Posts
Why Some People Are Poorer - Henry Hazlitt - Mises Institute: "Pockets of poverty may be the result of a failure to meet domestic or foreign competition, of a shrinkage or disappearance of demand for some product, of mines or wells that have been exhausted, of land that has become a dust bowl, and of droughts, floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. There is no way of preventing most of these contingencies, and no all encompassing cure for them. Each is likely to call for its own special measures of alleviation or adjustment."
"We are most likely to see the problem clearly, however, if we stop blaming 'society' in advance and seek an unemotional analysis."
"Historically, many so-called 'conservatives' have tended to blame poverty entirely on the poor: they are shiftless, or drunks or bums: 'Let them go to work.' Most so-called 'liberals,' on the other hand, have tended to blame poverty on everybody but the poor: they are at best the 'unfortunate,' the 'underprivileged,' if not actually the 'exploited,' the 'victims' of the 'maldistribution of wealth,' or of 'heartless laissez faire.' The truth, of course, is not that simple, either way."
"An 'ideal' assistance program, whether private or governmental, would
1. supply everyone in dire need, through no fault of his own, enough to maintain him in reasonable health;
2. would give nothing to anybody not in such need; and
3. would not diminish or undermine anybody's incentive to work or save or improve his skills and earning power, but would hopefully even increase such incentives.
But these three aims are extremely difficult to reconcile. The nearer we come to achieving any one of them fully, the less likely we are to achieve one of the others. Society has found no perfect solution of this problem in the past, and seems unlikely to find one in the future. The best we can look forward to, I suspect, is some never-quite-satisfactory compromise.
Fortunately, in the United States the problem of relief is now merely a residual problem, likely to be of constantly diminishing importance as, under free enterprise, we constantly increase total production. The real problem of poverty is not a problem of "distribution" but of production. The poor are poor not because something is being withheld from them, but because, for whatever reason, they are not producing enough. The only permanent way to cure their poverty is to increase their earning power."
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Why a Jobs Summit? | Richard W. Rahn | Cato Institute: Commentary
Why a Jobs Summit? | Richard W. Rahn | Cato Institute: Commentary: "First the basics: Employers will hire more workers of any given experience and skill level when the cost of hiring them is lower rather than higher. More people are willing and able to work when their take-home pay is higher rather than lower."
"A major reason we have unemployment is that the government taxes both employers and employees, thus driving a "tax wedge" between what it costs the employer to hire someone and what the employee actually receives. The employer must pay payroll taxes, unemployment taxes, and other taxes for each worker he or she hires — thus reducing the demand for labor. The employee must pay payroll taxes and income taxes, thus reducing the supply of labor."
"These tax increases have two effects. The first is that business owners will have less money to pay their existing workers, let alone hire new ones; and second, these tax increases reduce their incentives to remain in or expand their businesses."
"Rescind the minimum wage increase that went into effect this past summer. This was equivalent to a 100 percent tax on the least experienced and least skilled workers. Employers predictably laid off many minimum-wage workers after the increase. It is both unfair and cruel not to let low-productivity workers get their first jobs where they can learn how to become high-productivity workers."
"A major reason we have unemployment is that the government taxes both employers and employees, thus driving a "tax wedge" between what it costs the employer to hire someone and what the employee actually receives. The employer must pay payroll taxes, unemployment taxes, and other taxes for each worker he or she hires — thus reducing the demand for labor. The employee must pay payroll taxes and income taxes, thus reducing the supply of labor."
"These tax increases have two effects. The first is that business owners will have less money to pay their existing workers, let alone hire new ones; and second, these tax increases reduce their incentives to remain in or expand their businesses."
"Rescind the minimum wage increase that went into effect this past summer. This was equivalent to a 100 percent tax on the least experienced and least skilled workers. Employers predictably laid off many minimum-wage workers after the increase. It is both unfair and cruel not to let low-productivity workers get their first jobs where they can learn how to become high-productivity workers."
