The Age Of Petty Tyrannies

[INVAR]

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. - C.S. Lewis

The Age of Petty Tyrannies

John W. Whitehead

...We labor today under the weight of countless tyrannies, large and small, carried out in the name of the national good by an elite class of government officials who are largely insulated from the ill effects of their actions, and inflicted on an overtaxed, overregulated, and underrepresented populace.

Consider, for example, that federal and state governments now require on penalty of a fine that individuals apply for permission before they can grow exotic orchids, host elaborate dinner parties, gather friends in one’s home for Bible studies, give coffee to the homeless, let their kids manage a lemonade stand, keep chickens as pets, or braid someone’s hair, as ludicrous as that may seem.

...Missouri, like many states across the country, has increasingly adopted as its governing style the authoritarian notion that the government knows best and therefore must control, regulate and dictate almost everything about the citizenry’s public, private and professional lives.

...This is what happens when bureaucrats run the show, and the rule of law becomes little more than a cattle prod for forcing the citizenry to march in lockstep with the government.

... In exchange for the promise of safe streets, safe schools, blight-free neighborhoods, lower taxes, lower crime rates, and readily accessible technology, health care, water, food and power, we’ve opened the door to militarized police, government surveillance, asset forfeiture, school zero tolerance policies, license plate readers, red light cameras, SWAT team raids, health care mandates, overcriminalization, overregulation and government corruption.

...sold on the idea that safety, security and material comforts are preferable to freedom, we’ve allowed the government to pave over the Constitution in order to erect a concentration camp.

[XenaLee]

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. - C.S. Lewis

Hell, you can't even hold a garage sale now without the city government's "permission".  Yeah... the petty tyrants/elitists just luv to hold everyone's short hairs in the grip of their sweaty little palms.  It gives them such a sense of power, dontcha know.

Consider, for example, that federal and state governments now require on penalty of a fine that individuals apply for permission before they can grow exotic orchids, host elaborate dinner parties, gather friends in one’s home for Bible studies, give coffee to the homeless, let their kids manage a lemonade stand, keep chickens as pets, or braid someone’s hair, as ludicrous as that may seem.

[goatprairie]

Whenever cities or other municipalities enact excess regulations/ordinances, I suspect it usually has something to do with getting more money i.e. tax money out of the citizenry.
But of course, liberals in charge can't help themselves from going overboard to "protect" the citizenry including banning children from selling lemonade or kool-aid without city approval. Liberals given a little power inevitably turn into tyrants. These petty tyrants have to be stopped.

[INVAR]

Liberals given a little power inevitably turn into tyrants. These petty tyrants have to be stopped.

Who is going to stop them and rewrite millions of pages of 'laws' meant to fleece us and subjugate us to the whim of men in power?

We've willingly suffered these petty and overt tyrannies to the point the Beast is self-aware and self-preserving.  It will not suffer itself to lose any money or power and control - it will rig and steal elections if needs be, and find ways by any means to rid itself of men elected to office who threaten it.

Government is like Harvey Weinstein at the height of his abuse - everyone knows what he is, and everyone around him looked the other way or helped him make victims.

I think we have arrived at the place where we cannot stop tyranny via civil means.

[goatprairie]

Who is going to stop them and rewrite millions of pages of 'laws' meant to fleece us and subjugate us to the whim of men in power?

We've willingly suffered these petty and overt tyrannies to the point the Beast is self-aware and self-preserving.  It will not suffer itself to lose any money or power and control - it will rig and steal elections if needs be, and find ways by any means to rid itself of men elected to office who threaten it.

Government is like Harvey Weinstein at the height of his abuse - everyone knows what he is, and everyone around him looked the other way or helped him make victims.

I think we have arrived at the place where we cannot stop tyranny via civil means.

These petty tyrannies are happening at the local level, and it's up to the citizenry of those areas to handle it.
I'm not aware of these types of petty tyrannies happening in my area. I live out in a semi-rural area, and I haven't seen any kiddie lemonade stands out here.  The last time I saw kids selling lemonade/kool-aid in their front yard was on a farm I was passing by several decades ago.
I live with a neighborhood covenant which we (the wife and I) have to abide by. But even though there's a clause in the covenant banning political signs in yards or windows, I still put a few up during some election seasons. Nothing happened. Nobody told me to take them down.
That doesn't mean there aren't petty tyrants around where I live. I just don't run into them or their stupid rules much out where I live.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I think we have arrived at the place where we cannot stop tyranny via civil means.

Great. So once we overthrow the government, how will we choose a new government that won't just do the same thing?

[INVAR]

Great. So once we overthrow the government, how will we choose a new government that won't just do the same thing?

We're not in a place as a people that deserve what the Founders established, so we get to suffer the consequences of where they warned us we would go when we have discarded our foundational principles for the empty promises of bread, peace and safety.

What was established for us can never happen again.  We were an anomaly in mankind's history, and soon a footnote.

The out of control government spending alone ensures that fact.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

We're not in a place as a people that deserve what the Founders established, so we get to suffer the consequences of where they warned us we would go when we have discarded our foundational principles for the empty promises of bread, peace and safety.

What was established for us can never happen again.  We were an anomaly in mankind's history, and soon a footnote.

The out of control government spending alone ensures that fact.

You didn't answer my question.

[INVAR]

You didn't answer my question.

We don't.

We do not deserve what was intended for us because as a people we cannot maintain liberty as we have discarded what made it possible.

So we will simply suffer the tyrannies we now are accustomed, or we will replace them with worse.

Clear it up for you?

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

We don't.

We do not deserve what was intended for us because as a people we cannot maintain liberty as we have discarded what made it possible.

So we will simply suffer the tyrannies we now are accustomed, or we will replace them with worse.

Clear it up for you?

That's your opinion, which is fine.

Personally I intend to educate and preach the benefits of liberty and capitalism as much as possible, and force a change from within.

[INVAR]

That's your opinion, which is fine.

Personally I intend to educate and preach the benefits of liberty and capitalism as much as possible, and force a change from within.

That's a start.  Until we recapture our heritage and first principles as a societal imperative, we are not ready to do what is necessary to restore that which has been lost.

However, our government is a reflection of the character of the people - and I highly doubt the things necessary to regain what has been lost - are things this people will risk fighting for or maintaining.

Adams warned us in much of his writings about where we now find ourselves.  You can assert it is just opinion - but history bears out the fact it has a lot more weight than opinion.

"But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty once lost is lost forever. When the People once surrender their share in the Legislature, and their Right of defending the Limitations upon the Government, and of resisting every Encroachment upon them, they can never regain it." - John Adams, 1775