Legal discrimination

Mare Tranquillity · 06-14-2008, 01:17 AM

I am curious what kinds of discrimination people think should be legal. For instance, should a person be allowed to refuse to rent to a known sex offender? Should a religious person be able to fire or refuse to hire a person who doesn't share their religious beliefs? Deny services to a gay person or someone of another race?

I assume that there will be a division in what is acceptable between a private business owner and a State or Federal government entity since I have seen people express the idea that a private business should have no restrictions on who they hire, fire, or refuse to serve.

william the wierd · 06-14-2008, 03:03 AM

A major problem with current anti-discrimination laws is that they reinforce stereotypes that Blacks, women or whoever can only be employed if that is legally required.

Defensor · 06-15-2008, 10:22 PM

Private entities can discriminate against whomever they want. The government has no business telling them otherwise.

Common Sense Craig · 06-15-2008, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Defensor

Private entities can discriminate against whomever they want. The government has no business telling them otherwise.

I agree with this as long as these private entities are not spreading their discrimination as out-and-out hatred, as in calling for, either outright or insinuating, violence against those that they want to discriminate against.

Have something like companies do in their hiring paperwork saying that they can fire anyone they want for any reason or no reason at all.
Have it say that they can refuse anyone they want for any reason or no reason at all. (Well, there are some companies, restaurants for example, that have signs that say they can refuse service to anyone.)

Mare Tranquillity · 06-16-2008, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Common Sense Craig

I agree with this as long as these private entities are not spreading their discrimination as out-and-out hatred, as in calling for, either outright or insinuating, violence against those that they want to discriminate against.

Have something like companies do in their hiring paperwork saying that they can fire anyone they want for any reason or no reason at all.
Have it say that they can refuse anyone they want for any reason or no reason at all. (Well, there are some companies, restaurants for example, that have signs that say they can refuse service to anyone.)

So, a private hospital or clinic could turn away anyone they wish? Private utility companies could refuse to service to a home in their area? No restrictions whatsoever on private parties discriminating against anyone for any reason? I'm not commenting, I'm trying to clarify your positions, CSC and Defens.

Public entities would not be allowed the same latitude? How about if the people in one State decided that they did not wish to have black people in their State and voted to deny them services of all kinds, public and private? Could a city vote undesirables out? How about a city voting not to allow convicted sexual predators to live within its boundaries?

Mare Tranquillity · 06-16-2008, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Defensor

Private entities can discriminate against whomever they want. The government has no business telling them otherwise.

Specifically addressing your position: can tax exempt entities such as churches be seen as private entities? Can they discriminate without losing their tax exempt status? If so, why should we grant tax exemption to an entity that is denying services to tax paying citizens? If the church pays no taxes but still receives public services funded in part by the people to whom the church denies services, is that not an unfair taxation?

Common Sense Craig · 06-16-2008, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mare Tranquillity

Specifically addressing your position: can tax exempt entities such as churches be seen as private entities?

Since this is one of my pet peeves, (churches not paying taxes), I would say that they shouldn't have a right to turn people away. Start paying taxes and become a private church not opened to the public in a general, anyone-can-walk-in sense and then you can let in who you want.

Quote:

Can they discriminate without losing their tax exempt status? If so, why should we grant tax exemption to an entity that is denying services to tax paying citizens? If the church pays no taxes but still receives public services funded in part by the people to whom the church denies services, is that not an unfair taxation?

Tax the hell out of churches.

Oftencold · 06-16-2008, 02:23 AM

Someone renting private property should be free to rent or not rent to whomever tehy please.

No small business should have to serve anyone they do not wish to.

Corporations should be held to a higher standard.

Forced non-discrimination just drives the bigotry underground.

Common Sense Craig · 06-16-2008, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mare Tranquillity

So, a private hospital or clinic could turn away anyone they wish?

If they are private and pay taxes, they should be able to. Of course the public uproar would be tremendous and they would probably think twice about discriminating in that kind of business.

Quote:

Private utility companies could refuse to service to a home in their area? No restrictions whatsoever on private parties discriminating against anyone for any reason? I'm not commenting, I'm trying to clarify your positions, CSC and Defens.

Again, if the service they are offering is the only business in town or one of only a few, I would think that they would want to have as many customers as possible and therefore not discriminate.

But if they are private and they pay taxes and they think that they can make enough money with a small, select group of people, then go for it.

Quote:

Public entities would not be allowed the same latitude? How about if the people in one State decided that they did not wish to have black people in their State and voted to deny them services of all kinds, public and private?

Wouldn't federal law trump state law in that case? Otherwise, I'm sure that there would be riots and violence and some people possibly killed.

I guess they could try to pass a law. Probably would be the last time that they could ever step outside without being killed.

Quote:

Could a city vote undesirables out?

I'm sure they could with just cause.

Quote:

How about a city voting not to allow convicted sexual predators to live within its boundaries?

I think that they should be able to not want sexual predators anywhere anyone feels unsafe with those predators around.

Djinn · 06-16-2008, 08:59 AM

I'm not sure if it qualifies as "discrimination" directly, but I was shocked when some states officially allowed pharmacists to refuse to fill valid prescriptions if the nature of the prescription violated the personal values of the pharmacist.

If I owned a store in such a state, and was interviewing for a pharmacist position, you can bet that I'd be filtering applicants based on religious belief. Otherwise, with my luck, I'd wind up stuck with a Christian Scientist who'd refuse to fill any prescriptions.