Thanks, Attorney General Olens!
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, May 25, 2012
By Sue Ella Deadwyler
Good morning, Jim. When a “Memo” describing 21 specific violations by government agencies is published by nine State Attorneys General (AG), we can applaud the courage and integrity of the group. But when one of those nine AGs is Georgia’s own Sam Olens, we are especially proud of his bold stand against illegal acts of government employees.
It may be a little-known fact, but laws on all levels of government are written so vaguely as to allow sweeping implementation by government agencies and departments, while providing an opportunity for plausible denial for officials if the outcome exceeded the intent. So, restrictions never intended by Congress, but written by government employees, become enforceable rules, regulations and policies, without constitutional debate or scrutiny of the legislative process.
Consider this statement by EPA Region VI Administrator Al Armendariz, who described his “philosophy” of EPA enforcement this way: “kind of like how the Romans used to, you know, conquer villages in the Mediterranean. They’d go into a little Turkish town somewhere, they’d find the first five guys they saw and they’d crucify them. Then, you know, that town was really easy to manage for the next few years.”
While his comment was extreme and could have been tongue-in-cheek, the EPA, actually, has trampled the law in several states. Consider Florida, where a federal court found that EPA violated the law by imposing its own unscientific criteria at a cost of billions of dollars and thousands of jobs, with no proof it would protect the environment.
In Oklahoma, the EPA illegally usurped State authority to deal with sources of emissions under the Clean Air Act. The EPA plan went far beyond authority of the Clean Air Act, cost $2 billion for technology and increased the cost of electricity 15-20 percent, permanently. Now, the outcome is under appeal in court.
A special target is Arizona, where the Tenth Amendment was violated at least twice. Once, when the U.S. Department of Justice sued Arizona for trying to discourage illegal entry into the state and, again, when the Department of Justice granted “reservation status” to a 54-acre plot in Glendale. So, the Tohono O’odham Nation can build a gambling casino against the will of the town.
Since the Georgia Attorney General is the official advisor to the Georgia General Assembly, perhaps Mr. Olens can help craft legislation that’s plain enough for laymen to understand and narrow enough to restrict implementation to the original intent of legislators. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.