of ID to access the airport service area, board my flight and/or securing my boarding pass at the ticket counter? I also fault those political leaders who have made this into a divisively disturbing issue that’s not all the good for the country they were elected to serve.
TO ME since so many states LET ILLEGAL INVADERS get drivers licenses, THEY ARE NOT valid ID for voting. SINCE YOU need to be a citizen, the ONLY VALID id for voting, should be one’s passport…
As for Delta, does this mean we will no longer have to show approved ID to fly? No, then why should we not have to show proper ID to vote?
Just like with everything else, ITS OK WHEN THEY ask/demand it, BUT NOT WHEN WE do.
That’s right. I have one thing to say to self righteous, egotistical, moralizing, know-it-all, patronizing CEOs, as customer, I have this to say, “SHUT UP AND GET BACK TO WORK!”
Unfortunately corporate lobbyist have for many years disrupted the will of the people. Members of congress, state legislatures and even local politicians no longer care what “we the people” desire.. All lobbyist should be banned and so should so called presidents who encourage ceo’s to intimidate elected members of state legislatures, governors or any government official. It was Mussolini who defined fascism as a merger of government and corporations.
A # of years back, i heard one of my friends who attended a share holder conference for a company he has a lot of stock in.. WHICH WAS one of the first, going into this wokeness bull… MANY of the share holders, TRIED to ask “what about OUR will, who funds your activities.. WHY ARE You not caring to listen to US, vice the twitter mobs”.. Rather than answer, the CFO and CEO supposedly, just WALKED OUT of the meeting, and nixed the remainder of it..
Unfortunately, i’ve never been able to VALIDATE what he told me, nor do i remember which company that was that did it.
The bigger question is “who” or “what” made these CEO’s speak out about the new voting law in GA? Did they not know what would happen, given what has happened to other companies that have gotten political? Something else is going on I think.
From what i hear, it was a lot of Twitter BASHING that went on, that made them ‘do this’.. JUST TO appease the twitter mob.
I hope the GOP boycotts Delta, Coke, and Baseball. I doubt they will. I love the people here who believe it’s fine to be mean if you have the votes. Of course these same people would scream to the heavens is the shoe was on the other foot. Conservatives and Christians used to have a sense of fairness that would allow for a more untied nation. Not any more.
I am selfish in wishing for the boycotts to be successful. It would be nice to not have to deal with the insufferable MAGA crowd for a while. There is only so many lies and stupid one can take.
THING IS, its BECAUSE we conservatives have “Tried to be fair and united” for years, with the left, THAT HAS LET THEM GET THIS powerful…
HAD we grown a pair, and FOUGHT THEM BACK IN THE 90s, when this nonsense was starting, maybe we wouldn’t BE IN THIS mess.
I knows this is about Delta, but – everybody, repeat after me “Pepsi, please!!”
Pepsi went woke before Coke did. Say RC please.
History, check out this link. IT lists over 270 companies that are WOKE as can be. PEPSI is on it!
https://realityanddenial.wordpress.com/2020/06/09/279-companies-supporting-violent-antifa-black-lives-matter/
Then there’s also this one
https://dailycaller.com/2019/08/09/woke-companies-brands-liberal-50/
I take exception to the previous comments here, mainly because they follow the “corporate line” that companies can’t deal in politics. Citizens United disproves that….corporations are allowed to meddle in politics as thought they are people., Whether I agree with the corporate message or not, I am forced to go along with the corporate “donation” to whatever PAC or political party the corporation wants. As for “lobbying laws”, well, the Republican Party has pretty much decimated any penalties, so why bother? Political Action regarding what is right or wrong, however, falls well outside these guidelines. I applaud the actions of Delta, Coke, and MLB.
The comments here support the idea that even though corporations CAN be political, they SHOULD NOT be. Their job is to run the business, not try to campaign for any political position – whether social justice or a conservative policy. Shut up, corp, and run your companies. If you want to influence politics, run for office and the voters can decide if they like your policies or not.
And I applaud my stock broker for selling any stock I had in those woke companies. That has a better effect then boycotts.
Well that’s peachy Crusty. I just hope the next flight you book on Delta allows you to sit where ever you like because you are the only passenger.
Perfect! A flight just for me! Which is exactly my point…. since when does Delta, or coke, or pick a company, tell me what I’m supposed to support? But, with Citizens United still in place, corporations can “buy” their elected officials, particularly those that support their business profiles. This call by Delta smacks of a PR job….bleat like it’s unfair (WHICH IT IS), or decry it in moderate terms. If you are a citizen of a state, you should be allowed free and easy access to voting, not some made up excuse about how the new law is “protecting against illegal voting”…that argument was disproven many months ago!!
Besides abortion, THAT whole “Corps are people too” BALLONEY, was one of the TOP THREE worst calls the Supreme court has EVER MADE..
