Fourth Amendment Suspended In Minnesota City

Fourth Amendment Suspended In Minnesota City

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Crystal, MN- The fourth amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America states, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Unfortunately, the City of Crystal, MN does not think the Constitution carries much weight. The latest city newsletter proposes the following program to gain control over its residents: "The City Water Utility and Engineering Departments have finished the development of a program to replace all the water meters in the City with an automated meter reading (AMR) system. The final plans and ad for bids were approved by the City Council in December. Many existing water meters are original with nearly 70% being over 40 years old. Older meters typically give a consumption reading lower than actual usage. The new meters will be equipped with a small radio transmitter to automatically send the reading to a utility vehicle as it drives through the neighborhood, or to strategically placed 'collector' antennas."

Under a free market system, the entity that collects for water payments (even if it is an oppressive monopoly) should have the ability to decide the cost of its product and the way it is measured. They do not, however, have the right to "deputize" the contractors to look for other issues while in your home. The article continues as such, "In addition to meter replacement, the City (via the meter contractor) will be conducting an inspection for illegal sump pump or footing drain connections to the sanitary sewer. These illegal connections are often done via a floor drain or wash tub. It is against city and state code to discharge footing drain, sump pump, or surface runoff water into the sanitary sewer. The metropolitan sewage treatment utility is imposing large fines on cities that do not enforce the illegal discharge provisions of the law." Illegal sump pumps or footing drain connections may be against city and state code, but that does not give a city the right to send a contractor into your home in the name of upgrading a meter in order to search for violations. This is in violation of the fourth amendment to be secure in your home from unreasonable searches.

The City has made sure to put pressure on its residents to force compliance to this illegal search. The newsletter states: "Failure to allow inspection and comply with the findings will result in a $100-per-month fine." The City of Crystal is trying to strong arm dissent by imposing a fine almost nobody in that city would be able to pay. This is why it is important to be aware of what is going on in your city, and to be involved in the governmental process. These things are not just happening in America's ten biggest cities. Tyranny has come to our door step, and it is up to us to take back the ground we lost.