Most of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world
--Tears for Fears
Some folks claim that the Kanji symbol for crisis is a combination of danger plus opportunity, altho my Chinese friends tell me this is not true. Politicians, however, certainly grasp the crisis/opportunity relationship. The poly sci axiom is that people are willing to cede power to government in times of perceived threat. Politicians are eager to exploit this.
We saw it after 9/11 with the Bush administration ignored Constitutional boundaries w.r.t. the war on terror and individual privacy. Both the Bush and Obama administrations expanded government power during the credit meltdown. And now we see the Obama administration seeking control over oil and gas production in conjunction with the Gulf spill. It's a bipartisan effort, for sure.
The Court has been complicit in this mischief, routinely looking the other way as the federal government continually oversteps its authority. As such, it was good to see that New Orleans judge toss out the drilling moratorium.
Perhaps that's a start.
no positions
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
![[Most Recent Quotes from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/charts/metals/gold/t24_au_en_usoz_2.gif)
2 comments:
You know I like to avoid commenting here because I'm out of my depth, but I have to say one thing. The judge who issued this ruling has a financial interest in the oil industry. I think that makes him a SIG. I'm not sure that his ruling was a victory for liberty or an example of self-interest. I don't know, Matt, but it smells a bit funky to me. I mean, when you comment here and elsewhere, you're transparent about your investments.
Katie
So, wade into deeper water:-) Comments/exchange can help the learning process. I know it helps me...
For example, didn't know about financial interest of judge. Of course, we've had an interested Court for some time (same for Legislative, Exec branches). Pretty much a SIG system. Would be nice if all disclosed those interests as part of rulings/decisions, wouldn't it?
That said, the judge's documented ruling here seems to make good pts about 'overreaching' nature of the moratorium. I wish someone would have stepped up w/ similar rulings during previous crises (9/11, economic).
We keep letting gov't declare martial law in the name of security on the back of every crisis. More folks appear to be waking up to the fact that, when we do that, we give away freedom that's hard to reclaim. Founders clearly understood that during Constitutional debates.
People seem to be asking this question more often: "Do I want to be safe, or do I want to be free?"
Seems a fundamental question to be asking.
Post a Comment