Pay those student loans or expect SWAT

Pima

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Read this one today.

http://www.news10.net/news/article/141072/2/Dept-of-Education-breaks-down-Stockton-mans-door

STOCKTON, CA - Kenneth Wright does not have a criminal record and he had no reason to believe a S.W.A.T team would be breaking down his door at 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

"I look out of my window and I see 15 police officers," Wright said.

Wright came downstairs in his boxer shorts as a S.W.A.T team barged through his front door. Wright said an officer grabbed him by the neck and led him outside on his front lawn.

"He had his knee on my back and I had no idea why they were there," Wright said. ...The U.S. Department of Education issued the search and called in the S.W.A.T for his wife's defaulted student loans.

"They busted down my door for this," Wright said. "It wasn't even me."

According to the Department of Education's Office of the Inspector General, the case can't be discussed publicly until it is closed, but a spokesperson did confirm that the department did issue the search warrant at Wright's home.

The Office of the Inspector General has a law enforcement branch of federal agents that carry out search warrants and investigations.

The kicker is his wife is estranged and didn't even live there. I can't believe we are using SWAT for the DoE. What did they expect to gain from the search warrant using 1 patrol car compared to SWAT? How much did that just cost the taxpayer to do this? I bet close to the amount of outstanding debt that was owed to the DoE for the default on the loans. I also can't believe we are funding the DoE with a SWAT team, seriously, SWAT?
 
Just makes me "RESPECT" our government that much more. The Department of Education should not have the authority to "Issue a Search Warrant". And they definitely have no reason in the entire world, to have an inspector general's office authorizing swat tactics for something related to the department of Education. What total B.S.

I wonder if the Social Security or Medicare departments have their own Inspector General that is authorized to break into a senior citizen's home, because they didn't pay their medical co-pay?

I'm telling you folks; our government has given/taken for itself way too much power. Imagine if this had happened in a more 2nd amendment friendly state. Where the victim in question didn't realize it was swat, and used a gun to defend himself? Someone could have been killed, all because someone didn't pay their loan. We need change. We need the power to go back to the people and the states. Not the federal government. They work for us; not the other way around.
 
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I have to say, I too cannot fathom a reason why DoE needs the ability to authorize search warrants. Has our govt lost that much touch with the real world that they forgot there are avenues, such as liens and garnishments to get the defaulter?

People wonder what is wrong with our educational system, well the answer is obvious to me. We are spending tax dollars on search warrants, instead of spending it on education!

I would love this to get more media coverage, just to find out how much that SWAT team cost the taxpayer. Also to find out how on earth did they miss the fact that she didn't even live there? Why didn't they send one patrol to arrest her at the house? What exactly did they believe was in the home that warranted a SWAT team from the DoE's pov? Running Guns? Wouldn't that be ATF? Dealing Drugs? DEA?

What exactly was their goal for issuing a search warrant? To find her? Couldn't 24 hr surveillance on the home do the same thing instead of terrorizing a 3,7 and 11 yr old by placing them in a police vehicle for 6 hrs?

Can we also say LAWSUIT? I am sure attorney's have contacted Kevin Wright and the DoE is looking at some type of legal case. Even if it gets thrown out, that will still cost taxpayers because of man hours to defend the DoE.

This is just insane and inane. Somebody's cranium needs to roll in the DoE.
 
I don't care at all about the cost. I care about the federal government having this much power. Especially in non-threatening scenarios like having debt. I just not sure what pisses me off more. The Department of Education being allowed to issue warrants and call on swat to break into your house because of a loan; or because of this "LEMMING" who thinks it's perfectly alright that the government did this to him. All he wants is an "Apology and a new door". Basically, this idiot would have condoned this action if the "Right" person was having their house busted into.

