By Tom De Seno
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“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
– Proverbs, 16:18
I thought the award for worst political reaction to Covid-19 was going to be Senator Vin Gopal’s support of a bill to put people in jail for a year who violate the lockdown order of our Governor, Prince Philip of Goldman Sachs. Proving my old contention that Democrats list toward Fascism when given power, it speaks little of Gopal that his response to someone looking for work to feed their family was to jail them.
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Now it looks like Vin Gopal has outdone himself by appointing a committee of nearly 5 dozen people (that’s no typo – nearly 60 people) to advise Prince Philip on when and how businesses at the shore should be allowed to open. Considering his recent penchant for power, I suspect Gopal will say “whether at all” certain businesses should open will be on the table too.
What a prideful endeavor by the Senator. To think that he and a select group of his friends own the intellectual heft it would take to decide what businesses society needs open and what business a family needs open, takes an ego the size of the USSR. I bring up USSR for a reason – “central planning” of the economy. The Soviets failed, like Mussolini failed, because no one is smart enough to plan an economy. It’s beyond the capacity of man or computer. Capitalism needs to roll by individual effort, regardless of government or Gopal’s blessing.
Just picture if you will a working family with no money in the bank and little food in the fridge getting the news that 60 political haute bourgeoisie are going to help grant or deny permission for them to work and eat tomorrow. They will spend Lord knows how many weeks scheduling, planning, making agendas, discussing, virtue signaling and complimenting themselves. While people starve and grow angry.
Here’s a tip to avoid the whole thing: the economy is a light switch right now. Prince Philip shut it off, he need only switch it back on. No committee of 5 dozen needed. That way, Prince Philip can stop begging Donald Trump for money. Good grief man, that’s unbecoming.
There are two things that brought on this committee.
First, government simply can’t accept that they have no place in some aspects of society. Government is to be clerkish, not religious. Senator Gopal you are not the all-seeing, all knowing answer to all things just because you landed a part-time gig in the Senate in a recently gerrymandered district. Steering capital is as far above your pay grade as the Bill of Rights is above Prince Philip’s pay grade. Learn to back off where you can’t help. You can only hurt.
Second, this is resume building for friends of the Senator. This useless, waste of time committee, brutal to families stressed with no money or food, was formed so that 60 people can add to their resume, “I sat on the Senator’s Committee to blah blah blah blah blah.” And then vote for him for granting them the position. Do any of you really think you are necessary here? Just open the businesses.
If any of the Committee of 60 truly wants the public’s respect, you’ll have it if you do this: at the first meeting, in the first order of business, make a motion to disband your committee.
Now quit playing politics with people’s lives and get back to work.
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Tommy De Seno is an attorney and commentator residing in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
