Thoughts on Freedom

In CONGRESS, July 4th, 1776

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

-Declaration of Independence

These words started a revolution and a unique experiment in representative democracy that continues to this day. If you haven't had an opportunity to read the full text of the Declaration of Independence or haven't read it for some time, we suggest you do so.

The Declaration is truly an amazing document, not just for its main intent - the severing of ties with Great Britain - but for its acknowledgement of human nature.

...all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

The Declaration of Independence

In other words, we fear change and as a result we are willing to put up with just about anything in order to preserve the system with which we are familiar; particularly when the injustice or loss is perceived to be minimal or in the name of some greater good. Thus, human nature often forges the chains of our bondage.

We tend to view things on this blog in terms of freedom and liberty. We're always skeptical when government regulates, legislates or generally sticks its nose into anyone's business. The result is always a loss of someone's liberty... someone's freedom. The question becomes - is the loss of freedom just and necessary for the peaceful operation of society?

Let's take a look at Marty's favorite cash cow... the Red Light Scam-era system. The system has "liberated" over $9 MILLION from Albuquerque drivers, accident rates at intersections are in many cases on the rise, and lives are still being lost. Public safety arguments are clearly invalid and no one can name a single fatality that would have been prevented by scam-eras.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

The Declaration of Independence

Sounds like a description of Marty's Kangaroo Courts that are hearing up to 500 cases per day. As you can see, it actually came from the Declaration of Independence and was one of the reasons the founding fathers gave for severing their ties with England. The Almighty Mayor (King Marty the First?) has set up a "court" system that is beholden to him and serves at his pleasure. The "court's" objective is predetermined and therefore its impartiality is non-existent.

Therefore, the Red Light Scam-eras are an unacceptable loss of freedom; one that is neither necessary nor just. We're not arguing that drivers have a right to endanger others by recklessly running red lights. We are arguing that the safe operation of a motor vehicle requires the freedom to exercise one's judgment in order to safely clear an intersection.

We can apply this same argument to a number of pieces of legislation that have been enacted recently. Take the cell phone ban - a ban that isn't enforced as frequently as the non-existent license plate cover ban; or how about the city's foray into animal husbandry - H.E.A.R.T. Are these areas that were either uncovered by other law or required the coercive influence of government?

What would the people who risked their lives by signing the Declaration of Independence think of our city government? Would they believe that it empowers those from which its powers derive, while protecting their liberty? Or would they believe that it is an ever increasing burden on those governed, slowly stripping them of their liberty?

Freedom dies the death of a thousand cuts and what is left is tyranny. Our city government uses the knife far too frequently and far too freely for us to remain truly free.

Up in Smoke

By now everyone has heard... starting Friday, no one will be allowed to smoke on city property either inside or outside (ABQ Journal - Subscription Required). We guess this has been coming for a long time now. The dangers of second hand smoke are well known and every politician is trying to one-up every other politician and grab some headlines. According to the Journal article, the mayor isn't even trying to hide the fact that the timing coincides with the new state smoking prohibition for restaurants and bars.

(Sidebar)
A quick disclaimer here... we're not a smoker. So this post is not about protecting our tobacco habit. We are however, concerned with individual liberty and personal responsibility - commodities that are increasingly in short supply.
(End Sidebar)

Freedom is the concept behind the founding of our country. The history of the United States is replete with examples of men and women giving their lives to protect that simple concept. We are the beneficiaries of their sacrifice.

Freedom is not a concept that stands alone. Responsibility is freedom's inseparable companion. When a person's responsibility is taken away, so too is their liberty.

Mayor Chavez unilaterally imposed a smoking ban on all city properties including outside spaces in order "to give you the initiative to quit." Is this really the mayor's responsibility and if it is whose freedom has he appropriated?

There's no doubt that the city is growing in power and authority. The mayor and the council continue to insert themselves into our everyday lives, assuming more and more responsibility. HEART Ordinances, cell phone bans, smoking bans, Big Box Ordinances, Red Light Scam-eras, even "Living Wage" laws all transfer responsibility from the individual to the state.

Our concern is simple... how much responsibility do we really want to place in government hands? How much of our freedom do we want to see go up in smoke?

Memorial Day - A Time for Reflection

Memorial Day is a time of reflection (or at least it should be); a time to remember all of those men and women who sacrificed their lives on the altar of liberty. The very people who died so that we could sit here in safety, decked out in our favorite pajamas and tell you what we think. The Internet is the embodiment of free speech and as you navigate through the ether that makes up this cyber world, you'll find all sorts of opinions, facts, and fiction.

For about 7 years now, one of the email threads floating about is one attributed to Scottish history professor Alexander Tyler from about the time of our Constitutional Convention.

“A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.”

“From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.”

“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years.”

