Enjoy Celebrating Your Freedoms in Ludington Before They Disappear Completely

[XLFD]

The City of Ludington Daily News (COLDNews) ran most of the Declaration of Independence on their editorial page the other day, and the Mason County Press did the same in an article entitled Happy 239th Birthday America.  As most of our readers are aware, this document stated why the American colonists were seeking to be free from their British masters.  It was followed up with a revolutionary war, and eventually our Constitution and Bill of Rights, which were effectively created by the same group of rebels with the same ideals.

We celebrate these ideals of independence and liberty along with this declaration every July Fourth; we usually practice it obliquely with parades, cookouts, and fireworks rather than with any real acknowledgement of what we are technically celebrating.  Lost on most celebrants is the fact that as we celebrate liberty, freedom, and other uniquely American ideals, is that those very things are being taken away from us more and more each year by the very government that was established 'of the people, by the people, for the people', to quote Abraham Lincoln.

Other sources can be used to show the tyranny of our national government.  One of our Michigan representatives, Justin Amash, regularly fights on behalf of the ideals proffered by our founding fathers, but few others in Washington do.  The result is a constant erosion of our rights guaranteed us as Americans.  The state government has not been much better.

But this is a Ludington website, and our concerns center around Ludington and its nearby environment.  There has been a noticeable infringement of our rights by our city leaders over just the last year between July 4th, 2014 and this one.  It has been part of a process that began even before the Ludington Torch was conceived (in liberty) back in 2009.  Here is a brief summary of what rights and liberties our city council has wrested (or tried to wrest) from its citizens:

August 25, 2014:  Took away the right to use fireworks except on the day before or after holidays (ordinances were already in place for 'nuisance' fireworks usage)

September 22, 2014:  Amended fire code to allow police and fire officials to declare otherwise legal fires as nuisances, step onto your property, douse your flames, and write you a ticket based on their arbitrary declarations.

In defiance of charter, they appointed a fourth ward councilor as replacement and declared they would not have the seat up for vote at the next regular election in November.

They initially proposed seven city charter amendments, all of which dealt with creating a less accountable government or taking rights away from people (such as the right to vote for the city clerk and treasurer).

They effectively gave away one lot of downtown city property (which was sought by other businesses) to a former city official and a friend of the city manager's without any fair process in the transaction.

October 13, 2014:  Denied the public records concerning an unlawful business transaction between the City and Utility Financial Solutions, wherein the City Attorney was paid in order to finance a cost of service water utility study which needed to be approved by council.

December 1, 2014:  Ignored the low bid on a website design service, as part of a continuing habit of refusing to conduct fair bids/cronyism.  This is a betrayal of their stewardship o public monies and their public trust.

January 12, 2015:  Enacted an amended junk ordinance, a fast track method of avoiding due process so that the city can enter your property and take your property faster and without adequate warning

Enacted a 'tall grass' ordinance which allowed the city to give you a warning of tall grass in March, when the ground is covered with snow, so that they can later enter your property and cut your grass without any warning later, and charge you high fees and administrative costs to boot.

January 26, 2015:  Denied the public records concerning public complaints involving LPD Officer Matthew York, citing law that would only deny certain parts of the record.

March 23, 2015:  Denied the public records concerning police records of non-investigatory matters that should have been available, possibly in redacted format.

April 13, 2015:  Adopted a resolution to the US Congress to revoke 50 year old civil rights legislation citing a case where LPD officers acted against all LPD policy in denying a minor his basic constitutional rights.

April 27, 2015:  Avoided established competitive bidding processes by choosing Fleis and Vandenbrink when over half of the bids were not even opened, costing the citizens money as before.

May 18, 2015:  Denied the public records concerning police actions by redefining the term 'informant'.

June 8, 2015:  Voted for annual millage levies and rates to thwart the Headlee rollbacks if property values decrease.  They didn't this year, so they didn't raise your taxes above the limit via a truth in taxation hearing.

June committee meetings:  Landlords were invited to a committee meeting to discuss the proposed rental inspection ordinance.  The ordinance would charge landlords $105 per unit every three years for mandatory inspections, where an official would go through rental units and inspect them.  This would seriously hamper the rights of both tenant and landlord, and be a tax on certain individuals.

These are the public and open actions that are taking place at the city government to deny your liberties and freedoms in this city.  Some may seem insignificant to you, but this is only a year's worth of work by a government who is arguably more interested in revenue generation than their assigned tasks and services. 

Enjoy the festive parade, the family cookout, and the fireworks, knowing that your own local government has adopted policies to restrict your ability to enjoy the latter two over just the last year, and will get even more coercive over the next year.

[Jasper]

Would you please give more details for the dates of January 26th, April 13th, and May 18th.  Thanks.

Our Freedoms are slowly being sucked away by all Government levels.  

[XLFD]

January 26th:  Explained in detail here:  http://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/forum/topics/ludington-city-counci...

April 13th:  Explained in detail here:  http://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/forum/topics/ludington-officials-c...

May 18th:  Explained with documentation linked to in paragraphs 6 and 7 of this article:  http://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/forum/topics/ludington-city-counci...

Please read up and let me know if you need further clarifications or resources, Jasper.

[Jasper]

The Declaration of Independence....It seems many upon many do not understand or even care about this very important Historical document...

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

[XLFD]

Every politician elected into office needs to understand, appreciate, and learn from this most fundamental of declarations of basic rights.  Few do, but few Americans are willing to hold them accountable to this and the Constitution/Bill of Rights.   It says it right there:  It is the people's right, it is their duty, to throw off despotic government, and to provide new safeguards for their future security. 

Our founding fathers knew that the best government system they could ever devise for the USA would not last forever.  The system created has many safeguards against government malfeasance, but many of those guards are being ignored or taken out forever by people who believe that government power trumps individual rights and security always trumps liberty.   

[Willy]

Let us not forget the Patriot Act. A horrendous piece of liberty and freedom robbing legislation. The Patriot Act, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act [CISA] and Trans-Pacific Partnerhip [TPP]  have been created to squash the Constitution and weaken the U.S.

 

[AQUAMAN]

Very well said guys, and a happy belated July 4th to you all. Keep the faith and good work going forward. 

[XLFD]

The Patriot Act and other freedom-removing actions that have passed mostly unmolested through Democratic and Republican controlled Congresses and Presidencies shows us that either party is willing to take your rights away.  Nowadays, security seems to be easier to market to the public than liberty is.

Hope you had a swell one, Aquaman, as I continue to look forward in battling for basic liberties.