Posted by
Resa on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 2:01:34 PM
Louisville’s new dog ordinance is
another example of government’s bite being much worse than its
bark. After a couple of people in Louisville were tragically
mauled by dangerous dogs, a local elected official barked that
“something needs to be done”, and so, by golly, something was done! As
a result, the Louisville Metro Council passed an ordinance that will
put a serious bite on many good, law-abiding folks in the area.
Although the ordinance will not make us safer, it will harm local
businesses, veterinarians, pet owners, and many people who happen to be
bitten by dogs in the future. Of course, the pet owners who
disregarded the old laws will continue to disregard the new laws.
However, the new law will harm many law-abiding citizens. For
example:
* Some convention business
already has been lost due to the ordinance, and much more probably will
be lost in the future, thereby harming local people who depend on that
business for their livelihoods.
* Responsible pet owners will
be harmed, because they will have to pay higher license fees and will
be punished for things they do that do not put anyone at risk of any
harm.
* Since the new ordinance
forces local veterinarians to become government informants, it will
harm the relationship between veterinarians and their clients and will
reduce their business, as many people will tend to go out of the county
to do business with veterinarians who will not be forced to inform on
them.
* It also will harm pets,
because owners will be less likely to take them to the veterinarian for
their shots and preventive care if it means being forced to pay high
license fees, and
* It will harm anyone who
happens to be bitten by those pets, which otherwise would have received
their shots.
Oh, yes, “something” has been done, alright, and it really bites!
If only the voters had a better understanding of all the hidden harms
that are imposed on innocent people by every new law that shifts power
and control from the people to the government, they would not let
politicians get away with making a show of doing “something” to solve a
problem. They would distinguish the bark from the bite,
understanding that professing good intentions is not enough, and they
would be savvy enough to look for the bite that is likely to follow.
The list of harmful bites emanating from these well-intentioned barks is almost endless.
* We have minimum wage laws
that are supposed to help low-skilled workers but end up making them
unemployable.
* We have
government-controlled medical care that interferes with the
doctor-patient relationship, increases the cost of care, and reduces
the quality of services.
* We have a
government-controlled education system that protects teachers’ unions
at the expense of children’s futures.
* We have
government-controlled flood insurance that encourages wealthy people to
build expensive structures in risky places and then forces taxpayers to
bail out the owners when a disaster strikes.
* We have a
government-controlled welfare system that makes fathers dispensable
rather than encouraging them to be an integral part of their children’s
lives.
* We have tax laws that subsidize failure and punish success.
If only the voters could detect this pattern: When politicians
strut their stuff and bark about doing “something” to show how
compassionate they are, it usually ends up biting innocent people in
the end!
(For more articles see http://www.JeffersonReview.com)