A Costly Mistake | Malou Innocent | Cato Institute: Commentary
A Costly Mistake | Malou Innocent | Cato Institute: Commentary: "The mistake made in Vietnam — as in Afghanistan — is the erroneous assumption proffered by our political and military elite that these countries constitute a vital U.S. national security interest. Policymakers forget that al Qaeda attacked America on 9/11, and unless Pakistan makes a corresponding effort to go after the al Qaeda sanctuary on their side of the border then America's massive and tremendously costly nation-building campaign in Afghanistan is pointless."
Fed Transparency Should Precede Bernanke Confirmation | Dean Barker and Mark A. Calabria | Cato Institute: Commentary
Fed Transparency Should Precede Bernanke Confirmation | Dean Barker and Mark A. Calabria | Cato Institute: Commentary: "The Fed has directly lent more than $2 trillion to financial and non-financial institutions in the last two years. It has guaranteed trillions more. It is also fair to say that few individuals and institutions played as large a role in the economy leading up to the crisis than Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve.
However, at the moment Congress lacks the independent and objective analysis needed to fully assess Bernanke's performance and therefore to make an informed judgment as to whether he deserves re-appointment. For this reason, Congress should put off a vote on Bernanke's nomination until there has been a full audit of the Fed's actions preceding and during the crisis."
However, at the moment Congress lacks the independent and objective analysis needed to fully assess Bernanke's performance and therefore to make an informed judgment as to whether he deserves re-appointment. For this reason, Congress should put off a vote on Bernanke's nomination until there has been a full audit of the Fed's actions preceding and during the crisis."
Monday, December 28, 2009
Climate Scientists Subverted Peer Review | Patrick J. Michaels | Cato Institute: Commentary
Climate Scientists Subverted Peer Review | Patrick J. Michaels | Cato Institute: Commentary: "paint a picture of IPCC boffins committing science's capital crime: Trying to game the peer-reviewed literature, which is akin to editing what goes in the Bible."
So that isn't "scientific" and anything based on it must be reviewed to determine if it can stand without that support.
"The last IPCC compendium on climate science, published in 2007, left out plenty of peer-reviewed science that it found inconveniently disagreeable."
So that isn't "scientific" and anything based on it must be reviewed to determine if it can stand without that support.
"The last IPCC compendium on climate science, published in 2007, left out plenty of peer-reviewed science that it found inconveniently disagreeable."
Time to Leave | Christopher Preble | Cato Institute: Commentary
Time to Leave | Christopher Preble | Cato Institute: Commentary: "As Obama's national security adviser, Gen. James Jones, noted in October, 'The al-Qaeda presence (in Afghanistan) is very diminished. The maximum estimate is less than 100 operating in the country, no bases, no ability to launch attacks on either us or our allies.' We don't need 100,000 soldiers in Afghanistan chasing down 100 al-Qaeda fighters."
The Cold Heart of Obamacare | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary
The Cold Heart of Obamacare | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary: "In this country, bureaucrats keeping tabs on patients — without actually seeing them and their condition — will mean, as Tanner notes, that 'every time a doctor decides on a treatment, he or she would have to ask: 'Does the government think I'm doing this too much? Will I be penalized if I order this test?''"
"Clinical studies routinely exclude patients with more than one medical condition and often the elderly or people on multiple medications. Conclusions about what works and what doesn't work change much too quickly for policymakers to dictate clinical practice."
"We do not elect the president and Congress to decide how short our lives will be. That decision is way above their pay grades."
"Clinical studies routinely exclude patients with more than one medical condition and often the elderly or people on multiple medications. Conclusions about what works and what doesn't work change much too quickly for policymakers to dictate clinical practice."
"We do not elect the president and Congress to decide how short our lives will be. That decision is way above their pay grades."
