Maine propane dealer to Trump voters: I will no longer be delivering your gas

[jpak]

Source: Bangor Daily News

With temperatures hovering around zero across Maine on Friday, people in Somerset County checking on propane prices may have been greeted with a political message from one dealer.

“If you voted for Donald Trump for president, I will no longer be delivering your gas,” says a voicemail message at Turner LP Gas in Skowhegan. “Please find someone else.”

The company is owned by Michael Turner, who didn’t immediately respond to a message on Friday. But he could be turning away a lot of business, given that the Republican president-elect won Somerset County with 58 percent of votes.

Some cases like this have already garnered national attention after Trump’s win over Democrat Hillary Clinton, including a New Mexico marketing firm that refused to do business with Trump supporters.

<more>

Read more: http://stateandcapitol.bangordailynews.com/2016/12/16/maine-propane-dealer-to-trump-voters-i-will-no-longer-be-delivering-your-gas/

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and so it begins...

[RedWedge]

1. Well, that's useful.

[Buzz cook]

2. As Trump supporters aren't a prtected group

This looks to be perfectly legal.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. But how will he know who those voters are?

Seems like kind of a dumb thing to do with respect to the future health of his business, although I understand the sentiment.

[jpak]

6. Trump yard signs - displayed since September and still there in many cases

Delivery people are well aware of who is who.

[awoke_in_2003]

25. So, if the ones with tRump yard signs...

have children, then we can screw the kids because their parents are idiots.

[jpak]

37. For the record - I think this is stupid

But Trump will screw their children - and not figuratively either.

[awoke_in_2003]

43. Yeah, there is that

and I can understand how the guy feels. I suffer from false awakenings from time to time. I keep hoping I will wake up for real, and tRump really isn't PE.

[paleotn]

67. unfortunatly, yes....

..many will get hurt in Trumpkin's Amurikkka. A few more isn't going to make much difference. My empathy for Trump supporters and their families has run out. I don't give a shit what happens to the wankers.

[adigal]

91. This is why Dems get their clocks cleaned over and over

They can find another delivery man. If they have to pay more, thats too goddamn bad. He has every right to deliver to whom he wants to deliver to. He is a private company. Good for him!!!! If more of us were this brave, the Republicans wouldnt be so damn brazen.

[Buzz cook]

99. Children are a protected group

But that's only a problem if the seller is the only supplier in town. Or if the seller has some other legal obligation to sell to the parents.

[LanternWaste]

106. You believe the children are screwed because the parents are unable to purchase from anyone else?

You believe the children are screwed because the parents are unable to purchase from anyone else? Or simply screwed because the parents have to find another supplier?

[mnhtnbb]

7. He probably made note of customers displaying Trump yard signs.

[dubyadiprecession]

31. What about those mixed political couples?

The wife votes for Hillary and the husband votes for trump. Why make the wife suffer too?

[LanternWaste]

107. I doubt finding another supplier is an example of "suffering."

I doubt finding another supplier is an example of "suffering."

[MADem]

32. They've probably been "sore winnering" him routinely.

He probably knows most of his customers personally.

[ToxMarz]

47. He probably won't have to know

Now they know who he is and will probably not want to buy from him. Mission accomplished.

[hamsterjill]

77. This!!!

I read his statement to mean just that.

[ToxMarz]

81. Maine is not very populous, he's probably the only game in town

So maybe he's sending the message to come and buy your propane and keep your mouth shut, nobody wants to hear your crap.

[hamsterjill]

86. He very well could be.

It's his business and it's his right to run it as he sees fit as long as he isn't breaking the law. And he's not breaking the law.

Personally, I tend to respect someone who has principles and stands up for those principles. Can't believe there are some here criticizing this man.

[FBaggins]

4. Unless he has an obligation to serve a particular area... yes, it should be perfectly legal.

Stupid... but legal.

[duhneece]

94. Thank you for answering the question forming in my head nt

[pangaia]

5. Wrong !!!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. "Wrong"? Meaning what?

I think it's a dumb move that will likely hurt his business, but political affiliation isn't a protected class like gender, race, etc., so he has no legal obligation to provide his services to those voters (unless there is some ordinance or law relating to supplying utilities).

