Patrick responded with a withering statement against the company that employs around 30,000 Texans in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Other companies to catch flak from Texas elected officials recently include American Airlines, based in Fort Worth, which in 2021 issued a brief statement in opposition to the “election integrity” bill that made it tougher to vote. He issued a furious statement, while state comptroller Glenn Hegar warned that Texas might be obligated to divest itself of stock holdings in the company’s corporate parent, Unilever, because of a law the Legislature passed in 2017 that bans investment in companies that decline to do business in Israel.
When Vermont ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s announced it would no longer sell ice cream in the occupied West Bank-while continuing to sell ice cream in Israel proper-you might have reasonably asked, “Who cares?” Apparently, Governor Greg Abbott did. Although I did not own many shares of individual Disney stock, I sold them today.”Īs bizarre as it might sound, Republican crusades against businesses have now become commonplace. Cancel your park trip or your cruise if one is planned. On April 4, a bizarre newsletter from Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick warned supporters about Disney’s “crazy ‘woke’ radical agenda,” explaining that “this week they also announced they will no longer address anyone with the greeting ‘boys and girls’ and ‘ladies and gentlemen’ at their parks.” How could Texans fight back? “Cut off the Disney Channel. Because everything DeSantis does these days filters down to Texas-woe to our Texas, stuck in Florida’s thrall-our state government now hates Disney too. But that hasn’t bought Disney any protection from today’s culture wars.ĭeSantis was primarily upset about Disney’s opposition to the state’s new “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bars educators from classroom instruction that mentions homosexuality before the fourth grade. Even stranger, the fellow leading this crusade is Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, whose largest employer is the House of Mouse. Uncle Walt started with some funny cartoons about a mouse and bequeathed a business empire that now boasts $203 billion in assets and 190,000 employees-more than the GDP of Ukraine and more people than are in Germany’s standing army. The Walt Disney Company is American capitalism distilled. The Republican party has set its sights on a new enemy, Disney, one of the most powerful instruments of American cultural hegemony and soft power in the world-and a wildly profitable one at that.
Lately, though, that water has turned quite murky.
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Love of the free market was the water in which Republican politicians swam. By “socialism,” GOP leaders meant not only the kind of politics Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels preached but also, broadly speaking, most types of state interference in commercial relations among private parties, including through progressive taxes, government mandates, and regulations. However you choose to explore Austin, you’ll come away with new memories of a one-of-a-kind place.Not that long ago, the Republican party, particularly in Texas, branded itself as the protector of capitalism and the free market and an opponent of socialism. And with its location in the heart of Texas Hill Country, Austin is a prime launching spot for winery tours around Texas’ wine region and interludes in the charming towns. Top off the Austin experience with a tour of the Texas State Capitol and enjoying one of many fun and funky festivals. No visit to Austin is complete without visiting Lady Bird Lake (it’s some of the best views of the city) and then taking on the city’s famed nightlife, whether on energetic Sixth Street, laidback Rainey Street or at your pick of scores of live music venues. The eating and drinking scene is just as vibrant as the live music, offering up a delightful spread of true Texas BBQ, authentic street tacos, upscale Japanese hotpot and dive bars with years of character. city, it has earned that title with an unbridled passion for sound. Austin is known as the Live Music Capital of the World® and with more music venues per capita than any other U.S.