Monday, December 21, 2009
Senate Health Reform Plan Prescribes Heavy Tax Dose | Michael F. Cannon | Cato Institute: Commentary
Senate Health Reform Plan Prescribes Heavy Tax Dose | Michael F. Cannon | Cato Institute: Commentary: "One levy would take $15 billion from sick patients with high out-of-pocket medical expenses, including elderly and low-income patients.
If you have a health savings account or flexible spending arrangement, there are taxes specific to those health plans, plus a third tax that would apply to all "consumer-directed" plans.
Another levy would tax medical devices, and another would tax prescription drugs. Those two taxes would increase health insurance premiums by about 1 percent, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. There's another $60 billion tax that would drive health premiums higher still.
If your premiums climb high enough, you'll become subject to a $149 billion tax on those with high health insurance premiums. Yet many face high premiums simply because they have expensive medical needs, making this yet another tax on the sick.
The legislation would increase the Medicare tax on wages above $200,000, yet divert the revenue toward new entitlement spending.
And lest any corner of the health care sector go untaxed, the bill would even impose a 5 percent tax on cosmetic surgeries."
"Senate Democrats promise to fund half of their new entitlement with $491 billion of Medicare cuts. Yet those promised cuts are merely a tax increase waiting to happen."
"Another hidden tax comes in the form of price controls that would increase premiums for young adults in order to subsidize their parents, even though the parents typically have higher incomes. The same price controls would increase premiums for people with healthy lifestyles to subsidize those who (for example) overeat or consume alcohol to excess.
Those price controls could even tax farmers to subsidize office workers. The bill would allow populous urban areas like Omaha to make all of Nebraska one single 'rating area,' which would increase premiums in rural areas to subsidize wealthier urban areas."
"The bill's largest hidden tax, however, is a mandate that would force all Americans to purchase health insurance, whether they want it or not.
Here's why that mandate is a tax. When the government forces you to pay $10,000 to the IRS, and then gives that money to a private insurance company — as this legislation would do — we rightly call that a tax.
If instead the government forced you or your employer to pay $10,000 directly to a private insurance company — as this legislation also would do — the outcome would be the same. That makes the mandate a tax, even though that $10,000 never passes through the federal Treasury."
If you have a health savings account or flexible spending arrangement, there are taxes specific to those health plans, plus a third tax that would apply to all "consumer-directed" plans.
Another levy would tax medical devices, and another would tax prescription drugs. Those two taxes would increase health insurance premiums by about 1 percent, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. There's another $60 billion tax that would drive health premiums higher still.
If your premiums climb high enough, you'll become subject to a $149 billion tax on those with high health insurance premiums. Yet many face high premiums simply because they have expensive medical needs, making this yet another tax on the sick.
The legislation would increase the Medicare tax on wages above $200,000, yet divert the revenue toward new entitlement spending.
And lest any corner of the health care sector go untaxed, the bill would even impose a 5 percent tax on cosmetic surgeries."
"Senate Democrats promise to fund half of their new entitlement with $491 billion of Medicare cuts. Yet those promised cuts are merely a tax increase waiting to happen."
"Another hidden tax comes in the form of price controls that would increase premiums for young adults in order to subsidize their parents, even though the parents typically have higher incomes. The same price controls would increase premiums for people with healthy lifestyles to subsidize those who (for example) overeat or consume alcohol to excess.
Those price controls could even tax farmers to subsidize office workers. The bill would allow populous urban areas like Omaha to make all of Nebraska one single 'rating area,' which would increase premiums in rural areas to subsidize wealthier urban areas."
"The bill's largest hidden tax, however, is a mandate that would force all Americans to purchase health insurance, whether they want it or not.
Here's why that mandate is a tax. When the government forces you to pay $10,000 to the IRS, and then gives that money to a private insurance company — as this legislation would do — we rightly call that a tax.
If instead the government forced you or your employer to pay $10,000 directly to a private insurance company — as this legislation also would do — the outcome would be the same. That makes the mandate a tax, even though that $10,000 never passes through the federal Treasury."
