Tyrants of the Nanny State: Once the Government Thinks It Understands Best
The government’s bureaucratic attempts at muscle-flexing by way of overregulation and overcriminalization have reached outrageous limits
“ Whether the mask is labeled fascism, democracy, or dictatorship from the proletariat, our great foe remains the apparatus— the bureaucracy, the police, the army. Not the one facing all of us across the frontier of the fight lines, which is not so much our own enemy as our brothers’ enemy, but the one that phone calls itself our protector and makes us its slaves. No matter what the circumstances, the worst betrayal will always be to subordinate ourselves to this apparatus and also to trample underfoot, in its support, all human values in ourselves and in others. ” — Simone Weil, People from france philosopher and political activist
We labor today underneath the weight of countless tyrannies, large and small, performed in the so-called name of the national good by an elite class of governmental and corporate officials who are mostly insulated from the ill effects of the actions.
We, the middling courses, are not so fortunate.
We find ourselves badgered, bullied and browbeaten directly into bearing the brunt of their arrogance, paying the price for greed, suffering the backlash for their militarism, agonizing because of their inaction, feigning lack of knowledge about their backroom negotiations, overlooking their incompetence, switching a blind eye to their misdeeds, cowering from their heavy-handed tactics, and blindly hoping for change that never arrives.
The overt signs of the despotism exercised by the increasingly severe regime that passes itself off as the United States government (and its corporate partners in crime) are all close to us: COVID-19 lockdowns plus vaccine mandates that remove Americans of their freedom associated with movement and bodily sincerity; censorship, criminalizing, shadow banning and de-platforming of individuals who also express ideas that are politically incorrect or unpopular; warrantless surveillance of Americans’ motions and communications; SWAT team raids of Americans’ homes; shootings of unarmed citizens by police; harsh punishments meted out to schoolchildren in the name of zero tolerance; armed drones taking to the skies domestically; endless wars; out-of-control investing; militarized police; roadside strip searches; roving TSA sweeps; privatized prisons with a profit incentive for jailing Americans; fusion centers that spy on, collect and share data on Americans’ personal transactions; and militarized firms with stockpiles of ammo, to name some of the most appalling.
Yet as fancy as these incursions on our legal rights may be, it’s the endless, small tyrannies— the heavy-handed, punitive-laden dictates inflicted by a self-righteous, Big-Brother-Knows-Best bureaucracy on an overtaxed, overregulated, and underrepresented populace— that illustrate so obviously the degree to which “ we the people” are viewed as incapable of common sense, moral view, fairness, and intelligence, not forgetting lacking a basic understanding of methods to stay alive, raise children, or be part of a functioning community.
It could hard to say whether we’re dealing with a kleptocracy (a federal government ruled by thieves), a kakistocracy (a government run by unprincipled career politicians, corporations and thieves that panders to the worst vices in our nature and has little consider for the rights of American citizens), or if we’ve gone straight to an idiocracy .
This certainly is not a constitutional democracy, however.
This overbearing Childcare professional State despotism is what occurs government representatives (those selected and appointed to work to get us) adopt the authoritarian notion that the government understands best and therefore must manage, regulate and dictate almost anything about the citizenry’s public, private and professional lives.
The government’s bureaucratic attempts at muscle-flexing by way of overregulation and overcriminalization reach such outrageous limits that federal and state government authorities now require on penalty of a fine that individuals apply for permission before they can grow exotic orchids, host intricate dinner parties, gather buddies in one’s home to get Bible studies, give espresso to the homeless, let their kids manage a lemonade remain, keep chickens as animals, or braid someone’s hair, as ludicrous as that could seem.
Think about, for example , that businesses within California must at this point designate an area of the kid’s toy aisle “ gender-neutral” or face a fine , whether or not the toys sold are traditionally marketed to young ladies or boys such as Barbies and Hot Wheels. Ca schools are prohibited through allowing students to access websites, novels or religious works that reveal negatively on gays . And while Californians are free to have sex with whomever they choose (because that’s none of the government’s business), removing a condom during sex without consent could make you liable for general, special and punitive damages.
Until a few years ago, Missouri necessary that anyone wanting to braid African-style hair and charge for this must first acquire a govt license, which at least requires the applicant to undertake at least 1500 hours of cosmetology classes costing hundreds and hundreds of dollars . Tennessee has been prepared to good residents nearly $100, 000 just for violating its laws against braiding hair without a government license. In Oregon, the law has been so broad that you needed a license even if you were planning to braid curly hair for free . The simple act of touching someone’s hair could render a cosmetologist operating without a license and in violation of the regulation.
It’s getting worse.
Virtually every aspect of American life today— especially if it is work-related— is subject to this kind of heightened scrutiny and ham-fisted control, whether or not you’re talking about aspiring “ bakers, braiders, casket makers, florists, veterinary masseuses, tour guides, taxi drivers, eyebrow threaders, teeth whiteners, and much more . ”
For instance, whereas 70 years back, one out of every 20 U. S. jobs required a situation license, today, almost 1 in a few American occupations requires a permit .
The problem of overregulation has become so bad that, as one analyst notes, “ getting a license to style hair in Washington takes more training time than becoming an emergency medical technician or a firefighter. ”
This is what happens when bureaucrats run the show, as well as the rule of law gets little more than a cattle prod for forcing the citizenry to march in lockstep with the government.
Overregulation is just the other side of the coin to overcriminalization, that phenomenon in which everything is rendered illegal and everyone becomes a law-breaker.
This is the way of thinking that tried to penalize a fisherman along with 20 years’ jail time for throwing fish that were too small back to the water.
That will same overcriminalization mindset reared its ugly head again when police arrested the 90-year-old man for violating an ordinance that will prohibits feeding the homeless in public except if portable toilets are also provided.
