…but Nov. 5 will offer a monumental opportunity for Americans to wipe the slate clean. Here in New York every single State Senator, Assembly member, federal Senator and Congress member is up for re-election.
By Attorney Bobbie Anne Cox, Fellow | The Brownstone Institute/Substack
There is a very dangerous and quite pervasive attitude permeating our society today. Unfortunately, it seems to be matastasizing like a cancer, so I want to bring it to your attention in the hopes that you will help reverse its course, for if we do not, it could lead to the downfall of our society. It really is that toxic. What is this proverbial mutagen?
It’s the idea that our laws, rules, and regulations – indeed our very Constitution – no longer matter, and that people, including government actors, will do as they please regardless of what our laws dictate. You can see this in your every day life, and I’m sure you have, even if you haven’t identified it clearly with a name yet.
I call it “Catch me if you can,” and I have been speaking and writing about this for a couple of years now. At first I was using the term to describe government’s tyrannical acts against we the people.
However, the notion has become so commonplace, especially here in New York, that certain people (non-government elites) have started to act in this cavalier way, too. It’s obviously the result of the trickle-down effect. Clearly, some people feel like, well, if our government isn’t going to follow the rules, then why should I?
Tell me, are seeing what I am seeing? Example, I’m noticing that drivers have become brazen in their disregard for traffic laws. People are making left turns when the traffic light in front of them is solidly red, and in most cases, those drivers are cutting a long line of cars waiting to turn left once the light turns green, but instead of waiting their turn, they swoop in to the front of the line, and turn left, against the red light!
Or how about the subway riders who are jumping the turnstiles to avoid paying the fare to ride the subway? This is not a wholly new phenomenon, but the rate of people doing it nowadays is tremendous compared to in the past. It is reported that the MTA lost $690 million in 2022 due to riders cheating the system, and over $1 billion in 2023.
How about the number of motorized vehicles that are on our streets that are supposed to have license plates (and insurance) but don’t? Not to mention that some of those drive the wrong way down a one-way street! I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.
This lawlessness stems from the horrendous politicians we have in our government today.
Of course we have some good ones (for example my plaintiffs on a couple of my current lawsuits against New York State – Senator George Borrello, Assemblyman Chris Tague, Congressman Mike Lawler on my quarantine lawsuit, and Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes on my ERA lawsuit), but for the most part, the politicians in charge are a disgrace.
A complete and utter failure to we the people. I will tell you a story about an insider’s recounting on how the New York State legislature is currently controlled by elitist, radical, left-wing politicians who bear no regard for our Constitution.
But first, I’ll insert my normal disclaimer here before I continue, that this is not about political affiliations. It is not about Democrat v. Republican, Liberal v. Conservative… Instead, it is about our Constitution, our society, and our basic human rights.
The work I have been doing these past few years is 100% about preserving our Constitution and our way of life. And so, as you read this article, understand that the information I give you herein as to the politicians’ party affiliations is fact – those are the parties they belong to. (For example, Kathy Hochul is a Democrat. Letitia James is a Democrat.
A super-majority of our NYS Legislature are Democrats. And so on). It follows, if the people in a particular party are doing things you do not approve of, then you can have your chance on November 5th to vote them and/or their party out of office!
Back to my insider’s story. About a year and a half or so ago, I was up in Western New York at a fundraiser that a lovely couple from that area had organized to help raise funds for my quarantine camp lawsuit that I am handling against Governor Hochul and her DOH.
Because I’ve been handling this case pro bono for over two years now, I rely upon, and so appreciate, the donations of the general public to keep my work going. (More on that below).
At this particular fundraiser, a few sitting NYS legislators came to show support, and give speeches about the importance of my quarantine lawsuit, and my work in general to help raise awareness and wake voters up to the issues that are threatening our way of life.
My lead plaintiff, Senator George Borrello was in attendance, as was Assemblyman Dave DiPietro, amongst others. Of note here is what Assemblyman DiPietro shared during his speech.
He told a story about how when he first was elected to the NYS Assembly many years prior, he was on the Assembly floor and the law makers were discussing a bill that was being put forth by the Democrats.
The bill was wholly illegal and unconstitutional, and so Assemblyman DiPietro said to one of his Democrat colleagues, in essence:
You guys can’t do this. This is totally unconstitutional!
The response he received from his colleague was:
One and five, Dave. One and five.
