HR-1

            House Democrats passed HR-1 on March 8^th. The bill was introduced on January 3^rd, 2019 and was the first piece of legislation the 116^th Congress wished to address. It will now go to the Senate for consideration. The new crop of fanatical Democrats termed the 571-page monstrosity the “For the People Act of 2019,” but nothing could be further from the truth. Presented by Democrats and most of the mainstream media (i.e. fake news-makers) as an “election reform” bill, it is really a massive federal power grab over all American elections—and citizens.

It is thoroughly unconstitutional, running roughshod over state’s rights. It includes new regulations governing political speech, and mandatory disclosure rules that would inevitably lead to the names and addresses of donors to nonprofits being exposed…even when those donors are unaware of the nonprofit’s political activity. This amounts to government-mandated “doxxing.” It contains new laws that would severely restrict states’ ability to manage their voter rules. It would mandate universal voting rights for felons (no, it’s not referencing IRS bigwigs), despite the fact that the Constitution explicitly leaves the question of felons’ voting rights to the states. It would place new conditions on citizens’ contact with legislators, thereby inhibiting their freedom of expression. (“For the People!”).

 These provisions would flatly prohibit some constitutionally protected free speech while also inhibiting many from even exercising these speech rights, due to the sheer scope of these deliberately broad and vague new laws. It appears the general public would have their rights to discuss candidates significantly curtailed, leaving much of this discussion to the candidates and the parties themselves.

The bill shockingly encroaches on states’ authority to conduct elections. It is authoritarianism pure and simple.

                HR-1 would create a revamped Federal Election Commission to oversee all this, one that would be handed new powers to overrule commission members of the minority party. It essentially repeals parts of the First Amendment, though statutes cannot—legally—repeal constitutional amendments. But, to use an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezism, “guess what?” Democrats don’t care.  

                The “For the People Act of 2019” is one of the most preposterous euphemisms of all time, akin to the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” It is like calling the Holocaust the “For the Zionists Acts of 1933-1945.” 

                A more accurate name would be the “Screw The People Act of 2019,” the “Anti-Federalism Act of 2019,” the “Sheople Are Too Dumb To Notice Act of 2019,” the “Mother of All Hoaxes Act of 2019,” the “For the Peep-hole Act of 2019,” the “Heinous Acts of 2019,” or the “Make America A Really Large Banana Republic Act of 2019.”