Nation

Pastor Scott On Calls To Reduce Police Presence: Criminals ‘would enjoy nothing better’

Published

3 years ago

June 10, 2020

Pastor Darrell Scott, founder of the New Spirit Revival Center and author of the book “Nothing to Lose,” testified Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee’s hearing on police reform in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic death. During his opening statement, Scott made very clear to committee members that calls to defund the police amid nationwide anger and protests aren’t the solution to a problem of bad policing that he says rests in a small portion of “rogue” cops.

“I want to begin by stating that the prospect of defunding and, or dismantling police forces across the country is one of the most unwise, irresponsible proposals by American politicians in our nation’s history,” Pastor Scott said. “And makes absolutely no sense at all at least to me.”

“I believe it is nothing short of the politicizing of current social events and an effort to garner votes during this election season. I also believe that it’s a reactionary measure that can and will result in short and longterm damage to American society, particularly in our inner city and urban communities.”

Recognizing the reality of law enforcement officers’ use of “excessive force” and “physical retaliation,” Scott added that he’s been fearful of being targeted for his race by police

He added, “I could very easily have been George Floyd. George Floyd could’ve easily been me, my brothers, my friends, or any number of any other black men in America. However, I do not recommend throwing the baby out with the bathwater by labeling all police officers as bad cops simply because of the bad actions of a rogue segment of those whose job is supposed to be to protect and to serve American citizens.”

Scott also advocated for the government to increase funding to police departments serving inner cities across the nation, adding “As one who was formerly in that street life years ago, I might be a pastor, but I didn’t come down from heaven. I came up out of hell with the rest of everybody else. I was formerly in that street life. I know very much about the criminal element. And I can state definitively that the criminal element in and of society would enjoy nothing better than a reduction in police presence and police power.”

Without police, Scott explained, there would potentially be a rise in “domestic terrorism, mob rule, gang rule, neighborhood intimidation, oppression, and vigilanteism.” Concluding his remarks, Scott said that police reform needs to be enacted, but that it has to be “sensitive to both sides of that issue.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Mr. Scott spoke before the House Oversight Committee when he actually spoke before the House Judiciary Committee.

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Nation

Biden Administration Proposes Rule to Fortify Federal Bureaucracy Against Republican Presidency

Published

36 mins ago

September 22, 2023

Alexander Carter

In a strategic move, the Biden administration has unveiled a proposed rule aimed at reinforcing the left-leaning federal bureaucracy, potentially hindering future conservative policy implementations by Republican presidents. This move has raised concerns about the efficacy of democratic elections when a deep-seated bureaucracy remains largely unchanged, regardless of electoral outcomes.

Key points of the situation include:

Presidential Appointees vs. Career Bureaucrats: Of the 2.2 million federal civil workers, only 4,000 are presidential appointees. The vast majority, made up of career bureaucrats, continue in their roles from one administration to the next. This continuity is facilitated by rules that make it exceedingly difficult to discipline or replace them, resulting in a bureaucracy that tends to lean left politically.

Union Political Affiliation: A striking 95% of unionized federal employees who donate to political candidates support Democrats, according to Open Secrets, with only 5% favoring Republicans. This significant political skew among federal workers raises questions about the potential for political bias in the execution of government policies.

Obstructionism and Challenges for GOP Presidents: Some career bureaucrats have been accused of obstructing Republican presidents’ agendas, leading to policy delays and challenges. For example, during the Trump administration, career lawyers in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division declined to challenge Yale University’s discrimination against Asian American applicants, prompting Trump to seek legal counsel from other divisions. The case was subsequently dropped when Joe Biden took office.

Biden’s Countermeasures: President Biden has taken steps to protect the bureaucracy’s status quo. In October 2020, Trump issued an executive order aiming to reclassify federal workers who make policy as at-will employees, but Biden canceled it upon taking office.

Proposed Rule and Congressional Actions: The rule unveiled by the Biden administration seeks to further impede a president’s ability to reinstate Trump’s order. Additionally, some Democrats in Congress are pushing to eliminate the president’s authority to reclassify jobs entirely. This has been referred to as an attempt to “Trump-proof the federal workforce.”

Republican Candidates’ Pledge: GOP candidates such as President Donald J Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Ron DeSantis have pledged to address this issue. According to reports from Fox News, Ramaswamy has gone further, advocating for the elimination of half or more of civil service positions, emphasizing the need for accountability.

Debate on the Merit of the Civil Service: While Democrats and their media allies argue that civil service protects merit over patronage, critics contend that the system has evolved into a form of job security for federal workers with minimal accountability. Federal employees often receive higher salaries and more substantial benefits than their private-sector counterparts.

In summary, the Biden administration’s proposed rule and broader actions to protect the federal bureaucracy have sparked a debate over the role of career bureaucrats in shaping government policy.

Republican candidates are vowing to address these concerns, highlighting the need for accountability and ensuring that government agencies work in alignment with the elected president’s agenda. This ongoing debate raises important questions about the relationship between the bureaucracy and the democratic process in the United States.

Information in this article was retrieved from Fox News.