“You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.” — Ayn Rand
It’s not often I agree with President Joe Biden, but when he said on Dec. 27, speaking of COVID-19 just before a meeting with some of the nation’s governors: “There is no federal solution. This gets solved at a state level.”
I totally agree. Good for him, the Bill of Rights 10th Amendment states “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” The Constitution, Article 1 Section 8, allows the federal government to regulate commerce with foreign nations and between the states, so things like air travel between nations and states is a federal responsibility, however opening or closing schools or restaurants is not.
Our President’s remarks may have been a gaffe or scripted, it is hard to tell, but I am glad to see him say it, the federal overreach is troubling, always fed by an emergency real or not, like 911 or COVID-19. Most on the left are pleased with the federal COVID-19 restrictions, most on the right not so much. Public health laws good for Hawaii may not be good for Alaska, even in Alaska what is good for Anchorage, an international city, may not be good for Utqiagvik, formerly Point Barrow 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
One interesting fact that came from the study of government authority during the COVID-19 flareup is that local boards of education draw their juris from the state laws, thus they are a state entity, local folks elect them, but state law controls them. The federal government wishing to punish parents from speaking our needed to invoke the Patriot Act to investigate them, federal tax dollars being withheld is the cudgel used to enforce federal policies on local school boards, arguably in violation of our Constitution.
The founders, those old dead white guys, were smart when they added restriction on the federal government in the Bill of Rights, let’s hope the current makeup of the Supreme Court at least stops the charge towards an all-knowing all-powerful federal government, one that controls us from before birth to after death. The federal pregnancy discrimination act and the tax laws that tax the dead are but two examples of this.
The COVID-19 virus has taxed our health care system and our patience, the CDC that has been schizophrenic at best, disjointed and highly political and limitedly helpful at best points to the inefficiency of a federal response to a state/local issue.
An article on the Association of American Medical Colleges WEB Site states: “Early in the pandemic, some of the answers provided by public officials — who were scrambling to track the disease as it overwhelmed health systems — fed skepticism. Last April, Deborah Birx, MD, coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, when asked about people who have COVID-19 but die from pre-existing conditions: “If someone dies with COVID-19, we are counting that as a COVID-19 death.” Oddly enough this includes traffic fatalities if the deceased had COVID.” The death total is horrible enough without padding the statistics but if your goal is to overcome that pesky Constitution or defeating President Trump, the more the dead the better, the larger the emergency the better.
In the same time frame, more Americans have tragically died under President Biden’s time in office, than President Trump’s during the same number of months, even with restrictions. This fact is not politically correct, so the media rarely reports the total number.
Please remember the “crisis at our southern boarder was fake news, according to the media who used it against President Trump, and if it looks bad for President Biden it is still not a crisis. About 1.6 million people crossing or attempting to cross the southern border illegally during President Biden’s term is not a problem. If you think it is. you are a racist. 160,000 COVID positive folks entering our nation is not a problem.
President Biden has built small portions of the wall, mostly gates, and reinstated some portions of the “Remain in Mexico” policy. Both actions were formerly called racist, and today rarely so much as mentioned in the media.
Let’s follow the constitution not destroy it. My Opinion.
So no words on what occurred a year ago, at the capitol building where said federal government assembles? Just another rundown of what your understanding of the issues are. I see you have discovered the idealist Rand, wasn’t her stuff all the rage with the tea partiers over a decade ago, even made into movies? To me, her ideology is much too far in one perspective. Much like the communist/socialist/liberal egregore that has become an embarrassing fear lead motivation in the minds of the “right”. Far from united, on a path of blind, ignorant, destruction. Rather telling when someone dances around an elephant.
Mr. Baloney, you asked, “I see you have discovered the idealist Rand, wasn’t her stuff all the rage with the tea partiers over a decade ago, even made into movies?” I am not sure she was quoted by the tea party folk but if she was good for them, and yes, her books were made into movies. Have you read her works I can recommend them? AMAZON has not canceled them as of today they can be ordered.
Stay warm.
Reference below what I interpret from Rand. Another greasy shift to another topic, book “canceling.” How bout the outright book burning lately?
Amazon, are they not allowed to disallow the sale of information on their own network that they disagree with?
No Sir, I don’t actually care about what you think about these topics. I, and likely others, would appreciate your opinion, however limited, of what happened a year ago. You pontificate much too abundantly to ignore those events, however they may be termed.
Mr. Baloney,
Sir, already penned two columns on the 6 January 2021 events, please read them if you wish to know my opinion, thank you kindly for you comment.
I was able to find this one, just says 12 months ago. I’ll read the other if located.
https://townbroadcast.com/?p=39212
If I understand you, this was all justified (before any due process or further information) due to your understanding of what these “political enemies,” the leftist/socialist/etc. have done in the past? Ignore the actual events and deaths, while attempting to shift focus to the “others” that you always appear to lay blame on. Don’t mention the specifics and it will be like it didn’t happen? At least you are consistent in your method. Nothing worth remarks in 12 months with the information and criminal cases since? Okay, good luck!
“Let’s follow the Constitution not destroy it.” It seems to me that exactly a year ago, someone we all know, and various friends of that someone, did not agree with that statement at all, and did their best to subvert the Constitution, while all the while claiming to defend it. How ironic.
As for some of the other statements in the article, it is true many things are best handled at the local or state level. Government closest to home is better, I agree. However, Covid is not just a local or state problem; it is an international problem, and if I recall correctly, the federal government has sole power to deal with those issues, as they affect the trade and economy of the nation, the general welfare of the nation, the defense of the nation, and the general health and well-being of the nation.
As for that one little statement about education and federal funding? Less than 8% of public school funding in Michigan comes from the federal government, and most of that is designated for Title 1 and special education. The rest goes for lunch programs and the like. And it is funneled to the schools through the state, not directly. Also, I fail to find any information to support that the federal government is threatening to withhold school funding. Is there a trusted source for that claim?
And yes, I would hope that all public servants, whether elected school board members or local health department officials, or even local election officials could do their jobs in peace and quiet without constant threats of death and dismemberment. Why would we, as a society, allow that kind of intimidation from anyone? That is not ‘freedom of speech.’ One can express a difference of opinion civilly. If not, then there are laws to protect civil servants, and we should use them.
Ms. Johnston, you asked, “Is there a trusted source for that claim? “The claim being using Federal funds to control local schools, one of many sources is National Public Radio, Anya Kamenetz’s column on 9 September 2021. Google it and you will find hundreds of sources referring to the Federal Government threatening to withhold school funding to States if the States do not follow federal demands for local schools actions.
Thank you for the comment. Stay warm.
Here in Allegan County, the State Legislature threatened to withhold funding to the Health Department if it continued to insist on mask mandates for grades K-6, forcing the Health Dept. to drop the mandate Oct. 1.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/column-this-is-what-happens-when-you-take-ayn-rand-seriously
I can reinforce from experience that the Sears situation was evidence that MOST human beings desire to work together for mutual benefit. The philosophy is oversimplistic and unnatural, but does seem like an easy answer at first glance.