They just can’t help themselves.

Bureaucrats need to bureaucrat and the State of Michigan is putting on a helluva show right now.

You might remember the tale of Michigan Barber Karl Manke who had the audacity last May to reopen his one-man barbershop defying Gov. Whitmer’s Executive Order. You know, the Executive Orders that the Michigan State Supreme Court overturned. From last October…

Gov Whitmer Lashes out at Court Overturning Her COVID Executive Orders…

Those of us that have been following the erratic Executive Orders of the 49th Governor of the state of Michigan knew that if she were told NO that she would get pissy, and she, as usual, did not fail. As I wrote here yesterday at RedState, ( Michigan State Supreme Court Rules Gov Whitmer Overstepped Her Authority ) Gov. Whitmer was issued a huge blow to her leadership style by the top court in the state.

In a nutshell, the court said that her orders issued under two different laws were unconstitutional. In specific, since May 1st, she has not issued an executive order in relation to COVID-19 that is legal. This, of course, put a bee in her bonnet, and as those who have watched her Royalness know, she was not going to sit for that.

That was last October and that should have put an end to that but not for our government overreach superstars. They had some regulatory board of unelected and faceless anti-heroes decide that Manke should be fined still. A grand total of $9,000 dollars and of that a $3,000 fine for cutting hair outside at the State Capitol.

You can’t make this up.

Via The Detroit News…

An Owosso barber who gained national attention last spring when he defied Michigan’s COVID-19 stay-home orders was fined $9,000 Monday for various violations of the state’s licensing rules.

But barber Karl Manke plans to appeal the violations investigated and prosecuted after his decision last year to cut hair in defiance of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-home order. His lawyer said the fines are a “last gasp” effort by the state to punish Manke after repeated failures in other legal venues.

“This just demonstrates the pettiness and vindictiveness of the state in all of their actions against Karl over the last year,” said Dave Kallman, Manke’s lawyer.

The Michigan Board of Barber Examiners voted Monday to fine Manke for violations that included carrying a comb in his pocket, accumulating hair and neck guards on the floor at the barber shop, and participating in a May 20 hair cut protest on the Michigan Capitol steps in May.

Mankes’ attorney Dave Kallman was pretty incredulous about the fines and the amount. He, as most people who are watching this, knows this is not about safety but about trying to stick it to someone who had the audacity to tell the government to take a long walk off a short pier into one of Michigan’s beautiful Great Lakes. Karl did it nicely, though, so what is their problem?

Go Fund me accounts started when Manke was being crushed financially last spring raised over $80,000 for the barber from Owosso so he could easily just pay the fine and move on. Yet Karl had the cojones to step up to this fight last year and it is looking like he won’t just roll over for this either. That gives me hope with all the continued nonsense going on in this state that there are still people willing to fight.

Hopefully, this will also highlight that the unelected government officials who wield way too much power will start to have their tail feathers clipped. If that was one of the silver linings coming out of all this government overreach during COVID I would be somewhat pleased.

Just a li’l.