I am actually ambivalent about the Georgia law that would allow religious groups to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.  I don’t think I would vote for it I were in the Georgia legislature, but I understand the concerns of the Christian community.

However according to this article in the Daily Beast  “Disney released a statement saying the entertainment juggernaut would cease all film production in the state if HB 757 is signed into law. The boycott includes its subsidiary movie studio, Marvel.At least 20 Fortune 500 companies, including Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, The Home Depot, UPS, and The Coca-Cola Company, have lined up to urge the governor to veto the bill. The coalition includes Google, IBM, Marriott, Microsoft, AMC, Viacom, Nordstrom, Dow Chemical, and Verizon.  Time Warner, which owns Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting and CNN, also joined the effort.”

Even if I were vehemently opposed to the law, it should give me concern that major American corporations have decided it is legitimate to use their  financial clout to effectively blackmail the state legislature to pass/not pass laws they want or don’t want.  What would the left say if the same approach was used to stop environmental laws or other laws they want.  Isn’t this the same corporate influence in government that Bernie Sanders rails against?

We have courts to decide what is the balance between the power of the majority and the protection of rights guaranteed by the constitution or other laws.  To let corporations use their power over people’s jobs and livelihood to coerce elected representatives to vote for or against a bill should frighten anyone who believes in liberal democracy.

When we open the door to corporate giants to make their clout felt in causes we like, you can bet that they will not stop with altruistic goals. You can bet the power we so willingly given these giants today will be used, sooner rather than later, to more brazen profit driven schemes.

The ends do not justify the means. We can never trade the fair value of people’s votes just for a political win in the short run.  We should ask ourselves what will be tomorrow’s cost for today’s victory.