It’s no coincidence that both of these incidents— the fishing debacle as well as the homeless feeding arrest— occurred in Florida.
Despite its pristine seashores and balmy temperatures, California is no less immune towards the problems plaguing the rest of the country in terms of overcriminalization, incarceration rates, bureaucracy, corruption, and police misconduct.
A couple of years back, in fact , Florida authorities authorized police raids upon barber shops in group communities, resulting in barbers getting handcuffed in front of customers, and their shops searched with no warrants. All of this was purportedly done in an effort to make sure that the barbers’ licensing documents was up to snuff .
As if criminalizing fishing, charity, and haircuts wasn’t bad enough, you could also find yourself passing time in the Florida slammer for this kind of inane activities as performing in a public place while wearing a swimsuit, breaking a lot more than three dishes per day, farting in a open public place after 6 evening on a Thursday , and skateboarding without a permit .
In this manner, the Sunshine State is representative of the transformation happening across the nation, where a steady diet associated with bread and circuses has given rise to an ignorant, inactive citizenry content to become ruled over by a good inflexible and highly bureaucratic regime.
The united states has gone from being a beacon of freedom to a secured down nation. And “ we the people, ” deeply in love with the idea that safety, security and material comforts are much better freedom, have allowed the federal government to pave over the Cosmetic in order to erect a focus camp.
The issue with these devil’s bargains, nevertheless , is that there is always a capture, always a price to pay for what ever it is we valued therefore highly as to barter aside our most precious possessions.
We’ve bartered away our right to self-governance, self-defense, privacy, autonomy and that most important right of all— the right to tell the government in order to “ leave me the particular hell alone. ”
In exchange for the promise of an end to worldwide pandemics, lower taxes, decrease crime rates, safe roads, safe schools, blight-free neighborhoods, and readily accessible technologies, health care, water, food and strength, we’ve opened the door in order to lockdowns, militarized police, govt surveillance, asset forfeiture, school zero tolerance policies, permit plate readers, red light cameras, SWAT team raids, health care mandates, overcriminalization, overregulation and government corruption.
In the end, such bargains always turn sour.
We relied within the government to help us safely navigate national emergencies (terrorism, natural disasters, global pandemics, etc . ) only to find yourself forced to relinquish our freedoms on the altar of nationwide security, yet we’re no safer (or healthier) than before.
We asked our congress to be tough on criminal offense, and we’ve been saddled with an abundance of laws that will criminalize almost every aspect of existence. So far, wish up to 4500 criminal laws and 300, 000 criminal regulations that result in typical Americans unknowingly engaging in felony acts at least three times a day. For instance, the family of an 11-year-old girl was issued a $535 fine to get violating the Federal Migratory Bird Act after the young girl rescued a baby woodpecker from predatory cats .
We wanted criminals taken off the particular streets, and we didn’t want to have to pay for their incarceration. What we’ve become is a nation that offers the highest incarceration rate in the world, with more than second . 3 million people locked up , many of them carrying out time for relatively small, nonviolent criminal offenses , and a private jail industry fueling the generate for more inmates, who are required to provide corporations with cheap labor.
A unique report by CNBC breaks down the national numbers:
One out of 100 American adults can be behind bars — whilst a stunning one out of thirty-two is on probation, parole or in prison. This reliance on mass incarceration has created a thriving prison economy. The states as well as the federal government spend about $74 billion a year on modifications, and nearly 800, 1000 people work in the industry.
We wanted law enforcement agencies to get the necessary resources to fight the nation’s wars on terror, crime and drugs. What we got rather were militarized police decked out with M-16 rifles, grenade launchers, silencers, battle tanks and hollowed out point bullets — gear designed for the battleground, more than 80, 000 SWAT team raids carried out every year ( many just for routine police tasks, resulting in losses of life plus property ), plus profit-driven schemes that increase the government’s largesse such as asset forfeiture , where police seize property or home from “ suspected criminals. ”
According to the Washington Post , these funds are already used to buy guns, armored cars, electronic surveillance gear, “ luxury vehicles, travel and a clown named Sparkles . ” Law enforcement seminars advise officers to use their “ department wish list when deciding which property to seize” and, particularly, go after flat screen TVs, cash and nice vehicles.
In Sarasota, where police are no strangers to asset forfeiture, Florida police have been holding out “ reverse” sting operations , where they pose as medication dealers to lure purchasers with promises of cheap crack, then bust them, and seize their cash and cars. Over the course of a year, police in one small Florida city seized close to $6 mil using these entrapment schemes.
We dropped for the government’s promise associated with safer roads, only to find ourself caught in a tangle of profit-driven red light cameras , which solution unsuspecting drivers in the alleged name of road security while ostensibly fattening the coffers of local and state governments. Despite widespread public opposition, corruption plus systemic malfunctions , these cameras— used in twenty-four states plus Washington, DC— are especially popular with municipalities, which turn to them as an easy way of extra cash.
One small Florida town, populace 8, 000, generates a million dollars a year in fines out there cameras. Building on the profit-incentive schemes, the cameras’ producers are also pushing speed cameras and college bus cameras , each of which result in heft penalties for violators who quickness or try to go around school buses.
When i make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries , this is what happens when the American people get duped, deceived, double-crossed, cheated, lied to, conned and conned into believing that the government and its army of bureaucrats— the people we appointed to safeguard our freedoms— actually have our best interests in mind.
Yet whenever all is said and completed, who is really to blame when the wool gets pulled over your eyes: you, for assuming the con man, or maybe the con man for being true to his nature?
It’s time for a bracing dose of reality, The united states.
Wake up and take a good, hard look around you, and ask yourself when the gussied-up version of America being sold to you— criminal offense free, worry free, condition free and devoid of responsibility— is really worth the ticket price: nothing less than your freedoms.
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