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Wednesday, February 28, 2018

"Go woke, go broke"

Glenn Reynolds new favorite saying is "go woke, go broke." At its essence, this is an observation that businesses that choose to virtue signal over focusing on their core business (and, by the way, breaching duties to shareholders and risking the livelihoods of their employees) and alienating customers tend to be punished in the market place. The most recent examples being those companies that caved to the calls to boycott the NRA. The cited article noted that while favorable views of the companies did not increase, unfavorable views of several of the companies doubled. This will undoubtedly translate into dollars down the road. Conversely, Fed Ex resisted pressure and saw its stock prices go up. I would also note that Delta has jeopardized passage of a bill in Georgia that would have given it tax breaks on jet fuel. Not something to sneeze at considering that its largest hub is the Atlanta airport.

      And we can't forget Dick's Sporting Goods pervasive quest to commit suicide. After the Sandy Hook shooting, as you may remember, Dick's stopped selling AR rifles, but (wink, wink) continued selling at its Field & Stream stores. Now it will stop sales of ARs and full capacity magazines at those stores. While Dick's, which largely caters to the fitness crowd may survive losing the business of hunters and shooters, the Field & Stream stored probably won't fair as well. The president of Dick's claims to be a supporter of the Second Amendment, but his "credentials" for it is that he is an avid shotgunner. I don't mean to insult those who enjoy clays or bird hunting, but I've noticed over the years that public figures who use a shotgun to prove their Second Amendment bona fides, are generally the first to jettison gun rights.

(Update: 3/1/2018 -- corrected typos)

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