Modifying Our Behaviors with non Regulatory Legislation;A brief synopsis of a Federal shakedown and a ‘what if?’
The Federal Government, either the Congress itself, where all Legislation is supposed to originate, or the Executive Branch, where so much Legislation is ‘suggested from’, has wormed its way, for our safety and health, via the power of the Congressional Spending Bill; which as a Bill, once approved becomes Law, is still not a Regulatory or Statutory Law- several times now in the past decades.
In 1968 Congress passed a Bill ‘requiring’ that the States mandate that all vehicles sold in their jurisdictions have seat belts in both front and back seats. If the State did not comply, they would lose Federal funding provided by the Department of Transportation.
In 1984, Congress passed and President Reagan signed into Law, a Bill that required the States to raise the age to “purchase and publicly possess (but not consume) alcohol” to 21. The States had until 1990 to become compliant. However, to try and get the States to comply sooner, Reagan instructed the Dept of Transportation to withhold 5% of Federal highway construction funds each fiscal year starting in 1986 and increasing each year another 5% each year until they complied or 1990 arrived.
In 2019, the ‘Tobacco 21 Act’ was signed by Pres Trump. This required that the States change their Laws so that the sale and possession (again not consumption) of tobacco and vaping products be changed to age 21.For those States that chose not to comply, or chooses to go back to 18, the Federal Govt will withhold Federal substance abuse grant funding. Which begs the question; why is the Federal Govt, outside of the VA, Federal Prisons and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, funding substance abuse programs anyhow?
But this is how the Federal Govt has been operating in the last half century to get what it wants. Whether Republican, Democrat or bi-Partisan, its done so basically by blackmailing the State Governments.
Has any State in such a predicament ever put the decision up for a popular vote? I do not believe so. But they could, and it would be entirely legal, the Federal Govt has no Authority to emplace or enforce any of the above as Regulatory or Statutory Law so they have done these through with holding money instead.
That’s the brief rundown, the synopsis. Now, the ‘what if’?
What is one of the biggest issues that the Federal Government would LOVE to be able to put a tight loop around right now and pull really tight on? Doing so without stepping on any Constitutional Rights while pulling on that loop by getting the States to do it?
Yup, firearms.
And do not be fooled, Republicans will make any bargain to get something they really want, with Democrats and vice versa, to make this happen.
They just have not yet conceived of what State Financial Aid buttons they want to push yet. Something connected, even loosely, to firearms.
Take the tobacco and vaping example- they threatened States with holding back funding on addiction treatment. What sick freakazoid thought of that?
“The Instruments Of Torture”
So, the Feds could say they will hold back or cut off entirely, Federal funds for training and equipping State and City Disaster Preparedness teams and stockpiles. You know the ones we all heard about when CVD first started?
Stop all Federal funding for local and State police agency training. Also, severely limit Federal cooperation with State police agencies ,like the FBI assisting local jurisdictions; police access to NCIC and other databases.
Demand a return of all military grade equipment- weapons, MRAP type trucks, HUMMERS ,that were donated to local police depts by DoD.
Cut back on funding for Level 1 trauma centers or for ALL levels of trauma centers. Places that would deal with the effects of mass shootings.
Same kind of coercive sick mind as the one who would cut the funding to those in addiction treatment.
So, the Feds pass a ‘Spending Bill’ that the Pres signs into a non Regulatory/ Statutory Law, requiring all States to immediately build and enforce a weapons registry that is retro active. This would be up to the States on how to do it, but probably would require an in person appointment with all weapons at a police station where the owner might have to pay a fee.
Failure for a State to comply with this will result in the loss of one or all of the four ‘blackmails’ I listed above.
In the eight States where it is against State law to maintain registries, they would be given additional time to come into compliance before losing funding.
I mean tell me HOW would this be any different then the other times blackmailing the States and the Federal funds they have become addicted to – how?
Just be glad our elected politicians are simply too busy hunting for good camera angles and sound bytes and scrubbing their donor lists to actually take the time to think up of things like this.
A couple of websites for further reading:
President Reagan Ties Federal Aid to Drinking Age
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