How secure are property rights if the police can take your stuff and keep it, citing no particular reason at all? Not very secure. This is the way police work in the developing world. Of course, this practice is increasingly common in the U.S. too.
Municipalities around the nation are battling to stay afloat, and local police departments are increasingly focused on profits instead of “protecting and serving.” Retired LAPD deputy chief of police Stephen Downing told FoxNews Latino, “The federal government has turned policing into policing for profit.”
For example, the police seized $30 million in cash on the southwest United States border in 2011. Where does the money go? Well, if the local cops make the seizure, they keep the money. If the feds snatch the property, they keep it. If it’s a joint operation, they split the dough. Can you imagine the fights that must take place over the booty these police pirates are confiscating?
As of Sept. 30, 2011, the departments of Justice and Treasury held $1 billion in seized cash. So now cops are tracking down cash, rather than crime. Downing told Fox that departments now direct police assets to generate cash, instead of investigating murders and rapes.
Reporting from the border, Patrick Manning told Fox viewers that the average taxpayer loves these forfeiture laws because they keep their taxes lower. If cops can steal with impunity from not just crooks, but anyone, then taxpayers can get their policing at bargain tax rates. But this isn’t policing at all.
via Government, the Thief | Laissez-Faire Bookstore.
For Regular Joes, here’s the video mentioned in the above article. Also find another video below that includes some excellent advice on how to respond if pulled over. Frankly, I don’t really have anything that anyone would really care about. And I don’t remember the last time I had more than a few bucks in my car. But, is that really the point? Or is the point rather than those who are supported by us through forced taxes, and are supposed to be serving and protecting us, have generally shown that they’re tools of the ruling class to be used against the rest of us. To the extent that the law of the land protects us, we should take advantage of it; especially in the face of tyranny.
Kind regards,
Another Joe
