4 ms·

The tone of this article is so strange. Seems like the author is almost surprised that a conservative would be opposed to civil asset forfeiture. This positio

The tone of this article is so strange. Seems like the author is almost surprised that a conservative would be opposed to civil asset forfeiture. This position would be almost foundational to anyone who leans libertarian or conservative. You don't take people's stuff without justification.

mikeyouse 10y ago
You would think that's the case, but the Republican Party in the US is allegedly the conservative one and has been the one pushing for more CAF: https://www.google.com/amp/s/bc.marfeel.com/amp/www.nationalreview.com/article/443299/civil-forfeiture-property-seizure-no-judicial-process-jeff-sesions-justice-department https://www.google.com/amp/s/bc.marfeel.com/amp/www.national...
- tbihl 10y ago
  It is sort of funny that 'conservative' and 'liberal' are commonly meant as opposites when talking about US politics. But isn't conservatism pointing back to liberalism if that's the founding principle of the country?
  - Arizhel 10y ago
    Definitions change over time.
- adrianratnapala 10y ago
  You point to an stornlgy anty civil-forfeiture article by a stalwart conservative publication, which denounces one particular republican sentator. And this is your evidence that the party as a whole is for it?
  - mikeyouse 10y ago
    Well when the President threatens to destroy a state senator's career for asking about ending the practice and his Attorney General fully supports forfeiture, what conclusion should we draw? Republicans have majorities in the House and the Senate and control the White House, let's see how much progress they make on asset forfeiture.
Spooky23 10y ago
Typically conservative values stop at the law and order stuff.
js2 10y ago
It is surprising. The justices have historically given law enforcement a lot of latitude. See this article for some discussion: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2015/01/22/the-supreme-courts-massive-blind-spot/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2015/01/22/...
adrianratnapala 10y ago
I suspect conservatives are more strongly on both sides of the civil forfeiture issue than the left is (a bit like how civil rights once divided the Democrat party, leaving Republicans as spectators). Yes, the right is more hostile to arbitrary use of power by government, than the left. But the right is also more strongly in favour of cops and other law-and-order matters. I'm also interested in the slight similarity between this and debates about the "rights" of companies. In both cases, officials find it easier to do what they want because they make their case against a persons property, which doesn't have the rights that the person has.

mikeyouse 10y ago

You would think that's the case, but the Republican Party in the US is allegedly the conservative one and has been the one pushing for more CAF: https://www.google.com/amp/s/bc.marfeel.com/amp/www.nationalreview.com/article/443299/civil-forfeiture-property-seizure-no-judicial-process-jeff-sesions-justice-department https://www.google.com/amp/s/bc.marfeel.com/amp/www.national...

tbihl 10y ago
It is sort of funny that 'conservative' and 'liberal' are commonly meant as opposites when talking about US politics. But isn't conservatism pointing back to liberalism if that's the founding principle of the country?
- Arizhel 10y ago
  Definitions change over time.
adrianratnapala 10y ago
You point to an stornlgy anty civil-forfeiture article by a stalwart conservative publication, which denounces one particular republican sentator. And this is your evidence that the party as a whole is for it?
- mikeyouse 10y ago
  Well when the President threatens to destroy a state senator's career for asking about ending the practice and his Attorney General fully supports forfeiture, what conclusion should we draw? Republicans have majorities in the House and the Senate and control the White House, let's see how much progress they make on asset forfeiture.

Spooky23 10y ago

Typically conservative values stop at the law and order stuff.

js2 10y ago

It is surprising. The justices have historically given law enforcement a lot of latitude. See this article for some discussion: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2015/01/22/the-supreme-courts-massive-blind-spot/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2015/01/22/...

adrianratnapala 10y ago

I suspect conservatives are more strongly on both sides of the civil forfeiture issue than the left is (a bit like how civil rights once divided the Democrat party, leaving Republicans as spectators). Yes, the right is more hostile to arbitrary use of power by government, than the left. But the right is also more strongly in favour of cops and other law-and-order matters. I'm also interested in the slight similarity between this and debates about the "rights" of companies. In both cases, officials find it easier to do what they want because they make their case against a persons property, which doesn't have the rights that the person has.