The Republic Strikes Back By Michael A. Thiac March 7,

New Post Public Reply Private Reply Replies (1) Message Board

PoemStone cashclan #19482

Mar 7, 2017 at 4:51 PM 93

The Republic Strikes Back
By Michael A. Thiac
March 7, 2017

The election of Donald Trump was a political earthquake. More than just populism, Trump's victory opens the door to the dismantling of a century's worth of what has come to be known as "the administrative state" and returning to its rightful owners, the citizens. Retracing the history of how this came to be shows what the Trump revolution is up against.

One of the great abuses brought on by the Regressive Era (late 1800s on) came when Congress, knowingly and willingly, transferred legislative power to the bureaucracy. Up until then, Congress was obligated to debate an issue, pass a bill, send it to the president for signature or veto, and assuming his signature, see the new law implemented by the executive branch. The Framers knew the nature of the government was to expand without limit, so they made the enactment of laws difficult.

These protections were first breached by the Wilson administration, and then nearly decimated by Franklin Roosevelt, as one bureaucracy after another was foisted upon the American people. The judiciary initially held against this onslaught for a time, but eventually fell to the threat of the Democrats packing the courts, but also grew in numbers of judicial activists, perhaps as a side effect of this power grab.

The trend continued as LBJs “Great Society,” and the Nixon administration imposed dozens of new agencies (OSHA, EPA, etc.) upon the American people, issuing regulations with the force of law, but not the constitutionally guaranteed rights of due process, presumption of innocence, requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt in an open court, right to force witnesses in one's defense, etc. It continued through the 20th century until its very end. In 1991, the George H.W. Bush administration inflicted the Americans with Disabilities Act onto the already extended list. Thanks to this act and the thousands of regulations it has spawned, a tsunami of lawsuits have been the result. We see people suing store owners because their “Disabled Parking” signs don’t say “Van Accessible.” And after seeing photos of their pools on Google Maps, hotel owners are being sued for not having disabled access to their pools. The fact that they never were informed they need to have them is not relevant, but the supposedly wounded party will “settle this for a little cash…”

The disaster of the Obama years (e.g. Dodd-Frank, Obamacare, “I got a pen and a phone…”) brought the administrative state to its zenith. Thousands of pages of regulations on health care without any capacity to control the HHS bureaucracy have made the business of medicine impossible to conduct. It extended into other areas of unaccountability as well. Members of Congress sought to ban people on the DHS’s “No Fly” list from purchasing firearms. The fact that American citizens would be denied their right to keep and bear arms, without any notice or ability to appeal never seemed to concern senators such as Susan Collins or John McCain.

Well, in the early days of the Trump presidency, we seem to have a new hope.

The Most Dangerous Bill You’ve Never Heard Of Just Passed The House

Last, week, under the cover of a media bliss-out except among Koch funded right-wing channels, the House of Representatives passed a bill which would effectively repeal future standard setting under every important environmental, public health, consumer protection, labor standards, occupational safety and civil rights law on the books.

The bill, called the REINS Act, requires that any future major regulation adopted by an Executive Agency — say a new toxic chemical standard required by the recently enacted Chemical Safety Act, or a new consumer protection rule about some innovative but untested kind of food additive — must be approved by a specific resolution in each House of Congress within 70 days to take effect.

To give a sense of the scale of this road-block, in 2015 there were 43 such major federal regulations passed to protect the public; among them were food safety regulations, the Clean Power Plan regulating pollution from electrical generating facilities, net neutrality rules protecting the internet from monopoly, restrictions on predatory lending and energy efficiency standards for appliances.

If the REINS Act had been in effect, it’s unlikely that the Tea Party-dominated Republican caucus in the House would have approved of any of these rules. Future standard setting under the entire body of legislation enacted over the past 40 years to protect the public, from the Clean Air Act to the Dodd Frank financial sector reforms, would be frozen. Over time, as new health, safety, consumer and labor protection issues arise, all of these laws will effectively have been repealed, with no public debate and no accountability. It will also be impossible to restore them as long as the REINS Act is in effect, because by requiring Congress to approve every regulation, it makes it impossible to pass technically complex and scientifically valid rules on any topic of controversy….

This is a first step, very tentative, but it is a move against the unaccountable bureaucracy abusing the rights of the American people. Years of examples of how people have been told their backyard is a wetland because of a seasonal creek or of the attempt to shield Obamacare and other programs from Congressional oversight. and other abuses show that the administrative branch of the federal government must be brought to heel. In his book Liberty and Tyranny, Mark Levin suggested sunsetting all “independent” federal agencies every year, requiring them to be reauthorized with each budget. The thought of the EPA having to justify its existence and massive grants to fund propaganda and lobbying is beautiful. Perhaps they will be stopped from extorting billions for left wing groups from legitimate business.

