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Government’s Bite Is Worse Than Its Bark

By Theresa Fritz Camoriano

Louisville’s new dog ordinance is another example of government’s bite being much worse than its bark.  After a couple of people in Louisville were tragically mauled by dangerous dogs, a local elected official barked that “something needs to be done”, and so, by golly, something was done! As a result, the Louisville Metro Council passed an ordinance that will put a serious bite on many good, law-abiding folks in the area.

Although the ordinance will not make us safer, it will harm local businesses, veterinarians, pet owners, and many people who happen to be bitten by dogs in the future.  Of course, the pet owners who disregarded the old laws will continue to disregard the new laws.  However, the new law will harm many law-abiding citizens.  For example:

*        Some convention business already has been lost due to the ordinance, and much more probably will be lost in the future, thereby harming local people who depend on that business for their livelihoods. 

*        Responsible pet owners will be harmed, because they will have to pay higher license fees and will be punished for things they do that do not put anyone at risk of any harm. 

*        Since the new ordinance forces local veterinarians to become government informants, it will harm the relationship between veterinarians and their clients and will reduce their business, as many people will tend to go out of the county to do business with veterinarians who will not be forced to inform on them. 

*        It also will harm pets, because owners will be less likely to take them to the veterinarian for their shots and preventive care if it means being forced to pay high license fees, and

*        It will harm anyone who happens to be bitten by those pets, which otherwise would have received their shots. 

Oh, yes, “something” has been done, alright, and it really bites!

If only the voters had a better understanding of all the hidden harms that are imposed on innocent people by every new law that shifts power and control from the people to the government, they would not let politicians get away with making a show of doing “something” to solve a problem.  They would distinguish the bark from the bite, understanding that professing good intentions is not enough, and they would be savvy enough to look for the bite that is likely to follow.

The list of harmful bites emanating from these well-intentioned barks is almost endless. 

*        We have minimum wage laws that are supposed to help low-skilled workers but end up making them unemployable. 

*        We have government-controlled medical care that interferes with the doctor-patient relationship, increases the cost of care, and reduces the quality of services. 

*        We have a government-controlled education system that protects teachers’ unions at the expense of children’s futures. 

*        We have government-controlled flood insurance that encourages wealthy people to build expensive structures in risky places and then forces taxpayers to bail out the owners when a disaster strikes. 

*        We have a government-controlled welfare system that makes fathers dispensable rather than encouraging them to be an integral part of their children’s lives. 

*        We have tax laws that subsidize failure and punish success. 

If only the voters could detect this pattern:  When politicians strut their stuff and bark about doing “something” to show how compassionate they are, it usually ends up biting innocent people in the end!

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