NYC Restaurateurs Unite To Ban Gov. Andrew Cuomo FOR LIFE

P. Gardner Goldsmith | December 21, 2020
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In a perfect example of how private property and voluntary association work to show people’s morals and preferences, a large group of New York City restaurant owners are joining forces to permanently ban Governor Andrew Cuomo from ever dining in their establishments.

The Washington Examiner’s Michael Lee writes:

“A group of New York City restaurants has joined together to ban Gov. Andrew Cuomo from dining at their establishments in reaction to his lockdown policies.”

They do it after months of bogus claims and arbitrary, unconstitutional, immoral edicts from Emperor Cuomo that have wrought havoc on these and other businesses, even as they have not stopped his state playpen from becoming the second-worst in the nation for “COVID19 deaths” per 100,000. Those would be official numbers that, despite being inflated because the feds financially encourage medical facility personnel to list deaths as “COVID19 deaths” even though the virus might not have been the cause of death -- and official numbers that Cuomo himself has cited in his screeds for more unconstitutional federal bailouts to his woebegotten state.

These restaurateurs have wrestled with the government-fed, pop media-fueled fears of the population even as they have had to, at various times, close, then open -- but not for bars unless they serve the right kind of food -- then, only serve customers outside, then try to figure out how to let patrons use the bathroom inside, even as the cold weather set in and the government closed them again. All through the use of tax-fed bureaucrats and threats from armed policemen -- under the control of a leftist who claims to oppose gun violence.

Writes Lee:

“Cuomo reinstated his indoor dining ban in New York City earlier this month despite resistance from business owners who have struggled through the governor’s pandemic response.”

The levels of frustration, wasted efforts, cutbacks, sadness, and futility these peaceful business owners have felt must be incredible. 

And one of those business owners recently made news for not giving in, even as he used the left’s tactics against them. The owner of Mac’s Public House decided to call his popular restaurant an “autonomous zone”, and flip the figurative bird to Cuomo and his thugs.

"’It doesn't seem like we can do business,’ said Mac’s Public House owner Danny Presti, who was arrested earlier this month in connection to refusing lockdown orders. ‘So here's what we're going to do for everybody: We're going to give away everything for free. So now you can come to Mac's Public House, and you can eat for free and you can drink for free. We just ask that you do make a donation toward us so that we can still pay our bills.’"

The police who are following Cuomo’s orders should know better. They should understand that Cuomo’s lockdowns are not only unconstitutional due to their existence as “Executive Orders”, they breach the Contract Clause of the Constitution which is supposed to prevent state politicians from interfering with the fulfillment of private contract, and they breach the First Amendment’s protection of the right to free assembly, the Fourth Amendment prohibition against searches and seizures without warrants issued by judges, the Fifth Amendment promise of due process and prohibition against property takings without state compensation, the Sixth Amendment assurance of a jury trial where one can confront accusers, the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, and the Fourteenth Amendment reiteration of the assurance of due process.

Cuomo appears to enjoy his own bluster - but he can’t survive on it. And in a world that actually recognized the private property of businesses (most contemporary politicians are clueless about this fact), business owners could show whether they wanted a certain person in their establishments, and potential customers could show their preferences by patronizing those places, or not. Just as potential patrons should not be forced to stay away or enter an establishment, owners of establishments should not be forced to close or to open to people.

THIS is how a spreadable disease is supposed to be handled: by individuals making their own choices about freely associating, by people making their own risk assessments and controlling their own property. Every interaction on private property is voluntary, as opposed to those on government/public/tax-fed property. The presence of the government forces interaction where people might choose to be left alone.

And this brings us to the final point. Even though these restaurants might choose to ban Cuomo, Cuomo’s armed agents and desk-jockeys will be able to claim “legal” justification to invade those restaurants.

We’ve come a long way from the days when American revolutionaries raised arms against Redcoats for doing a lot less.

But it seems that some people in New York remember, and are starting to push back.

Good for them. As The Examiner’s Lee notes, the restaurateurs’ Facebook page can be found here (as long as the censors there don’t shut them down).

The spirit of freedom might inspire a few folks to join, and find out the names of all these places so that they can lend them some support.

That likely will annoy His Highness, but it sure will be a nice addition to the Christmas season.

 

(Cover Photo: Diana Robinson)

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