San Luis Obispo, CA, is listening to a group called “Atheists United” who are demanding that parking rules be changed so that people going to church on Sunday pay for parking. If not, its discrimination against those who don’t go to church. Wow!
Chicago shuts down streets so that Irish Catholics can Celebrate St Patrick’s day. Many government offices close for three hours on Good Friday. Schools have parties for Halloween (watch out for those Wiccans). Public Schools in heavily Jewish neighborhoods take Passover and Yom Kippur into consideration. Christmas means schools, government agencies, and the like are closed.
We celebrate Thanksgiving — but are we discriminating against those who aren’t thankful? What about Independence day? All those pesky Canadians and Brits may take offense. You want extreme — How about New Year’s Day. The Chinese celebrate New Years on a different day. Perhaps we should do away with that day off. All Chinese might take offense.
If a city wishes to take the local culture into account when they set their laws (no Sunday Selling of alcohol, for instance) what is wrong with that? Churches bring much to our communities with their good works. We offer them tax breaks because of it. Religious institutions run schools and hospitals. Millions benefits from their largesse. Soup kitchens and clinics are run by churches, synagogues, and mosques.
If a city wants to provide free parking around a church on Sunday morning, or around a Synagogue or Mosque on Friday night or Saturday, hey so be it.
We have to be careful or we will be taken by the tyranny of the minority. At some point these demands simply become silly.
JVH
5 Responses
Its been a while since you said something that made me want to respond…about time, but I respectfully disagree.
1. Because we should charge based on demand and the use of the system. Why is the church attendee any different than the movie watcher?
2. What if all the parking was filled up all day on Sunday and the coffee shop doesn’t have a place for its customers?
3. Jewish observation is on Saturday, Muslims on Friday, if you are going to treat Sunday different because of church( Christian) then you must do it for all religions. If you let it go on Sunday just for Christians and not on the other service days, then you may have actually broken the Equal Protection Clause twice!
Charlie, Charlie, Charlie — Why not have the spaces around the Synagogue and Mosque be free on Friday, and the spaces around the churches be free on Sunday. See, we don’t have to have all the spaces in a community ‘free’ on Sunday, or Saturday, or Friday, only those where the organization meets. And why not? Religious organizations give back to the community, movie theaters do not. Is there a difference? Yes, and I think a big one.
Understand that I am not saying that as a matter of policy, cities should, all across the fruited plain, provide ‘free’ parking for certain organizations, but I can see no reason if the cultural aspects of a certain community allows for such relief, why not.
The “Equal Protection Clause” doesn’t seem to me to apply. It was written as a civil rights law, to bring the fifth amendment to apply to states as well as the Federal government. I’m not sure that providing subsidized parking to a church or synagogue meets the same test as whether or not blacks can sit anywhere they want on a bus.
We provide subsidized parking to certain groups every day, whether its building a parking structure to support a sports complex, or providing parking under a concert hall. In both cases, many of those attending did not drive cars, but whose who did received parking at a rate far below the cost providing it. The difference was made up by taxpayers.
I suggest that folks going to worship the good Lord have just as much right to subsidized parking as those going to worship the NY Jets or the LA Philharmonic.
J
Charlie, Charlie, Charlie Why not have the spaces arunod the Synagogue and Mosque be free on Friday, and the spaces arunod the churches be free on Sunday. See, we don’t have to have all the spaces in a community free’ on Sunday, or Saturday, or Friday, only those where the organization meets. And why not? Religious organizations give back to the community, movie theaters do not. Is there a difference? Yes, and I think a big one.Understand that I am not saying that as a matter of policy, cities should, all across the fruited plain, provide free’ parking for certain organizations, but I can see no reason if the cultural aspects of a certain community allows for such relief, why not.The Equal Protection Clause doesn’t seem to me to apply. It was written as a civil rights law, to bring the fifth amendment to apply to states as well as the Federal government. I’m not sure that providing subsidized parking to a church or synagogue meets the same test as whether or not blacks can sit anywhere they want on a bus.We provide subsidized parking to certain groups every day, whether its building a parking structure to support a sports complex, or providing parking under a concert hall. In both cases, many of those attending did not drive cars, but whose who did received parking at a rate far below the cost providing it. The difference was made up by taxpayers.I suggest that folks going to worship the good Lord have just as much right to subsidized parking as those going to worship the NY Jets or the LA Philharmonic.J
Sometimes people try to pick a fight just because they can, and this is one of those instances.
There is no discrimination involved by providing free parking on Sundays UNLESS you are limiting the use of that free parking to a specific group. The free parking is available to anyone that chooses to use it, regardless of their religion.
something that made me want to respond about time, but I reutecpfslly disagree. 1. Because we should charge based on demand and the use of the system. Why is the church attendee any different than the movie watcher? 2. What if all the parking was filled up all day on Sunday and the coffee shop doesn’t have a place for its customers? 3. Jewish observation is on Saturday, Muslims on Friday, if you are going to treat Sunday different because of church( Christian) then you must do it for all religions. If you let it go on Sunday just for Christians and not on the other service days, then you may have actually broken the Equal Protection Clause twice!