Time to Wind Down the War on Drugs | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary
Time to Wind Down the War on Drugs | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary: "At the state level, nearly 60 percent of those serving time for drugs have 'no history of violence or significant selling activity,' Webb notes.
The United States has 5 percent of the world's population, and nearly a quarter of the worlds prisoners -- more per capita than authoritarian regimes like Iran, China and Russia. We probably shouldn't take official Chinese prison stats at face value, but is there really good reason for the United States to imprison people at six times the rate Canada does?
As Webb puts it, 'Either we are home to the most evil people on Earth,' or we're doing something wrong."
"Pot is less harmful than alcohol, as shown by government-commissioned studies, including a 1999 report by the Institute for Medicine and the 1972 Shafer Commission"
"In 2001, Portugal became the first -- and so far, only -- Western democracy to decriminalize possession of small amounts of all drugs, including cocaine and heroin. The results of that experiment are now in.
In a recent study for the Cato Institute, Glenn Greenwald reports that decriminalization has 'had no adverse effect on drug usage rates in Portugal,' drug-related pathologies "have decreased dramatically," and there's little public support for recriminalization."
For those who believe in limited government, where is the Constitutional authority for the federal government to do anything. (Maybe the interstate commerce clause but that was supposed to keep states from limiting commerce between themselves.)
The United States has 5 percent of the world's population, and nearly a quarter of the worlds prisoners -- more per capita than authoritarian regimes like Iran, China and Russia. We probably shouldn't take official Chinese prison stats at face value, but is there really good reason for the United States to imprison people at six times the rate Canada does?
As Webb puts it, 'Either we are home to the most evil people on Earth,' or we're doing something wrong."
"Pot is less harmful than alcohol, as shown by government-commissioned studies, including a 1999 report by the Institute for Medicine and the 1972 Shafer Commission"
"In 2001, Portugal became the first -- and so far, only -- Western democracy to decriminalize possession of small amounts of all drugs, including cocaine and heroin. The results of that experiment are now in.
In a recent study for the Cato Institute, Glenn Greenwald reports that decriminalization has 'had no adverse effect on drug usage rates in Portugal,' drug-related pathologies "have decreased dramatically," and there's little public support for recriminalization."
For those who believe in limited government, where is the Constitutional authority for the federal government to do anything. (Maybe the interstate commerce clause but that was supposed to keep states from limiting commerce between themselves.)
Three Myths about Trash - Floy Lilley - Mises Institute
Three Myths about Trash - Floy Lilley - Mises Institute: "The EPA had noticed that the number of landfills was dropping. They failed to notice that the size of landfills was getting much bigger much faster. Total landfill capacity was actually rising. The EPA also underestimated the prospects for creating additional capacity."
"Today, 1,654 landfills in 48 states take care of 54 percent of all the solid waste in the country. One-third of them are privately owned. The largest landfill, in Las Vegas, received 3.8 million tons during 2007 at fees within the national range of $24 to $70 per ton. Landfills are no longer a threat to the environment or public health. State-of-the-art landfills, with redundant clay, plastic liners, and leachate collection systems, have now replaced all of our previously unsafe dumps."
"More and more landfills are producing pipeline-quality natural gas. Waste Management plans to turn 60 of their waste sites into energy facilities by 2012. The new plants will capture methane gas from decomposing landfill waste, generating more than 700 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 700,000 homes."
"Holding all of America's garbage for the next one hundred years would require a space only 255 feet high or deep and 10 miles on a side."
"The amount of new growth that occurs each year in forests exceeds by a factor of 20 the amount of wood and paper that is consumed by the world each year. Wherever private-property rights to forests are well-defined and enforced, forests are either stable or growing."
"Recycling is a manufacturing process, and therefore it too has environmental impact. The US Office of Technology Assessment says that it is 'usually not clear whether secondary manufacturing such as recycling produces less pollution per ton of material processed than primary manufacturing processes.'"
