THE DISCIPLINARIAN STATE

The old adage that "you can't legislate morality" still holds true.
The vast majority of Americans do not want an elected civil servant
dictating what is moral; what is not. We hire men of the cloth for
that. Our nation is not founded on theocracy.

However, it appears that Rep. John Longoria, D-San Antonio, and
perhaps many of the "Republican Guard" missed the message from the
last congressional elections, and are introducing bills that would
severely abridge civil rights guaranteed by our Constitution, and all
but outlaw teenagers.

The basic premise that governs families should not come from the
government, because government seems to be able to mess up everything
it touches. Case in point: If you examine a broad perspective, you can
see the Texas Legislature screwing up Texas families faster than the
speed of light by legislating narrow-minded, short-term,
well-intentioned "Band-Aid laws" that neglect the cause of the social
infections which eventually lead to moral decline in a society.

That's probably why the prison industry is the fastest growing
business in the state of Texas, outside of the illicit drug trade.

So it would make sense that to sustain healthy business growth, the
state should make it easy for people to support the business - let's
enact laws that would allow the populace to fully support the growth
of the prison industry by making everything people normally do illegal
and subject to prosecution and imprisonment.

Religion is the opiate of the masses; the state is the mother of
society; the Legislature is the disciplinarian. This closely parallels
the basis of the Communist Manifesto, and that dog won't hunt.

I think the people have had enough.

Go home, John Longoria, et al. Think about it, and get back to us with
a solution worthy of the office to which you were elected.

James L. Pitaniello,

Rowlett