I told you so

CRYSTAL METH

Exactly two weeks ago today on Friday, May 27th, my Freedom Friday blog post was titled The 107th Tennessee General Assembly - The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly. In that post, I did a review and critique of the recently ended Tennessee legislative session. I gave one bill, SB 1265 / HB 1051, what amounted to "The Ugly Bill" of the Year Award. The stated purpose of the bill was to combat the ever-growing methamphetamine problem.

The bill was named the "I Hate Meth Bill," and it basically did two things : 1) it made it a crime for adults to manufacture meth in the presence of children, and 2) made it mandatory for Tennessee pharmacists to enter into a national electronic database ALL purchases of products containing any of the ingredients necessary to make meth. It takes effect July 1, 2011. So, what does it mean for the average Tennessean ? The next time they purchase a nasal decongestant containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine at their pharmacy the pharmacist is required by this new law to enter their identifying information (i.e. - name, address, etc.) and the amount of the medication purchased into that national electronic database. The law established a limit as to how much you can purchase each 30 day period. Once you reach that point, the pharmacist will have to deny your purchase and you could be fined by law enforcement. "Too bad, so sad for you." Isn't it gonna be great as a Tennessean who suffers from severe allergies to be treated like a common low-life, drug dealer ? I'm looking SO forward to it. Aren't you ?

Furthermore, in my May 27th post, I predicted that the bill's supporters, many of them so-called conservatives, would at some point take a page out of the Lefties and Democrats playbook by defending the lousy law by saying "it's to protect the children." Well, I hit the nail on head. In a June 6, 2011 article on wcby.com which reported about Gov. Bill Haslam signing the bill, New Anti-Meth Law Aims to Protect Children, Prosecute Parents, the 3rd Judicial District Attorney General, Berkeley Bell, said, "The most important part of this bill is the part that protects the children." In my opinion, that's hogwash.

The purpose of this bill is not to protect the children or to fight the meth problem. As I've said before, this bill's purpose is to make big government bigger and give them more control over Tennessee's citizens. There are other more effective ways to combat the meth problem, as I discussed in that May 27th post. To me, though, the most disappointing thing about the bill is that it was sponsored by so-called conservative Republicans. Plus, not one single member, neither Republican nor Democrat, of the Tennessee legislature had the courage to vote "NO" on the bill in support of smaller government and less nanny state. No, not a single one.

Furthermore, the bill's supporters are NOT even convinced that the bill will have a detrimental effect on the meth trade. Benje Cox, a Greene Co. Drug pharmacist, said, "Whether it's going to deter them or not, probably not because they (the meth makers) don't care." Here's a news flash for Cox and the others - the bill won't work. It has been proven time and time again that registries of products deemed "dangerous" by "the gubmint" don't work. Ultimately, such registries only punish law-abiding citizens. Just ask people who have lived in areas where gun registration has been mandatory. Bad guys still have guns and ultimately the registries lead to guns being confiscated from law abiding citizens.

In 2008, Tennesseans voted to increase the Republican majority in the Tennessee legislature because we wanted LESS government and LESS regulation. Instead, the Republicans have chosen to act like Democrats. If we had wanted Democrats, we would have voted for Democrats. It has become obvious to me that the Republicans are headed down the same road to bigger government that the Democrats have been on for years. They are just getting there a little slower. I've been hoping that the Republicans would see the error of their ways, but it's becoming more clear that they will not. Don't get me wrong. There are still some good, conservative Republicans out there. However, they are getting fewer and fewer and getting overrun by the liberal establishment within the party. The sad part is that some of the ones I thought were true conservatives are just as liberal and progressive as the Democrats. I'll be a good sheepdog and not name names.. Ruff, ruff !!

Some in the Tea Party have been clamoring for a new third party. The Republicans keep giving more and more reasons why we need one. I'm beginning to believe one of two things is gonna have to happen - 1) the Republican Party (GOP) is going to have to have an infusion of new blood. New conservative, constitution and freedom loving people, such as myself, are going to have to emerge and the establishment be run off, or 2) a brand new party of conservative, constitution and freedom loving people is going to have to form. We are getting close to the point to where it would be easier to just stick a fork in the GOP because it's done and start over with that new, third party. That is a darn shame. However, I don't like to give up that easy. So, perhaps myself and others should just, "Continue the floggings (of the GOP) until (their) morale improves."