A solution in search of a problem

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer was put in a tough spot by the conservative win of her Republican Party. State lawmakers -- and most of the Legislature is Republican --  who sent her a bill Monday that would grant business owners the right to invoke religion to refuse service to gays and others.


Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer

Backers said the bill was an attempt to protect religious freedom, although there was nothing in the record to indicate religion in Arizona is under assault. Opponents said the bill would codify open season not just on gays but other minorities.
Brewer was urged to veto the bill, not only because it is morally reprehensible on its face, but because of fears it would hurt business. It always comes down to money. An executive of Apple Inc., which plans to build a big manufacturing plant in Mesa, urged a veto as did the chairman and CEO of American Airlines. Oh, and then there's the Super Bowl to be held in Arizona next year and calls for the NFL to reconsider its location.
On Wednesday, in a moment of clear common sense, Brewer announced she had vetoed the bill.
"I sincerely believe that Senate Bill 1062 has the potential to create more problems than it purports to solve," Brewer said. The governor said she had "not heard one example in Arizona where a business owner's religious liberty has been violated."
Arizona, of course, is where lawmakers passed a controversial immigration bill in 2010 giving local police the ability to stop people they suspected of being in the country illegally. That triggered widespread boycotts.