Economy for Everyone
If rights require compliance to work, rights aren't real
guardrails | 2026-02-06 | facebook
If rights only work when people stay quiet, they are permissions, not rights; process and oversight must be enforceable.
A right that only works if you don’t use it is not a right. It’s permission. When oversight gets blocked and accountability becomes optional, everyone loses - regardless of politics.
What’s happening
A thought that keeps sticking:
If “just comply” is required for rights to work, then rights aren’t real.
In Minnesota, there have been multiple signals that oversight and access to counsel are under pressure, and that documenting or pushing back can carry real costs.
Why it matters (plain language)
Rights aren’t just words on paper.
They depend on whether regular people can:
- observe,
- get counsel,
- seek oversight,
- and get a real remedy when the government is wrong.
If those become “optional,” the law stops being a constraint and starts being a tool.
What good looks like
- Oversight that can’t be shrugged off
- Access to counsel that works in practice, not just theory
- Written rules and transparent processes
- Accountability that produces answers and consequences
One small action
Pick one:
- Show up peacefully as a witness
- Call your reps and ask for boring guardrails: oversight, counsel access, written rules
- Support the people doing court work and documentation
Receipts
Use your canonical page to link to the primary docs you’re relying on and label uncertainty clearly.