However, after a friend scoffed at me for saying that an America that would stand for compelling a pro-life conscience to pay for an abortion-inducing drug would stand for absolutely anything the government cared to try, I decided to begin to enumerate all the strikes against the Declaration and Constitution we now passively tolerate.
Here's a question. In what way is crony capitalism carried to the extremes listed below distinct from outright fascism?
My scoffing friend would look at this list and say, "Well, Obama didn't start it. He didn't appoint the first czar, etc...." That's fine. Doesn't change the fact this must be opposed.
Like the Wholly Owned Subsidiary post, I intend to re-run this periodically with updates.
Bypassing the Constitution
- Illegal use of recess appointments in four instances. (I've been a supporter of crafty use of recess appointments in the face of a recalcitrant Senate. That's not my objection. This is abuse of the rule, as liberal Jonathan Turley explains at the link.)
- 33 "czars" not confirmed by the Senate. (Some "czars" are more offensive than others. Sometimes the term "czar" is a nickname for a duly appointed position, but the "special assistants to the President" given authority over, eg, corporate benefits packages and climate change rules represent executive power grabs.)
- Administration argues that government decides who is a Church minister and what essential teaching is. (Defeated unanimously at SCOTUS, but they seriously argued this! And indeed the HHS mandate discussed below is simply a regulatory declaration of same: gov't decides who is religious, what constitutes a religious act, and what is essential Church teaching.)
- Upon re-election, "space" to screw Poland.
- Compels citizens to buy a product on government say-so.
- Caps & rations care to medicare patients through unelected IPAB Boards, which the President can stack through recess appointment according to CRS. (More.)
- Compels 90% of insurance plans to pay for abortion. , and all Americans in those plans to pay for abortion from their pockets as a direct collaboration in abortion w/ no opt-out.
- Compels the remaining (religious) insurance plans to pay for abortion-inducing drugs, elective sterilizations and contraceptive pills and devices. (In spite of Hosanna v. Tabor, this mandate likewise asserts government control over what constitutes religious activity. "Religious" group defined as one which exists to teach doctrine and employs, serves only co-religionists.)
- Colleges & universities also covered by abortion drug mandate.
- You don't need no stinkin' mammogram!
- You don't need no stinkin' pap smear!
- But making you pay for your own contraception constitutes a war on women
- Federal power grab in education: standardized curriculum, national standards though they are forbidden by law.
- It's illegal to help a friend with his taxes.
Now, in an outrageous and unlawful power grab, the Internal Revenue Service seeks to control who you may hire to prepare your tax returns and even to nudge you toward a large tax preparation firm by eliminating many of their independent competitors. It has enacted a sweeping new licensing scheme that affects an estimated 350,000 tax professionals nationwide.
- Every publicly accessible pool, including hotels and spas, must install a wheelchair lift or ramp, even though their aren't enough lifts in the country to install in every pool.
- EPA sues the Sacketts for building on a wetland their own map shows is not a wetland.
- Federal lunch inspectors.
- FDA shuts down Amish farm. (Note: FDA! Not a state or local agency. Armed raid of a private citizen's farm.) (Related: Michigan state gov't stages armed raids on pig farms)
- Labor Dept. forbids farmers to assign farm chores to their children (yet has NO problem assigning them trillions of $$ of their parents' debt to work off).
- Armed raids on Gibson guitar company, for no reason other than the company owners donate to the GOP.
- Marine biologist faces 20 years in prison for whistling at a whale to be able to watch it longer.
- DoJ prosecutes pro-life protestors [and loses!].
- Government sues Arizona over immigration law.
- Government sues states that pass voter id laws.
- Government refuses to prosecute voter intimidation case against New Black Panthers.
EPA "crucifying" oil and gas companies.
