Review on Proposition 8 Ruling

Classmates Blog

Wow, I had no idea that Judge Walker overruled the majority. Although I completely support gay marriage, I believe that when the American people speak, they've spoken. He definitely should not have overruled them. This "I know better" attitude is exactly what we need to avoid as our country continues to grow and become more dependent on federal government. If politicians start overruling what we vote for, our country will lapse into tyranny. I total agree with with the Judge says, that banning gay/lesbian marriage is unconstitutional, which might be why he feels like it's okay to overturn the decision of Californians, but he definitely should have gone about it in a more lawful way. With such a close vote and liberal population, it might have been easier and less bloody to call for a revote. Overstepping the constitution and the foundations of American democracy is no way to go about solving another unconstitutional problem. It shows blatant disregard for the system, the constitution and the people of California. His cause is just, but because of the unlawful actions he took, he may have set the gay/lesbian community back even farther.

Possible ramifications may not be good in either camp. Politicians may start to believe that they have more power than they do and start overruling the citizens more frequently. People also might be so enraged by Walker overstepping his bounds that they will vote against the banning of proposition 8, or similar propositions just to "show him" or put him in his place. In any case, as soon as our politicians start thinking it's okay to go against the vote of American citizens our country will go into chaos and we will officially have lost our coveted democracy. No matter how just the cause might be, opposition need to be done the right way so that you can feel good about the victory afterwards and know that the support of the people is behind you. Stealing the crown is no way to become king.

Most people know what they want and if the government goes through the motions of calling a vote, they need to stick with the results.

The Growth of the Federal Government

If Thomas Jefferson could see our country right now, he would undoubtedly be appalled and horrified by the enormity of the federal government presence in citizens' everyday lives. The federal government has gone from an institution worried about stepping on any toes to a huge monopoly trying to worm its way into every system, business and household to gain more power. The reason for this is not because of tyranny - its even more insulting than that. The federal government believes that YOU are not capable of taking care of yourself and wants to be your nanny state. They bail out businesses to gain control, hand out money to gain control and force industries, such as healthcare, under their control. Getting handouts from the federal government may not seem so bad at first glance, after all, who doesn't like getting "free" money? Eventually, we will all be suckling from the tit of the federal government, unable to live our lives without it. The function of the federal government is not to pay our bills or to solve our problems, it is simply to protect our rights. If our rights are protected, then, there's no need to further regulation. We should not depend on the federal government to take care of us, they should simply protect us. They have gained so much assumed power that President Bush assumes it's peachy to listen in on private conversations, FDR thinks he's Robin Hood and Obama thinks he's this big hero for forcing people to buy healthcare. Wiretapping is not okay, federal healthcare is not okay, welfare is not okay. Taking money against the person's will is stealing, especially if it doesn't even benefit them. No, benefitting their morality doesn't count. You have no right to make other people pay for your morals. I would give everything I had to something I supported before I started stealing from others, which I would never do. How many of you who support the taking of other peoples money have given every cent you own to your cause? Stop giving the federal government the power to steal more money from American citizens. Stop letting the federal government expand.

"A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it had earned - this the the sum of good government."

-Thomas Jefferson

Critique on an Opposing View of SB 1070

Link to classmates blog

"Amongst other things states don’t have the power to take immigration enforcement into their own hands. That’s the job of the federal government." I don't recall this type of immigration law being delegated as a federal right in the US Constitution. According to the 10th amendment, any rights not delegated to the federal government are reserved for the states, so, actually, Arizona does have the right to impose their own set of immigration laws. The first clause of the SB even states that, "NO OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A STATE MAY ADOPT A POLICY THAT LIMITS OR RESTRICTS THE ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAWS TO LESS THAN THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY FEDERAL LAW." This is a common misconception and the federal government loves it. They want you to think they have a lot more power than they actually do. An example of this is the healthcare bill passed by president Obama. He mandated that by 2014 all Americans must have some form of healthcare or pay a fine. He has no authority to do this. Texas, among other states, sued the federal government for this unconstitutional law.

Another point of yours that didn't quite settle with me is that you seem to think that Arizona police officers are going to become Mexican hunters. This is not the case. Quoted from SB 1070, "FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE, WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON." Officers will not seek out brown people and demand to see proof of citizenship. The minute they did that to a high-powered Hispanic, the state of Arizona would see a multi-million dollar lawsuit. What the SB 1070 law allows for is requesting proof of citizenship when a crime, such as a robbery, has been committed or, when applying for a job. I wonder if you've even read the SB 1070 or just take what you hear about it for truth. Carrying around proof of citizenship doesn't seem a the nightmare you paint it out to be. I carry my drivers license on me all the times and never once has it bothered me or seemed inconvenient. Pulling out a piece of paper every once and awhile seems like a small price to pay to reduce the number of illegal immigrants. Millions of American tax dollars are going towards putting illegal immigrants through school. I don't see why, if someone want to be in America so badly, that they wouldn't fill out the application and pay the fees. What if they can't afford the fees? I hope they're not moving to America to become a homeless bum, so, if they aren't, their going to have an income which means they can pay the fee and pay taxes. If people want to come to America, they need to do it the right way. Americans shouldn't have to pay for bleeding hearts. I've provided a link to SB 1070