By Tim McMahon, Editor
It’s not just the government’s finances that are out of control it is the government itself. Just this week several examples of an out of control government have crossed my desk.
1) The first is a law passed by the Indiana state legislature which makes it against the law to resist the entry of police officers even if their entry is unlawful. In other words they can enter your house without a warrant and you can’t resist. Theoretically if they do enter illegally, you can take them to court but what is to stop someone from dressing up like a police officer in Indiana and just walking into your house, since you can no longer resist?
What ever happened to the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees the right to be “secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.” It requires any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause.
2) The second case started out encouraging as the State of Texas tried to prevent the wholesale infringement of our Fourth Amendment rights and reign in the TSA. So they proposed some anti-groping legislation aimed squarely at the TSA. Unfortunately they backed down under the threat of a letter from U.S. Attorney John E. Murphy in which he threatened to ground all Texas based flights and create a Texas No Fly Zone if the legislation were enacted. Of course in good lawyerese he couched it in language that he was just trying to advise them of the “significant legal and practical problems that will be created if the bill becomes law.” But the net result was that the FED flexed its muscle and won another round in the battle against personal freedom. For More Details.
3) Thirdly, the Obama administration wants to create a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. According to the NY Post this would be a “major expansion of government — a separate branch of the Federal Reserve with immense powers to regulate all consumer products.” Just like the Mafia the government thinks we need more “protection”. NYPost Article
4) And finally the item that takes the cake and proves the government is totally out of control. A Family is Facing $4 Million in Fines for Selling Bunnies. This might be reasonable if they sold millions of dollars worth of bunnies but it was a small home business started by their teenage son, that sold a total of 440 rabbits and grossed a total of $4,600. That’s gross not net! They actually netted about $200 after expenses. But that isn’t going to stop the USDA from “making an example of them.”
What were they guilty of? Inhumane treatment of rabbits? No. The inspector admitted that the rabbits looked healthy and well cared for. As a matter of fact that was a major selling point, they were known for raising the best rabbits in the state and sold them to a Branson theme park called Silver Dollar City for their petting zoo.
The business was carefully conducted on the property of their Missouri home and complied with all applicable state laws. The bunnies were all kept in large, clean, well-maintained cages; and not a single bunny was sold across state lines.
So what was the crime that caused the USDA to initially levy a $90,643 fine?
Infraction #1 Cage too small by 1/4 inch (estimated by inspector running her finger across it).
Infraction #2 a single rust spot on a cage caused by rabbit urine.
And finally the law that got them… Drum Roll Please… Violation of 9 C.F.R. § 2.1 (a) (1): Selling more than $500 worth of rabbits in a single year.
To prove that the USDA has gone totally out of control they had until May 23rd to pay up. Magnanamously they could put the $90,643 fine on their credit card if they wanted. How many families have a $90,000 credit limit on their credit card?
In typical Mafia-esque style if they didn’t pay the $90,000+ extortion they could face additional fines totaling $3.9 million! They are considering setting up a legal defense fund. My guess is that they are going to need it the government can bankrupt you even if you end up “winning” the case. Rumor has it that The Obama administration has told all department secretarys to go after any and every violation of the law that will produce government income in the form of fines and penalties. Some people think taxes of 100% of gross revenue are bad but now they want almost 20 times total gross income! Before the penalties that would raise it to almost $4 million.
See more details on the Bunny Blackmail.
