Government Overreach

1/1/2017 6:01:58 PM	Government Overreach
tileman1814 Kalispell, MT 66, joined Nov. 2007	Every year the number of regulations, dictates, rules, decrees, guidelines, statutes, laws, and bylaws in the United States grows by leaps and bounds. Just look at the growth in the number of final rules contained in the Federal Register. Lets hope Trump will cut back some of these senseless rules and regulations. Semper Fi !!! Government Overreach Now it seems we can’t go a week without hearing a new story about someone being punished, with fines or even jail time, for activities that would be encouraged in a free society. I’ve taken the liberty (pun intended) of compiling some of the more egregious examples of this trend for your reading pleasure (or displeasure). 1. Single mom faces possible jail time for selling $12 worth of ceviche to an undercover police officer. Mariza Ruelas had her day in court in early November. Her crime? She sold a $12 plate of ceviche, an authentic Mexican dish, to an undercover cop on Facebook. I know what you’re thinking: Why are police setting up stings to catch people selling food to willing customers over Facebook? Don’t they have actual crimes to investigate — like ones with actual victims? I wish I knew the answers to those questions. 2. Federal prosecutors threaten Aaron Swartz with a life-crushing sentence for downloading academic articles. On January 11th 2013, Aaron Swartz ended his own life, concluding one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in contemporary history. In the months leading up to his suicide, Swartz had been embroiled in a legal battle with the federal government after prosecutors charged Swartz under the draconian Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. His crime? Downloading thousands of academic articles from the JSTOR database. The CFAA is a particularly cruel piece of legislation, as it carries severe mandatory minimum sentencing requirements, resulting in Swartz facing up to 35 years in prison for a nonviolent crime. Many legal observers at the time pointed out that had Swartz robbed a bank, aided al-Qaeda, or produced child pornography he would have faced a more lenient sentence. Swartz’s story was detailed in great depth in the documentary The Internet’s Own Boy. The documentary was released under the Creative Commons — a nonprofit initiative Aaron Swartz himself was an early architect of — so you can watch it for free on YouTube. 3. Government claims ownership of all water, jails Oregon man for 30 days for collecting rainwater on his own property. Way back in 2012 the libertarian blogosphere was abuzz over an egregious case of local government tyranny out of Oregon. Gary Harrington was sentenced to spend 30 days in jail for the crime of collecting rainwater using three reservoirs (that’s newspeak for “ponds”) on his property. Oregon law states that all water is a public resource, to be owned communally by the collective population of Oregon, and as such any attempts to obtain or store water must first begin with applying for the proper permits to do so. Yes, really. One of the reservoirs on his property had been there for 37 years, Harrington said. To add insult to injury, Harrington’s applications for permits were initially approved by the state’s Water Resource Department, but were rescinded after a state court reversed their decision. As a result of this 1920s-era law, Harrington was ordered to turn himself in to the county jail to serve his 30-day sentence. 4. Maryland church ordered to evict homeless people from its property or pay a $12,000 fine. No good deed goes unpunished in the Land of the Free.No good deed goes unpunished in the Land of the FreeTM. In late 2016, Reverend Katie Grover was met with a $12,000 citation attached to the door of the Patapsco United Methodist Church in Dundalk, Maryland. The alleged crime was allowing several homeless people to sleep on the church’s property in violation of the county regulation prohibiting “non-permitted rooming and boarding.” The church wasn’t even letting the homeless sleep indoors, rather they were just allowing a few homeless people to sleep on some of the benches located in the church’s yard. 5. San Antonio chef fined $2,000 for feeding homeless people. In early 2015, the chef and founder of the not-for-profit food truck Chow Train, Joan Cheever, was cited by police officers for the outrageous crime of serving hot meals to the city’s homeless population. The citation, which she received for transporting the food in a different vehicle than her licensed food truck, carries with it a fine totaling $2,000. As is par for the course in these sorts of cases, there isn’t an observable wronged party. The only apparent “crime” here is the violation, unwitting or otherwise, of an arbitrary government dictate. In this case in particular, no one called the police requesting assistance. Cheever was doing what she had done for more than 10 years, except this time her charity stepped outside of the parameters set forth by an unelected bureaucrat at the city’s health department. Parting Words These cases brought to light a troubling trend unfolding in the US that couldn’t be summarized better than by the indispensable words of Ayn Rand, writing in Atlas Shrugged, When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion — when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing — when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors — when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you — when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice — you may know that your society is doomed. Hopefully the tendency to criminalize mundane activities or even charitable giving itself can be arrested before anyone else finds themselves on the business end of the growing regulatory state. Meet singles at DateHookup.dating, we're 100% free! Join now!
