How quaint that leftists aka Democrats sound the alarm on voting rights for illegals  but display nothing but dictatorial instincts when they want to squash the rights of conservative voters.

New Jersey Democrats are reviving an effort to force President Donald Trump to release his tax returns or be denied a spot on the state's 2020 ballot.  Thus, "[t]he New Jersey state Senate approved a bill which the Legislature passed once before, in 2017, but which then-Gov. Chris Christie blocked by issuing a scathing veto -- that would prohibit candidates for president and vice president from appearing on the ballot unless they make their tax returns public." 

In fact, "[s]imilar legislation has been introduced in at least 30 states but never enacted, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, meaning New Jersey would be the first to impose such a disclosure requirement if its measure is also approved by the Assembly and signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat."

Consequently, in the now totalitarian state of New Jersey where Democratic Gov. Murphy appears to be vying with Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom as to who can be autocrat of the year, a raw grab for power is being enacted that would prohibit "Electoral College electors from voting for Presidential or Vice Presidential candidates who fail to file income tax returns." 

Translated -- the Democrats are attempting to keep President Trump off the New Jersey ballot by insisting that the IRS wield its massive power and disclose what is supposed to be private information. 

Yet in October 2019, nearly all state lawmakers in New Jersey who taunted Donald Trump to show his tax returns refused to show their own to the public according to the Trenton Bureau of the USA Today Network.  What rank hypocrisy.

This is not the first time the Democrats have attempted to require that candidates disclose their tax returns for a spot on the presidential primary ballot.  California has tried to do the same.

John Myers explains that "[a] federal judge ordered a temporary injunction... against California's first-in-the-nation law requiring candidates to disclose their tax returns for a spot on the presidential primary ballot... but [it is] a decision that will undoubtedly be appealed by state officials. U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr... said there would be 'irreparable harm without temporary relief' for Trump and other candidates from the law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom [.]"   

For those who are concerned about financial conflicts and the need for transparency, it is critical to note that the Ethics in Government Act (EIGA) was originally passed in 1978 to deal with this very issue of federal financial disclosures and any alleged discrepancies. Trump has complied with the EIGA, so this latest maneuver by the Democrats is another end-run to diminish the President's ability to govern.  

In other words, the concern for any financial inconsistencies by a candidate is already dealt with via the EIGA.  Thus, the New Jersey and the California power brokers are not interested in any alleged unethical discrepancies -- they simply want to take away the voting rights of their respective citizens.  It is but another move in the long tortuous attempt to remove Trump and to negate the wishes of Americans.  This is not about transparency of candidates as the mealy-mouthed Democrats would contend; it is about wiping out voting rights.

Beyond the specter of a sitting president being left off the primary ballot in [California], Republicans have said there would be significant harm to the party if the new law is allowed to take effect. They believe that without Trump on the ballot, millions of GOP voters would have less incentive to participate... and party candidates could come up short in down-ticket races.

In fact, concerning the California move, "Trump sued... to block implementation of SB 27. His attorneys told the judge that the California law would unfairly force the president to give up his right of privacy to keep his tax returns confidential [.]"

Thomas McCarthy, an attorney representing the president, told the judge the U.S. Constitution sets out rules for running for the nation’s highest office that are 'fixed and unalterable' by individual states. He said California voters may have an interest in a presidential candidate’s tax returns, but the state 'cannot try to inform' voters beyond the basic information.

Whether you like Trump or not, anyone who is not terrified by this brazen move no longer comprehends what freedom and choice are.  There will be those who assert that they want to see Trump's tax returns -- "after all for nearly four decades presidential candidates released their taxes, but Trump broke with tradition in 2016."  These are the people whom Edmund Burke would describe as those who "never give up their liberties but under some delusion." 

As far back as 2010 when "President Obama started ramping up his 2012 reelection campaign and congressional Democrats feared major losses in the coming midterm elections, Obama launched a public relations campaign to have the IRS investigate nonprofit organizations that were espousing conservative views and mobilizing voters, most notably the numerous, nascent 'tea party' organizations. These organizations were doing what nonprofits such as the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood and the NAACP [had] done for decades. But Obama repeatedly attacked the tea party organizations as 'shadowy groups with harmless sounding names' engaged in a 'corporate takeover of our democracy.'"

Murphy is just following in the lead of the Democratic powerhouse to intimidate and silence the voices of the "deplorables" in yet another  shameless abuse of power. 

And it is all part of the same tapestry as American rights are up for grabs by Democrat demagogues.  For example, New Jersey has limited the Second Amendment with its Red Flag Laws.  In fact, "New Jersey has some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation even while many in the state are not supportive of these tough rules.  A North Jersey lawmaker is encouraging municipalities and counties  to pass Pro-Second Amendment Lawful Gun Owner resolutions. Assemblyman Parker Space, R-Sussex, said every time there’s a shooting or a big crime committed by someone using a gun, the issue gets distorted."

If the one million gun owners in New Jersey had cast a vote for the Republican nominee, New Jersey might not find itself in the predicament today -- that is, the magazine ban signed by Governor Murphy.               

The Democrats want open borders, tight gun control, higher taxes, and more governmental control over Americans' lives. New Jersey is a sanctuary state which sees nothing wrong with breaking federal immigration law while having Americans pick up the tab for these lawbreakers.

The Democratic legislature of New Jersey is relentless in its attempt to limit American freedoms.  The Democrats believe in chipping away at all our rights. Attempting to pursue this unconstitutional move to prohibit a candidate from running if he/she does not disclose federal income tax returns is just the latest in their assault on the Republic.

To counter this, Trump petition-signing events are going to be held in Westfield, Rahway, Summit, and Union, New Jersey. Learn how to fight back against this incursion against your rights.

Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com