"Manufacturing paper, glass, and plastic from recycled materials uses appreciably more energy and water, and produces as much or more air pollution, as manufacturing from raw materials does."
"Recycling is a long-practiced, productive, indeed essential, element of the market system. Informed, voluntary recycling conserves resources and raises our wealth, enabling us to achieve valued ends that would otherwise be impossible. So yes, people do recycle even when they are not forced to do so."
"Today, 1,654 landfills in 48 states take care of 54 percent of all the solid waste in the country. One-third of them are privately owned. The largest landfill, in Las Vegas, received 3.8 million tons during 2007 at fees within the national range of $24 to $70 per ton. Landfills are no longer a threat to the environment or public health. State-of-the-art landfills, with redundant clay, plastic liners, and leachate collection systems, have now replaced all of our previously unsafe dumps."
"More and more landfills are producing pipeline-quality natural gas. Waste Management plans to turn 60 of their waste sites into energy facilities by 2012. The new plants will capture methane gas from decomposing landfill waste, generating more than 700 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 700,000 homes."
"Holding all of America's garbage for the next one hundred years would require a space only 255 feet high or deep and 10 miles on a side."
"The amount of new growth that occurs each year in forests exceeds by a factor of 20 the amount of wood and paper that is consumed by the world each year. Wherever private-property rights to forests are well-defined and enforced, forests are either stable or growing."
"Recycling is a manufacturing process, and therefore it too has environmental impact. The US Office of Technology Assessment says that it is 'usually not clear whether secondary manufacturing such as recycling produces less pollution per ton of material processed than primary manufacturing processes.'"
"Manufacturing paper, glass, and plastic from recycled materials uses appreciably more energy and water, and produces as much or more air pollution, as manufacturing from raw materials does."
"Recycling is a long-practiced, productive, indeed essential, element of the market system. Informed, voluntary recycling conserves resources and raises our wealth, enabling us to achieve valued ends that would otherwise be impossible. So yes, people do recycle even when they are not forced to do so."
Friday, December 18, 2009
Official Google Blog: Carbon offsets at Google
Official Google Blog: Carbon offsets at Google: "While carbon offsets seem simple in principle, in practice they are surprisingly complicated. In particular, it's often difficult to say whether or not the offset project results in emissions reductions that would have happened anyway."
Credit Card Has Eyebrow-Raising 79.9 Percent Interest Rate - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com
Credit Card Has Eyebrow-Raising 79.9 Percent Interest Rate - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com: "The bloated APR is how First Premier Bank, a subprime credit card issuer, is skirting new regulations intended to curb abusive practices in the industry. It's a strategy other subprime card issuers could start adopting to get around the new rules."
What? Another law with unintended consequences that doesn't do what it was supposed to do? No way!
What? Another law with unintended consequences that doesn't do what it was supposed to do? No way!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Whatever Happened to 'First, Do No Harm'? | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary
Whatever Happened to 'First, Do No Harm'? | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary: "given the higher taxes, greater debt and, now, higher premiums under this bill, even 'nothing' is looking better all the time."
Predator drones hacked in Iraq operations | Security - CNET News
Predator drones hacked in Iraq operations | Security - CNET News: "Iraqi insurgents have reportedly intercepted live video feeds from the U.S. military's Predator drones using a $25.95 Windows application that allows them to track the pilotless aircraft undetected."
"This apparent security breach, which had been known in military and intelligence circles to be possible, arose because the Predator unmanned aerial vehicles do not use encryption in the final link to their operators on the ground"
Unbelievable!
"This apparent security breach, which had been known in military and intelligence circles to be possible, arose because the Predator unmanned aerial vehicles do not use encryption in the final link to their operators on the ground"
Unbelievable!
