The Missouri Attorney General has sent cease and desist orders to local health departments and school districts regarding mask mandates, quarantines, and vaccines. It’s caused the divide most of us would expect. One side says it is about time and the other says they are not taking health advice from the attorney general who is also trying to become a United States Senator.
The response has basically been a bunch of public entities have paid their lawyers with your money to respond back against the attorney general, who coincidentally is also spending your money in this effort. Who’s the winner? Lawyers and politicians. Who is the loser, you ask? You and me.
I personally agree with the attorney general’s opinion and actions, and I’d like to believe his motives are without question, but that is a difficult leap to make in the day and age of people spending tens of millions of dollars to get elected to the Senate.
I’ve been writing this for two years. You don’t have to be a legal scholar or F. Lee Bailey to understand that these government emergency orders are not constitutional. It’s really the basic “form of government and freedom” stuff we learned in elementary and middle school. The lines have just been blurred over time and now there is a large contingent of people who believe government has more power than they do.
That is the basic premise of the cease and desist, local health departments and school districts don’t have these powers afforded to them by the basic law of the land, yet here we are.
If you’re keeping track of government overreach locally, may I direct your attention to the City of Kansas City that declared a “climate emergency” last month. The “strategies” of the city are to be presented in January. I read a couple of articles on this resolution, and I nearly stabbed myself in the eye with a fork over the government speak and rhetoric.
I will once again reiterate that the arrogance of the human race is beyond comparison. We think, as a species, that we can reverse climate and stop viruses. I’m willing to bet we can’t and for my first exhibit, I’d like to present to you 2019,2020 and 2021.
Yet, the City of Kansas City is going to get the ball rolling. Somebody contact me by Ouija board in 2060 or so and let me know how it all worked out.
For the record, F. Lee Bailey ended up being disbarred in Florida and Massachusetts before he died, so maybe he wasn’t a legal genius. I don’t know. He was good against Mark Furman, that’s all I know.
Kansas City spends most of its climate discussions talking about the two electric busses they bought during the pandemic. The buses were bought with some government grant that was originally your money and they are sponsored by Evergy, which also was/is originally your money.
Quick, how many times have you ridden a bus in Kansas City?
Don’t get upset, though. Just like the airport needed more USB ports, these busses have USB ports. We all are going to sleep a little better knowing this.
Foley is getting a little tired of my negative tone with this column. Probably wants something Christmas”y” next week. I’m not making any promises, but I’ll try to get my mind right and pump out some good will and such.
(Guy Speckman can be reached at gspeckman@me.com or drinking eggnog laced whiskey shooters to get that Christmas spirit).