Openshaw: A Parallel on Shoes and Limited Government

Some people think anything federally run is better than policies set by state and local governments.
They reason that the federal government has more resources. It has access to the brightest minds in the nation, rather than just regional or local talent. It has more money. The country surely works better if we are all “on the same page” on most issues.
The opposite is true, and there is one “umbrella” reason why: You know what’s better for you and your family than someone 2,000 miles away in Washington D.C. who has never heard of you.
To illustrate, consider Jane and Jim, a local couple, and their shoe sizes.

Jane and Jim are very much alike. Both walk upright, breathe air and need approximately seven hours of sleep at night. They like the same restaurants and politics; they exercise regularly, love sports and share religious beliefs. Both enjoy work in the garden and love time spent with family.
In spite of their harmony, they would be miserable if they had to wear the same shoes. Jane wears a women’s size 6 — tall boots in the winter, colorful flats in summer. Jim wears men’s size 12, and his shoes all look alike. Jim thinks Jane is a tad frivolous, and Jane thinks Jim’s footgear is terribly boring. His size 12 foot cannot cram into her red, size 6 Mary Janes, and she would be hobbled shuffling along in his huge black lace-ups.
Our similarities as people apply nationally as well. Wherever we live, we are very much alike. We breathe, sleep and eat. We have interests and beliefs, keep our own schedules and enjoy those we love. Because Americans are the same in many ways, we benefit from many of the same policies and procedures. Our similarities unite us.
Our shoe sizes do not. They range from newborn to men’s size 18 extra wide. Our shoe sizes must be customized.
Just as shoe sizes are unique, governments must be customized as well. Montana’s sparse population with its vast, timbered hills and rugged mountains doesn’t “wear the same size shoes” as tiny Rhode Island, with its plentiful coastlines, waterways and urban, eastern manners. Neither match Utah’s high desert setting with its water concerns and renowned recreation areas.
Transportation needs vary, pollution policies and building codes differ, hunting and game policies are unique and wage requirements are not the same.
Montana and Utah do not need Rhode Island’s maritime laws and intricate freeway interchanges; Montana and Rhode Island do not face Utah’s water shortages.
The problem with federal standards is that they are the same for everyone in every state. Federal standards — in education, transportation, business and commerce, family matters and health care — are a one-size-fits-all situation: We all get size 9 shoes. Bigger feet writhe in pain, smaller feet are immobilized. Only the few with size 9 feet who like the government-issue style are well served.
One size doesn't fit all in government, just as one size shoe doesn't fit all Americans. That’s why we keep government as close to the people as possible — so we can make people comfortable, happy and well-cared for by state and local governments.

Our original Constitution provided for our needs and differences through strong, largely independent state governments.
Though all were similar, state constitutions adapted to meet regional differences and needs. Those things needed by every state in the nation, such as a postal system, rules for bankruptcies and patents and a national navy are to be handled by a federal government.
Other national needs included a uniform money system and standardized measurements so trade between states could flourish. Twenty universal needs, including a federal court system, became national duties, as assigned in the Constitution’s Article 1. In all but these 20 areas, states were in charge to customize their policies.
Amendments nine and ten in the Bill of Rights anchored that right.
Whether we wear red Mary Janes or black lace-ups, whether we live in Montana, Rhode Island or Utah, we need customized government kept close to the people. It just works best that way.

Respect the Constitution of the United States

Everywhere, people are stunned by the new Jell-O standard for federal law: mold it, jiggle it, condense, dilute, disguise or add tutti-frutti to it; anything but enforce the laws as they were passed. National administrators have become master illusionists: now you see the law, now you don't.

The U.S. Constitution sets Congress as our sole law-making body. The legislators try, but their authority is shafted by bureaucratic regulations. Executive orders become law, and administrative whims to enforce, ignore, or rewrite laws are passed. That's trouble, as America's constitutional republic teeters dangerously on the edge of an ugly monarchy. Helplessness generates the oft-heard question, "What can we do?"

There are ways to foil our constitutional hemorrhage. One avenue of action runs straight to the county sheriff's office.

On Jan. 24 the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) met in convention in Las Vegas. This dedicated group has the authority to make a difference. Invited attendees resolved to insist that national officials obey the U.S. Constitution, with its rights that originate in the "Law of Nature and nature's God." The group reaffirmed the 10th Amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

Those who signed the CSPOA resolution unfurled their standard: abuses of freedom "will not be allowed or tolerated." They will only operate legally, in accord with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, with its Bill of Rights. They insist that the federal government and its agents do the same.

Utah County Sheriff James O. Tracy, president of the Utah Sheriffs Association, signed the resolution and now carries it throughout Utah. He says, "The Constitution must be the foundation for all of our decisions and actions, as law enforcement, to protect the citizens from undue government interference into our liberties. State, county, city, or federal -- no one is exempt."

There is nothing revolutionary or exaggerated in this simple insistence that rightful law preside in our society. Without this safeguard, we inhabit a police state, driven by the whims of those in power.

Eight specific rights under current federal attack are the core of the CSPOA resolution. These issues rarely appear in the standard media, but each, with accompanying verification, is making headlines across the nation in the freedom press.

Concerning our Second Amendment rights, signers of the CSPOA resolution declare the registration of personal firearms will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Nor will they allow the confiscation of firearms without probable cause, due process and constitutionally compliant warrants.

The signers of the CSPOA will protect you, personally, from abuse. The audit and search of any U.S. citizen's person, personal affairs or finances, or his detainment, will be permitted only by lawful means: with probable cause, due process and legal warrants. The inspection of all persons or property will be conducted only under legal means. The arrest of citizens, or seizure of persons or property, is allowed only upon notification and express consent of the local sheriff.

No arrests with continued jail time are tolerated except with charges filed and due process, including public and speedy jury trials in the appropriate court. In response to a growing threat, the CSPOA refuses to allow American military or federal agencies domestic use of federal war powers against American citizens.

The Resolution of the CSPOA concludes: "There is no greater obligation or responsibility of any government officer than to protect the rights of the people. Thus, any conduct contrary to the United States Constitution, Declaration of Independence, or the Bill of Rights will be dealt with as criminal activity."

Abraham Lincoln declared that, "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." We currently face attacks against liberty from within. The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association has our back. We urge every county sheriff in Utah, and the nation, to sign this document to uphold the law. Thank you!