Campaign For Liberty — As Good As Gold ��| by John Browne
Campaign For Liberty — As Good As Gold ��| by John Browne: "the dollar has benefited from its reserve status, which creates demand for dollars to complete various transactions. However, the conditions that put the dollar on the world monetary throne have already changed, and it's just a matter of time before it is forced to abdicate. Just as French endured as the international diplomatic language long after France waned as a world power, so too is the dollar coasting upon its former glory. When the dollar loses its reserve status, demand for the greenback will evaporate."
"when measured in terms of gold, or real money, the S&P has lost some 20 percent over the past ten years. Over the same period, the U.S. dollar has lost over 280 percent!"
"when measured in terms of gold, or real money, the S&P has lost some 20 percent over the past ten years. Over the same period, the U.S. dollar has lost over 280 percent!"
CitizenLink: Adult Stem-Cell Foundation Works to Save Lives
CitizenLink: Adult Stem-Cell Foundation Works to Save Lives: "'Most scientists will tell you that the future is going to be adult stem cells,' he said.� 'The scientific community is sort of pushing the embryonic when the reality is they are going to use the adult in the future.� So why are we wasting time?'�
As is often the case, he says, it comes down to money.
'The reason embryonics are being pushed is because you can patent them,' he said.�
Adult stem cells are successfully treating more than 70 diseases and conditions."
As is often the case, he says, it comes down to money.
'The reason embryonics are being pushed is because you can patent them,' he said.�
Adult stem cells are successfully treating more than 70 diseases and conditions."
FOXNews.com - Liberals' Dream of Single-Payer Health System Dies
FOXNews.com - Liberals' Dream of Single-Payer Health System Dies
Is that similar to how the employment rate would get close to 10% if the stimulus package wasn't passed?
Is that similar to how the employment rate would get close to 10% if the stimulus package wasn't passed?
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Science or Nonscience? - Clifford F. Thies - Mises Institute
Science or Nonscience? - Clifford F. Thies - Mises Institute: "There should be no pretense that the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is an unbiased organization. It was formed by the United Nations specifically to study 'the risk of human-induced climate change.' The guilty party is, thus, pre-identified and all that remains is to collect the evidence."
"Correlating warm and cool periods with what we know about history, warmer times have been times of human flourishing, expanding economic activity, scientific progress, and cultural expression. And cooler times have been times of starvation, disease, and the collapse of civilization. If we could control global temperature, our focus would be more on avoiding global cooling than it would be on avoiding global warming."
"The computer models that incorporate the greenhouse-gas theory are being massively contradicted by current readings. That is, CO2 is continuing to build up in the atmosphere, and yet global temperature is moderating rather than continuing to rise."
"As important as the planet is, we need a community of climatologists that is not precommitted to a theory or — worse yet — to a policy prescription. The UN agenda is obviously driven by the many despotic nations of the world that seek to use climate change to shake down the wealthy nations of the world, in concert with an intellectual elite that favors socialism over capitalism and with special-interest groups seeking massive government subsidies. The Kyoto Treaty, which imposes limits only on certain nations (the wealthier ones), could never work, since it will only shift industrial activity to nations without limits (the poorer ones), with no net reduction in carbon emissions."
"Correlating warm and cool periods with what we know about history, warmer times have been times of human flourishing, expanding economic activity, scientific progress, and cultural expression. And cooler times have been times of starvation, disease, and the collapse of civilization. If we could control global temperature, our focus would be more on avoiding global cooling than it would be on avoiding global warming."
"The computer models that incorporate the greenhouse-gas theory are being massively contradicted by current readings. That is, CO2 is continuing to build up in the atmosphere, and yet global temperature is moderating rather than continuing to rise."
"As important as the planet is, we need a community of climatologists that is not precommitted to a theory or — worse yet — to a policy prescription. The UN agenda is obviously driven by the many despotic nations of the world that seek to use climate change to shake down the wealthy nations of the world, in concert with an intellectual elite that favors socialism over capitalism and with special-interest groups seeking massive government subsidies. The Kyoto Treaty, which imposes limits only on certain nations (the wealthier ones), could never work, since it will only shift industrial activity to nations without limits (the poorer ones), with no net reduction in carbon emissions."
