Nukes Not the Business of the City Council [OPINION]

The New Bedford City Council will wade into the debate over whether President Donald Trump is capable of deciding whether or not the U.S. uses nuclear weapons. For real.

Ward Five City Councilor Scott Lima has introduced a resolution for Thursday's agenda asking the Council to go on record in support of a combination of bills being touted by Massachusetts' Democrat Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey that would limit the president's ability to use nuclear weapons to defend America and its allies.

Warren's bill would make it official policy that the U.S. could not launch a nuclear "first strike" under any circumstances. Markey's bill is even scarier, as it would require Congressional approval before the president could launch a nuclear strike of any sort.

Lima's resolution goes further by urging federal leaders to "make nuclear disarmament the centerpiece of United States national security policy" and to work toward complete nuclear disarmament by signing "the treaty on the Probation of Nuclear Weapons."

By the way, President Trump just recently received bi-partisan support for pulling out of a decades-old nuclear agreement with the Russians because of their endless cheating. Peace through strength. Trust but verify.

Both Warren and Markey face elections next year in a party that has moved so far to the left that Karl Marx looks like a conservative by comparison. So, there is that. My guess is that local politicians in many communities have been asked to introduce similar resolutions. This is simply more left-wing garbage that places the safety of our nation at risk for political purposes. More on that another time.

Look, Scott Lima is by all accounts a good, hard-working man who has gained a reputation for strong constituent service. I like Scott. Councilor Lima is not the first local official who early in their political career was tempted to try and solve the world's problems. But that's not what he was elected to do.

Councilor Lima is certainly entitled to his opinion about nuclear issues, as are you, but the good councilor should not waste the Council's or the citizens' time and money with issues that are beyond his purview.

New Bedford is faced with a number of issues that need to be resolved such as street repairs, high taxes, and out-of-control drug abuse. The City Council needs to focus on these pressing matters before it wastes time debating matters that are well beyond its ability to control.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.