4 ms·

Until federal courts put a stop to this insanity, I think congress should pass a bill that cuts off Federal Highway funding to any state that allows this sort o

Until federal courts put a stop to this insanity, I think congress should pass a bill that cuts off Federal Highway funding to any state that allows this sort of thing to happen.

duxup 3y ago
State of Nebraska can put an end to it, they choose not to.
- gwbrooks 3y ago
  What's worse: The county government can put an end to it, they choose not too. Most discussions about reforming or ending civil asset forfeiture focus on statehouse and federal solutions, but there's nothing stopping local governments from simply reining in their law enforcement via policy direction.
  - duxup 3y ago
    I’ve seen some states take action and limit different forms of forfeiture. So it at least happens. SCOTUS also has taken limited action recently.
paxys 3y ago
You have to study the US political landscape for 5 minutes to understand why this will never happen. Police departments across the country, states benefiting from such practices as well as the US Congress are all dominated by the republican party. They are not going to legislate away their own power to transfer money from citizens of liberal states.
eyelidlessness 3y ago
Comments like this, however well-meaning, are so frustrating because they invite such a wide variety of reality checks that correct the specific impossibilities … but there is a very clear imperative and nothing to attach it to. Federal courts should, and won’t. Congress should, and won’t. There are numerous others who should, and won’t. We have countless examples of impenetrable injustice like this, and there isn’t any structural way to justice that’s remotely reliable or trustworthy. And it’s easy enough to respond with the glibness that others have: the reality is that the appropriate authorities are craven and the “should” is hopelessly naive. The answer to that is one I continually find unfortunate and yet necessary. There are no heroes. No one is coming to save us but ourselves and each other. The body which will put a stop to this is us. And it won’t be done by behaving and deferring to some different part of the system that enables it.
- bandyaboot 3y ago
  To clarify, I’m under no delusion that there’s a chance this would actually happen. I was really just making a comment about how I think this should be handled in the hypothetical of the US having a functioning political system.

Until federal courts put a stop to this insanity, I think congress should pass a bill that cuts off Federal Highway funding to any state that allows this sort of thing to happen.

duxup 3y ago

State of Nebraska can put an end to it, they choose not to.

gwbrooks 3y ago
What's worse: The county government can put an end to it, they choose not too. Most discussions about reforming or ending civil asset forfeiture focus on statehouse and federal solutions, but there's nothing stopping local governments from simply reining in their law enforcement via policy direction.
- duxup 3y ago
  I’ve seen some states take action and limit different forms of forfeiture. So it at least happens. SCOTUS also has taken limited action recently.

paxys 3y ago

You have to study the US political landscape for 5 minutes to understand why this will never happen. Police departments across the country, states benefiting from such practices as well as the US Congress are all dominated by the republican party. They are not going to legislate away their own power to transfer money from citizens of liberal states.

eyelidlessness 3y ago

Comments like this, however well-meaning, are so frustrating because they invite such a wide variety of reality checks that correct the specific impossibilities … but there is a very clear imperative and nothing to attach it to. Federal courts should, and won’t. Congress should, and won’t. There are numerous others who should, and won’t. We have countless examples of impenetrable injustice like this, and there isn’t any structural way to justice that’s remotely reliable or trustworthy. And it’s easy enough to respond with the glibness that others have: the reality is that the appropriate authorities are craven and the “should” is hopelessly naive. The answer to that is one I continually find unfortunate and yet necessary. There are no heroes. No one is coming to save us but ourselves and each other. The body which will put a stop to this is us. And it won’t be done by behaving and deferring to some different part of the system that enables it.

bandyaboot 3y ago
To clarify, I’m under no delusion that there’s a chance this would actually happen. I was really just making a comment about how I think this should be handled in the hypothetical of the US having a functioning political system.