I am not against government. Without it we would be in a Hobbesian “State of Nature” in which all were against all, and the weak would be defenseless against the strong. But I am against government that has forgotten that its very purpose is to protect liberty and equality under the law.
In Keene, New Hampshire, a group calling themselves “Robin Hooders” has been roaming the streets of Keene doing what they think is a good deed. Whenever they spot a car parked by a meter that has expired, they pop quarters into the meter, thereby denying the local meter maids (and meter men) the opportunity to issue a parking ticket to the car’s owner.
It isn’t exactly “taking from the rich and giving to the poor,” but the good citizens of Keene have come to appreciate it greatly. Still, one person’s good deed is another person’s revenue denier, and there has been a noticeable reduction in the amount of money going into the city government’s coffers. Which left city officials with a problem. How do we stop these do-gooder Robin Hooders, given that there is no law against anyone feeding parking meters?
The answer? Make it a judicial matter. First, take these Robin Hooders to court for “oppressing” the poor meter maids (and men), who, according to the lawyer representing Keene’s city government, are quitting their jobs in droves “because of the stress directly related to the conduct of the defendants.”
That conduct, according to the city’s attorney, includes “harassing” the meter maids (and men), although absolutely no evidence of that was found. No matter, the city wants the local judge to impose a “buffer zone” — something along the lines of a “no speech” zone — in which the Robin Hooders would have to stay at least 50 feet from both the meters and the meter maids (and men), whenever the maids are approaching a meter.
Leave aside the fact that this is a violation of the rights of the Robin Hooders — again, there is absolutely no law preventing them from feeding meters — what is also striking about the city’s response is its insistence that the courts should remedy this.
As the lawyer for the Robin Hooders pointed out, any “buffer zone” that restricts the free movement and association of the town’s citizens should be enacted by the legislature, not the courts. Why? Because if the legislature creates such a zone, and a majority of the citizens in Keene don’t like this solution to what is, essentially, a municipal disagreement, these citizens can vote that legislature out in the next election.
Which, given the popularity of these Robin Hooders, is exactly why Keene’s city officials want the courts to decide it.
