Police use new device to seize money in bank accounts or on prepaid cards
As a libertarian, I&#x27;ve seen a long line of articles that make me go Holy Cow!<p>It&#x27;s gotten so I feel bad about it. I even apologize. Each time, I think &quot;Well that&#x27;s it, there&#x27;s nothing that could go beyond this.&quot;<p>Holy cow!<p>Several years ago I sold a small lot which had an office on it. The guy who bought it paid cash. Cash is kinda unusual for this kind of transaction, so I asked him where he got it. He told me that he was a general contractor and had been saving for over ten years.<p>Then he told me that the previous month, while he was moving his savings to his mom&#x27;s house, he got pulled over for a bad taillight.<p>They almost took all of his money. Holy cow! This was my introduction to Civil Asset Forfeiture.<p>There are many parts of this story that are amazing. Right away I note that if you&#x27;re truly wealthy? You have nothing to fear. You have enough assets to pay the one lawyer who golfs with the local DA and get this thing fixed quickly. But if you&#x27;re not? If you&#x27;re like my friend saving up for a large purchase? Good freaking luck.<p>Read an article once from a former LE guy. I remember one of his points. He said that cops are hunters. They hunt bad guys. We are their prey.<p>As we are finding out, the definition of &quot;bad guy&quot; is wonderfully malleable. Just about anybody can be one. The more political power you have (whether through contacts, as a politician, or by having money), the less likely you are to be one.<p>There has been a long tradition in the states of assuming the best when dealing with the local constable. They have tough jobs, usually the training isn&#x27;t terribly difficult, it&#x27;s a good spot for people who like guns and violence but want to be one of the good guys.<p>This tradition is coming to a close. While the constable himself might be a nice enough, stand-up guy, the system as a whole is terribly corrupt and overbearing. I might go so far as to say evil.<p>This cannot continue. Reforms are desperately needed.