Pubdate: Sat, 26 Apr 2014
Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI)
Copyright: 2014 Star Advertiser
Contact: 
http://www.staradvertiser.com/info/Star-Advertiser_Letter_to_the_Editor.html
Website: http://www.staradvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5154
Author: Jacob Sullum, Creators Syndicate
Page: A9

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG MAKES RESERVATIONS FOR HEAVEN

If Michael Bloomberg is going to heaven, as he recently assured The 
New York Times, does that mean I am going to hell? The former New 
York mayor and I do not agree about much, especially when it comes to 
his two biggest passions: gun control and "public health," both of 
which involve restricting people's freedom for no legitimate reason.

Bloomberg told the Times he plans to spend $50 million this year 
against politicians who oppose his gun control agenda. According to 
the Times, the billionaire busybody's main goal is to "expand the 
background check system for gun buyers both at the state and national levels."

That may sound unobjectionable, until you realize that the whole 
point of the "background check system" is to strip people of their 
Second Amendment rights, often for trivial reasons. The Gun Control 
Act of 1968, for instance, bars gun ownership by "unlawful user(s)" 
of "any controlled substance."

Bloomberg, a former toker who as mayor of New York presided over a 
crackdown on pot smokers featuring illegal arrests for "public 
display" of marijuana, now wants to make sure cannabis consumers 
never exercise their constitutional right to armed self-defense. That 
one rule would disarm more than 30 million Americans, according to 
the federal government's survey data.

And no, it does not matter why people consume cannabis. The state of 
Illinois, which is implementing a medical marijuana program, 
initially said participating patients would not be allowed to keep 
their guns. Last week, in response to objections from medical 
marijuana and gun rights activists, Illinois reversed that position. 
But under federal law, which Bloomberg wants fully enforced, those 
patients will be committing a crime by owning firearms.

If the gun grabbing that Bloomberg supports proved controversial in 
Illinois, a state that historically has not been friendly to gun 
rights, how will it go over in places with long traditions of 
defending the Second Amendment? The Times said Bloomberg "seemed 
unaware of, or unwilling to acknowledge, the ways in which his own 
persona - of a billionaire, Big Gulp-banning former mayor of New York 
- - could undercut his efforts, especially in rural, conservative states."

Nonsense, Bloomberg said, bragging that he is treated like "a rock 
star" wherever he goes, with "people yelling out of cabs, 'Hey, way 
to go!'" Evidently it has not occurred to Bloomberg that the views of 
cab riders who are moved to shout congratulations at him in Manhattan 
may not reflect opinion in Montana.

Or heaven. "I am telling you if there is a God, when I get to heaven 
I'm not stopping to be interviewed," Bloomberg said, citing his 
support for restrictions on guns, soda, and cigarettes. "I am heading 
straight in. I have earned my place in heaven. It's not even close."

According to the Times, Bloomberg said that "with a grin," so maybe 
he was kidding. But probably not. Bloomberg displayed a similar 
self-righteous certainty when he reacted to a judge's 2013 decision 
blocking his 16-ounce limit on servings of sugar-sweetened drinks.

"We have a responsibility as human beings to do something, to save 
each other, to save the lives of ourselves, our families, our 
friends, and all of the rest of the people that live on God's 
planet," he said. "And so while other people will wring their hands 
over the problem of sugary drinks, in New York City, we're doing 
something about it."

Bloomberg wanted the public to know that the decision overturning his 
big beverage ban "was not a setback for me." Rather, "this is a 
setback for the people who are dying." He added, lest there be any 
misunderstanding about his paternalistic motives, "In case you hadn't 
noticed, I watch my diet. This is not for me."

For Bloomberg, who sees protecting people from their own unhealthy 
habits as "government's highest duty," helping those who do not want 
his help is not only the best form of altruism. It is the key to heaven.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom