How Liberals Pass Unpopular Laws

 

When I lived in California, I noticed that they had a special way to enact laws that School House Rock never taught me. And I’m seeing it being done here in Austin now.

Here’s how it works: Say the legislature wants to enact a law that is very unpopular because it will cost everyone $100 a month. It would never get passed because everyone would howl unceasingly. Instead, they propose a law that will cost everyone $10,000 a month and when everyone howls and protests and demonstrates against it, the legislature will back down and say, whew, you citizens were right, that is too much. Let’s modify the proposal so that it only costs $100 a month. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief, protesters go home, and everyone is happy that they stopped a disaster.

Now I’m seeing it in Austin. A month or so ago, the city decided that homeless people could camp anywhere they wanted, and to no one’s surprise, the homeless became quite brazen with tent cities springing up all over the city. Howls of outrage commenced from taxpayers and especially those relying on tourist dollars.

So, the city council is now proposing an amendment to the homeless camping policy: They can only camp where SxSW activities won’t take place. The city council seems to think we are going to be so relieved over this.

I’m not.

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  1. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    So, run for city council and do the same from the opposite direction. First, propose that people can hunt the homeless. When people complain, back down and then propose that they only be allowed to hunt the homeless with an issued permit and that there be a bag limit of no more than three per year.

    • #1
  2. Vectorman Inactive
    Vectorman
    @Vectorman

    Skyler: They can only camp where SxSW activities won’t take place.

    SXSW defined.

    • #2
  3. TGR9898 Inactive
    TGR9898
    @TedRudolph

    Skyler:

    So now, the city council is proposing an amendment to the homeless camping policy: They can only camp where SxSW activities won’t take place.

    So they basically want to hide the homeless problem from all the visitors to town.

    But they expect the locals to embrace them?

     

    • #3
  4. Dr. Bastiat Member
    Dr. Bastiat
    @drbastiat

    You have got to move out of California.  Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA.  Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    • #4
  5. JoelB Member
    JoelB
    @JoelB

    Ahh. The old “bait and switch” from a new angle.

    • #5
  6. Al French, sad sack Moderator
    Al French, sad sack
    @AlFrench

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    You have got to move out of California. Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA. Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    Example: Oregon.

    • #6
  7. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Al French, sad sack (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    You have got to move out of California. Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA. Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    Example: Oregon.

    So, basically, Californianism is a deadly contagious disease?

    • #7
  8. Dr. Bastiat Member
    Dr. Bastiat
    @drbastiat

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Al French, sad sack (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    You have got to move out of California. Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA. Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    Example: Oregon.

    So, basically, Californianism is a deadly contagious disease?

    More like a parasite that eventually kills it’s host and has to go find a new host.

    • #8
  9. Skyler Coolidge
    Skyler
    @Skyler

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Al French, sad sack (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    You have got to move out of California. Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA. Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    Example: Oregon.

    So, basically, Californianism is a deadly contagious disease?

    More like a parasite that eventually kills it’s host and has to go find a new host.

    The effectiveness of the brain washing in California schools can be breathtaking.

    • #9
  10. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Al French, sad sack (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    You have got to move out of California. Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA. Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    Example: Oregon.

    So, basically, Californianism is a deadly contagious disease?

    More like a parasite that eventually kills it’s host and has to go find a new host.

    Makes sense. Thanks.

    • #10
  11. Al French, sad sack Moderator
    Al French, sad sack
    @AlFrench

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Al French, sad sack (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    You have got to move out of California. Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA. Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    Example: Oregon.

    So, basically, Californianism Californication is a deadly contagious disease?

    FIFY

    • #11
  12. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    You have got to move out of California. Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA. Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    Doomed to be repeated unless states control their own state elections.

    • #12
  13. GLDIII Temporarily Essential Reagan
    GLDIII Temporarily Essential
    @GLDIII

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Al French, sad sack (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    You have got to move out of California. Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA. Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    Example: Oregon.

    So, basically, Californianism is a deadly contagious disease?

    Think more like herpes, which does not kill you soon enough before you spread it too many other unknowing and unwilling participants.

    • #13
  14. Miffed White Male Member
    Miffed White Male
    @MiffedWhiteMale

    Skyler:

    A month or so ago, the city decided that homeless people could camp anywhere they wanted, and to no one’s surprise, the homeless became quite brazen with tent cities springing up all over the city. Howls of outrage commenced from tax payers and especially those relying on tourist dollars.

    So now, the city council is proposing an amendment to the homeless camping policy: They can only camp where SxSW activities won’t take place. The city council seems to think we are going to be so relieved over this.

    As I recall, the original ordinance also exempted camping  in front of government buildings (or at least city hall).  Because it’s okay to mess things up for the regular people, but  you don’t  want to inconvenience the government.

    • #14
  15. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    TGR9898 (View Comment):

    Skyler:

    So now, the city council is proposing an amendment to the homeless camping policy: They can only camp where SxSW activities won’t take place.

    So they basically want to hide the homeless problem from all the visitors to town.

    But they expect the locals to embrace them?

     

    I would think places where SxSW activities take place should be best for homeless encampments as they’re prepared for large numbers of people and the neighbors are used to noise and other overflow. 

    • #15
  16. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    That process is how Democrats have made changes in government control a one direction ratchet that always produces more government control and less liberty. 

    • #16
  17. CarolJoy, Above Top Secret Coolidge
    CarolJoy, Above Top Secret
    @CarolJoy

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    You have got to move out of California. Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA. Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    From what I am seeing here in Calif, it sounds like Austin is still better than California. Here in California, should  officials proposed the same $ 10,000 per household bit of legislation, they would not need to re-negotiate. They could just tell the public that Global Warming and Diversity require the $ 10,000 per household.

