The tyranny that is coming out of the current administration, especially in equalizing behavior based minority status with racial minority civil rights, is causing conflict between those who believe in our Constitutional guarantee of individual rights and those who do not embrace the Constitution. That same attitude of arrogance is filtering down to the city level of government. There is a spiritual principal that is highly visible in the Old Testament that shows us that the spirit coming from the head of a nation filters down to the general population. So when the respect for the rule of law is gone from the White House then there is a lawlessness that takes hold in every area of society including local governments.
The latest tactic is to get cities to implement policies previously rejected at the state level because they undermine the most basic institution that upholds civil societies – marriage and family. The only way to stop lawlessness is to elect men and women who understand and are committed to the rule of law. Bad things happen when we fail to pay attention because elections have consequences. We all suffer when so few vote or bother to find out about the candidates before they vote.
We have seen this happen in three Texas cities and it has not been pleasant. Recent history has shown that when nondiscrimination policies are implemented by states or cities that the first target of enforcement is Christian business owners. They have been targeted much like the Chaplain in the Navy who is currently under fire for his religious beliefs. Alarmingly the prosecution of Christians has been not only punitive but vindictive. Many do not see anything alarming in this trend because we still have freedom of worship so everything is alright. The Constitution gives us a guarantee of freedom of religion and not freedom of worship, there is a big difference. Just like we have freedom of speech and not freedom from speech that offends me.
This administration is promoting the idea of freedom of worship instead of freedom of religion. What is the difference? The Framers believed that citizens needed to be free to live and worship as their religion teaches. In other words to live out their faith in their daily lives at work, at school, at play and at home. Freedom of worship means you are free to go within the four walls of your church and worship. Big difference. Freedom of religion also includes freedom of Conscience which is considered an inalienable right.
When the schools and media dumb us down and turn everything into an emotional issue, removing common sense and logic from policy discussions, then people don’t engage their thinking but instead make decisions based on feelings. If we vote based only on feelings we are not taking our duty seriously enough. We must know who we are electing. It is much easier to find out about your local city, school board and county candidates because they live in your community.
In Texas the legislative session is underway and there are several bills being filed to address city abuses of power and usurping state law and one that specifically addresses cities and counties using taxpayer funds to pay lobbyists to lobby for more state and federal funds and against bills that attempt to require limits to their power and/or greater transparency etc. As a taxpayer I am appalled that my taxes are used to pay for high priced lobbyists. Local control will be the argument for being able to continue this policy. In this instance local control is NOT a good argument because it is possible for local government to overstep its role.
When you apply local control to the services and issues facing cities it is usually better than giving that control over to the state or federal government. Local control is crucial if schools are to improve. Standards are good to have but each community needs to be free to meet the needs of their student population. A national standard becomes a one size fits all program that never works. As any parent can tell you each child is different and has his/her own learning style. It is much more productive to let students learn with their natural bent instead of trying to fit them all into one style.
We can see from the above that there are good reasons for local control and then there are abuses of the use of the local control mantra. It will be up to “we the people” to ask the right questions so we can differentiate between the two. Also, I want you to critically think of why city and school board elections are held at odd times of the year. Not being tied to general elections keeps voter turnout down and allows the unions to elect those who will support them 100% without question. Many city employees belong to public employees unions (such as SEIU) and then there are unions for fire, police and teachers. Those who live in the city where they work all turn out to vote. It is the retirement and health benefits of these unions that are causing cities to go bankrupt. They simply are not sustainable.
Next Week: Thoughts on Discrimination and the LGBT Community
Dinner Table Discussion Question: Is the language of multiculturalism harmful to patriotism? How? What are some ways the local government can abuse “local control”?