Ye Olde One-Two Punch

A recent editorial in the Opinion Journal speaks of retailers filing lawsuits in self-defense against discriminatory state and local legislation. I find this quite interesting. Excerpts:

"The announcement came in the form of two federal lawsuits filed by the Retail Industry Leaders Association against the state of Maryland and Suffolk County, New York. At issue are the "Wal-Mart" laws that both jurisdictions recently passed, which would require a few large companies to pay more for their workers' health care. The lawsuits argue the statutes are "discriminatory," which may be the legal understatement of the year since both target only a few employers."...

..."The common denominator is that all of these laws largely single out non-union employers."...

..."The Suffolk County Legislature was warned in a public hearing that its mandate likely violated federal laws; it passed it anyway, 17-1."...

..."Supporters argue that since employers have a "choice" between providing the new benefits or paying the state a fine, the law is not really a health-care mandate."...

For the 'uninvolved' citizen this becomes a double whammy. These actions raise the operating costs of both the retailers and the governments involved. The citizen gets to pay both higher retail prices as well as higher taxes.

Groovy. (See, Lance, 'groovy' is still hip.)