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| Ron DeSantis |
In Florida, city and county mayors across the state are a bunch of mini-Maos.
There have been all kinds local "emergency" COVID orders in place across the state that have just ended. No thanks to the mayors.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed an executive order invalidating all the remaining local emergency orders.
In Miami-Dade County, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said a lifting of local COVID rules would ignore the dangers that remain to public safety.
Broward County Mayor Steve Geller said he was “extremely unhappy” with the governor’s decision.
“It feels a little bit like the governor is spiking the ball at the 10-yard line. Obviously the virus is still with us. And local governments ought to be able to require indoor mask usage when appropriate," said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber.
It goes on.
But the heroic Desantis overruled all of them.
So here we have a situation where smaller, more local, government officials have been more authoritarian compared to the leader of the much larger governmental body the state itself.
I have never been a supporter of the smaller is always better crowd. I am always anti-state, big states and local governments.
If governments do exist, I am always going to be the supporter of the government that is least repressive in the case of Florida, it is the government of Gov. Desantis not the mayors.
What do the smaller governments are always better people have to say?
I always want the least oppressive people in charge when there is only a government option to begin with.
I've been fighting with our school board from the beginning of this. They are power drunk morons who can barely speak in complete sentences. It's really incredibly sad.
ReplyDeleteYet you let them educate your children
DeleteA bit unfair. I went through it and turned out fine. More to learn at Public School than just what is taught.
DeleteNot to be rude, but you "went thru it and turned out fine" but are now letting "power drunk morons who can barely speak in complete sentences" educate your children?
DeleteUntil now I've subscribed to the "ain't a dime's worth of difference" in the R vs. D debate. It seems in reaction to the pandemic that Republicans have been outing Democrats as the control freaks.
ReplyDeleteThe subsidiarity argument is an ex ante argument that is based on sound theory. Obviously ex post there can be exceptions. It is also possible that a government entity could provide a superior service to a private-sector entity in any particular instance, but I don't think that this would invalidate the theory that the private sector is generally preferable.
ReplyDeleteIf you didn't know who would be the governor and who the mayor, nor what their rules would be, and you had to pick which office would make the rules, then I still think that it would make sense to choose the mayor.
Jurisdictional power in the USA is interesting with its separate executive, legislative and judicial powers further separated by federal, state and local governments. In the end they all rely on the boots on the ground.
ReplyDeleteMayors and governors are executives that are supposed to only execute the laws coming from the legislature, city council, general assembly, etc. respectively.
As far as I know in most states the cities are required to follow the state legislature along with the Constitution of the state but, otherwise can set their own ordinances.
And then we have the unincorporated areas that, as I understand it, are not legally bound to the laws of the state they are located in. I assume they are bound only to the US Constitution. Where I live the county has a board of supervisors that acts as all three branches of government for the county. It consists of a Chair Person that, while not officially the executive acts as the executive.
Unincorporated areas can have additional sovereignty in that law enforcement is handled by sheriff departments which are headed by an elected sheriff rather than an appointed police chief.
With the advent of C-19 we have become more aware of “emergency powers.” Fun stuff. After all crisis is the health of the State. These emergency powers seem to blow all of this out of the water so we have a tyrannical free for all from top to bottom, including “health agency bureaucrats.”
I don’t know enough about state constitutions, legislation and laws regarding emergency powers to say what, if any, repercussions there would be if these mayors tell DeSantis to pound sand. With the Covid crisis still being overreacted to, it seems like almost any “authority” can do whatever they please. If a mayor instructs its chief of police or a sheriff orders its deputies to enforce or not enforce the New Abnormal, who is going to stop them or force them to enforce them?
"...the unincorporated areas that, as I understand it, are not legally bound to the laws of the state they are located in."
DeleteIf only this were true. Think of all the state income taxes that could be avoided merely by living in an unincorporated area.
As far as mayors telling DeSantis to "pound sand" and continuing to enforce laws or orders he has now invalidated, the lawsuits would come pretty fast from both the state and from individuals. The consequences for a mayor could be serious. No, they may be unhappy, but they endorse the system that elevated them to that position of power and they are not going to jeopardize that.
My thinking is that theoretically, decentralization is positive in that if a local government is being oppressive, you can more easily influence the people in charge. If that fails, it's easier to move to another county or state vs moving to another country.
ReplyDeletePragmatically, I agree that we want the least oppressive government no matter the level. If we are to have involuntary governments in a hierarchical formation, I think logically you'd want the highest level to affect you the least and the lowest level to affect you the most. This is another point for Robert's side because a tyrannical city government can make your life hell (ex. Killdozer).
"Smaller government" = interfere LESS with peoples liberties
ReplyDeleteFLORIDA is the SMALLER government in this case
RW you mixed up geographic mass with extend of government laws
"Smaller government" = interfere LESS with peoples liberties
ReplyDeleteFLORIDA is the SMALLER government in this case