“During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. from bondage to spiritual faith;
2. from spiritual faith to great courage;
3. from courage to liberty;
4. from liberty to abundance;
5. from abundance to complacency;
6. from complacency to apathy;
7. from apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage"

Being ever curious we crawled around the web to see if this 18th century quote could be verified. We found it on Blogs (here and here) and we found it on at least a couple of websites (here and here). Some sites happily attribute the quote to the 18th century scholar others dismiss it as being unlikely. Our visit to snopes.com revealed that the attribution is "very likely fictitious."

Our reaction... so what? The analysis attributed to Tyler seems to make sense even if it was invented by some other blogger and simply attributed to him in an effort to make it more credible.

We see the erosion of liberty every day here in Albuquerque. From H.E.A.R.T. ordinances to cell phone bans, from red light Scam-eras to "affordable housing" programs, the citizens of our fair city are becoming more dependent on government to solve their problems no matter how small; and dependence is a form of empowerment for those on which you depend.

A few months back during the cell phone debate, we remember Councilor Winter bringing up loss of freedom as a reason not to impose the ban. Councilor Benton scoffed at the idea that somehow driving and talking on a cell phone was an issue of freedom. On the contrary, every issue that comes before the council is an issue of freedom. When legislation steps beyond the bounds of the basic functions of government, or creates dependence in the citizenry, they have made us all just a little bit less free.

Take a close look at the steps into bondage that Tyler (we're going to go ahead and give him the credit since there's no proof to the contrary) describes. Apply it to what you see coming out of city hall... where would you place Albuquerque? We'd argue that over the last 15 years Albuquerque has rapidly gone from number 4 to number 6 or 7.

Memorial Day is over along with its accompanying backyard BBQs, but perhaps there's still a little time for reflection. We need to remember that these fallen hero's died for freedom, not for dependence and bondage. We need to make sure that we don't fall into dependence and bondage by supporting policies that promote personal responsibility and smaller, less intrusive government. Otherwise Memorial Day will become a day to mourn the loss of the very freedoms that our country's hero's died for.

The Big Flush: More Than Just Water Down The Drain

Coming to the council near you... Starring Martin Heinrich, The Big Flush! No it's not a movie rather another effort by the City Council to insert themselves into your life and your wallet. In less than a year we've had red light cameras, animal husbandry, cell phones, and now your bathroom.

The Eye has learned that the intrepid councilor from District 6 is eying all of the fixtures that use water in your home in a proposed bill that will come before the council March 5th. The ordinance (O-06-41) if passed, will require the buyer of virtually any home to replace all of the non-low flow water fixtures (you know the kind that actually work) with their low flow equivalents within 90 days of purchase and file a Low Water Use Fixture Certificate with the County Clerk. By the way, if you don't you can be charged $100 per fixture, per month, for each month past the first 3, that you are found to be non-compliant.

Now... that doesn't sound so bad. After all we live in a desert! And besides, it doesn't take effect until 2010! The Eye would argue that you couldn't be more wrong and you'll be finding that out the next time you try and buy or sell a house that is required to be retrofitted, meaning any home not built in the last 5 or so years. No matter how you slice it, this ordinance will add approximately $700 to $1,000 to the price of your home.

(Sidebar)
Ever notice how the city loves these unfunded mandates?
(End Sidebar)

Water is an important commodity in Albuquerque, we've been fighting over it for years now. We've also had voluntary conservation programs in place for over a decade. In fact, the City of Albuquerque website claims that we've reduced water consumption by 34% since 1995. If that weren't enough, we're now subjected to sin taxes for over use in the form of a "conservation charge," and both time of day, and day of the week watering restrictions. And if THAT weren't enough we've got the water police armed with their cameras and citations to charge us if we have the temerity to let water spray onto a sidewalk.

(Sidebar)
Has anyone noticed that despite an extraordinarily wet July and record snows this winter, we haven't heard a thing about rescinding the water restrictions imposed by the City/County Water Authority? Don't hold your breath.
(End Sidebar)

So what's the deal? As a community we've done an outstanding job conserving water. We're being told that the San Juan - Chama diversion project will be coming on line in the next year or so and will provide enough water for another 80 years. Why do we need Martin Heinrich in our bathrooms? The fact is, we don't.

The Council has gotten it in their heads that they need to control everything in our lives. It doesn't even matter if it makes any sense. How long before they decide that everyone should use florescent bulbs, and stop eating french fries or ice cream? How long before they decide what kind of car you can drive, or where it's safe for you to work? It's for your own good! Sounds a bit Orwellian, but it's a real danger. Every time these knuckleheads decide to do something like this, they take away one of your choices, they take away one of your freedoms.

Ronald Reagan said "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" Watch out anytime the city mandates something for your own good... it usually costs you money and freedom.