Our federal government has gotten to big and too powerful. All government agencies, except those that deal with international concerns; e.g. military, state department, foreign trade, nasa, debt, etc... need to resort back to the state and the people. The federal government needs to be out of the picture. We don't need a FEDERAL department of education, transportation, agriculture, interior, health/human services, parks, etc... All of these agencies need to be handled at the state level. I hate to see anyone harmed, but I can't wait until this department of education swat type scenario happens in a house whereby the homeowner fights back and shoots the intruders. Maybe he too dies. Americans need to "WAKE UP". Too many lemmings. Americans have allowed this type of crap with the IRS for years; and now they are condoning this crap under the title of "Homeland security". What a JOKE!!! And unfortunately, our young kids and young adults, have been brainwashed over the last 10 years into believing this is for the good of our country.
 
Judge Napolitano wrote a book a few yrs ago, called A Nation Of Sheep.

It was a very enlightening read regarding how we as a society have allowed our constitutional rights to be watered down by the govt. For example, I never knew/realized that when you go into Disney and through those hand scanners, the govt can get your palm print. I just thought that this was Disney's security measures.

We are getting to a point that we don't question anymore, we just accept this is the way. I highly doubt that anyone here prior to today knew that the DoE could issue search warrants. Yet, here we are as taxpayers footing the bill. Anyone who says yes, they knew, please explain how you knew. I taught in the public educational system and never knew. I also had student loans that I re-paid over 10 yrs and never knew they could execute a search warrant. I knew they could get me via liens and garnishments, which scared me enough, but search warrants, no I didn't know that.

Our govt has become so big now that it is virtually impossible to figure out. Off topic for a second, but Bullet and I were discussing why do we have Homeland Defense and separate depts for Homeland within each branch? Isn't that redundant? Back on topic, similarly why does the DoE have the ability to issue search warrants? Isn't that redundant? Couldn't they use the local police, or another law enforcement branch? Why do we need to have both? Just to waste more tax dollars?

I do disagree with you because I do care about the cost. We can't survive at the pace we are currently at regarding spending. Obama wants the military cut, avg citizen agrees. No problem with me, but while you are cutting the DoD I suggest we cut the SWAT budget out of the DoE. If we put one Dept on the chopping block, IMPO all should be on it, and at an equal rate from a statistical position. 10% for DoD, 10% for DoE.

As far as Mr. Wright, I bet after this hit the news, he still wants an apology and a new front door, but I am guessing he wants a new front door to a much more expensive house, one that he will be able to buy without a mtg!
 
As for the cost, I am simply saying we shouldn't focus on the cost, but rather our "RIGHTS". If we complain about the price, the we are saying "Unofficially" that we CONDONE the practice, but that we want them to do it more "Efficiently" or for less money. If we concentrate on our "RIGHTS", and that the federal government has overstepped their constitutional authority; and we've allowed the judicial branch to legislate; then we can concentrate on stopping them from abusing our rights. Thus; it doesn't matter if they could do it for FREE or for $1,000,000 a day. Point is; they shouldn't be ALLOWED TO DO IT AT ALL.

The last straw for me was the Patriot Act and the whole "Homeland Security" thing. That is a joke, and an open ticket to abuse federal authority for ANY REASON that they want. We don't need the federal government developing another agency like homeland security. We have the FBI for domestic issues. We have local law enforcement agencies. We have federal agencies who are suppose to be taking care of illegal/undocumented entry into our country. (They are a joke). If these agencies were doing their job, we wouldn't have half these problems.
 
Page not found...are they censoring anything that goes against them? :eek:

The last 10 years have been dark days indeed for personal freedom and liberty. Smashing the very cornerstone of what makes America differrent from the rest. When it became acceptable to kidnap people off the streets and send them to be tortured, we lost a lot of what made us - us.

I'm not sure those we've allowed to run roughshod over us understand that their only responsibility is:

"to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic."
 
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The search warrant was issued by a judge, not the DoE. Also, the warrant is for a search of the premises:

http://www.news10.net/news/pdf/Ed-dept-Wright-warrant-060711.pdf

As terrible as the situation was for this guy and his kids, it does seem to have been a legal search.

However, even if the search was legal, I don't believe the DoE should have armed SWAT teams. There's no reason that local police or another appropriate police authority couldn't secure the premises, then allow unarmed DoE investigator(s) to carry out the search. They were only authorized to look for records & information, for crying out loud, not to arrest an armed and presumed dangerous person.
 
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