Toxic, Sadistic Laws that the Tea Party,the Right and Conservatives Are Trying to Ram down the peoples throats and up the asses of the middle class. Welcome back my friends to the show that NEVER ends.
1.The Anti-Life Pro-Life Act: After anti-abortion Republicans in Congress tried to narrow the legal definition of rape, Nebraska Republican state Sen. Mark Christensen took the assault on women’s rights one step further with a bill to legitimize the murder of abortion providers by classifying such homicides as “justified.”
2. The Let Them Eat Corporate Tax Cuts Act: As poverty rates and hunger have risen, so, too, have corporate profits. The Georgia Legislature’s response? Intensify the inequity with a bill to create a regressive sales tax on food that would then finance a brand new corporate tax cut.
3. The Demoralize the Workforce Act: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker didn’t just threaten to deploy the National Guard against state workers unless they accept big pay and pension cuts. Apparently, that was too Kent State and not enough Ludlow Massacre for him. So he pressed to statutorily bar those workers from ever again collectively bargaining.
4. The Child Labor Act: Missouri state Sen. Jane Cunningham’s proposal to eliminate child labor laws would allow corporations to employ any kid under 14 and would terminate restrictions on the number of hours that kid can be forced to work. The legislation is proof that when tea party ideologues refer to “the ’50s,” some of them aren’t referring to the 1950s—they are referring to the 1850s.
5. The Obesity and Deficit Encouragement Act: Colorado exemplifies America’s childhood obesity epidemic and its budget crisis. The state’s childhood obesity rate grew at the second-fastest rate in the country, and its $1.2 billion budget gap is threatening the state’s already underfunded schools. Yet, despite the U.S. Department of Agriculture showing that higher soda taxes would drive down obesity, and despite such a levy raising much-needed public revenues, Colorado’s newly Republican House is pushing legislation to create a special budget-busting sales tax exemption exclusively for soda.
6. The Endorsing Your Own Demise Act: Between trying to legalize hunting with hand-thrown spears and pressing to eliminate education requirements for those seeking the office of state superintendent of schools, Montana’s Republican lawmakers are also considering legislation to officially endorse catastrophic global climate change. That’s right, in the face of a Harvard study showing that climate change could destroy Montana’s water supplies, agriculture industries and forests, state Rep. Joe Read’s bill would declare that “global warming is beneficial to the welfare and business climate of Montana.”
7. Florida’s Senate Bill 1854 specifies that “Members of the instructional staff of the public schools… shall teach efficiently and faithfully… the following: a thorough presentation and critical analysis of the scientific theory of evolution.” At first glance this provision does not seem all that questionable. However, the man behind the law is Republican Senator Stephen R. Wise, who has unabashedly claimed he is anti-evolution, wants to have “intelligent design” taught at educational institutions.
The proposed bill is just an extra sneaky method of accomplishing this goal. His claim is that knowledge about creation myths would encourage “critical thinking.” If that’s the case, then I’m advocating that students learn of the Giant Spaghetti Monster and his gloriously gigantic meatballs....mmmmm, meatballs......in your pants.
8. In Utah House Bill 477 was signed into law by Gov. Gary Herbert. This controversial law amends the state’s open records law to give the government more privacy. As an alteration of the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act, the bill requires that “voice mails, instant messages, video chats, and text messages are not records subject to the act, with some exceptions.”
9. In Michigan, Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget is expected to cut aid to cities and towns so drastically that many municipalities are expected to fall into serious financial issues. Gov. Snyder currently advocates a bill that would provide him and his administration the power to declare any town or school district to be in a “financial emergency.” If a town earns such a status, then his administration is allowed to implement an individual to be in charge of that town. Welcome to the state, county, township, city and town of Michigan.
10. Georgia State Rep. Bobby Franklin—who last year introduced a bill mandating that victims of rape, stalking, harassment, and family violence be reclassified as "accusers", has introduced a 10-page bill that would criminalize miscarriages and make abortion in Georgia completely illegal. Both miscarriages and abortions would be potentially punishable by death. The baby died so now you must die, wifey. An eye for an eye!
11.Florida Republican lawmakers are reviving a proposed constitutional amendment is aimed at allowing Floridians to opt out of a federal requirement that they buy health insurance or face financial penalties. Lawmakers passed a largely identical proposal during the 2010 session, but the Florida Supreme Court blocked it from going on the November ballot because of misleading wording. State Rep. Tom Goodson (R) filed a bill that would “preempt regulation of wage theft to state, except as otherwise provided by federal law, supersedes any municipal or county ordinance or other local regulation on such subject.”
In other words, if passed, this bill would do away with a Miami-Dade ordinance passed in 2010 that prevents employers from cheating workers out of wages they are owed. Over 3,500 right to work employers have been nailed just in Miami-Dade county.
12. Arizona: A proposed law would let the state actually nullify federal laws that legislators believe are invalid. They must live in Amerika.
13. South Dakota: Any adult 21 or older would have to buy a firearm "for their ordinary self-defense". But government can't make you buy health insurance, that would be unconstitutional!
14. Montana: House Bill 278 would authorize arming citizens' militias against invaders. "Invade Montana and seize the Dental Floss ranches!" is what I always say.
15. New Hampshire: a volunteer "permanent state defense force" would assist with disaster relief and "defend the state against invasion". "Invade Montana New Hampshire and seize the Dental Floss Hampster ranches!" is what I always say.
16. Texas is special with 25 toxic bills : One bill makes it a crime to be in Texas without documents. Another prohibits the State of Texas from issuing birth certificates for children born in Texas to parents where father and mother are undocumented, a violation of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. Another bill withholds state funds to governmental entities who harbor undocumented persons. This would require every law enforcement officer to stop, detain and identify every person whom the officer suspected of being an undocumented person. Another bill requires schools to document who is legal and who is illegal in each school in Texas. Each child would be required to certify for the school who they are concerning the legal status of each parent. The school would be required to report this information up to the state agency who would handle this reporting system. Another bill would prohibit undocumented persons to file lawsuits in the court. They would also be prohibited from filing counter-claims or cross-claims in court. They could be sued in court, but they could not sue back. Reminds me of South Africa during apartheid. Texas, where stupid really is bigger!
17. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced his 10th Amendment Regulatory Reform Act which would allow state officials to challenge federal regulations before they go into effect.This bill mirrors a bill introduced by Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) It would allow designated state officials to file a legal brief challenging the constitutionality of proposed regulations during the time when they're open for comment. Both bills are in response to health-care reform law.
There are many more bills I have not listed. If you don’t live in one of these states, it’s easy to tell yourself that these bills don’t affect you. But history suggests that what happens in one state is quite often replicated in others—and ultimately, in the nation’s capital. That’s why we should all hope saner minds cut short these bills and laws before they get even more out of control.
Steve
