HB2437 and HB2827

It has been said that I don’t like anyone, but if I do like you, I pay attention. And if I really don’t, I pay extra attention. But what happens when I see a pattern that doesn’t sit right with me? What then?Yesterday, we analyzed HB1198 and how it makes it easier to pull people into guardianships. Today, HB2437 took that and said, "Nah, let’s keep them there even longer." This bill stretches what was supposed to be a temporary guardianship from 120 days to seven months, with no added oversight and a vague “good cause” standard that could mean whatever a judge, lawyer, or random guy in a suit with a well-placed campaign donation wants it to mean. No checks, no review, just more power to the people already running the show. If HB1198 was the setup, HB2437 is the lock on the door.And then there’s HB2827, which takes a different angle, targeting homeschooling by introducing mandatory registration and state oversight. A bill about guardianships. A bill about keeping people in them longer. A bill about consolidating control over education outside the public school system. Three different bills, same legislative session, all introduced by the same person.Ooh, I think I’m starting to see why people like legislation and lobbying. So many patterns! Didn’t think they’d be this obvious this quickly. But this is just three bills. What if I start digging into the ones already passed? What about the other ones she’s worked on? Is this a pattern? Is this something to make your Spidey sense tingle? It makes mine tingle. What do you think?Representative Terra Costa Howard ran unopposed in her last election. No challenger, no competition, no risk of losing her seat. And yet, the money still came in. Did you look into who the donors are? All of this… with no opponent.Why does an unopposed candidate need that kind of money? What exactly are the people funding her expecting in return? Because when I see three bills that all tighten state control over individual autonomy, and then I see who’s signing the checks behind them, I don’t just look the other way.Whether intentional or not, the result is the same, more unchecked power, more room for abuse, and fewer rights for the people these laws claim to protect.The people writing these bills count on us not paying attention. Let’s prove them wrong.HB2437, HB1198, and HB2827 all by Rep. Terra Costa HowardHB2437: https://lnkd.in/grz6-kwGHB1198: https://lnkd.in/g44tpw3xHB2827: https://lnkd.in/g_-4E4kvCampaign donors: https://lnkd.in/gDp5ZB4qElection info (unopposed): https://lnkd.in/gz-3upBFDonations during an unopposed election: https://lnkd.in/gWJD6X9MThanks for F'nAround this morning with the LinkedIn Poet.