The government doesn't want you to know

I remember years ago, I think it was in California while I was stationed down there, that they tried to pass a law that would have prohibited gas stations from posting the cost of taxes in a gallon of a gas.  I also remember another case where there was an effort to require "total cost" pricing in retail stores, which would have had the effect of masking the amount of taxes you were paying on any purchases you made.

The Department of Transportation is making the same move on airlines, prohibiting them from emphasizing the cost of taxes and fees on your airline ticket.  Several airlines, including Spirit, Allegiant, and Southwest, filed suit against the DOT. They wish to emphasize to their customers exactly how much the government is increasing the cost of an airline ticket.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC circuit found against them.  

Hopefully the Supreme Court will take this up and overturn the ruling.  If you can't publicize government policies that you disagree with, what is the point of the First Amendment?

We're gonna party like it's 1984 (gettin' down on the farm)

Two cases.

1) The Obama administration argues before the Supreme Court that religious groups should be subject to the same anti-discrimination hiring laws that every else is.  In otherwords, they can't discriminate against someone based on various beliefs when hiring or firing.

2) The Obama administration issues a ruling that religious organizations must provide contraception and abortion services to their employees as a part of their health care.  The narrow exemption that the administration permits includes organizations that only hire people who are a part of their belief system.

So let's see how this would work.
Me: I only hire people of my own religion therefore I qualify for the exemption
DOJ bureaucrat: You are not allowed to discriminate like that.  You must hire someone who does not share your belief system. (and pay us a fine for violating our rules)
HHS Bureaucrat: You hired someone from out of your belief system so you no longer qualify for the exemption. (and pay us a fine for not having a qualifying health care plan)

So where exactly is the administration "compromising"?  Talk about doublespeak.

Freedom of Association for Churches, Great. Now How About for the Rest of Us

Well, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that churches have a right to decide who they hire and fire, independent of the federal government.  Well done.  It was the right decision.  Now when do the rest of us get the same right back?

The fact is that laws that mandate any sorts of restrictions on hiring or membership violate the same First Amendment.  Decisions on who to hire, who to serve, and who to admit to your club should be made by the business owners or the membership.  Period.  The federal government has no business making those decisions for us.  It's time for the Supreme Court or Congress to recognize that and extend to us a recognition of the same rights that they recognized for the Hosanna-Tabor Church.