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. Chris Campion Coolidge
    Chris Campion
    @ChrisCampion

    GlennAmurgis (View Comment):

    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.

    Your mayor is an idiot.

    • #31
  2. Chris Campion Coolidge
    Chris Campion
    @ChrisCampion

    I sense…a pattern.

    Austin has a big college in town.  Austin has a long history of progressivism.

    California has some of the biggest colleges in the country.  Progressivism.

    Burlington, VT, has 3 colleges in town or closeby.  Progressivism (and birthing that unholy creation Bernie Sanders).

    Some of the comments above, that the hinterlands outside of the cities still vote solidly Republican, is the same almost everywhere.  In Vermont, Burlington is solidly hippie-level stupid, but get out of there, out of Chittenden county (and Montpelier, the state’s capitol), and you’ve got normal people looking sideways at what happens in those two towns.

    The people not in those towns are what progressives like to call “rubes” or worse, “rednecks”.  Because they don’t like them, even though when they want an addition put on top of their garage, those rubes and rednecks are the skilled craftsman that build their homes for them.

    And golly!  Some of those rednecks have guns in their trucks!  But I guess it’s OK, as long as they get our addition done on time and don’t talk to anyone while they’re working.

    • #32
  3. The Cloaked Gaijin Member
    The Cloaked Gaijin
    @TheCloakedGaijin

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

    I assume that SxSW is an abbreviation for sex workers.  Hmm, I guess SW actually is an abbreviation for sex workers, so maybe it refers to sex workers who wear socks.

    Sx?  Abbreviations for Sint Maarten and Shanxi?

    SW?  Perhaps sexy Smith & Wesson Swedish Star Wars — sex workers who wear socks from Sint Maarten and Shanxi…

    • #33
  4. Skyler Coolidge
    Skyler
    @Skyler

    The Cloaked Gaijin (View Comment):

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

    I assume that SxSW is an abbreviation for sex workers. Hmm, I guess SW actually is an abbreviation for sex workers, so maybe it refers to sex workers who wear socks.

    Sx? Abbreviations for Sint Maarten and Shanxi?

    SW? Perhaps sexy Smith & Wesson Swedish Star Wars — sex workers who wear socks from Sint Maarten and Shanxi…

    South by Southwest, a huge music festival that draws tourists and musicians from all over the world.

    • #34
  5. Jon1979 Inactive
    Jon1979
    @Jon1979

    Skyler (View Comment):

    The Cloaked Gaijin (View Comment):

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

    I assume that SxSW is an abbreviation for sex workers. Hmm, I guess SW actually is an abbreviation for sex workers, so maybe it refers to sex workers who wear socks.

    Sx? Abbreviations for Sint Maarten and Shanxi?

    SW? Perhaps sexy Smith & Wesson Swedish Star Wars — sex workers who wear socks from Sint Maarten and Shanxi…

    South by Southwest, a huge music festival that draws tourists and musicians from all over the world.

    It’s the week when Austin’s progressive hipsters get to pretend they’re one of the bi-coastal deep Blue state cities, and the people flying in get to pretend that  Texas is like New York or California.

    • #35
  6. Skyler Coolidge
    Skyler
    @Skyler

    Jon1979 (View Comment):

    Skyler (View Comment):

    The Cloaked Gaijin (View Comment):

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

    I assume that SxSW is an abbreviation for sex workers. Hmm, I guess SW actually is an abbreviation for sex workers, so maybe it refers to sex workers who wear socks.

    Sx? Abbreviations for Sint Maarten and Shanxi?

    SW? Perhaps sexy Smith & Wesson Swedish Star Wars — sex workers who wear socks from Sint Maarten and Shanxi…

    South by Southwest, a huge music festival that draws tourists and musicians from all over the world.

    It’s the week when Austin’s progressive hipsters get to pretend they’re one of the bi-coastal deep Blue state cities, and the people flying in get to pretend that Texas is like New York or California.

    Best description I’ve ever seen.

    • #36
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