The Constitution and its Amendments guarantee Civil Liberties to all Americans...so why the ACLU, who seem to exist to cause dissent? Hal
@Hal Pollner I suspect rather disagreement than dissent, that being expressed over "faulty" decisions or actions. Frank
I think the premise is flawed. Various laws say you should be safe and secure in your own home, or it is illegal to kill someone, or to rob, etc. but it would truly be a slow news day if none of that happened. Laws guarantee nothing including the Constitution. They can only provide a system for punishment, etc. and for people to enforce those laws. While I often disagree with the ACLU, they are just another valuable check on various local, state and federal government over-reach.
The Bill of Rights was originally intended to place limitations on the power of government, but that has been subverted over the years so that it now gives the government more control over the people. This has been allowed by the people because we want the government to solve all of our problems, and there are far too many people who want the government to feed them, clothe them, and make sure that they have all of the advantages that used to require having a job.
The Constitution is like a marriage. A lot is supposed to happen, but sometimes we do not get all that we are supposed to get. Laws and regulations are only as good as the people who enforce and interpret them. Given that even the Supreme Court can rarely vote unanimously, who else can we turn to when the Supreme Court Justices, appointed by politicians and very learned about the law cannot agree on where civil liberty begins and ends plus how is it safeguarded. Sometimes those who are supposed to allow us our constitutional liberties are like two wolves and a lamb deciding on what to have for dinner. There needs to be someone to protect the lamb. I agree that sometimes the ACLU goes too far but just me saying that is interjecting my interpretation of the Constitution which may or may not be correct as we are all influenced by our own opinions and life experiences.
The problem I have with laws pertaining to non-violent and "victimless crimes" is that punishment is invariably rendered by extracting MONEY from the accused. That has now gone completely out of control, with folks being "robbed" by l.e. officers with NO CHARGES FILED! This disgusts me no end. Frank
Yes, many of our laws are in place as hidden taxes. The same is true of many of the regulatory agencies that are in place, requiring fees for licensure and certification. In the case of doctors and medical professionals, it makes some sense, but do we really need governmental oversight of barbers and hair stylists? The ones who suck will be out of business, and no real harm was done in the meantime. The same is true of taxes that are placed on things that are supposedly bad for us. We're supposed to believe that the huge taxes on things like tobacco are for our own good, yet state governments are now legalizing marijuana in order to replace some of the lost revenue from people who have quit smoking tobacco.
@Ken Anderson The audacity of the "tax-makers" shows through clearly when they ask for "approval" of some tax hike or another, making it look like if OK'd, the PEOPLE wanted it! While we lived in Phoenix, plans were made to complete the last leg of I-10 through the city, a feat which had dragged out for years. To fund it, a sales tax increase was approved! I was aghast! Sales tax increase to fund capital structure improvement? Didn't that get done in the "real world" by floating a BOND ISSUE, sold at the public securities marketplace? Could one imagine Hoover Dam built by a sales tax increase, for example? Sure enough, recession had it's way, projected sales taxes failed to materialize, and the "tax-makers" were caught with their shorts down, again. The fix? Raise the sales taxes even higher! Thereby discouraging folks from buying any products except the absolute necessities. By then, I was ready to give up on the State of Arizona. Frank
The tolls on I-95 in Maine were supposed to be in place only long enough to pay for its construction but here we are, years later, and the tolls are higher than they were before. Our current governor, who has done a lot of things that I approve of, pushed through new taxes on all sorts of things that weren't taxed here before, and still managed to gain a reputation as a fiscal conservative because he simultaneously lowered the income tax. However, once the state finds itself in need of more money, which is pretty much all the time, the income tax will go back up again and we'll be stuck, not only with a high income tax, but all these other taxes we had never had before.