I rise today in opposition to HB 58008 which would repeal most public decency laws. In effect, this bill would allow for any individual to defecate in public without consequences. The proposal was sold to us as a way to prevent big government mandates to get in the way of personal liberties. Supporters say that people who don’t want to poop on the sidewalk don’t have to, but don’t make it a mandate to use a toilet. It’s about personal choice.
I’m here to say that some government mandates make sense and freedom for its own sake should not always be the ultimate goal. I wish I didn’t have to say this, but people should not be allowed to openly defecate in public unless in extreme emergencies or incontinence.
In 2021, Michigan heard a lot about vaccine mandates. The idea behind them was to prevent people from either getting or spreading COVID. Similar to anti-smoking laws, vaccine mandates used the force of the government to try to prevent public health threats. COVID was a public health threat that has now become similar to smoking.
Why are we continuing to move society backward? Purchasing anything with cryptocurrency requires making constant exchanges on apps to the crypto that individual businesses prefer. Since the decentralization of the post office, it takes twice as long to receive a package because FedEx and UPS control different regions and refuse to work together. The privatization and elimination of Medicare and Medicaid have made it almost impossible for seniors and children to find doctors. More freedom and less government have created more paperwork by forcing people to think about each and every decision they make.
Open defecation has been shown to increase the number of water and insect-borne illnesses. Once a child has been exposed to an OD illness they are more likely to suffer malnutrition and their growth is often stunted. If private and public latrines start to lose resources and attention, more people will begin to OD, which means fewer people will use the ones still available. Women lacking public latrines increases the likelihood of gender-based violence.
I like freedom! Prostitution apps have revolutionized sex to the point where dating is pointless. Thanks to the complete lack of gun laws and the legalization of murder, I can kill someone when I want their groceries and no one bats an eye. Regardless of my support of individual freedoms, I don’t want people with diarrhea visiting the private pool at the country club.
People should not be allowed to openly defecate as they please. I ask for your opposition to this bill.
