JUNE
20, 2004 --
LPR was reminded
recently of that charming cartoon in the movie "Anchors Aweigh," starring
Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson.
It was the Finemeister's plan to abolish noise in New York that brought the
movie to mind. The cartoon shows Gene, as a foreign sailor falling down a hole
and landing in a country ruled by King Jerry (the mouse of the Tom and Jerry
cartoons - who banned noise in his realm. And
what a sad place that kingdom had become, indeed.)
LPR is convinced that the Finemeister never would have dared to put forward
his plan to silence NYC if Gene Kelly were still alive. What else does the
Finemmeister have in mind to make New York City a more miserable place to live
in?
If Freedom of Information requests had teeth, such a request to City Hall might
well disclose a plan to end parking on New York Streets and, perhaps, to end
traveling in the city in private cars.
Certainly the mammoth city buses taking over city thoroughfares are removing
parking for private cars. See the huge bus
stops where private cars once parked -- and see the huge fiines for parking
where these buses now roll.
LPR wonders that in a short time, say the second Finemeister term, the Manhattan
sidewalks will be given over entirely to buses, movie and TV location companies
and taxis and car services and, lastly,
private limousines. And by which time, all New York police officers, assigned
to patrol, will be wearing steel helmets and carrying serious fire power.
There seems, however, no comment about the trend in NYC towards really big
and ham-handed government -- not in
the liberal media that seems committed to regime change in Washington.
Ah, but there continues to be comments in the liberal media how Republicans
have been "anti-government."
See, for example, the op-ed column of Sebastian Mallaby, in The Washington
Post, June 14. declaring that we have returned to big government, and "The
anti-government era of Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich has ended."
Now, the Republicans could have squelched this sort of demagoguery long ago,
simply by saying that liberals will have to call the Founding Fathers "anti-government" too.
Apparently, anyone who
crtiticizes abuse of power that can be traced to liberals and/or liberal programs
will be denounced as "anti-government" by liberals.
There seems no
getting around the major problem facing Republicans: they still
feel vulnerable to liberal attack, going back to the 1930s. All
those government programs proposed by liberals carried, of course,
the message: the people are helpless and badly in need of guidance,
by liberals.
|
|
 |
Double
buses take up more space formerly used for cars -- and
note the fine and towing charge -- $205 minimum.
|
Did those arguments
convince
the Republicans?
How do Republicans respond to liberals demagoguery: They hunker, essentially,
and hope that enough voters fear abuse of power by liberals to giver the GOP
a narrow majority in Congress, in spite of Republican thumb-sucking.
And all the GOP needs, to find the voice to set liberals like Sebastian Mallaby
straight is to have the confidence to rely on the insight and wisdom in The Federalist
Papers. No. 48, warned -- and this a century before Lord Acton's comment about
misuse of power -- "It will not be denied that power is of an
encroaching nature, and that it ought to be effectually restrained from passing
the limits assigned to it."
And that is what
the Constitution is
all about.
Just like
our modern liberals -- accusing as "anti-government"those
who demand that government officials honor their oath to the Constitution.
Chief Justice John Marshall warned that clever minds would render the Constitution
meaningless.
Did he foresee
today's modern liberals denouncing as "anti-government" any
conservative who thought the Constitution was still operative as
limit on the powers of government officials?
Republicans, at the National Convention in New York City, should commit themselves
to relying on the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, and use that wisdom in replying
to Democrartic demagoguery -- or, if for reasons not clear, Republicans are
unwilling or unable to rely on the "Founding Wisdom and Vision," they
ought to disband, and make way for a new party thast embraces the Founders'
vision and, of course, their great work of government -- the Constitution of
the United States of America.
And if Republicans in New York City find the confidence and strength to rely
on the Founders' vision, perhaps the GOP, before leaving New York, would persuade
the Finemeister that use of fines as taxes is the mark of the tyrant, not the
work of a
representative of the people.
Republicans: help free the New York 8 Million.
|
|
)