[jberryhill]

17. "wrong" and "unlawful" are two entirely different concepts

Granted, if customers have a variety of ready local vendors to choose from, there's little problem. But I would imagine there can be circumstances in Maine where if someone runs out of propane, they could rapidly be facing a difficult situation.

Legally, there is likely no problem. But some might consider the willful refusal to sell necessities on the basis of political orientation to cross a different set of lines than legal ones.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

20. Of course. I just didn't understand what was meant by the single word,

"wrong." Was the OP wrong, or was the action of the propane supplier wrong? I think it was a dumb move, and it could backfire badly.

[jberryhill]

23. "Wrong" can be a pretty subjective word

It's one of those words like "fair" that gets thrown around a lot.

Everyone has a pretty good working definition of "fair" as a general concept, but there is often quite a number of opinions as to how it applies in specific circumstances.

[wordpix]

53. it's also Trumpian for any smartass interruption

like in the debates when he interjected while HRC was speaking. Wrong! snort!

[7962]

35. Where i live you only have ONE choice for electricity,

and only recently did the rules change for gas, allowing others into the area

[eggplant]

72. I assume "gas" in your area means natural gas, not propane.

Propane is common in the northeast, and is delivered by truck, and either pumped from a tanker trunk into a permanent tank, or swapped out via exchangeable giant gas-grill-like tanks. There is no monopoly surrounding LP gas anywhere around here. It's actually quite competitive. It's not like electric or natural gas, which require permanent connections to the supplier.

[adigal]

92. Too bad - let them call another deplorable from further away and pay more

Do those here taking this man to task understand that Trump and his supporters HATE us and want to put Muslims in camps and round up kids who were brought here as infants and ship them back to a country they have never seen? And destroy education, the enviroment, civil rights, labor gains, gay rights, birth control for women.

Fuck them. Put another blanket on your bed, and pay someone else to come from further away. We are under no obligstion to help you anymore.

[jberryhill]

95. Lol

[pangaia]

42. Not the right thing to do, in my opinion.

[shadowrider]

65. Let me ask you an honest question

Since political affiliation isn't a protected class, based on this propane incident, is it now ok for a baker or florist to refuse services for a gay wedding, not because the people are gay, but because they voted for Hillary? (political affiliation).

Personally, I can see this guy running into some pretty serious financial problems in the near future. Keeping people warm, regardless who they voted for, is the right thing to do. It's called being human.

[ffr]

8. I'm just about there. Their smugness is sickening.

But I'm gearing up for a lot of laughter as the housing market is already signalling panic, signs of 2005-2006.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. Bad business practice. Regardless, here's the law:

Last edited Fri Dec 16, 2016, 05:59 PM - Edit history (2)

The Maine Human Rights Act - Maine.gov

Best policy: anticipate bad times to come. Yes, hard to imagine with someone who is "like a smart guy" in office, but stranger things have happened.

When a ***** supporter calls at 2 a.m. for an emergency call, show up promptly and courteously. "Yes sir; we'll be right over."

But also have this painted on the sides and back of your truck:

"Don't blame me. I voted with the majority."

[ck4829]

11. Maybe they should go south and join Michael Flynn in the hunt for secret Muslim signs on the border

Don't have to worry about being cold down there.

[Leghorn21]

51. Oh snap, ck!

There appear to be other choices in the area for propane:

http://www.b2byellowpages.com/co/888998999/gas-propane-in-somerset-me.html

..and I can really feel how this proprietor is just insane and had enough right now...just...you know, e n o u g h

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

12. Good for him.

Given that Trump supporters are taking this election to mean it's okay to insult and assault anyone who doesn't look exactly like them, this is no less than what they deserve.

[sarisataka]

13. I hope those supporting this

were equally supportive of the businesses refusing to sell supplies to the NDAPL protestors...

It may be the right of businesses to refuse service to groups of people who are not in a protected class but that does not mean it is the right thing to do.

[7962]

36. Well stated nt

[Chemisse]

73. I totally agree.

And it is a way to stifle freedom of political thought. There should not be reprisals for voting.

