No Wonder We Suck

Nearly half of all Americans believe that the civil liberties of Muslim Americans should be restricted. Now, the article doesn’t mention which liberties should be restricted, and it also doesn’t mention if it’s only the liberties of Muslim Americans. After all, if the poll asked about restricting the freedoms of all Americans, it would include the Muslim count, yes? But I suspect that it was aimed specifically at this group.

What I don’t get is why people think that restricting any ethnic group would be a useful exercise. Once it happens, the proverbial slippery slope is very much a reality, and it’s only a matter of time before others are added. I wonder if Hitler took such a poll about restricting the cibil liberties of the Jewish people?

No matter how misguided, I think most can see at least a sliver of appeal in such restrictions. Please note that I’m not saying that I support them in any way. But I can at least understand that the people making such a decision are trying to do the right thing. They aren’t, but you can see the motivation.

The Charlotte City Council, however, is another thing entirely. On two occasions in the last three years, they adopted city plans that recommended downzoning certain property. That is, they wanted to limit the amount of development that could take place in a particular area, so as not to overcrowd it, overwhelm it, what have you. Apparently those earlier plans just don’t matter. They decided to deny a request by the community to stick with their adopted plans, and instead allow higher density development.

I wonder – why does the government bother making so many plans that they just won’t accept for themselves? Why not just tell everyone that they don’t care about the populace, do what they want and call it a day? At least it would be more honest of them, in a roundabout sort of way, and we would have to worry less about wasting so much time.