FOXNews.com - Not So Private Property?: Endangered Species Pose Problems for Landowners
FOXNews.com - Not So Private Property?: Endangered Species Pose Problems for Landowners: "As much as 40 percent of all land in the United States is already under some form of government control or ownership -- 800 million to 900 million acres out of America's total 2.2 billion acres."
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
CitizenLink: Marriage Penalty Hidden in Health Care Reform
CitizenLink: Marriage Penalty Hidden in Health Care Reform: "an unmarried couple each making $30,000 a year would pay $1,320 combined each year for private health insurance. If that couple chose to marry, their premium would jump to $12,000 a year, a difference of $10,680."
Unemployment and the Stimulus
December 4: "In a report done by the incoming Obama Administration, it was estimated that passage of a significant federal stimulus plan would keep unemployment numbers around 8%. Without federal relief, the report projected that unemployment would grow to over 9%.
Now, almost a year after the report was released, national unemployment sits at 10% despite the approval of a massive $787 billion stimulus bill."
Now, almost a year after the report was released, national unemployment sits at 10% despite the approval of a massive $787 billion stimulus bill."
State Superintendent Superpowers
December 11: "DPI would not only have the power to completely control a school or school district in need of improvement, it would have the power to set the criteria to determine how a district becomes 'in need of improvement.'"
Fiscal Task Force a Turkey | Chris Edwards | Cato Institute: Commentary
Fiscal Task Force a Turkey | Chris Edwards | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Spending has soared so high that 40 percent of this year's budget will be funded by borrowing."
"spending is expected to skyrocket from 21 percent of the economy in 2008 to at least 40 percent by 2050, or more if a new federal health plan is enacted."
"Under a cap, Congress could not increase total annual outlays by more than the growth in some economic variable such as personal income, perhaps averaged over five years. If it did, the administration would be required at the end of the year to determine the amount of the excess and cut programs across the board to meet the cap.
It's true that Congress could rewrite or suspend such a statutory cap if it didn't want to comply with it down the road. But a cap would be a high-profile symbol of budget restraint for taxpayers to rally around and defend. It would be easy for concerned citizens to understand a law that said that the government's budget shouldn't grow faster than the average family's budget."
"spending is expected to skyrocket from 21 percent of the economy in 2008 to at least 40 percent by 2050, or more if a new federal health plan is enacted."
"Under a cap, Congress could not increase total annual outlays by more than the growth in some economic variable such as personal income, perhaps averaged over five years. If it did, the administration would be required at the end of the year to determine the amount of the excess and cut programs across the board to meet the cap.
It's true that Congress could rewrite or suspend such a statutory cap if it didn't want to comply with it down the road. But a cap would be a high-profile symbol of budget restraint for taxpayers to rally around and defend. It would be easy for concerned citizens to understand a law that said that the government's budget shouldn't grow faster than the average family's budget."
Monday, December 14, 2009
How Minimum Wage Affects the Job Hunt � Liveshots
How Minimum Wage Affects the Job Hunt � Liveshots: "They examined sixty years of data and concluded the minimum wage actually cuts down on job opportunities and even wages, over time, for low-skilled workers."
"“It's a matter of human dignity. I mean, who amongst us wouldn't want to be treated with human dignity? And to be paid dirt wages means we're treated like dirt. And I don't think that people should be treated like dirt,” said Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D, R.I."
The miniumum wage means tells many people that they aren't even worthy of having a job!
"“It's a matter of human dignity. I mean, who amongst us wouldn't want to be treated with human dignity? And to be paid dirt wages means we're treated like dirt. And I don't think that people should be treated like dirt,” said Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D, R.I."
