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local government Archive

Wednesday

27

July 2011

0

COMMENTS

This is Why We Have a First Amendment

Written by , Posted in Big Government

If you’re from Gould, Arkansas, the first amendment no longer applies. You must seek permission from the City Council before associating with any of your neighbors in an organized fashion. No doubt they will expect kick-backs and favors in return for their generosity should you seek such permission.

Be careful before starting a Boy Scout troop in Gould, Ark. Or a Harry Potter fan club. Or a baseball team.’

The City Council adopted an ordinance last week making it illegal to form any kind of group without its permission.

That is a clear violation of the Constitution, legal scholars agree. But it is also a sign of just how nasty politics has gotten in Gould, a farming town of 1,100 some 70 miles southeast of Little Rock, where members of the Council have struggled with a local political group that seeks to influence how the town is governed. The mayor, Earnest Nash Jr., also happens to be a member of the political group, the Gould Citizens Advisory Council.

…The advisory council, which calls itself a nonpartisan group that educates voters and raises money for public causes, says it will continue its work. But the Council, in one ordinance, accused the group of “causing confusion and discourse among the citizens” by harshly criticizing local officials at public meetings.

As a result, the City Council said, “No new organizations shall be allowed to exist in the City of Gould without approval from a majority of the City Council.”

The peasants were criticizing their overlords? How uncouth.

Friday

8

April 2011

1

COMMENTS

Government Health Care Leads to Tyranny

Written by , Posted in Big Government, Government Meddling, Health Care, Welfare & Entitlements

Forget all that compelling  wonkish stuff against government sponsored health care, like the third-party-payer problem, regulatory capture or public choice theory. The most compelling argument, and simplest to understand, is that it inevitably leads to tyranny. Once you decide that the health of an individual is of collective interest, and funded by collective dollars, you give that collective the authority to interfere in any individual act which impacts a person’s health, and it turns out that’s just about everything.

To wit (hat-tip: Moonbattery):

Saying that sugary drinks have caused rising obesity among city residents and driven up health care costs, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino today moved to ban the sale, advertising, and promotion of the drinks on all city property.

…The order applies to cafeterias, vending machines, concession stands, and beverages served at meetings, the mayor’s office said.The drinks that will be banned include: non-diet sodas, pre-sweetened ice teas, refrigerated coffee drinks, energy drinks, juice drinks with added sugar, and sports drinks…

Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, said that in the long term, the policy will cut health care costs.

With Obamacare around the corner, this is just the tiniest tip of the iceberg. Under government run health care, nothing is personal any more.

Tuesday

29

March 2011

0

COMMENTS

Too Much Outrage, Too Little Time

Written by , Posted in Big Government, Liberty & Limited Government, The Courts, Criminal Justice & Tort

First, a Delaware man battles big government, which is bravely protecting the peasants from basketball hoops:

More on that story here.

Next, Reason.tv and Radley Balko give the 3 Worst Cases of Police Abuse in 2011:

One particularly egregious case highlighted in the video is the shooting murder of John T. Williams (which actually occurred in 2010), a homeless woodcarver, for carrying a legal knife in a non-threatening manner (the knife was folded closed). The murderer with a badge, Ian Birk, was not charged with any crime despite a finding by the police department that the shooting was “unjustified.” He has since resigned from his position, and one can only hope that society will shun him for the rest of his miserable life. It’s the least of what he deserves.

Sadly, this kind of injustice is all too commonly allowed to occur in the nation’s police forces. Police turn a blind eye to police misconduct. Prosecutors refuse to go after those who they rely on to gather evidence and build their cases, even when they act with such gross disregard for the rights of citizens. Such abuses cannot be separated from the larger problem of big government and its negative impact on the welfare of the country, despite the best efforts of many law and order conservatives to glorify anyone who wears a badge. While there our many fine officers doing their best to uphold the law, the police institutions are more often than not part of the problem and in desperate need of reform.

Sunday

12

September 2010

0

COMMENTS

Local Government Enviro-Wackos Digging Through Your Trash

Written by , Posted in Energy and the Environment, The Nanny State & A Regulated Society

I spend a lot of time looking at the activities of the federal government, and how its grossly unconstitutional behavior impacts individual rights.  Unfortunately, local government are often just as bad, if not worse. Yes, you may still be living in a little tyranny even if Obama is tossed from office.

This Fox News story highlights just the latest example of local government’s Orwellian tendencies, this time in service of  eco-religion and financed by “stimulus” dollars.

In a growing number of cities across the U.S., local governments are placing computer chips in recycling bins to collect data on refuse disposal, and then fining residents who don’t participate in recycling efforts and forcing others into educational programs meant to instill respect for the environment.

…In Dayton, Ohio, chips placed in recycle bins transmit information to garbage trucks to keep track of whether residents are recycling — a program that incensed Arizona Sen. John McCain, who pointed out that the city was awarded half a million dollars in stimulus money for it.

…[I]n Cleveland … the trash police can fine you $100 for not recycling.

Cleveland will run reports on who fails to recycle consistently, and then it will send out the green cops, waste collection commissioner Ronnie Owens told ABC News.