Wednesday February 24, 2016 - Darn Georgia

The Georgia Senate passed a Religious Freedom (Discrimination) Bill. The Georgia House has passed a similar but slightly different bill earlier. A conference committee will merge both bills and I would expect Governor Deal to sign it.

Just like during the 80 years of Jim Crow, there are parts of the state population that will discriminate to their economic detriment. There is a reason that MS, AL and GA (which is AL without metro Atlanta) are at the bottom of economic activity and education. The majority of Georgia is rural. How will they create 21st Century jobs in a 19th Century culture?

Both the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association are against the bill. I suspect Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons and a new $1B Mercedes Benz Stadium is upset. This will probably cost him and the Atlanta Tourist Industry the Super Bowl.

It will be interesting to see if the powerful business interests can stop this bill. This bill has already had a negative impact on the Metro Economy.

Georgia Based Telecom Says 'Time to Relocate' After Lawmakers Pass Anti-Gay 'Religious Freedom' Bill

I had planned on retiring to the beach. This will make my move occur faster.