Okay, I couldn’t keep myself from laughing out loud at this one.
Here is a story that shows progressive policies to be not only destructive, but also depressingly stupid. New York State recently passed a law requiring citizens to obtain a permit if they wish to gaze at the stars in public parks. No, really. You read that right. In New York, you must pay for a license to look at the freaking stars.
The Free Thought Project first reported on the story, explaining that “If citizens of the state wish to look up at the sky and view the stars at one of New York’s public parks, they will first have to obtain a ‘Stargazing permit.’” The site pointed out that pollution in the sky makes it more difficult for New Yorkers in “highly populated areas” to see the sky at night, so they travel to remote areas, many of which are located in state parks.
The state is charging residents $35 to become a fully-licensed stargazer allowed to view the stars between January and December of the year. If you are not lucky enough to be a New York resident and you are just visiting, you will have to fork over $60 for the privilege of admiring your favorite constellation in the night sky.
“Lucky”? For certain values of the word lucky, I suppose. The more ironic ones.
The other problem is that there does not seem to be any real rationale behind the policy. Stargazing isn’t exactly known to be a dangerous pastime. Moreover, it does not cause any discernible inconvenience for anyone else. So why would they enact such a measure? The answer is simple: It is nothing more than a brazen money grab designed to separate New York residents from more of their hard-earned cash.
In other words, New York’s government is needlessly restricting the liberty of its citizens to make a quick buck. The same folks who claim capitalists are evil are willing to use cynical political means to amass funds. Of course, requiring silly permits for activities that do not warrant them is the progressives’ bread and butter. It’s become an ingenious way for local and state governments run by far leftists to raise money while asserting their dominance over the populace.
That last is the one that really matters. Granted, the Left does love itself some money-grabbin’. But even their blatant thievery is in service to an all-encompassing desire to control absolutely everything. Which, in turn, makes it necessary to constantly remind the serfs of just who is in charge around here, lest they begin to get…ideas about certain things.
Know what, though? I can’t really find it in me to get too exercised about this. Such demeaning, grubby nonsense is precisely the sort of thing one must expect from absolute Democrat-Socialist rule, which liberal New Yorkers have endorsed with their votes a bazillion times over, for decades. So now let those “lucky” New Yorkers enjoy the inevitable, predictable fruits of their own stubborn idiocy. Let them crawl on their knees to their masters to beg official permission to raise their heads and look up, ferchrissakes. Let them waste their hard-earned money to purchase this extravagantly generous boon from the Noble Ones upon whom they themselves foolishly bestowed such excessive power.
Maybe someday they’ll learn.
- Entries
No, officer, I’m not stargazing. I’m looking at the black space in between. It would be racist to require permission to look at black spaces.
Elections have consequences.
A quick search turns up that it is an night time access pass for NY state parks; many of which are closed to the public at night. If a park has overnight facilities such as RV spots or is open for tent camping(both with fees i’m assuming) & you already have a camping permit, then the ‘stargazing’ permit would seem redundant.
Anthony, a small city in south central Kansas, made a 911 memorial out of one of the I-beams destroyed on the day that “some people did something.” The town invited some firefighters from FDNY out for the dedication ceremony, treating them like the heroes that they were. After the festivities and some corn fed Kansas rib eyes and adult beverages they disappeared. When their hosts went to look for them they found them in a field looking in amazement at something that is a flyover staple, a sky filled with billions of stars. It’s not like they didn’t know they were there, they just didn’t realize how awesome it was. Free for the taking!