The time is now to resist the efforts to have state and local governments offer up their police services for federalization.

"California is going to Washington, D.C., to ask for $7 billion to cover its budget shortfall. Otherwise it won't be able to pay for its teachers, cops, firemen, and other essential services." -- Business Week

(10-30-08 Update:  New York and New Jersey Governors add their voices to call for federal assistance.)

With our nation's credit crisis deepening, it was inevitable that state and local governments accustomed to living on borrowed money would be caught up in the debt trap. Right behind the Wall Street bankers and captains of industry, get ready to see a long line of governors and mayors queuing up in Washington, D.C., to get their fair share of bailouts.

We have a problem though. 

If it so desired, a federal government that foots the bill for cops and fireman could only be a goose step or two away from heading down the road towards a police state.

Ask yourself, and your state and local officials this question: "If cops and firemen are so essential, why aren't they the first in line to be paid with local revenues?" Even beleaguered California has an income stream that can cover almost 80% of its current state budget. Why not pay for cops and firemen from the 80% of money California does have? If reasonable budget cuts can't be made at the state level, what California should be doing is demanding Washington, D.C., cut a $7 billion dollar bailout check to cover some of the billions of un-funded federal mandates dumped on California's state and local governments.

This is not how the endgame is being played out though. Just as the fed is moving its operating tsars into positions at the companies it bails out, look for the similar federal control strings to be attached to plans designed to keep paychecks flowing to local police and fire departments. While these bailouts (read: takeovers) are being hammered out, those who value their freedom and local independence need to be speaking out. We need to demand that our state and local elected officials not use the excuse of financial distress as a means towards de-facto federalization of our police forces — just as our banks are rapidly being federalized.

There are plenty of other local programs that can be cut before handing over funding of police and firemen to the federal government. 

If you value state and local control of the security apparatus in your community, start working with your city, county, and state officials now to avoid them putting your police officers and fireman on the federal payroll. Remind everyone, "He who pays the piper calls the tune." 

Endnote:  As much as we might like to value education, except perhaps for the case of providing pre-prison conditioning in many high schools, teachers in government schools are not supplying an "essential" service. If California is short money to keep their schools open, they can do what other businesses would do with limited funds: cut hours or days of operation. One of our goals should be to convince enough Americans that it would be better to convert school sports programs over to all volunteer and donor based operations than to beg the federal government to pick up the tab for local police departments.

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