by Doug Bandow

About the author: Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., that promotes individual liberty and limited government.

Puritans have long been viewed as people who couldn’t stand the thought of anyone anywhere having a good time. The original Puritans really weren’t that way, but, today, the world seems full of such killjoys.

For instance, in Dallas, the local Starplex amphitheater has sold naming rights to United Distillers & Vintners (UDV), a unit of Britain’s Diageo PLC that controls one-fifth of the U.S. distilled spirits market. Local activists are in an uproar.

A multitude of stadiums and other entertainment facilities have sold their identities. As did the 20,000-seat music complex, Dallas’ largest...