A big waste of time

It would be hard to imagine a more trivial use of a state lawmaker's time than to push a bill outlawing the sale of foreign-made U.S. flags. That, however, is exactly what has happened lately in some parts of the country, including Utah's neighbor to the south, Arizona.

There, according to an Associated Press account published in this newspaper, public schools and colleges now must be equipped with American flags, and those flags have to have been made in the United States. In Minnesota, anyone selling a foreign-made version of the Stars and Stripes can be jailed for up to 90 days and fined up to $1,000.

The irony in all of this is too stark to miss. The United States is the world's strongest economy today precisely because it has embraced economic freedom. Whoever can appeal to consumers — using the best price, superior quality, advertising or any other tactic that works — will make the most money. In more recent times, the United States has worked hard to push this principle internationally, entering free-trade agreements and reducing barriers to competition.

Imprisoning people who try to give customers the best deal on a flag sounds immoral on its face. It also is evidence of a complete lack of trust in the principles of freedom and enterprise.

A number of flag-shop owners, interviewed in recent days, have said they voluntarily impose rules requiring all their U.S. flags to be domestically made. This is, at its heart, an emotional issue. No one wants to unfurl a flag on the Fourth of July and see a "Made in China" sticker attached. So good business people will buy locally made flags and make a point of advertising that fact.

They certainly don't need the state government to threaten them with jail time if they do otherwise. That sounds a lot more like something one of those un-American, totalitarian countries would do.

Unfortunately, emotions carry a lot of weight in political circles. It's hard to campaign against a domestic flag bill. But then, a lot of the principles behind freedom — whether they involve speech, religion or the need to obtain a warrant before conducting a search — can be made unpopular in the wrong emotional context.

We're glad Utah has stayed above this foreign-flag nonsense. We hope that record continues.