Abbott should work for liberty at home

Gov. Greg Abbott wants a convention of the states to consider nine amendments to the U.S. Constitution in hope of making our liberties more secure.

The proposal is a long shot; the Constitution has never been amended this way. Here are nine things Abbott could do now to make Texas a freer state:

Eliminate restrictions on car sales. One Texas law limits car buyers’ freedom to shop on weekends. Another prevents them from buying Teslas at manufacturer-owned stores. Neither restriction makes sense.

Car dealers who want to close on Sundays can follow Chick-fil-A’s example and do so voluntarily. The prohibition on direct sales is an “antiquated protection … for the car dealers,” as former Gov. Rick Perry observed.

Give midlevel medical professionals freer rein. Many Texans have difficulty finding affordable medical and dental care, especially rural residents, the elderly and the poor. Midlevel professionals — advanced-practice registered nurses, physician assistants and dental therapists — could help these people by providing basic services through independent practices.

Support death-with-dignity legislation. In Texas, people with terminal illnesses are often forced to endure pain and indignity against their wishes because the state has no death-with-dignity law. Laws in Oregon and California allow terminally ill people to end their lives with a physician’s assistance.

Support right-to-try legislation. Many Texans have severe illnesses for which the only treatments are either experimental or are approved in other countries but not the U.S. A right-to-try law would give Texans some chance of obtaining needed medications while pushing back as strongly as possible against federal constraints.

Decriminalize marijuana. No policy has done more to kill liberty than the War on Drugs. It has made law-breakers out of millions of people. Many states and localities have decriminalized possession or legalized marijuana entirely.

Give Medicaid recipients money. Instead of letting patients buy their own health care, Texas’ Medicaid program pays $32 billion a year to doctors and other providers. This restricts patients’ freedom of choice and puts the state, rather than the patient, in the driver’s seat.

Remove politics from redistricting. Our voting districts are gerrymandered to favor Republicans, Democrats, incumbents and minorities. Abbott could enhance voters’ liberty by advocating for a nonpartisan, not bipartisan, citizen-led redistricting process.

Let secularists speak. During the holiday season, the Freedom From Religion Foundation installed a display at the Capitol showing Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and the Statue of Liberty huddling around the Bill of Rights. Abbott thought it “deliberately mock[ed]” his faith, so he ordered it removed.

Lead by example. If the law allows me to buy alcohol on Sundays, to marry a person of the same sex, to marry outside my religion or race, to be home-schooled, to attend the church of my choice, or to own a gun, then you can’t stop me from doing these things. Nor can I stop you.

Because liberty is frustrating, people do not cherish it naturally. They must learn to love it and to understand that liberty under law provides the bedrock for our free society.

Gov. Abbott can inspire millions to want more liberty for themselves and to grant more liberty to others, but to do so he will have to back his words with deeds.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Abbott should work for liberty at home."