Tempe Arizona Needles Tattoo Shop

Given the tumultuous times we live in, it is good to know the city council of Tempe, Arizona is keeping its priorities in order.

Tom Preston and his wife, Elizabeth, have operated a tattoo shop in Mesa for fourteen years, and there have been no complaints or problems.

There was an opportunity to lease a building in Tempe on Scottsdale Road, and they looked into expanding their business.

A hearing officer gave them the green light, so they signed a five year lease and sunk $30,000 into the new business.

But then the neighborhood association got into the act. Neighborhood Associations can be good when they lobby for such things as sidewalks and bicycle lanes. But they can also be royal pains in the ass. They will do such things as get zoning ordinances enacted which prohibit the placement of gnomes in your front yard, and they always frown on decent parties.

The neighborhood association lodged a complaint with the city council. One of the more vocal members of the association was Nancy Hickman, who owns a plumbing store in the area.

Mrs. Hickman said "It's going to look like another skid row if we let this kind of business come in.”

Now really, does Mrs. Hickman, and the rest of the association, think their sixteen year old daughters headed off to skid row to get their slut marks?

Not one comment at the hearing was specifically critical of the Prestons, or their business practices. They just didn't want any inking in their their little neighborhood.

Never mind that everyone from construction workers to police officers have tattoos. Preston even said he has given tattoos to Mormon kids preparing to go on a mission. I wonder if any of Mitt's kids have tats.

Yes, even Republicans have tattoos:



So you see Tempe, it really is not quite like applying for a permit to open a brothel with an accompanying opium den.

Actually, the hearing examiner found no evidence the shop would cause any neighborhood deterioration or degradation of property values.

Indeed, the tattoo parlor is expected to generate more than $200,000 a year for the Tempe economy.

Once again, this demonstrates how prone we are these days to cater to the whims of the loudest and stupidest among us. There are other tattoo shops in Tempe. It was just that this little band of ignoramuses didn't want it in their backyard. And the city council was all too eager to please them.

Should a lesbian bar and grill be able to stop a guy from opening a Christian bookstore across the street?

The city council's denial is a a classic example of the infringement of our economic liberties by local governments. These little tyrants will all too often deny an individual the right to their livelihood, solely because of their personal feelings, rather than the rule of law.

The conservative Goldwater Institute has gone to bat for the Prestons, and filed a lawsuit against Tempe.

I hope the court gives the city council a good kick in the ass.

After all, the constitution was written with indelible ink.