Political Class Dismissed

Two new bills introduced and supported by vast throngs of Republican state legislators illustrate precisely why there is little difference between Democratic and Republican politicians. One bill supported by George Maziarz will create an online database for prescription drugs that will be accessible to large numbers of bureaucrats, cops, pharmacies and medical staff throughout the state and possibly beyond.

I will not waste much time or energy explaining why this is an odious bill. Suffice it to say, it represents a massive increase in government power over the individual, involves a massive invasion of medical privacy, creates a brand new government agency, imposes unfunded mandates on doctors, increases the cost of health care, and worst of all, like all other progressive (pejorative term) legislation, contains the seeds of ever further government expansion to solve the problems created by the first intervention. Not only will state Republicans vote for this nauseating bill but they are proud to do so and actively seeking praise and credit for doing so.

The second bill is sponsored by former Democrat, former Liberal Party nominee and all-around progressive (bad sense) big government Republican, Pat Gallivan (whom did all I could to defeat in 2010.). This new law, will, in effect, repeal the ancient principle of mens rea (guilty mind) when it comes to leaving the scene of an accident while intoxicated. In the Dr. Corasanti trial, the jury issued a courageous and correct verdict of acquittal on the felony counts. Gallivan, in direct insult to the numerous constitutional principles at work in the case—right to trial by jury, right to counsel, right to confront witnesses, due process (notice, opportunity to be heard, impartial tribunal), presumption of innocence, and proof beyond a reasonable doubt—feels that he needs to somehow shake up the Founders’ system and improve upon it. Gallivan doesn’t have a clue what he is talking about or doing. He is merely trying to create some re-election buzz after a lackluster term in Albany.

Worse yet, he wants to repeal mens rea, part of the Ancient Rights of Englishmen that form the core of the Bill of Rights in America. Mens rea is a principle of liberty in that it restricts the power of the state to punish people. People may not be punished unless they had a “guilty mind.” This is just a horrendous piece of legislation.

But my immediate point is this. Here are two pieces of legislation that increase government power and reduce individual liberty and yet both are the handiwork of Republicans who constantly tell us at election time that government is too big and powerful and that they will shrink it and at all times respect the Constitution and the limited government it seeks to create. With friends like this, we don’t need any enemies.

As my forthcoming book will explain in detail, people like Maziarz and Gallivan are in fact progressives, believers at a deep philosophical or subconscious level, in government as the solution to all our problems. Progressivism is the political program of pragmatism, the belief that there are no fixed or firm principles. Truth is what works. Words do not represent reality in any sense but are mere tools to manipulate people into doing what we want. That’s why people like Gallivan and Maziarz say one thing and do another. Their words are not intended to describe reality or truth but merely manipulate the gullible GOP masses into voting for these big government crusaders over and over again.