But this will require the members of the Congress to actually do their jobs. John McCain, get off your ass and do your job, control these agencies and stop trying to find out if a baseball player used steroids.

< >

Featured stocks: Coffee Shoppe
For conservative debate: "Keeping it Real"
Game Changing stock $SHMP

Newer

Older

Scroll down for more posts ▼

Top 10 Most Recent News Articles

Cyngn: A Deep Dive into Its Robust 24-Patent Portfolio

Cyngn's Growing Patent Portfolio: A Robust Defense Ah, Cyngn Inc., the hotshot in AI-powered autonomous vehicle tech, is flexing its muscles with a solid 24-patent stash. We're talking about a company that's not messing around, racking these up since they decided to dive head-first into solving the brain-busting problems of the industrial sector. Their strategy? Build and...

Sarepta Under Scrutiny: KSF's Investigation Deepens

A Troubling Chapter for Sarepta Therapeutics It's not every day that a company's dirty laundry gets hung out for all to see, especially when we're talking about Sarepta Therapeutics, a player in the rare disease treatment space. But that's exactly where we find ourselves this fine day—a bit like kicking a hornet's nest, if you ask me. Led by the former Louisiana...

Bamboo Unveils Tailored Home Insurance for Texans

Adapt or Get Left Behind: The Texas Insurance Scene In a world where costs are ballooning and the pressure on the wallet grows heavier, here comes Bamboo Insurance swinging into Texas like a hopeful knight. This plucky insurer is rolling out the Texas Essential Homeowner Program, a highly adaptable, admitted policy that promises to put some power back into the hands of...

Baseus Debuts Innovations at IFA 2026: Earbuds to Security

Baseus Pumps New Blood into Tech Gadgets Well, if you're looking for some fresh tech pumping in from Berlin, Baseus tossed out some intriguing gizmos at IFA 2026 that'll perk up your ears. We're looking at an evolution from a brand that's clawed its way from everyday accessories to a full-blown tech ecosystem—pretty ambitious, if you ask me. Baseus isn't playing small...

Beauty Industry's $56B Boom: Trends and Innovations

A Whopping $56 Billion Beauty Surge U.S. beauty sales have jumped by 7%, translating into a dizzying $56 billion 'feel-good effect' in the industry. People are shelling out for products that make them look and feel their best. This isn't just about vanity—consumers are investing in self-care and wellness, a trend shaping what we see on the vanity counter. Every spritz...

Exemplar Luxury Group Taps Gretchen Koback Pursel

Changing the Game with a New Chief People Officer There’s an old saying in retail: talent rules everything. Well, Exemplar Luxury Group is doubling down on this with its appointment of Gretchen Koback Pursel as Chief People Officer. Set to take the reins on September 28, Pursel brings an impressive resume chock-full of luxury and innovative transformations from big...

Curaleaf Expands in Florida Amid Rising Cannabis Demand

Curaleaf's Bold Moves in Florida's Ganja Gold Rush Fresh out of the gate, Curaleaf is saddling up for a wild ride into Florida's cannabis frontier. They've just thrown open the doors of their latest dispensary in Riverview, cranking their statewide count up to 77. Now, isn’t that something? If you're tracking these folks, you know that bringing their nationwide total to...

Inturai Ventures Closes Final Tranche with a Twist

Wrapping Up a Wild Ride in the Investment Arena Markets are a fickle friend, and today we've got Inturai Ventures calling it a day on their latest cash grab. They've locked the final tranche of their private placement, pulling in an aggregate $963,713.70. Feels like they're counting pennies in this venture, but every cent counts when your aim is to shake up industries...

Local Climate Resilience Gains Urgency in the Southwest

Local Impact Means Taking Climate Change Personally If you haven't felt it yet, you will. Climate change isn't just a global headline anymore—it's a daily reality that’s reshaping life where you stand. David W. DuBois, New Mexico's top climatologist, is sounding the alarm this time on the new Net Zero Speaks episode, saying it's on us to use local climate knowledge to...

Labcorp Faces Lawsuit: Wiretapping Accusations Surface

Labcorp's Legal Tangle Unveiled One minute you're on Labcorp's website searching for medical info, the next you're caught up in a class-action legal whirlwind. Legal drama is not on any patient’s checklist, but here we are, with Labcorp knee-deep in some serious allegations. The crux of the matter points to alleged wiretapping violations, with claims that Labcorp,...