Last week was a big one. The Supreme Court ruled that the state of New York couldn’t ask would be concealed gun owners to justify their 2nd amendment right to carry outside of their home and Mississippi was ruled to be allowed to impose a restriction on abortions at 15 weeks. Turn on any TV and you see talking heads and politicians and citizens shouting their position at the top of their lungs. Those who “lost” (and on these issue, both cut deeply along Democrat vs Republican lines) decree that the Supreme Court has lost it’s legitimacy while at the same time blaming Trump for undermining our institutions by questioning the validity of an election (as a small example of the many accusations hurled at a man that some Americans don’t know isn’t the President any more…)
Most ironically, those that rallied hardest for vaccine mandates, while not looking at the math, the adverse effects or that COVID was deeply striated on health and demographic lines, wanted people to be fired over a vaccine we now see doesn’t prevent the spread of COVID are also screaming that the government can’t tell you what to do with your body. Can we at least pretend to be intellectually consistent?
In Denver last night, my son and I got stuck in downtown traffic on the way to see Top Gun because of the protests at the Capitol. Protests in spite of the fact that the SCOTUS ruling made abortion a state issue and that Colorado itself was well prepared for this as it passed the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which grants full access to an abortion all the day to the delivery room. So the protests in Colorado aren’t about Colorado rights and are instead presumably supporting “Tennessee”, where 55% of adults believe abortion should be illegal. Sometimes the majority should rule, other times it’s the minority, and still others, we want to eliminate all merit based entry requirements into schools for “equity” which is good for ….. no one?
After 2 years of OSHA and CDC overreach acting on behalf of the Federal Government, I’m all about states rights and state politics. Which brings me to the point of the post. Every 2 years, we have the opportunity to vote for candidates who run on platforms about the things that matter to us. Too often, they have danced on issues because “polling” and as a result haven’t got around to making actual laws. They decree climate change and gun control and abortion and voters rights and they all sound very important but then fail to build consensus and actually act.
The legislative branch has a role. Make laws. The courts have a role. Determine if they are in keeping with the constitution. To quote Bari Weiss
How did we wind up with a feminist movement that is policing our ability to say the word woman, but has been unable to safeguard second-wave feminism’s most important victory?
When everything is important, nothing is important. And, in our political system, sometimes you don’t like the answer. That doesn’t mean burning buildings, that means getting involved, helping candidates you support and changing things. In Colorado, the primary is this week. Make sure you get your ballots in.
Go Av’s.
Great points as usual. - People do not understand - It did not overturn anything - just gave the rights back to the states where you can vote. If you don't like the state .... Move. But if you move to Texas, leave your voting behind. Thanks DRW.