Bandit Taco Trucks

In a rational society, individuals know when they are about to commit a crime, since it is understood that laws are based on an objective morality. If laws are established to protect individuals from the infringement of their rights via force or fraud, then criminals, by definition, are justly regarded as immoral. For example, the taking of another's property without their consent, is regarded as theft, and the severity of the criminal's sentence varies in direct proportion to the values stolen. Such laws protecting property rights are fundamental, since man cannot survive if others can freely take his food, clothes and shelter without fear of retribution.

But in an irrational society, laws serve a much different purpose. For example, in the eyes of the law, mobile vendors who provide an efficient and affordable dining service within unincorporated areas in the County of Los Angeles are regarded as equally immoral to shoplifters, vandals, street thugs, and violent assailants.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina has authored an ordinance, (passed unanimously by the Board) which makes it a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $1,000 and six months in jail, to park a taco truck in one spot for more than an hour in unincorporated parts of the county (where 60% of the population lives). Although County Superior Court Judge Aichroth has deemed it unconstitutional, the spokeswoman for Molina, who is leading the effort to eliminate taco trucks in Los Angeles, says "We will appeal and we expect to win".

In a recent press release, Molina claims that she does not understand the Judge's decision since he did not provide any explanation and that other municipalities have regulated taco trucks, like those of Montebello, Los Angeles, and Beverly Hills. Since owners of stationary restaurants have repeatedly complained to her office that these taco trucks have an unfair competitive advantage, she believes that she is fighting for a just cause. In a recent press release, Molina has stated "Quality-of-life issues, ranging from graffiti abatement to code enforcement to catering truck regulation, are all important to the residents of East Los Angeles—and I will continue to fight for them."

Whose life is being improved by such laws? Certainly not the taco truck businesses who must face harassment from police officers, and are forced to waste time in Los Angeles Courthouses duking it out with their high priced, huckster lawyers that get paid by the hour. Certainly not their customers looking for a quick and affordable lunch. Certainly not the police officers whose time would be better spent catching real criminals, instead of playing cat and mouse with honest men.

Although Judge Aichroth did not account for this injustice already perpetrated by other city governments, he said more than enough when he called her efforts a "naked restraint of trade". Molina claims to oppose "unfair competitive advantage" but she is unfairly safeguarding the market for stationary restaurant businesses in Los Angeles by criminalizing their competitors. The purpose of government in her mind, is not to protect individual rights, but to guarantee that some men have rights over others. Such irrationality embraced by Molina embodies the essence of injustice, socialism and evil.