1/1/2017 6:16:19 PM	Government Overreach
tileman1814 Kalispell, MT 66, joined Nov. 2007	Here is a little more to add to the fire.Most of you already know how I feel about the EPA.They are a bunch of fking aholes who make up their own rules as they go along just like the IRS.Both of these agencies need to be shut down and all of the people who now work there should be given jobs that have something to do with touching shit with their hands. Semper Fi !!! For the Christmas holiday, people who live in Alaska feel the force of winter. A new story shows that Obama wants to put their lives in jeopardy. A new rule from the Environmental Protection agency could declare the Fairbanks and North Pole cities to be out of compliance with the Clean Air Act in the next few months, because they burn wood for heat. This could cause many as 100,000 Alaskans who live in these cities to not have a source of heat… in Alaska! (via New York Times) The people who live in these cities burn wood to stay warm in the winter. The tiny particles of wood that burn off in the fire causes an increase in pollution. Residents breath in these tiny particles when the temperature is below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, at which point the particles are unable to escape into the atmosphere and linger around lung-level. Several years ago, the EPA said that residents of these Alaskan areas were in “non-attainment” with the EPA’s standards. This resulted in local officials issuing fines for residents who burn wood so that the areas do not lose federal funding. The problem is, for many people who live in these cold Alaskan cities, there is no reasonable alternative to wood-burning stoves. There is not usually natural gas available in most areas of Alaska and oil based heating devices are too expensive for many residents. In Fairbanks, the average temperature is 13 below zero but it can get to as low as 60 below zero. These are temperatures that can literally kill you, which is why many people need to keep a fire burning using firewood 24 hours a day. If they don’t, then they will freeze to death. The truth is, not everyone that lives in Alaska has a ton of money to buy expensive heating equipment. Many families have no other way to stay warm other than to burn wood. They go out into the forest and chop trees for hours so they can have enough wood to burn when temperatures drop. In Alaska, having firewood is literally a necessity of life. One Fairbanks newspaper said, “The borough faces two unpalatable alternatives: More stringent restrictions on home heating devices that could impact residents’ ability to heat their homes affordably, or choosing to stand pat and accept a host of costly economic sanctions and health effects to residents.” Apparently, an EPA official told Alaskans that his “agency was definitely not trying to take away anyone’s wood stove, or make life more expensive.” However, he also claims that his job is to enforce the EPA’s rules to make for cleaner air. This is a perfect example of why the federal government should stay out of people’s lives. Yes, the EPA has good intentions to keep the air clean. However, federal standards are not often customized to particular states that have different climates. While this rule would work great in Florida, it makes no sense here. The regulations on air pollution should be set by Alaskans who are more accustomed to how Alaskans live, how much money they have, and how much pollution is reasonable to them. We have a system where states should be making the rules, but the federal government has been eroding states’ rights for many years. If the federal government really wants to enforce these regulations, then they should have to take into account the local circumstances. Until new methods of heating can be made more widely available in Alaska, these people have to be able to stay warm. The problem is, the federal government is run by morons. www.angrypatriotmovement.com/epa-winter-order-threatens-lives/ [Edited 1/1/2017 6:17:50 PM ]
1/3/2017 1:21:17 PM	Government Overreach
clarity101 Aurora, CO 66, joined Oct. 2008	STORY: Oregon Frog Survey,,, The State of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife sends a letter to a home/landowner asking for permission to access a creek on their property to document the decline in a certain species of unheard of frogs. The property owners response in the second letter is EPIC. LETTER FROM OREGON DEPT. OF FISH & WILDLIFE: **************************** ************************** Dear Landowner: ODFW Staff will be conducting surveys for foothill yellow-legged frogs & other amphibians over the next few months. As part of this research we would like to survey the creek on your property. I am writing this letter to request your permission to access your property. Recent research indicates that foothill yellow-legged frogs have declined significantly in recent years and are no longer found at half their historic sites. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated and will help contribute to the conservation of this important species. Please fill out the attached postage-paid postcard and let us know if you are willing to let us cross your property or not. If you have any concerns about this project please give us a call. We would love to talk with you about our research. Sincerely S N Conservation Strategy Implementation Biologist ************************* **************************** RESPONSE FROM LANDOWNERS: Dear Mr. N: Thank you for your inquiry regarding accessing our property to survey for the yellow-legged frog. We may be able to help you out with this matter. We have divided our 2.26 acres into 75 equal survey units with a draw tag for each unit. Application fees are only $8.00 per unit after you purchase the "Frog Survey License" ($120.00 resident / $180.00 Non-Resident). You will also need to obtain a "Frog Habitat" parking permit ($10.00 per vehicle). You will also need an "Invasive Species" stamp ($15.00 for the first vehicle and $5.00 for each add'l vehicle) You will also want to register at the Check Station to have your vehicle inspected for non-native plant life prior to entering our property. There is also a Day Use fee, $5.00 per vehicle. If you are successful in the Draw you will be notified two weeks in advance so you can make necessary plans and purchase your "Creek Habitat" stamp. ($18.00 Resident / $140.00 Non-Resident). Survey units open between 8 am. and 3 pm. but you cannot commence survey until 9 am. and must cease all survey activity by 1 pm. Survey Gear can only include a net with a 2" diameter made of 100% organic cotton netting with no longer than an 18” handle, non-weighted and no deeper than 6' from net frame to bottom of net. Handles can only be made of BPA-free plastics or wooden handles. After 1 pm. you can use a net with a 3" diameter if you purchase the "Frog Net Endorsement" ($75.00 Resident / $250 Non-Resident). Any frogs captured that are released will need to be released with an approved release device back into the environment unharmed. As of June 1, we are offering draw tags for our "Premium Survey" units and application is again only $8.00 per application. However, all fees can be waives if you can verify "Native Indian Tribal rights and status." You will also need to provide evidence of successful completion of "Frog Surveys and You" comprehensive course on frog identification, safe handling practices, and self-defense strategies for frog attacks. This course is offered on-line through an accredited program for a nominal fee of $750.00. Please let us know if we can be of assistance to you. Otherwise, we decline your access to our property but appreciate your inquiry. Sincerely, L & A A.

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