Common Sense Legislation

Alright, I am not nearly as worked up today as I was for my last entry, but this one is kind of an extension of my last entry. I received a few varying comments from different people some public, some private, some in agreement, and some that apparently don't wish to speak to me anymore (I look forward to your apology when you want some favor from me…). I am not going to address any specific issues from anyone's comments, but I appreciate everyone's point of view whether you agree with me or not.

So, by far and large, I had the most comments on Obama's abortion stance. I have no plans to argue morality or whether abortion is right or wrong, but I will explain my stance because it goes directly to my point. I disagree with abortion. I think there are many options in the event of an unplanned pregnancy whether the reason is youthful indiscretion or something traumatic like rape. Adoption is a much better option in my opinion. This is my personal stance. If a good friend came to me for advice this is what I would tell them and offer my support however I could help.

My political beliefs are somewhat divorced from my personal beliefs. Politically I am pro-choice. Call me a hypocrite if you like, but a big government with lots of laws scares me more than abortion. My opinions on the subject of big government and vast amounts of legislation are not limited to my views ..ion. I am also an opponent of gun control, unless the government pulls their head out of their ass and starts trying to regulate people instead of objects. There is a danger in allowing the government to continually write laws for special interest groups; we allow our lawmakers to whittle our civil rights down slowly and eventually we wind up in totalitarian society where we are punished for our beliefs.

Back to the gun control thing… Along these same lines, regulating the guns just makes legit gun owners' lives difficult and does nothing to slow down the sale of illegal guns to those who intend to use them illegally. In this instance, we have allowed the government to write a lot of unenforceable laws that do nothing to curb crime. Case in point, what happened to the dad of the kid who shot up Von Maur? The answer is nothing happened to him. Here is a man who owned an AK-47 assault rifle, took minimal efforts to secure this weapon (at best) which was subsequently stolen by his unstable son and used in a tragic event to shoot and kill perfectly innocent shoppers. Why was this man not arrested for being an irresponsible gun owner?

When the government finally passes a law allowing states to prosecute irresponsible gun owners I will vote for it and shut up. My gun is secured in a locked cabinet with a trigger lock and I don't even have ammo in the house for it. Some idiot would have to go to a lot of work to get my gun out and operational before they could do any harm with it and if someone stole my gun for the purpose of shooting someone else, I think I should be held responsible for failing to secure my weapon.

The background checks and handgun cards do nothing. You want to know a secret? Gangsters don't buy their guns from Cabela's or Scheel's or wherever. They get them off the street from someone who has imported them or stolen them from another irresponsible gun owner.

Another good example of stupid laws with good intentions is Nebraska's safe-haven law (now repealed). While I think it is a good idea for a safe-haven law to prevent parents from dumping their babies, Nebraska's law allowing parents to drop off children was a bumbling legislative mess.

My point is that while your morals may be noble, your view of right and wrong will always conflict with someone else's. Perhaps deeper analysis of your issue is warranted. Curbing gun violence may start by working to correct social inequities, domestic violence, or bullying in school. If abortion is your cause, perhaps you should volunteer with a sex-education organization or prostitution prevention program. Finding the root cause of why someone behaves a particular way can lead to correction of the behavior and prevent passage of needless legislation.

My bottom line is if you have a cause, get involved, but look at the entire picture and not just one piece. People protesting in the streets outside a gun show have the right idea, but the wrong execution. The same is true for passing unenforceable and ineffective laws. Encourage our legislators to take a proactive approach to solve root causes not mask symptoms, hold people accountable for their illegal actions, instead of forcing them to prove their legitimate ones, and at all costs, preserve our constitutional and civil rights