Abuse of Power vs. FEDERALISM: Authoritarians Rising – by Jim Bratten

Some state governors don’t practice federalism, but crow as if they do. They are actually authoritarian opportunists – abusing their power over state populations, under threat of retribution. The scent of power and control over others is strong and some inhale it deeply, even violating their citizens’ basic rights.

Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson recently interviewed Democrat Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey, where the unemployed now number 575,000. Murphy saw no need to loosen his statewide lockdown “until the virus is completely defeated” (that is, zero infections). Asked why no other virus is treated this way, the governor had no answer for Carlson.

Murphy kept liquor stores and pot shops open, but closed down churches and synagogues. Carlson asked, “On what scientific basis did you decide that sitting in a church is more dangerous than shopping in a liquor store?” (People in New Jersey have been arrested for going to church.) Carlson added, “By what authority did you nullify the Bill of Rights by issuing this order? How do you have the power to do that?”

Murphy responded sarcastically that he forgot to check the Bill of Rights before he restricted the freedom of religion in New Jersey. “That’s above my pay grade, Tucker. I wasn’t thinking of the Bill of Rights when we did this.” He explained that he discussed the action with “faith leaders in New Jersey” before making the decision. Murphy said he called Cardinal Joe Tobin in Newark about drive-through communion, acting as if he was being magnanimous to believers. He assured Tucker, “We just have to find a different way to worship,” since people must “stay separated.”

As reported on NJ.com April 1, “Police in Newark, Orange, East Orange and Irvington will stop drivers to ask where they’re going. Drivers will face summonses if they are violating the governor’s order…” Will the residents have to file travel plans with the state prior to running errands? And how can Governor Murphy be certain that the 15 congregants arrested and charged for worshipping in a New Jersey synagogue will “stay separated”?

Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan is another authoritarian opportunist; a radical activist pretending to govern a state. Her “decrees” became more and more abusive as she gradually tightened restrictions; each “stay at home” order was more severe than the last. One can buy food or medicine, but don’t buy seed to plant your tomatoes or paint for your home. That leaky faucet can wait until the virus is tamed sometime in 2022. She banned nonessential (elective) medical procedures like joint replacement, hernia surgery and the like, but gave abortion facilities a green light to continue their “procedures” because, she said, their operations were “life-sustaining.”

In response, April 15 saw a massive demonstration in the Michigan capital of Lansing, one of many across the nation. Thousands of vehicles filled with irate citizens waved flags and signs, creating a logjam on the streets of the city and sending an unmistakable message to Whitmer.

Governor Larry Hogan, Maryland Republican, released hardened criminals to the streets because he feared that felons could be in danger of Wuhan flu virus infection while incarcerated. Then Hogan turned up his authoritarianism a notch and issued ridiculous fines to formerly law-abiding citizens, like a $5,000 penalty for not wearing a mask in a supermarket.

Unlike governors Murphy and Whitmer, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and others are anxious to open their states. And the smart governors who did not shut down their states but targeted specific areas seem to understand two things: 1) Government spending can’t stimulate anything; and 2) Federalism doesn’t mean governors with states in a crisis can demand that the federal government pay for their financial mistakes or let them abuse the Bill of Rights.

 

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