    Since the voting machinery is way over the top DNC-controlled here, they know that should  the issue  be somehow maneuvered  out of the control of the state legislature, it will win once placed as an initiative on the ballot. Because the DNC controls which initiatives win in an election.

    • #17
  18. DonG Coolidge
    DonG
    @DonG

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):
    You have got to move out of California. Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA. Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    I have heard that studies show that California transplants are less leftist than other Austin residents.  Hard to say.  Austin has always been leftist (the blueberry in the tomato soup), but now it has more money.  Lots of money!  Leftists with extra money are dangerous beasts.  San Fran is only livable, because it had money back when America used to build things.  Austin has only had money in the post-construction era.  That means the city spends gobs of money while hating infrastructure.  No bridges or roads for the doubled population.  But, we do have a $250M library for the homeless to hang out in. 

    • #18
  19. DonG Coolidge
    DonG
    @DonG

    Skyler: the legislature

    You mean “City Council”.  The Legislature is a state-level entity.  The Lege seeks to limit the damage caused by the Austin City Council.

    • #19
  20. Skyler Coolidge
    Skyler
    @Skyler

    CarolJoy, Above Top Secret (View Comment):
    Here in California, if officials proposed the same $ 10,000 per household bit of legislation, they would not need to re-negotiate.

    Well, my experience was over 20 years ago.  I wouldn’t be surprised that they are much more brazen now.

    • #20
  21. Eridemus Coolidge
    Eridemus
    @Eridemus

    SXSW is the only thing of value that the city council deems worthy of protection? Oh, and government buildings. Not businesses, schools, churches, parks, or for that matter apartment projects?

    • #21
  22. GlennAmurgis Coolidge
    GlennAmurgis
    @GlennAmurgis

    It’s is also the attitude of politicians. Some allow law breaking or bad behavior for a protected class. Our Mayor in Pittsburgh recently told citizens that if you don’t like panhandlers in the downtown shops, go to the malls in the suburbs. 

    • #22
  23. Unsk Member
    Unsk
    @Unsk

    Arahant:” So, run for city council and do the same from the opposite direction.”

    If very Progressive Austin is anything like my hometown of LA, it is a pay to play city which means the City Council is very corrupt and funded by the Public Employee Union which also means winning a City Council seat takes tons of money. 

    Also I take offense that you think we Californians ruined Oregon.  Texas, Colorado  and other places Si, Oregon No. Before the Illegals swamped California starting in the early nineties/ late eighties, California was arguably more conservative than Oregon.  Not by much I grant you. Not to be  a overgeneralizing rude bloke, but Oregonians were always a bunch of tree huggers.  That said most of the rural folk in both states still are conservative. The vast majority of California counties still consistently vote Republican. 

    • #23
  24. Miffed White Male Member
    Miffed White Male
    @MiffedWhiteMale

    CarolJoy, Above Top Secret (View Comment):
    Since the voting machinery is way over the top DNC-controlled here, they know that should the issue be somehow maneuvered out of the control of the state legislature, it will win once placed as an initiative on the ballot. Because the DNC controls which initiatives win in an election.

    And if the “wrong” initiative wins, they’ll ignore it anyway (prop 187, prop 8).

     

    • #24
  25. Jon1979 Inactive
    Jon1979
    @Jon1979

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Al French, sad sack (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    You have got to move out of California. Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA. Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    Example: Oregon.

    So, basically, Californianism is a deadly contagious disease?

    Not in the case of Austin — it’s had its progressive crazies at least since the 1930s, because the lure of being the seat of state government and the University of Texas attracted in-state progs well before any out-of-staters started moving in from California (the canaries in the coal mine are how Hays County to the south and Williamson County to the north go, and while there’s ample evidence at the elected politician level that creeping Austinization is reaching the suburbs, even among the state’s establishment Republican types, we’ve yet to see whether or not the voters there are going to be as pliant as the majority of those in the city, when their progressive plans blow up in their face and start lowering the quality-of-life for local residents).

    • #25
  26. Aaron Miller Inactive
    Aaron Miller
    @AaronMiller

    This pairs with the Democratic strategy to avoid budget cuts: pretend that essential services like police and fire protection must be included in the cuts. Better yet, ensure essential services are first on the chopping block. 

    Liars all.

    • #26
  27. Kay Ludlow Inactive
    Kay Ludlow
    @KayLudlow

    That’s the Austin silly council for ya!

    • #27
  28. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    You have got to move out of California. Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA. Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    As a decent and compassionate society. We all need to collectively tell Californians to not be Californian. Californians made California unlivable. Californians should not be allowed to vote until they prove that they won’t do to their present local what they did to California. Many Californians are nice and decent and they have a toxic culture that they need to trained out of.

     

    • #28
  29. Skyler Coolidge
    Skyler
    @Skyler

    DonG (View Comment):

    Skyler: the legislature

    You mean “City Council”. The Legislature is a state-level entity. The Lege seeks to limit the damage caused by the Austin City Council.

    No, I meant legislature.  I was referring to the California legislature as the example of what is now being done in Austin.

    • #29
  30. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    Al French, sad sack (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    You have got to move out of California. Austin, CA is no better than San Francisco, CA. Once a place becomes infested with Californians, it becomes California.

    Example: Oregon.

    And New California, formerly Colorado.

    • #30
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