Boycott — a great idea to make a corporation sit up and take note — but it takes a lot of boys (and girls who will count as boys) to accomplish. There must be better ways in the case of very large corporations to make them hurt —- government subsidies, tax breaks, bailouts. Stop them. I am boycotting airlines in general as much as possible because of so many other reasons already, so my agreement to help you does not matter. The city of Atlanta — is Delta — it is the Delta hub. You must go through the Atlanta Delta Hub to get to heaven — or hell — find a way to make life miserable for Delta and that will hurt them — but then you must remember that Delta passengers (of which there will be tens of thousands everyday) and Delta employees in the Atlanta area — who have already been victimized by Delta — will be hurt/again. Kind of a Catch22. Personally, I think that corporations should stay out of politics entirely — they should not have political clout or financial leverage of any kind. Thanks for letting me say something.
True those folk IN atlanta will suffer. BUT THEY ALREADY ARE…
It’s a shame that the democrats are so afraid of any voting law that requires a person to prove they are who they claim they are. The way they react they must think that whites aren’t subject to those same laws. What are the democrats trying to hide?
To answer your question, election fraud.
The D machine does not care about law in general; constitutional, federal, state, local, biblical, or any other. If it is a law, it can be broken or ignored at will. Rights mean nothing. History/tradition means nothing. All that matters is —– VOTES. Votes for Democratic candidates, —- buy them, steal them, create them, import them. Promise anything (with a generous serving of untruths and fantasy for flavor)– they (???) will believe it — and they will come — by the tens of thousands to fill the “voting deficit”. Citizenship means nothing. Intelligence, reason and common-sense means nothing. Unknowing, un-educated, flexible, porous, malleable minds are what is needed to produce the desired “vote”. Once they have that overwhelming power the vote has given them, they can do anything they want. Once those “anythings” are done — they will be hard or near impossible to be undone. I would be glad to elucidate on “Rights” and “History” examples — but I do respect the intelligence of these readers and the need for brevity.
IF it wasn’t for fraud, THE LEFT imo, couldn’t TRUTHFULLY WIN an election. THE ONLY WAY they keep winning, IS CAUSE OF fraud. From ballot harvesting, to mandatory signing folks up to vote, when they renew their drivers license (WITH NO CHECK on if they are even ELIGIBLE), to supporting voting for FELONS, to mail in ballots.. Just take a look at some of the states ALREADY MANDATING mail in voting.. Practically ALL OF THEM< ever since they WENT that route, have been STRAIGHT DEMOCRATS IN CHARGE all over.
Those people who work in the Baseball stadium, the ticket takers, the food servers, the grounds crew, the custodians, the people selling hats and shirts, etc. need to know who are taking away your livelihood. 100 million dollars in business is going to Denver Colorado, and I hope that people who go to Denver for the All-Star game, use an airline other than Delta to fly there, and make sure you don’t buy Coca Cola products.
Just remember that the Coca Cola Corporation sells more than Coca Cola. Check the labels on the products you buy and you will be surprised to see that they are made by Coca Cola. There are fruit juices, wine coolers and snacks.
And better yet, don’t go to the Baseball games, or if you do go, refuse to show your ID, because they have decided that it’s not important.
I agree. THE BETTER choice would just be NOT TO GO.. SHOW coke, MLB and the rest WE NO LONGER support you.
The nightmare in our white house is a hateful liar.. There is NOTHING at all wrong with the voting laws.. ANYONE voting should be required to show an ID to prove who they are… I don’t know anyone who don’t have an ID… and there is always a way to get an ID of some kind… there is so much you do in this country that Requires ID… It’s a very sad day when in our country it’s president goes after a state hatefully with lies… the nightmare in the white house recommended the MLB leave Atlanta, NOT caring what that would do to the city and the state… NO consideration for the people… WHERE did they go to.. Colorado Who ALSO REQUIRES ID TO VOTE… they also have 2 less days to vote.. the only thing I see is they just mail out ballots to people without them being requested.. A easy way to commit fraud.. NO mail in ballots should go out unless requested by someone with proof of their ID… ALL Georgia did was to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat… GOD HELP OUR COUNTRY WHILE THE ENEMY IN THE WHITE HOUSE TAKES THE COUNTRY DOWN!!!
It scares me to think what they are teaching current and would-be CEO’s in graduate and advanced degree business schools these days.
I won’t be Flying Delta for sure. Screw Coca-Cola. I’ll have Water instead.
These two companies obviously place politics. political parties and their own financial interests ‘.above their countries interests. As long as there’s money to be made, count them in.
You have to show ID to fly delta. Remember, that new federal real ID law. If a ID law is good enough for the federal government why isn’t it good enough for states ??? Biden voted for it ,too.But Biden doesn’t think it’s fair for you to show I’D to vote But voting is important.
These corporations who plan to gain passengers by advertising that they’re one” of the” me too” ” politically correct “” will find, at the end of the day, that really find the the only thing that the flying public really care about is if the pilots can fly them to where they need to go, not if they’re minorities , or ” Transgender.