Assemblyman DiPietro explained to us that, as he was new to Albany politics at the time, he didn’t understand what this meant. So logically, he asked the Democrat legislator what he meant by that. His response was unbelievable, as he explained to Assemblyman DiPietro that, in essence:
We know it’s unconstitutional. We don’t care. It will take you (Republicans) one million dollars ($1,000,000) and five years to sue us and get it struck down as unconstitutional. So, unless or until you sue us, we’re going to do it.
Assemblyman DiPietro was stunned. As was I when I heard him tell this story. As (I hope) you are now as you read this. How could these elected officials so brazenly disregard the rule of law, and shun their oath to uphold the Constitution?
Equally as frightening is the fact that this attitude continues still today in the one-party-rule that we see in Albany where the Democrats have a super-majority in both our State Senate and State Assembly, and they have the governorship, and the Attorney General’s office.
This story that Assemblyman DiPietro shared with the crowd really resonates with me. Why? Well, because when I am giving a speech, whether in New York or in any of the other states where I give speeches, the number one point I try to make is that our government is spiraling out of control.
We have become a “regulation nation” governed by edicts instead of by laws that have been properly enacted by our elected officials in the legislature. Our government, at the state level as well as at the federal level, has taken on a very dangerous attitude of…
Catch me if you can!
This is where the government does things that they very well know they lack the power to do, yet they do it anyway! Constitution be damned. Citizens be damned.
A particularly devastating example of this that we saw on the federal level was Biden’s eviction moratorium that he imposed on landlords nationwide which he issued through the CDC. It was totally illegal. Biden and his administration knew it.
They even acknowledged it publicly. Yet he did it anyway, and it took a ruling from the United States Supreme Court to strike it down. But the extreme damage had been done. Tens of thousands of landlords had lost their properties because of the government’s wholly unconstitutional act. Which they did on purpose.
There was no need to crucify landlords for the sake of “the wider good.” The government’s excuse was that evicting tenants for non payment of rent would spread COVID19.
So, to prevent the spread, they banned landlords from evicting tenants if they didn’t pay their rent.
WHAT? You don’t have to be a lawyer to know that wasn’t just illegal, it was nonsensical. I was a guest on Outside the Beltway at the time to explain that harmful situation. The link to that interview is here if you want further details.
On the state level, here in New York, one such example of the “Catch me if you can” runaway government is Kathy Hochul’s totalitarian “Isolation and Quarantine Procedures” regulation that I successfully got struck down in 2022.
I have written extensively about that lawsuit, and Hochul’s and Attorney General Letitia James’ shameful appeal which found the appellate court overturning and dismissing our case for supposed lack of standing.
Of course I recently filed an appeal with New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, and so that battle continues on. You can read more about it here if you want more details, or you can watch my interview on Newsmax with Carl Higbie.
There are many more examples of this obstinate and perilous “Catch me if you can” phenomenon. You can read more about it in one of my prior articles here.
The underlying point is this, we cannot continue to remain on defense. There aren’t enough lawyers like me to fight all of the stunningly illegal regulations and laws that our government is churning out at record rates.
Even if there were an abundance of like-minded attorneys, the other problem is that lawsuits take time, a lot of time. And, lawsuits take money, a lot of money. I certainly cannot continue to bring cases pro bono – it’s wholly unsustainable.
Moreover, whilst the lawsuits are being fought, people are being injured in the interim. It’s not sustainable. We need to change the paradigm!
Break the Cycle
How do we change the paradigm?
Well, it seems logical that we need to change the leadership at the top! We need political leaders (whether in the Executive Branch [governors and president], or in the Legislative Branch [senators and assemblymen], or in the Judicial Branch [the judges]) who will uphold the Constitution; not decimate it.
November 5th is a monumental opportunity for Americans to wipe the slate clean and put into government power positions those who share our values and who honor our Constitution and our unalienable rights.
Here in New York, every single NYS Senator and NYS Assembly member – as well as our federal Senator and Congressmen are all up for re-election.
I encourage everyone to vote on (or before) November 5th, and bring with you as many of your friends and family as you can. The question to ask yourself, and your friends/family, is simple: do you want freedom for the next 4 years?
Or do you want to slip further into a lawless regime where illegal regulations, unconstitutional laws, and authoritarian rule are the norm? ##