The Right Side by Budd Schroeder Some Laws Are Not Good

Budd is a former NRA Director for New York and SCOPE Director/Chairman Emeritus
THE RIGHT SIDE

BY BUDD SCHROEder
FEBRUARY 20, 2019



                         SOME LAWS ARE NOT GOOD



            The legislative mill continues to grind out bad laws in Albany and the absolute power the Democrats now have is showing that this columnist’s perspective that politics is all about power and money has validity .

            Laws are being passed with haste and efficiency because the Republicans have no way of stopping the runaway train, leading us to realize that upstate New York is nothing more than a slum of New York City.  We are the subjects to the majority coming from what should be called The Rotten Apple, rather than the Big Apple.

            What’s more, the apple is wormy and getting worse. The old story of “what is worse than biting into an apple and finding a worm?”  The answer is “biting into the apple and finding half a worm.’‘  The results are leaving a really bad taste in the mouths of upstate residents.  It is a stretch to call them citizens, because, from all practical aspects, they have no power in government.  At least not on the big issues!

            The first thing Governor Andrew Cuomo did to show his power, was to pass an abortion bill that allowed an abortion to be performed at any time, even if the baby would be viable outside the womb.  A huge portion of the citizens in upstate are shocked and disgusted by this law, but Cuomo wanted it, the Democrats voted for it, and there was no block to stop them. Now pre-born babies can have their lives terminated legally.

            The governor and his crew were so happy about this law they stood up and cheered.  Cuomo had the city lights turned on in buildings as if this was a great law.  Many disagree with that, but to no avail.  Innocent babies will die, or depending on the time frame, the process of their life will end violently.

            A group in Western New York will be marketing bumper stickers saying “Abort Cuomo.”  We shall see how popular that will be and how many pro-life people will voice their disdain for the governor by reminding people that he insisted that the law be passed, and had to power to make it happen.

            The next on his wish list was to attack the law abiding gun owners with an extension of his SAFE Act.  One of the laws is the Red Flag Bill where certain people can report a person as being dangerous and have a petition for police to confiscate any and all guns that the person has.  An accusation is as good as a conviction because any thought of due process comes after the fact.

            If a kid in school is causing a problem for a teacher, she can file a report with this bill and all guns can be confiscated from the home.  Even if the parent is a highly responsible person and keeps the guns locked in a safe with only he and the parent having the combination, he still will have to surrender all guns.

            There is nothing in the bill that has severe penalties for a person filing a  false report and this is a travesty of justice. Yes, there are penalties for filing false reports, but in a case like this there should be a severe penalty closely defined to prevent abuses of a bad law.  As it is, the process does not have enough provisions to protect the innocent.

            Then, kicking around the Capitol is an attack on the right to privacy.  One of the senators wants people to surrender their passwords on social media so the government can spy on them if they wish to apply for a pistol permit.  How low can a politician get to sponsor a bill that invades on a person’s privacy and conversations with others? Dictators in foreign countries have found that to be very useful in controlling their people.

            Another bill getting publicity is the potential for legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. As in most political questions looking for an answer it is easy when you ‘’follow the money” and it come up to a published figure in the neighborhood of $300 million.  Sounds good from a taxation point of view, but at what cost to society?

            It would be good to get commentary from people in “Kids Escaping Drugs” and get their perspective on whether they would have to expand their facilities because of potential problems.  Many law enforcement agencies have commented against the legalization of pot.

            All agree it is a drug that affects the brain and can, with frequent use, have a negative effect on brain development.  Those who use it do it to “relax” and “feel good.”  That is fine if they stay home and inhale, but if they do it while driving or operating machinery, there can be severe negative consequences.

            The government has commercials taking about giving up cigarettes because of lung cancer and other diseases.  They are doing the same thing now about vaping because of the negative health consequences.  Inhaling pot has also shown to cause lung and respiratory diseases.  But, money is always tempting to politicians.

            On balance, medical marijuana does have benefits for pain control and helps people who are prone to seizures and other disabilities.  For that, the use can be justified.  Beyond that, it needs more study and input.  The politicians say they would forbid the smoking for all those under the age of 21.  The same rules apply to the consumption of alcohol, but one only has to read about parties involving high school and college students.  It seems those under that age don’t seem to care about adhering to the law.  They will do it anyway.

            Laws should be made for the good of society and to improve the quality of life.  They seem to be drifting more and more to benefit the politicians.  A philosopher said “laws are made by the people in power, to keep the people in power, in power.”   Governor Cuomo and his cronies are a good example of that.

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