Tipping the scales of justice with emotion

My column for the West Bend Daily News is online.  It’s called, ”Tipping the scales of justice with emotion.”

Enjoy.

1. Owen may be technically correct that a psych eval would not have necessarily prevented a tragedy, such as had occured in Crandon.  However, it could have gone a long way to identify the possibility of future problems. 

   And while individual tests often can climb into the hundreds of dollars, there are other ways around that, including regional cooperation, contracting, and tying it into other funding, i.e. federal grants.

   Either way, it’s amazing how someone can put a dollar amount on the worth of a human life.

   Posted by on October 16, 2007 at 2315 hrs




2. Gee I wonder if the LFB has ever done a report analyzing the costs for the state in administering a concealed carry law?

   Posted by on October 16, 2007 at 2359 hrs




3. The speed with which this bill was brought forward indicates that it is based on an emotional need to “do something,” but we should not base our laws on emotion.

   Unless of course it’s a law “addressing” terrorism, right?  Let’s see if the legislature can beat congress with the Patriot Act and get this passed in under 43 days.

   Posted by on October 17, 2007 at 0925 hrs




4. Well, its been 6 years now since the Patriot Act was first introduced ... 3 Seperate Congresses have now had a kick at that cat and it has been renewed twice at least ... and how much has it changed since its original passage?  I would argue that the Patriot act addressed issues that should have been addressed long before it was passed ... not out of an ‘emotional’ need to do something ... but because of a ‘practical’ need to do something.

   Posted by on October 17, 2007 at 1050 hrs




5. Gee, capper is right.  I bet if we commit 1 million dollars per capita per year, we can all but guarantee there will be no more tragic shooting sprees or other needless death through psych tests, house searches for all firearms and knives, free rubber room additions for all families who qualify, food, mold, etc.testing per house hold, “free” heart, colon, prostate, breast, etc. exams and surgeries for all those who qualify, etc. We could probably reduce our yearly death toll to below 10 times Iraq’s death toll! 

   Get real capper, death and safety have always been balanced by cost.  Sometimes poorly, and those responsible should be questioned and if appropriate, held responsible for their actions.

   You yourself balance it every day you don’t send money to sponsor a kid in Africa.  Less than a buck a day… Aren’t you a rat bastard for ever buying a new car instead of used, or whatever other ‘want’ you have ever filled instead of helping a needy person who didn’t get help.

   MP, you think the majority of conservatives (especially on this blog) approve of the Patriot act?  There aren’t many ‘Bush is perfect’ people here, at least I have never had that impression.  The irony is that it really is a very liberal document in that it sacrifices freedoms for safety, libs just can’t stand that Bush pushed it.  Comment 1 in this thread is a perfect example.  If one terrorist is caught or dissuaded, wasn’t the money worth it?  Yes? That is my point… No?  Please explain to this uncaring conservative how the Patriot act is a horrible waste of money, while ‘denying?’ a psych test for law enforcement APPLICANTS is putting a price on human lives?

   Posted by on October 17, 2007 at 1131 hrs




6. a very liberal document in that it sacrifices freedoms for safety

   Liberal? Please explain.

   Please explain to this uncaring conservative how the Patriot act is a horrible waste of money, while ‘denying?’ a psych test for law enforcement APPLICANTS is putting a price on human lives?

   Where is it commented that the Patriot act is a waste of money?

   Posted by on October 17, 2007 at 1138 hrs




7. Owen, let’s start with the points of agreement.

   1- No gun law in the world could have stopped what happened in Crandon.  We can argue about deputies in Forest County being armed with big-clip AR-15’s later.

   2- Arresting the kid in Point was ignorant.  Zero-tolerance laws make bad public policy, whether we’re talking about schoolgrounds or people’s bedrooms.

   3- Making laws in the heat of the moment seldom results in good laws.  they tend to have all sorts of nasty, unintended consequences.  There are exceptions.

   Having said all of that, it feels as if the drivers of change can only be engaged when emotions run high.  There is, rightly or not, a lot of cultural inertia to be overcome in making public policy.

   It took the Shirtwaist Factory fire to change workplace safety laws, WWII to change compensation patterns, and fire in the streets to change race policy in America.

   Sometimes it pays to be a little pissed when writing legislation.  Other times, not so much.

   Posted by on October 17, 2007 at 1232 hrs




8. Well written.  Will be mentioning this in my blog.

   Posted by rag on October 17, 2007 at 1320 hrs




9. The late John Henry Faulk used to tell a story about the time when he was a boy and his mama sent him and his friend out to the chickenhouse to rid it of a chicken snake. These two boys, all of six or seven years old, rooted around and couldn’t find the darned thing until they looked in one of the upper roosts and the snake popped its head up out of one of the nests. They let out a whoop and nearly took out the door jamb by trying to both run out of the coop at the same time. When she stopped laughing, Mrs. Faulk asked what was the matter, saying, “You boys know a chicken snake can’t hurt you.” “No ma’am,” replied the other boy, “but it can scare you so bad, it’ll make you hurt yourself.”

   And so it’s been throughout American history. Emotions run high, and laws like the Alien and Sedition Act get passed, or Japanese internment camps get built or Joseph McCarthy ruins lives and careers with impunity or the Patriot Act removes civil liberties without a second thought. So far we’ve always regained our senses and gone back to our Constitutional roots. I sense we’re doing it again, that the hysteria is passing. I certainly hope so.

   Excellent column, Owen.

   Posted by on October 17, 2007 at 1536 hrs




10. pjr -

    Liberals insist on giving up freedoms for safety all the time with the Nanny state....  The idea that the government exists to protect us from ourselves.  From that we get helmet laws, seat belt laws, smoking bans, etc, etc, etc.... 

    While I personally wear my seatbelt, think that those that ride without helmets are a bit looney, and detest cigarette smoke, the government should have zero right to take away personal freedoms to make those decisions on our own.

    Posted by on October 17, 2007 at 2235 hrs




11. Liberals insist on giving up freedoms for safety all the time with the Nanny state....

    And this pertains to the Patriot act, how?

    Posted by on October 18, 2007 at 0119 hrs




12. It has been noted recently that neither party seems overly concerned with protecting freedoms these days.  The Republicans claim to be on the side of personal freedoms in general, while Democrats will often vote pro ‘for their own good’ legislation.  The patriot act was pushed by Republicans so they lost iniative in this area.  I was merely opining that the patriot act was generally more of a liberal/socialist document.  I would further state that had their been a Democrat in the white house, very similar legislation would have been enacted and the Republicans would have been against it just enough to lose the vote and the Republicans would have been making a huge issue of it in every election since.  It is not a serious issue with Democrats because the majority of their base more or less approves of it.  When a Democrat denounces it, it is aimed at two targets.  The moderate conservative (who would be really stupid to vote Democrat BECAUSE of that issue where Republicans still are a bit more pro-individual rights than the average Democrat) and a personal attack on Bush to prove how power hungry he is

    Posted by on October 18, 2007 at 0844 hrs