New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Sunday: Sometimes government does know best. And in those cases, Americans should just cede their rights.
“I do think there are certain times we should infringe on your freedom,” Mr. Bloomberg said, during an appearance on NBC. He made the statement during discussion of his soda ban — just shot down by the courts — and insistence that his fight to control sugary drink portion sizes in the city would go forth.Say what???
The government never has a "right to infringe". In some cases, we as a people grant the government the ability to establish laws to safe guard our rights as individuals. These laws may limit some individual actions, but the purpose of the laws is not to infringe on individual rights, it is to safe guard the rights of those so governed. Believing otherwise, as Bloomberg does, is to get the cart before the horse, or more pointedly in this case, to make the slave the master.
Bloomberg has no more "right" to limit the number of guns I own, or the number of bullets they hold, than he does to limit the number of ounces in my big gulp. To believe otherwise is tyranny.
"Believing otherwise, as Bloomberg does, is to get the horse before the cart"
ReplyDeleteErm...I believe you have that backward. The saying is, "Putting the cart before the horse", which means to get the order of importance wrong. The way you stated it, with the horse before the cart, would imply that Bloomberg is correct (since the horse does belong in front of the cart).
But the rest of it is spot on, as usual.
/Pedantry
Terrible. But most citizens of New York City would probably believe and support that statement.
ReplyDeleteWaterboy, ever consider changing your moniker to “school marm” or “English Major”? :-)
ReplyDeleteYou are correct sir. I will edit accordingly.
Hey, I let let all the minor stuff go -- I'm not a grammar Nazi.
ReplyDeleteBut the blatant major things shouldn't go uncorrected, lest they be perpetuated by others downstream, IMO.
I don't mind an edit. I know I need them.
ReplyDeleteYou think Waterboy is bad? You should meet someone who studies, and is picky about, German. Esp the ones who focus on the Nazi regime. They are the worst!
ReplyDeleteLets hope you never have a run-in with the Nazi grammar grammar Nazis!
In high school and college I was friends with a girl from Germany. They can be bad, but that can be good.
ReplyDeleteBloomberg doesn't have that right. But the State of NY does. The state constitution of NY does not limit the state government from such infringement. I will let NY lawyers argue about whether NY state law permits NYC to infringe and how much.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, that isn't a problem in Virginia.
"Nazi grammar grammar Nazis"
ReplyDeleteOuch.