An alarming glimpse into the future

[Oldgringo]

Gun violence in our cities ansd elsewhere should be addressed. It's against the existing laws to shoot and rob and terrorize people and it's against the existing laws for certain folk to possess firearms.

Let's enforce the existing laws?

As long as we keep electing lawyers to public office, these problems won't go away. Lawyers, like earthworms, are self-reproducing.

[John]

so right out of the gate...

1. Repeal Tiahrt
2. Require Gun Locks... biometrics maybe?
3. no more face to face gun sales (remember, that is the gun show loop hole).
4. Make the expired AWB (probably on steroids) permanent.

Hope the NRA is up for a fight, with our support of course.

[bryang]

Gun violence in our cities ansd elsewhere should be addressed. It's against the existing laws to shoot and rob and terrorize people and it's against the existing laws for certain folk to possess firearms.

Let's enforce the existing laws?

As long as we keep electing lawyers to public office, these problems won't go away. Lawyers, like earthworms, are self-reproducing.

I agree that all they need to do is enforce the existing laws. If they would just enforce what they have there is absolutely no need of new gun laws. Anything above what they already have would just infringe upon law abiding citizens who are simply trying to protect their families.

-geo

[The Annoyed Man]

Here's another one:
http://change.gov/americaserves/
America Serves

Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year.

Don't get me wrong... I think that community service by private citizens is a good idea. I just don't think it is a good idea when the government mandates it - because then who gets to decide what "community service" is? This is a really, REALLY bad idea. A hundred hours is 2-1/2 weeks of unpaid work.

I'd like to know how he plans to get this one past the 13th Amendment?

1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

These kids, regardless of age and position in the educational system, have not been convicted of a crime which is punishable by enforced labor.

[boomerang]

3. no more face to face gun sales (remember, that is the gun show loop hole).

Interstate commerce. In-state commerce. What's the difference?

[boomerang]

Here's another one:
http://change.gov/americaserves/
America Serves

Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year.

It's all part of Obama's plan to encourage young people to drop out of school.

[John]

Here's another one:
1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Come now... a "resonable" amount of involuntary servitude is a "common sense" way of getting some work out of our youth. The second part of the amendament clearly states the that congress can legislate "common sense" voluntary servitute. It's almost a requirment by our constitution.

I say, have your kids join the Scouts... They do lots of community service.

[bridge]

Community service at the college level is covered by members of fraternities and sororities. These "social clubs" were originally founded to provide service to the local communities that the colleges served. I guess Obama was a GDI at Columbia and Harvard? I don't think that they're college membership would appreciate him infringing upon hundreds of years of service tradition.

Thank you sir, may I have another?

[Liberty]

I'd like to know how he plans to get this one past the 13th Amendment?

1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

These kids, regardless of age and position in the educational system, have not been convicted of a crime which is punishable by enforced labor.

It never stopped them from implimenting the draft before. Lots of people complained about the draft in the 60s but it wasn't until the kids started to burn down the country that the laws makers started to see their way. The Courts never ruled against it.

[The Annoyed Man]

True, they didn't. IANAL, but I suspect that the draft is/was defended on a basis of national security. It would be very hard to make the same argument for public service.

OTH, I wouldn't have a problem if public service were mandatory as a part of receiving government tuition aid, or something like that. But in that case, there is an exchange of value for value - not forced labor. And BTW, I'm not advocating government tuition aid. I'm just saying that if government were giving the aid, and you were accepting it, then perhaps government can make an argument for expecting something in return.

[Oldgringo]

True, they didn't. IANAL, but I suspect that the draft is/was defended on a basis of national security. It would be very hard to make the same argument for public service.

OTH, I wouldn't have a problem if public service were mandatory as a part of receiving government tuition aid, or something like that. But in that case, there is an exchange of value for value - not forced labor. And BTW, I'm not advocating government tuition aid. I'm just saying that if government were giving the aid, and you were accepting it, then perhaps government can make an argument for expecting something in return.

Quid pro Quo.

[KaiserB]

Here's another one:
http://change.gov/americaserves/
America Serves

Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year.

Don't get me wrong... I think that community service by private citizens is a good idea. I just don't think it is a good idea when the government mandates it - because then who gets to decide what "community service" is? This is a really, REALLY bad idea. A hundred hours is 2-1/2 weeks of unpaid work.

This was brought up in some blogs and the change.gov has been changed the text to remove the "require" from that statement after negative press.

[KD5NRH]

Interstate commerce. In-state commerce. What's the difference?

Since Wickard v Filburn, it even applies to non-commerce.

But more importantly, it applies because Chairman Maobama says so.