In the leftist mind there is nothing greater in life than the state. The state is religion surpassing, Christ, Buddha and Mohammed in the minds of the left. The state, as the supreme entity, therefore has absolute authority to dictate every aspect of our lives. Sadly, this view is not only harbored by leftist, but some on the right also look upon the state as an arm of their personal religious and moral beliefs and seek to impose their will through government.

For the statist, which includes all on the left and many on the right, subservience is key. It should come as no surprise, then that the state often exerts its authority over the individual in increasingly bizarre and unusual ways. Who knew, for example, that the sale of a transit token was illegal (even at face value)? Apparently Don Pirone didn’t know, he came to the aide of a fellow rider at an Atlanta transit station. Pirone noticed a rider having difficulty with a token machine and offered him a token of his own. The grateful rider gave Pirone the $1.75 cost for the token and went about his way.

Sadly, that’s not the end of the story as two adages come together in a perfect whirlwind (“no good deed goes unpunished” and “the state is supreme”). A transit cop with the Atlanta transit authority (MARTA) witnessed the transaction and placed Pirone under arrest. After such vile felons must be stopped no matter the cost. Police confiscated the $1.75 and cited Pirone, after detaining him for over 2 hrs. Pirone will now have to answer the charges in court. MARTA defended the policy, arguing the officer was wholly justified in its “crack down.”

In the words of William Lloyd Garrison, “that which is not just is not law.” While Garrison was referring to the far more serious issue of slavery, the premise is sound. This transaction involved two consenting adults, there was no deception and no one’s rights were violated; yet the state saw fit to intercede in order to regulate behavior. If Pirone, had received $1000 for the token, it should be of no concern to the government, so long as no parties were coerced. Where does it end? The Supreme Court has already ruled that our property is not our own. Now it seems all actions must first meet with government approval before they can be sanctioned. Our lives therefore are no longer our own as the state exerts increasing authority over the individual.
http://wsbradio.com/news/1209tokenarrest.html