By Rob Morse
The liberals are virtue signaling again, and this might cost them a lot. Some states and cities have declared their revolt against federal immigration laws. How did we get here and what does this mean? One man’s problem is another’s opportunity.
Suppose you’ve run your city into debt. Government services are being cut back. You have to fire city workers, and these city employees are the base of your political support. Your city can’t meet its pension obligations as your population falls. Even worse, your losing influence as political districts are redrawn. What is a corrupt liberal politician to do?
You need to rent some constituents. You’ve driven away business, but you can get welfare money from the state. Like a slum landlord, you offer government services to illegal immigrants and their children. Of course you look the other way when these illegals vote. Your scheme works.. sort of.
You then claim your political necessity was really a virtue. Your illegal immigrants, voters deserve welfare, healthcare and education. You tell the federal government and its immigration agents to get lost.
Now lets extend this political maneuver to other constituencies. If the state and city gets to disregard federal laws, then why can’t a city disregard state laws as well. They can ignore state OSHA requirements and lure businesses to their town. They can ignore zoning and tax laws and build the communities they want. They can ignore state pension and firearms laws.. or make their own.
This implies a whole new level of federalism and subsidiarity. We might truly have a representative government without the heavy hand of government imposing their will on the minority. Will Redding, California declare itself free of Sacramento’s EPA regulations? Will Quincy, Illinois tell the Chicago politicians to take their debt and shove it? Will Corning tell New York state regulators to take a hike? Works for me.
You can expect push-back as states cling to control. Well will see liberal judges say that the relationship between cities and states is fundamentally different from the relationship between states and the federal government. Judges will magnify any small distinction to keep their political masters in power. This should be amusing.. if you like hypocrisy on display.
This is probably not what the virtue-signaling liberal politicians had in mind when they became slumlords.. but that only makes it more fun to watch.
