This week’s winner was also recently featured as a part of a cabal of statists known as the Flip Flop Five: Patti Anne Lodge, Jim Woodward, Jim Guthrie, Jim Patrick, and Fred Martin. These state senators voted to sustain the governor’s veto of a bill that would have rolled back the governor’s emergency powers.
Now, one of those senators is continuing his work to make sure government power cannot be challenged, and that senator is none other than Fred Martin. Yes Fred Martin is this week’s Statist of the Week!
Martin recently announced that he, as the all-powerful, all-seeing, all-knowing chairman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, will not give a hearing to a bill that would prevent local governments from implementing mask mandates. The bill, House Bill 339, passed the House 47-22 and has been awaiting Martin’s blessing to show up on a committee agenda. But no, Martin says, that hearing is never to be.
Said King Martin – I mean, Senator Martin – his committee is done working for the year and no more meetings are to be held. But here’s where it gets really interesting: Martin also told a reporter, “I don’t like the federal government telling me as a state senator what we should be doing. So I don’t like us [meaning the Legislature] telling the cities, the counties, the school districts what to do unless it’s something they’re coming to us for to make changes.”
This is interesting, isn’t it? So it’s not okay for the federal government to tell states what to do. Got it. It’s not okay for the state to tell cities, counties, and school districts what to do. Got it. That is, unless the cities, counties, and school districts request said change. Then it’s okay.
But where do mere mortals like you and me factor in? Is it okay for government to tell us what to do? Even if we request a change, can we get it? I mean, according to Martin, school districts can request autonomy from the state government, and he’d entertain it. But apparently people, the very creators of government, cannot petition to get their own rights back.
The smallest unit of government is the person. The most local of local control is the right of a person to decide matters for themselves. Supply me with facts about why you believe I should wear a mask, and if you’ve made your case satisfactorily, I will respond accordingly.
Statists think only government is capable of making decisions, and for them, the real question comes down to which unit of government is best positioned to make it. But that’s where they’re wrong.
I have not asked for nor do I require your permission, Senator Martin, to behave as a free person. And that is why you, Sen. Fred Martin, are our Statist of the Week.
Who should be next week’s winner? Drop me a note: [email protected] and tell me your suggestions. As always, please hit the like button, subscribe to this channel, share the content with your friends and we’ll talk to you again soon.
