Guardrails

Republican legislators are trying to change the Governor’s emergency powers. I applaud that effort.

An “emergency” is an unforeseen combination of events requiring immediate action. A tornado, a blizzard, a flood, even a disease outbreak, can all be emergencies.

But for how long? At what point is “immediate” action no longer required, and “deliberate” action should replace it? At what point should the Governor return power to the people’s elected representatives to make decisions?

Presently, the law says his power continues until a majority of both houses revokes it. That’s backwards. It should end unless a majority of both houses extends it.

Joe Doakes

The provision, if it was given much thought at all, was (I suspect) written with the assumption that all future goverors would operate from a basis of integrity and concern, mutually held with a statesmanlike legislature, for the balancing of order and liberty.

Events have shown that to be a poor assumption.

Events have also shown us that the Second Amendment movement got it right in 2015 when they pushed through limitations on the Governor’s emergency powers in re confiscating guns and curbing gun rights under a “state of emergency”.

We need to do that with the rest of state law.

Assuming the opposition can ever prevail.

16 thoughts on “Guardrails

  1. What is the procedure now for declaring that henceforth the gov has emergency powers? I mean, figuring out how to limit the extent is fine, but a sufficiently evil politician or party could simply declare and re-declare the emergency powers in perpetuity.

    Also, it seems to me that a statutory limit of, say, 30 days is more than enough time to get the legislature together to deal with an “emergency” as should be in a representative democracy.

  2. This from the Republican gang that can’t shoot straight. They want businesses to remain open as long as they have a Covid plan. We saw the plan employed by some bar owners recently. The more the merrier was their plan.

    While Walz was taking action to keep us safe, Republican legislators like Majority Leader Paul Gazelka whined continuously, wanted to reopen businesses despite spiking virus numbers and recklessly flew on an airplane to FL knowingly with Covid symptoms which endangered every other passenger. He tested positive after arriving in FL. These guys want control? No thanks.

  3. There is actually no supportable reason representatives should not be part of a representative government despite any emergency.

    Emergencies happen, but giving your legislative bodies a monthly vote to “do the job” or “let some other single person do the legislating” hasn’t worked well.

    Authoritarians and their loyal slaves may think differently, all while speaking out the sides of their mouths about “democracy”, but they apparently aren’t OK with democracy or representative republics and how they operate.

  4. Does anyone really want this since the GOP has spent the past 11 months telling us Covid is “no big deal?” If it’s okay, I’d rather keep the adults in charge.

    We have a vaccine. It’s being distributed. The state just got a huge allocation. COVID numbers are improving. Businesses are opening back up. We’re making progress. The end is in sight. And the Republicans just keep whining.

  5. A quote from the original McDreamy regarding new draconian quarantine measures for travelers to Canada: “As I’ve said before, when it comes to protecting you and your family, nothing is off the table.”

    Concentration camps are next. For your own good. You really think wannabe McDreamy’s will ever want to relinquish power? Lockdown™ forever and emergency will continue because MN GOP will never have the balls to revoke anything.

  6. Businesses are opening up FOR NOW, unless the Governor decides to fondle the dials again, in which case business will be closed, or limited, or maybe not, or maybe so . . . which is not a sustainable business model.

    Imagine you go to the bank for a business loan. The loan officer wants to see your business plan. “My plan is to be open or not, at full capacity or not, depending on the Governor’s whim from which there is no appeal. Therefore, my plan shows obscene profits are a guaranteed no-brainer and your loan is zero risk.” Think the loan would get approved?

    Those are the kinds of adult decisions that need to get made in a functioning economy. They cannot under Dictator Walz, which is why Old Mexico in Roseville just closed after 41 years in business.

    https://www.twincities.com/2020/11/04/ol-mexico-in-roseville-closes/

  7. Well, when you get up off your knees and unbow your head to your cherished “adult” dictator, maybe you can consider how so many other places seem to do better than Minnesota but without the authoritarian powers invested in one individuals judgement.

    I don’t think you will, but I have hope.

  8. Have you heard of Covid variant from Japan No?

    How about one from South Korea?
    No?

    Surely variants from New Zealand and Vietnam?
    Of course not

    Because these places haven’t given rise to variants. It’s almost as if letting the pandemic run out of control is a bad idea for some reason.

  9. Aaand, on Pedo Joe’s 8th day, the stock market crashed….-700 as of now.

    Analysts are saying this might be bubble bursting time. Perfect.

    Now watch how quickly all these degenerate leftist Governors open up for business.

  10. I’m definitely anxious about my equities but then I remember how anxious I am about my cash holdings and that balances it out. 😏

  11. Got your Sponge Bob bank safely under the mattress, do ya ReeK? Good job.

    But I seem to remember that, well, almost a year ago to the day, you said you were out of the market. Took your profits and laughed, as I recall. 🤔

    Reek, were you lying then, or now? 🤥

    tia Reek!

  12. Covid death rates as of January 20 (and these are calculated using the phony numbers):

    Minnesota, under house arrest for the last year and a million people unemployed, has a Covid death rate of 110 per hundred thousand people.

    Wisconsin, with hardly any restrictions and a growing economy, has a Covid death rate of 109.

    Florida, with no restrictions, a thriving economy, and a much older snowbird population, has a Covid death rate of 126.

    What’s the Emergency that justifies continued dictatorship? We’re doing the same as Wisconsin and only slightly better than Florida. What’s the point of all these mandates and closings, if they don’t do any good?

    https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/us-coronavirus-deaths-by-state-july-1.html

  13. Wow. Who favors “letting the pandemic run out of control” again? Oh, that’s right, Emery’s imaginary enemies.

    A fairer and more reasonable comparison would be between states that exist under the federal government. Like maybe states in the same region.

    But I see now the head of Emery is not just bowed, but shoved somewhere the sun doesn’t shine. My mistake.

  14. Emery would rather keep the “adults” in charge, like the guy in New York who was caught sending COVID patients into nursing homes, and then proceeded to undercount the # of deaths attributable to the disease by about half. Or perhaps the lady from Michigan, who did the same,and when the legislature passed a bill to prohibit the practice, vetoed it.

    By Emery’s logic, the “adults” are the kind of people who would have Larry Nassar serve his sentence in a gymnastics training room.

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