Over this Independence Day weekend, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito stated that proposed legislation that would limit the number of app-based driving services (such as Uber and Lyft) was motivated purely by the need to control "traffic congestion, pollution and labor standards," not because of the falling value of taxi cab medallions. In an interview between Ms. Viverito and radio program host Brian Lehrer:

On Wednesday evening, a grand jury announced that it would not indict a New York City police officer who, in July, killed Eric Garner, a 43-year-old Staten Island resident with a history of serious health problems and father of six children. Gut-wrenching video of the incident found its way online, sparking outrage due to the tactics used by police.

Charter schools are being hit once again this week, and people are fighting back. Earlier this week, as many as 17,000 thousands advocates for charter schools gathered in New York City, after a successful such gathering last year drew thousands more public school parents.

A few weeks ago, as my state legislature was gearing up to steal more of our personal liberty pass sensible legislation that benefits the greater good, I saw a tweet roll by from a state legislator in favor of her pet bill - banning smoking in cars while children were inside the car. This tweet stated something to the effect that, "It's not nanny state legislation!