Privilege and abusing the law


If this is "government as usual," then let the government fail and good riddance

At least someone is honest enough to admit it. Emphasis added.

The death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy is raising concerns about the future of programs he championed that benefited the state’s major employers, particularly in the fields of health care, higher education, and technology.

Hospitals, universities, life sciences companies, and research centers - which together provide hundreds of thousands of jobs in the state - all were accustomed to turning to Kennedy for help.

As chairman of the Senate committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, he was in an ideal position to deliver on their requests for assistance. And as a powerful member of the Armed Services Committee, he defended and promoted the state’s technology-based defense sector.

“He kind of protected us in a sense,’’ said Thomas Glynn, chief operating officer of Partners HealthCare, which includes Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “The question is five years from now will [hospitals] be getting as much money as they would if he were alive. I doubt it.’’

This is political patronage about one step removed from the mob and about three steps removed from feudalism. Pay protection money or campaign funds and get special benefits under the law.

Of course, the Kennedy's aren't the only one to play this game. Obama's auto maker "bailout" was an example of the same thing. Or Mattel getting exemptions from the newly required thrid-party safety tests for toys.

All this undermines the uniform rule of law.

Good law exists to protect individual choice and the free exchange of goods and services, so long as that choice and exchange do not interfere with another.

Anything else takes away freedom from someone to grant privilege to someone else, enforced at the point of a gun.

You know, that is so important, I probably should have said something before. After all, if someone should be exempted from the law, that's a sign that the law itself is bad and shouldn't apply to anyone. Law can be corrupted pretty easily, especially without a uniform system of law to protect individual rights from the actions of government. It's a "devil's bargain" when government can play one group against another and it always comes with strings. There is no doubt that the only thing worse than exemptions to the law are selective exemptions to the law. Give government an inch and it will shatter the uniform rule of law before you can draw your next breath, then blame someone else. Yep, the uniform rule of law is so important I can't believe I forgot to mention it. You shouldn't either.

For now, just remember this. Every single time the government intervenes to give special privilege or exemptions, it costs in you and me freedom.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Tue - September 1, 2009 at 03:35 PM  Tag


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