My good friend has an excellent blog called SelfishReasons.com. Last week he reported on a story involving one of my favorite locally owned Itallian eateries, Falcone’s. In short, the owner, Danny Falcone, placed a sign inside his newest location in Edmond, banning two city officials and one quasi-official from his restaurant. The reason behind the sign? He wished to paint his awning with the colors of the Italian flag, as is the trademark of his other locations. Being the owner of his business, one would think this would not be an issue. Instead, Falcone was denied “permission” from doing so by the city of Edmond. You can read the original story here: SelfishReasons.com.

“We respectfully reserve the right to refuse service to the following people: Suzy Thrash and Ingrid Young of the Edmond City Planning Commission, Lydia Lee of the Edmond Neighborhood Alliance. You are not welcomed here, please take your business elsewhere and do not come back on our property. Thank you”

The loss of individual liberty seems to be of little concern to most people I encounter. Especially when that liberty belongs to a business owner. The successful demonization of capitalism by collectivists over the last century is largely to blame. It has created a strong, irrational perception that all business is forever trying to pull one over on the “common man”. Ignoring the fact that the majority of businesses in this nation are small businesses created by the same, “common man”. These business owners are your neighbors next door, your friends or perhaps your family. Each trying to act in his own rational self interests by creating a source of income, by which he can survive. Not only is he in pursuit of a means to sustain his life, he is also in the pursuit of happiness. The very happiness referred to by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. Yet, because he is a business owner, in the eyes of far too many today his pursuit is not protected.

More times than not, the denial of the inalienable pursuits of business owners, is done through laws created, “in the name of public health”, or the ever popular “for the children”. The motivation behind these laws is often full of good intentions. Other times, there are more sinister motivators at hand. In both situations the results are the same: the loss of freedom and property rights. Be it the ever so trendy effort among nanny-state legislators to ban smoking in, “public places” (even though they are privately owned establishments), the recent trans-fat and foie gras bans, or situations like Danny Falcone’s, all are instances where government has taken away individual liberty it had no moral right to take. By removing these freedoms, government is actively interfering and destroying the ability of business owners to make decisions which affect their livelihood. What is more obscene is that the proponents of such measures claim their actions will bring no harm to the people directly affected.

Those who would abuse entrusted power to impose their arbitrary whim, in turn forfeit their right to individual liberty. In the city of Edmond, Oklahoma, Suzy Thrash, Ingrid Young and Lydia Lee are guilty of just that and are ultimately working towards the loss of freedom for all through such actions. Their inability to grasp even the most basic precepts of what made our nation great is not only shameful, it is un-American.

Kudos to Danny Falcone for taking a stand and publicly banning these dim witted termagants from his establishment. His already amazing food will be that much more enjoyable for me, knowing every bite I take is helping to counter their efforts.

Consider this my official endorsement of Ron Paul. Paul may not be the most polished or handsome (though I do think the striking resemblance to Magneto is awesome) of the candidates, but for me, he is the only candidate who truly understands that government intervention, no matter how good the intention, is always a negative. Paul is also the only candidate running that sees any tax on income as being immoral and unconstitutional. The remaining choices for president, on both sides of the isle, will all work to the same end: bigger government, fewer individual freedoms and more road blocks for business.

Social programs and largess are killing our country and no one, other than Ron Paul, is willing to eliminate them. It is time to return our nation to its self reliant, small federal government, laissez-faire roots, before it is too late. Ron Paul is the man to do it. This year, stop pulling the party line and vote for someone who does not believe the government is there to solve all of life’s problems. Vote for someone who believes the government should stand out of your way, and not in it, when doing business. Vote for someone who believes that you are the person best fit to decide how your money is spent and how your life is lived. Vote for Ron Paul.