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wasoxygen · 3926 days ago · link · · parent · post: Religious groups want exemption from hiring LGBT after Hobby Lobby ruling

but we don't make laws for the sake of having them. :) I might choose a different emoticon. Legislation is frequently enacted for bad reasons and to bad ends. Public choice theory tells us that those who bear the burden of bad legislation will often have scant incentive to oppose it, and the special interests who benefit will be highly motivated to propagate it. No news here.

the issue at hand was: given the mandate, can an employer choose to opt out of specific portions of it This is a specific legal question, but I felt that you opened the discussion to broader issues by introducing Maltese Buick drivers.

But these are the difficult choices ... equal treatment “Equal” is an attractive word, but it comes down to application.

By my preference, all employers are equally free to choose what benefits they offer. All employees are equally free to choose where to work.

By your preference, employers are equally forced to choose benefits that satisfy certain rules. Employees are equally forced to pay for those benefits.

Naturally, there will be winners and losers with each approach, costs and benefits. I don’t think you or I have good evidence to show that the benefits will exceed the costs in either case. I think our difference in opinion comes down to your higher tolerance for coercion.

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