Why passing bad laws is a bad thing (Patriot Act)

Remember the awful civil liberties law passed under the cover of “September the 11”? I am talking about W’s Patriot Act.

While we were all tallking about healthcare,

the House voted 315 to 97 Thursday to extend the measure.

and also

The Senate also approved the measure, with privacy protections cast aside when Senate Democrats lacked the necessary 60-vote supermajority to pass them. Thrown away were restrictions and greater scrutiny on the government’s authority to spy on Americans and seize their records.

The Senate approved the one-year extension Wednesday by a voice vote and without any debate.

and

The media has largely attributed the Democrats’ support for the renewal of the Patriot Act provisions and the scrapping of any attempt to amend them as an attempt to avoid any debate that would allow the Republican minority to portray them as “soft on terrorism” in the run-up to the midterm election.

concluding that

The Obama White House is continuing to build up a police state not for use against some ubiquitous terrorist threat, but to counter the inevitable growth of mass struggles by the American working class

Preserving every element of policy to which Senator Barack Obama objected in 2005,

Now, let’s hear Krugman’s et al argument about the HCR turd that will be improved in the future. Like we improved Patriot Act, 9 years after the 9.11 hysteria has died down. So, Paul, if the Democratic supermajority couldn’t move an inch from Bush’s Patriot act , who exactly will improve the anti-women boondog to insurers that this so called HCR is?

Update

I saved this enthusiastic cartoon for irony effect – I think it’s a good time to post it

10 comments

Yes, “well fix it later.” When Krugman says this I really wish he’d tell me WHO is going to fix it later. Democrats? Democrats couldn’t create a good bill (they claim they wanted) with a super majority. How are they going to fix it when that super majority goes poof in November? Please Brother Krugman – tell me! I really would love to know. WHO IS GOING TO FIX IT LATER???