Posted on 01/28/2020 1:51:21 PM PST by Red Badger
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. We were not able to find out how much it costs to wish upon a star, but we can be sure that it ain’t cheap. Okay, that last part was a joke — hopefully.
There are several obvious issues with this unnecessarily statist policy. For starters, it disadvantages low-income citizens who might not be able to afford to pay the fee for the permit. Aren’t progressives always whining about privilege and railing against the wealthy? Apparently, their compassion does not extend to individuals who just want to look at the stars in a public park.
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.
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
That’s the problem with Babylon Bee. They will always be overcome by “normal” liberal antics.
And yes, that was my first response, too, to see if this was from them.
The NY state parks near the NJ border that have the Appalachian Trail pass through don’t close at night; I don’t believe the trail would’ve been routed through them if they didn’t agree to allow overnight camping along the trail.
Here in NJ it sucks; very hard to legally camp overnight in the woods (outside of a campground).
Some parks are open all the time (like Bear Mountain, just south of West Point), while across the NY Thruway I believe Sterling Forest State Park doesn’t open until 8 am. The former doesn’t allow hunting any time, while the latter allows it in season.
Lyme Disease (combined with other changes) has put a real dent in the popularity of camping compared to when I was younger; the deer are everywhere, and their ticks come with them.
Followed by the establishment of the “diversified sky” committee that will root out the racism that is responsible for the low numbers of “people of color, immigrants, historically oppressed and lgblt+ community, members”.
Their budget will start at 72M$ for the first year and if they don’t get the 15M$ dollars more, the next year, they’ll claim that their budget is being cut to attack “people of color, immigrants, historically oppressed and lgblt+ communities” and deny them their right to enjoy the sky that they built.
Do you get a refund if it’s cloudy?
And we are supposed to trust the cops who will surely enforce this dreck?
God forbid you get caught smoking a cigar when you are out fishing.
So now you have to pay a fee to go to lovers lane.
They'll arrest law abiding citizens for looking at the stars, while setting real, violent criminals free.
Keep voting Democrat.
Going to a park in NY much less NY itself will never be on my to do list.
Or drinking a 32 oz soda.
State parks typically close to visitors at sunset, even campgrounds in state parks lock the gate at 9 or 10PM. Having to keep personnel onsite does have a cost. It’s less than the cost of this permit to rent a campsite for a night, though. If it’s just a one time thing and there’s a campground, rent a site.
Lefties are lunatics .
“New York Requires Citizens to Obtain ‘Stargazing Permit’ To Admire the Stars in Public Parks”
gee, officer, i swear i was just looking at the moon, i didn’t even know there were any stars up there ...
They can’t use cheap motels like normal people?.....................
We have beaches for that!..........................
There’s a song in there somewhere....................
Well, it comes down to what is a sexual perversion.
The overwhelming consensus up to the 1970s was that homosexuality was a perversion.
IMHO, it still is, but today’s society is much more tolerant than I am.
There are different levels of perversion within the overall homosexual perversion, such as pedophilia, extreme multiple partnerships/orgies and extreme voyeurism.
That is why, with few exceptions, most heterosexuals “get a room”. Heterosexuals aren’t perverts.
Many homosexuals get added pleasure from public displays of sexual acts and the titillation of getting caught “in flagrante delicto”.
So even if homosexualism is completely legal, the perverts still need to do illicit things to satisfy their perversions.
IOW, we heteros generally don’t object to keeping our sex lives “in the closet” i.e. behind closed doors.
The homos, OTOH, demand the “right” to put it in the street, in the classroom, and in front of our kids.
Homosexuals are coprophiliacs. Is it any wonder the streets of the Gay Mecca are littered with feces?
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