Lawlessness

Has anyone created a chart of U.S. laws that the federal government has been and is systematically ignoring?  I’d love to see it if there is one.  No doubt there are many based on those that we see daily in the news.  We have in the immigration war of words learned that states cannot be forced (under the 10th Amendment) to enforce federal laws.  This fact was driven home in the Sanctuary City controversy regarding states and cities — specifically San Francisco and the state of California — not cooperating with ICE regarding holding illegal aliens arrested for local crimes for the federal agency to pickup for deportation.  However, please note that states cannot over rule a federal law.  When a federal law conflicts directly with a state law, the federal statute over rules the state statute with which it conflicts.

But what this post is specifically referencing are the laws that previous Administrations chose to ignore.  In fact, in the Obama Administration, the President instructed the Justice Department to NOT enforce federal laws against a recreational drug user when arrested for drug use.  Of course the possession of and use of  an illegal narcotic that is defined in federal statute is a violation.  And those federal statutes were passed by Congress and signed into law.  Non enforcement of those laws under White House instruction quite honestly is a violation of the spirit of the Office of the President and a violation of the very Oath of Office sworn by every U.S. President:  “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”  The “Office of President of the United States” Constitutionally is the office to enforce all laws — Constitutional and those passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the President — regardless of who sits in the White House or their personal opinion about those laws.

And it is not just drug law enforcement that has been stopped.  Illegal alien entrance into the United States is prohibited by a mountain of federal laws.  The previous Administration turned away from the enforcement of most of those laws and did so strictly for political purposes, even though excuses given for non enforcement were mostly for “humanitarian reasons.”

There is NO Constitutional provision for any President or any law enforcement officer or official to for personal reasons of any kind to choose to NOT enforce any federal law.  Yet we have witnessed it in the U.S. time and time again over the past two decades.  Presidents Obama and Bush 43 in certain cases turned their backs on prosecuting federal law breakers.  Where is there legal or moral justification for doing so?  Morally?  There is NO justifiable moral reason to break ANY law.

Want to know what the problem here is?  Political Elitism.  Let’s face it:  the lawmaking, law enforcement, law changing process in American government is pretty simple.  And it was installed in that bastion of Democracy that we Americans are supposed to live by and is supposed to guide our government and everything it does, “for the People,” — the U.S. Constitution.  Laws are NOT made by the President, the Supreme Court, U.S. Attorney General, Secretary of State, or any other individual.  Constitutionally laws are made ONLY by the Legislative Branch of the U.S. Government.  However, in the past decade or so it has become accepted that the “Politically Elite” have a “pass” to wink at laws on the books when they do not fit the elitist narrative and that those who have such power just make certain those laws are not enforced.

Bush 43 hated U.S. immigration laws as did his father and President Reagan.  Reagan actually granted amnesty to a large number of illegal aliens in contravention of U.S. law.  Clinton often railed (at least verbally) against illegal immigration and its deadly results in the U.S., but never took or even instigated any legislative actions to change existing immigration laws.  Bush 43 had the PERFECT opportunity to push for immigration reform because of his great relationship with Mexico.  Remember:  before the White House, he was governor of the state with the largest border with Mexico and the largest Hispanic population in the U.S. — Texas.  Yet he had conversations with the representatives of the “Immigration Elitists” in D.C. and then understanding the political pushback against such legislative attempts and the political capital it would take to even get real legislative action taken on the issue, he simply took a pass just as did Clinton.

Enter Barack Obama.  He let the World know that his election both times came with a message from American voters who chose him to guide the Nation:  open up the borders, stop senseless federal drug user prosecutions, soften penalties for federal non-violent lawbreakers, and reduce prisoner populations in federal prisons.  (Remember his famous statement:  “Elections have consequences”)  So among many other unilateral actions the former Community Organizer took were to instruct AG Eric Holder to do just that.  Illegal aliens poured across our southern border.  Recreational drug use sky rocketed.  Colorado and several other states legalized the recreational use of marijuana.  Obama started pardoning federal prisoners and releasing them by the thousands.  If President Obama ever gave the legislative process and/or the Constitution a thought during his eight years, it was just that:  a “thought” and nothing more.  He was the epitome of what an elected government official is and does as a “Political Elitist.”  He was above the law.

Let me ask you a question:  if as has been stated through the years in dozens of national election campaigns, (including Barack Obama’s) “We are a nation of laws,” how can that be true if on the federal level members of the one branch of government charged with enforcing the laws enacted by the Peoples’ representatives simply ignore those laws?  Laws are the skeletal system of a nation.  And without laws, what does that nation become?  And if our federal government instead of passing, implementing, and enforcing laws simply unilaterally chooses to ignore the Constitution, what happens?  Certainly we cannot just continue on this present course.

There is a name for this.  Merriam-Webster defines it:  Anarchy. a : absence of government b : a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority the city’s descent into anarchy c : a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government.

If we no longer live in a “nation of laws,” what type of nation do we live in?  We can look around the world and see other nations that are further down the road toward lawlessness and see just how their government functions and its effects on its citizenry.  Many of those countries are called “banana republics.”  Banana republic is a political science word. It is used for a politically unstable country.  It was invented initially to describe Latin American countries that fit that definition, many of which economically depended on exportation of very few or a single product.  Many exported bananas.

There are a group of traits sociologists used to identify banana republics.  Let’s examine a few of those and see if any fit the U.S.:

• Rising income inequality and a shrinking middle class
• Highest incarceration rates in the world
• Corrupt Alliance of Big Business and Big Government
• High Unemployment, High Underemployment, and low Labor Participation rates
• Hunger and Malnutrition

I’m not a sociologist, but it looks like we may be headed that way.  We’re already becoming a nation of Elitism whose government selectively picks and chooses laws to enforce.  And at least 4 of those 5 descriptions of banana republics already fit the U.S., and many would argue that all 5 do.

Correction begins in going back to basics — the U.S. Constitution.  It is without question the most comprehensive, effective, and reliable government roadmap on Earth.  And it has worked for more than 250 years.  Let it continue working!  If there are laws we don’t like….change them!  But do so in a Constitutional manner, not by executive mandate to ignore laws or create new ones.  Let the Peoples’ House do what they are elected to do.

The communists are here and their methodology of destroying Democracy has been unleashed already in the streets of Berkley, Philadelphia, NYC, Baltimore, Chicago, and even Washington D.C.

Is that what we really want for our grandchildren and their children?