[DemoTex]

14. If I dealt in a highly incendiary product (like propane) ..

I'd think twice about pissing off a basket of deplorables. Or a half-basket, for that matter. Take their money, cover your costs, and donate the rest to a worthy blue cause.

[Demobrat]

15. I'm sure the Trump voters have lots of other choices

and would rather not do business with a dirty commie liberal anyway. So everybody's happy.

[barbtries]

22. you must be right.

i really don't blame the dude. i have to work with republicans and trump voters and it causes stress for me.

[Demobrat]

39. Absolutely

I have to also. If I had a choice I wouldn't. I don't have a choice. This guy does.
More power to him.

[kacekwl]

46. trump will pass a law all by himself

to allow propane to be sold across state lines because that solves all problems.

[Leith]

16. Not a Good Thing to Do

But I understand the sentiment.

The owner should look out, too. Trumpanzees get pretty vicious if not placated 24/7.

[onenote]

18. I understand it but can't get behind it

Not a fan of applauding actions like this that would be met with howls of outrage here if/when done to us.

[leftofcool]

69. I agree. Imagine an old widow Trump voter who needs her propane for the winter

[RedWedge]

19. As someone who lives in a rural area whose options are VERY limited when it comes to purchasing fuel

oil, I find actions like this bizarre, unhelpful and needlessly divisive. Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's good.

[barbtries]

21. i find i can no longer order from my avon lady

after she showed up one day with a huge trump/pence button on her jacket.

found me another.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. I didn't know Avon ladies still existed.

I don't think I've seen one since the mid '60s, when one came by and handed out little lipstick samples and tiny vials of perfume that damn near took the paint off the walls. Mom always gave me the lipstick samples, which I didn't use because they were usually violent shades of red that made me look like a child hooker. I thought the Avon Lady had gone the way of the Fuller Brush Man.

[barbtries]

29. no, still around.

my new one sells only through her web page though.

i love my Avon

[jberryhill]

74. Do they still sell "skin so soft" with a wink,

There was this thing about their skin lotion being the world's best mosquito repellant, but they weren't allowed to market it as a mosquito repellant, but they'd do it in an inferential way. Like... "now in convenient travel size for vacationing, camping, the beach, digging the Panama Canal, or going on patrol in the Mekong delta" or "discover the secret of skin so soft!"

[jberryhill]

45. Sounds like she was a real ding dong

(Note to jury: if you are under around 50 years old and unfamiliar with the history of Avon marketing, the correct vote is "leave it&quot

[barbtries]

75. she's a very sweet lady

swallowed up by the cult i presume.

[jberryhill]

89. Which cult? Republicans or Avon?

https://m.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

90. I'm laughing. I don't get to do that much lately. Thanks. NT

[wordpix]

58. I'm avoiding a good R friend who voted for Orange for sure

We stopped talking about the election after she wailed on HRC for no reason and said she supported Trump. That was probably in spring. I did not want to see her when the election was going on. And now I feel the same way.

[C Moon]

24. Believe me, I understand his frustration, but that is a strange way to run a business.

[unblock]

33. believe me, i've seen far wackier.

especially in sole proprietorships, and especially when the owner is close enough to retiring to not give a damn.

i used to live near a commercial race track that was in use on 12 saturdays the entire year, weather permitting. the real estate was valuable but the owner didn't care even though the revenue from racing probably didn't even cover his property taxes, never mind the upkeep. nothing changed until he died and his heirs sold the property.

i currently work near a several acre property in the middle of the downtown commercial district that's been vacant for nearly two decades. the owner could be making a fortune if he even just paved it and turned it into a parking lot, never mind an office building.

anyone who says poorly run businesses just go away is, at best, speaking in a general sense. there are plenty of counter-examples.



in this case, it may not be so wacky. hell, foxnews essentially tells liberals to eff off every day.

this guy might get a lot of democratic customers from the publicity he's getting, so who knows.

[C Moon]

48. I guess I'm just not used to this sort of thing from "our side."

Thanks for the examples.

[ZoomBubba]

27. I'm not sure what he hopes to accomplish ...

... politics is one thing and having money to keep your business going and a roof over your head is another. I don't see any good to mixing the service industry with politics in regards to customers.

