|
nChrist
|
 |
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2017, 06:04:46 PM » |
|
________________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 3-31-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________
It’s no surprise, then, that yet another government review — the latest was put out this week by the Inspector General’s Office at the Department of Justice — delivers a scathing look at a practice that, by this estimate, raked in $28 billion of assets over the last 10 years. That’s a big revenue stream, and thus the real answer for why the practice continues to expand.
The IG’s 74-page review26 notes that the vast majority of these funds come from the efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Yet, according to the report, out of 100 asset forfeiture cases selected for further review by the Inspector General’s office, “the DEA could verify that only 44 of the 100 seizures, and only 29 of the 85 interdiction seizures, had (1) advanced or been related to ongoing investigations, (2) resulted in the initiation of new investigations, (3) led to arrests, or (4) led to prosecutions. When seizure and administrative forfeitures do not ultimately advance an investigation or prosecution, law enforcement creates the appearance, and risks the reality, that it is more interested in seizing and forfeiting cash than advancing an investigation or prosecution.” In other words, the majority of those who had their assets seized were, essentially, found guilty without due process.
And it’s the perception of “policing for profit” that civil libertarians have seized on in trumpeting the report27.
“This report only further confirms what we have been saying all along,” added28 Institute for Justice attorney Darpana Sheth. “Forfeiture laws create perverse financial incentives to seize property without judicial oversight and violate due process.” Sheth added that the “only solution” to the issue would be to end the use of asset forfeiture entirely. The Institute has long been an advocate against the practice, with their second (and most recent) report29 on “Policing for Profit” released in 2015.
Ending civil asset forfeiture, however, would leave law enforcement with a fiscal hole to fill — in some jurisdictions, a massive one. No one wants to call for a tax increase, and seizures act as easy money: once assets are seized, there is about an 80% chance30 that no recovery will be sought by the owner, and even the majority of those efforts are unsuccessful. Others might simply consider it the price of doing business or may be embarrassed by how those assets obtained.
But the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment prohibits illegal search and seizure for a reason, and it stands just as clearly now as it did when the Bill of Rights was first adopted 226 years ago. Carrying a large sum of cash is not illegal, and there are many who do so for legitimate reasons. (The same goes for certain cash transactions, although the IRS has begged to differ31 on that subject.)
Shaking down innocent people for cash would be called extortion if a criminal did it, so why should it be legitimate for governments to do the same? It’s indeed time to end this plunder once and for all.
MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST
What Is It About Vladimir Putin?32 — Views of Russia’s strongman have divided both Right and Left.
British Embrace Sovereignty33 — The UK’s exit from the EU has officially begun.
Breaking: Democrat Rejects Minimum Wage Hike34 — Baltimore’s beleaguered leadership takes a surprising turn.
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
Jonah Goldberg: Reaction to Pence Story Shows Traditional Christians Face Double Standard35
Mona Charen: Democratic Vendetta36
Charles Krauthammer: The Road to Single-Payer Health Care37
For more, visit Right Opinion38.
OPINION IN BRIEF
Jonah Goldberg: “The Washington Post ran a profile of Vice President Mike Pence’s wife, Karen, and lots of people are outraged or repulsed that two evangelical Christians do things that are fairly normal for evangelical Christians to do. Specifically, Mike Pence apparently doesn’t dine alone with women or attend events where alcohol is served if his wife doesn’t accompany him. … It’s a very strange place we’ve found ourselves in when elites say we have no right to judge adultery, but we have every right to judge couples who take steps to avoid it. But ultimately, I don’t think the important double standard is about marriage or adultery. It’s about traditional Christians. If the Pences were Muslims and followed similar rules, as devout Muslims indeed might, I doubt there’d be anything like this kind of liberal scorn. Of course, that’s unknowable. But liberals spend a lot of time and energy defending accommodations for religious Muslims — burqas, veils, gender segregation, etc. — that they would never make for committed Christians.”
SHORT CUTS
For the record: “[With Neil Gorsuch,] Democrats have muffed a clear opportunity to contrast themselves with the fumbling GOP and left Americans with a choice between a party struggling to govern and another absolutely refusing to do so.” —Ed Morrissey
Braying Jenny: “Shocking, almost sinful — really sinful — to be so degrading of God’s creation. The administration’s attack on science and the Clean Power Plan will not bring back jobs to the coal country. It will only poison our air and undermine America’s ability to win good-paying, clean jobs of the future.” —Nancy Pelosi
Braying Jackass: “This is such a nonsensical, and stupid, and dangerous approach. It’s almost indescribable, Look, the scientific community is virtually unanimous. While Trump and his friends may think climate change is a hoax, what the scientists are telling us [is that] it is real, it is caused by human activity.” —Bernie Sanders
Non Compos Mentis: “The human population [is] getting so big that we are raising so many farm animals. It’s very reasonable that we’re creating a tremendous amount of extra methane that wouldn’t otherwise be there in the atmosphere. And that is causing global warming and climate change to happen more rapidly than it would otherwise. … It’s also reasonable that agriculture researchers are going to produce or breed farm animals that produce less methane by changing the bacteria that are in their stomachs.” —Bill Nye
Friendly fire: “It’s disturbingly aggressive for [California Attorney General Xavier] Becerra to apply this criminal statute39 to [pro-lifers] who were trying to influence a contested issue of public policy, regardless of how sound or popular that policy may be. … The state doesn’t need to threaten the pair with prison time.” —Los Angeles Times editorial
Just sayin': “China is the only one that can control Kim Jong Un, this crazy fat kid that’s running North Korea.” —John McCain
And last… “The real reason that people want ObamaCare repealed is because their premiums went up. They could care less about the policy. … Let’s face it, it’s not an ideological argument that says ObamaCare is inherently bad because it’s named ObamaCare. It’s because premiums went up.” —House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families. |
