Pubdate: Mon, 19 May 2014
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN)
Copyright: 2014 Star Tribune
Contact: http://www.startribunecompany.com/143
Website: http://www.startribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/266
Author: Craig Westover
Note: Craig Westover is a Republican activist and writer.

LIMITED GOVERNMENT - AS PRINCIPLE, NOT PANDERING

To the extent establishment Republicans are with the program now, it's
purely accidental. They don't really get it.

Like the inexperienced thief who breaks into a home and steals the
Xbox, ignoring the Picasso hanging on the wall, establishment
Republicans have a hard time with the "get government out of the way"
concept they looted from the Liberty Movement and the Tea Party
factions of the GOP.

They steal the phrase to vaguely rail against "government regulation"
and "government intervention" in our daily lives while ignoring more
valuable illustrations of the principle.

Perhaps there is no more stark example than the sex-trafficking
legislation introduced in Congress by Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen.
Based on Minnesota law, Paulsen's "Safe Harbor" legislation would
treat women caught up in sex-trafficking as victims rather than criminals.

Good legislation? You betcha. But while Paulsen, never one to miss the
opportunity to heist a popular trend, is fencing the legislation as a
way to combat the evils of sex trafficking, he completely ignores the
more valuable lesson hanging right in front of him.

Just whom do victims of sex trafficking need protection
from?

Safe Harbor laws protect victims of sex trafficking from their own
government more than from the "bad guys."

It was arbitrary legislation that defined victims of sex trafficking
as "criminals." It was government that enforced laws against victims'
behavior instead of focusing on the truly criminal behavior of sex
traffickers who forced them into it. Although Paulsen fails to realize
it, his Safe Harbor legislation is simply "getting government out of
the way" of helping victims and apprehending the real criminals.

A less dramatic but nonetheless telling example of getting government
out of the way to accomplish an obvious good is the Minneapolis City
Council's consideration of relaxing restrictions on "mobile grocery
stores." Many people in urban areas lack access to fresh fruits and
vegetables. There are entrepreneurs and nonprofits that recognize the
need and are willing to serve it; the problem is that city regulations
effectively prohibit them from doing so.

So, we have a problem - lack of access to fresh food in urban areas.
We have a solution - individuals willing to sell fresh food from
mobile vehicles. But we also have a government entity that says, "Hey,
wait a second. We haven't given our blessing. We haven't said this is
OK."

Just whom do urban shoppers need protection from?

Yet another example is legalizing the use of cannabis (marijuana) for
medical purposes. Minnesota and Wisconsin have both moved in that
direction this spring, but only after heavy lobbying, especially by
parents seeking help for their children afflicted by seizures.

Once again - just whom did these children and parents need protection
from?

In a free republic, patients and their doctors shouldn't need to
petition government for permission to prescribe and accept treatment.
In a free republic, the burden is on government to prove a compelling
interest before it limits individual freedom, and even then,
government's obligation is to use the least restrictive means of
achieving its stated objective. Instead, cannabis produced a harmful
side effect - legislative knee-jerk - and its use was banned.

Simply wearing "get government out of the way" on a T-shirt or
mouthing the phrase for applause at a political rally is not enough
for establishment Republicans expecting to build credibility outside
of their base. They need to learn the difference between an Xbox and a
Picasso - between popular action and acting on principle.

Safe Harbor legislation that recognizes victims of sex trafficking are
not criminals, enabling individuals to meet the need for fresh food in
the urban core, and allowing doctors and their patients to determine
the best course of disease treatment each mean "get government out of
the way." That, and not the popularity of the causes, is the principle
at stake.

It is government we need protection from.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D