Plus, it's probably going to generate more negative publicity for Democrats than Republicans. They can basically say "look at this guy, denying old people gas to warm their homes because he disagrees with their politics, shame on him." It just kind of makes one look petty.

[muntrv]

28. Conscience clause at work against reich wingers who support cc.

[PatSeg]

30. Sounds like something a republican would do

And there are many who have tried this sort of thing. Not a good idea.

[Bud359]

34. So how is a propane saleman supposed to know how a particular house voted?

This will cost the guy a lot of business. It's stupid. Time to go on with life and battle the Screaming Cheeto in the battlefield of ideas.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

38. The bumper sticker, the NRA window display, the Confederate flag. nt

[EX500rider]

87. "the NRA window display"

NRA membership is not exclusively GOP.

About 73 percent identify with or lean toward the Republican Party. So almost 30% are not.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

88. Well, I never said the "propane punishment" would be meted out fairly or accurately.

The propane guy is nuts, mixing business with his personal political views. Nobody should have to go cold, just because of how they voted.

[ReverendHeretic]

97. Ahem. Metered out.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

101. Ha! Yes, that too. nt

[truthisfreedom]

40. I've looked deep inside and I have absolutely no opinion about this.

None whatsoever.

Heh.

[blue sky at night]

41. if you think of what it means to be a sellout....

this guy D O E S N ' T fit...glad to hear about someone who has the MORAL fortitude to stand up for whats right...he will be punished though. I sent an email to the Electors and now I am getting garbage emails back with malware and bugs and general bullshit! Don't open anything you suspect is total BS, like a notice from the IRS or a Hotel Reservation Confirmation that you didn't make. FUCKERS!

[AlexSFCA]

44. this is wrong

[NBachers]

49. Trumpcicles!

[TeamPooka]

50. Republicans are all about "rugged individuality" and survival of the fittest so they'll be fine

can't have that socialist propane safety net helping them can we?

[wordpix]

52. He's a patriot but how long can he do that and survive?

The Dem businessmen in my small town would NEVER do that.

[Demobrat]

54. He obviously thinks he doesn't need their business.

Maybe he doesn't.

[resistance2016]

55. Good.

Trump voters want me to die and would gladly kill me if they could get away with it, so I have NO problem with someone refusing them service. It is NOT the same thing as refusing to bake a cake for a gay couple... because gays don't go around killing people.

[wordpix]

57. if Trump gives the word, I have no doubts

some would do it. I mean, is this where we're headed? We need to stand up but I am getting old, can't do the travel/standing/walking routine of a big march anymore. I do "other" now.

[Ilsa]

56. Keep the customers. Take their money.

Look for ways to legally screw them over.

[Demobrat]

60. Maybe he has more customers than propane

and has to make decisions around who gets how much. This makes it easy.

[Ilsa]

61. That works!

Let the trumpers freeze their asses off or pay more for a distributor from another region.

[Initech]

59. And that's how Civil War II starts.

[LanternWaste]

108. No. It's merely how half-wits are forced to find another propane supplier.

No. It's merely how half-wits are forced to find another propane supplier.

[Initech]

111. Hank Hill?

[LonePirate]

62. If I lived in Maine, he would be my exclusive source of propane. We need to support people like him.

[olddad56]

63. I have a person who has cut my hair for years..

very nice, very good, very sweet person. Last time I saw her, she told me how great Tramp was going to make America and how surprised and pleased I would be. Sadly, that was my last haircut from her.

[hamsterjill]

78. I am doing the same thing.

I don't spend my money at any business where I know Trump supporters benefit. One local veterinarian lost my (sizeable) business by displaying a Republucan sign. I thought that was ridiculous for an animal doctor to do. I'll just quietly be going elsewhere.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

102. As a customer, this is your right. ...

... I think she would be wrong to refuse to cut your hair because you drove a car with a Clinton bumper sticker.

On the other hand, if you want a really nice orange comb-over ...

[bucolic_frolic]

64. Serves them right, no more gaslighting

[mercuryblues]

66. Personally

I wouldn't do that. I would however toy with the idea of charging them more. When they tried to pay through LIHEAP, I would refuse it. That is a government program.....

[No Vested Interest]

68. This is likely a personal issue with the propane dealer;

he has engaged with the Trump voters and they have irritated him so much he doesn't want to see or be near them again.

Perfectly understandable.
Though, my Dad, who owned a small business believed one should not mix business and politics. But that was a different era.

[WhiteTara]

70. I won't give any Trump voters my money.

I might take theirs though.

[keithbvadu2]

71. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Fool! Fool! Fool!

[LanternWaste]

109. It's convenient to call acting on the courage of one's own conviction "stupid,"

It's convenient to call acting on the courage of one's own conviction "stupid," regardless of how many exclamation points one uses.

[keithbvadu2]

113. He is hurting his own business.

Wonder how many Trump supporters will now boycott him?

[baldguy]

76. Businesses should stay out of politics. Period.

If you hang your shingle out, you should take all comers who are willing to pay for your service.

[complain jane]

79. Sounds impulsive

and he can't follow through since he has no idea of knowing who voted for who, so kinda silly.

[Vinca]

80. Given the life-threatening ramifications of extreme cold,

it would be more humane if he tacked on a "Trump surcharge." We don't want to be as bad as they are.

[dicksmc3]

82. AW come on!

I believe there are many pissed off Americans just like me but, let's talk straight. How can anyone believe that you turn away customers wanting propane gas just because they voted for Trump?? It is too cold and I don't agree with this move. Please reconsider your message for all you customers. Give them a Christmas gift by delivering the propane with a smile and tell them THANKS FOR YOUR BUSINESS! I think we can do other things than try to hurt our neighbors and friends with this kind of action. PLEASE MR. TURNER show people you care about them and not the politics of Trump...

[adigal]

93. Yes, lets be good little Germans and just smile and serve those who want

Muslims in camps, and Dreamers deported, and gay people re-educated through shock therapy, and women to be ale to get fired for using birth control. Because we Dems just cant stand taking a stand against hatred, tyranny and injustice. Someone might not like us!!!!!!!!!

We'd rather plead and whine for them to be niiicccceeeeee to us as they march my neighbors off to camp.

THIS is why we get out teeth kicked down our throats over and over and over. We need to find a spine, really, stop being so goddamn wimpy, and stand up against the thigs who voted for and support Trump.

[LanternWaste]

110. If we're talking straight, what specifically leads you to believe his is the only area business supp

If we're talking straight, what specifically leads you to believe his is the only area business supplying propane keeping the town warm?

[yuiyoshida]

83. SO wait..HOW WOULD HE EVEN KNOW if someone voted for Trump, its

not likely gonna be on their client list.

[yurbud]

84. Easy: white folks who don't pay their bills, and then call HIM a loser

[yuiyoshida]

85. okay, i was gonna suggest that maybe

He took notes about who had TRUMP signs in their front lawns...that would be easy to do, and maybe that's how he figured out who voted for who.

[dembotoz]

96. so exactly how is this different than the bakery that refuses gays

i have no problem with an individual making a choice...hell i do not shop at hobby lobby or chick fila

bus a business is a business and should not discriminate

[djg21]

98. It's a free country.

A business can elect to do business, or not to do business, with anyone it wants so long as a refusal to deal is not for an unlawful purpose, i.e., discriminatory, anticompetitive, etc.

Sexual preference is a protected class for purposes of discrimination; political ideology is not, at least in most states.

It's a free market economy too. If the original propane business won't sell to dumbfucks, another dumbfuck can enter the market and sell to those who aren't being served by the first business.

[agalisgv]

100. Many who voted for Trump don't even admit it

They are too embarrassed. And they should be.

[oneshooter]

103. If the positions were reversed.

How would you feel, not getting any gas to cook and heat with? Would you still support it?

[oegthe]

104. ONE propane dealer

Do you really think he's the ONLY propane dealer for this area? There's nothing to indicate that he is. We don't know that he would have made this decision had been the only dealer. As was discussed upthread, propane is not like other utilities.

[oneshooter]

105. So your position is that it does not matter.

If it was you being cut off from supply, then you would find another, even if it costs more?

[Orsino]

112. I wouldn't want to have to drive a truckload of anything flammable...

...anywhere near a Trump household.