rust

The Golden Gate Bridge is painted every year. Not because rust has necessarily begun - but because the state of California knows that rust exists. Rust is corrosive and would affect the integrity of the bridge.

There is corrosion over taking the federal government of the United States. It may seem counter intuitive since the government is run by a conservative majority in all 3 branches.
To be conservative used to mean you believed that much, if not all, of the status quo should be conserved. Change should come slow, if at all, and established values override the need or desire for change.

This is no longer the case. The congress and President decided that 240 years of Federalism could and should be thrown over board. A law was passed specifically with one person in mind, that over rides all precedent established regarding states rights. Though the law was written for one person – it establishes the possibility that congress and the President can – and should – intervene on local and state matters when they believe it is needed for any reason. When this has happened in the past it was because a national constitutional matter was involved. This was not the case here.

The Terry Shiavo case was litigated within the proper jurisdiction. Then the “conservatives” decided unilaterally that they did not like the outcome.

I believe this was a political move. But it doesn’t matter why they intervened. What matters is that they did. The bell has been rung. What will be the next local or state issue to be made into a federal case over night? Now it can be done.

Previously a conservative Federal court intervened on a vote recount in Florida.

Previously a conservative administration threw out hundreds of years of precedent in order to take the country to a “pre-emptive” war against a country that did not and could not have attacked us.

Conservatism is no longer conservative in this country. It is activist. It is determined to upend tradition. It is corrosive to American values.