The miniumum wage means tells many people that they aren't even worthy of having a job!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Forgotten Depression of 1920 - Thomas E. Woods, Jr. - Mises Institute
The Forgotten Depression of 1920 - Thomas E. Woods, Jr. - Mises Institute: "The economic situation in 1920 was grim. By that year unemployment had jumped from 4 percent to nearly 12 percent, and GNP declined 17 percent. No wonder, then, that Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover — falsely characterized as a supporter of laissez-faire economics — urged President Harding to consider an array of interventions to turn the economy around. Hoover was ignored.
Instead of 'fiscal stimulus,' Harding cut the government's budget nearly in half between 1920 and 1922. The rest of Harding's approach was equally laissez-faire. Tax rates were slashed for all income groups. The national debt was reduced by one-third.
The Federal Reserve's activity, moreover, was hardly noticeable. As one economic historian puts it, 'Despite the severity of the contraction, the Fed did not move to use its powers to turn the money supply around and fight the contraction.'[2] By the late summer of 1921, signs of recovery were already visible. The following year, unemployment was back down to 6.7 percent and it was only 2.4 percent by 1923."
"In his 1920 speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination, Harding declared,
Instead of 'fiscal stimulus,' Harding cut the government's budget nearly in half between 1920 and 1922. The rest of Harding's approach was equally laissez-faire. Tax rates were slashed for all income groups. The national debt was reduced by one-third.
The Federal Reserve's activity, moreover, was hardly noticeable. As one economic historian puts it, 'Despite the severity of the contraction, the Fed did not move to use its powers to turn the money supply around and fight the contraction.'[2] By the late summer of 1921, signs of recovery were already visible. The following year, unemployment was back down to 6.7 percent and it was only 2.4 percent by 1923."
"In his 1920 speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination, Harding declared,
We will attempt intelligent and courageous deflation, and strike at government borrowing which enlarges the evil, and we will attack high cost of government with every energy and facility which attend Republican capacity. We promise that relief which will attend the halting of waste and extravagance, and the renewal of the practice of public economy, not alone because it will relieve tax burdens but because it will be an example to stimulate thrift and economy in private life."
Fourth and Long | Benjamin H. Friedman | Cato Institute: Commentary
Fourth and Long | Benjamin H. Friedman | Cato Institute: Commentary: "This process explains why the public overestimates al Qaeda's menace. In its history, it has killed about one-tenth the number of Americans that die annually from the flu. Even in the Taliban's Afghanistan, it never came close to acquiring nuclear or biological weapons. Though friendly militias have harbored al Qaeda in western Pakistan since late 2001, the group has not launched another successful attack against U.S. territory. Opinion polls suggest that the jihadist movement that spawned al Qaeda is waning -- unsurprisingly, for an unappealing ideology that considers even most Muslims legitimate targets for murder."
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Three Cheers for Divided Government | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary
Three Cheers for Divided Government | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary: "In fact, in the past half century, voters have opted for divided government over 60 percent of the time. We Americans rest easier when the purse and sword are in different hands.
Why shouldn't we, given the horrors of one-party government? Whenever one faction controls both elected branches, checks and balances disappear."
"In 2004, two political scientists crunched the numbers, estimating that more than 20 percent of American voters ... tried to 'divide power and balance policy.'"
"Divided government tends to boost the president's approval rating.
It's no accident that the few modern presidents who left office with high popularity — Eisenhower, Reagan, and Clinton — had to battle a Congress controlled by the opposition. We tend to like the guy better when he doesn't have a free hand."
Why shouldn't we, given the horrors of one-party government? Whenever one faction controls both elected branches, checks and balances disappear."
"In 2004, two political scientists crunched the numbers, estimating that more than 20 percent of American voters ... tried to 'divide power and balance policy.'"
"Divided government tends to boost the president's approval rating.
It's no accident that the few modern presidents who left office with high popularity — Eisenhower, Reagan, and Clinton — had to battle a Congress controlled by the opposition. We tend to like the guy better when he doesn't have a free hand."
Choosing Fantasy or Facts | Richard W. Rahn | Cato Institute: Commentary
Choosing Fantasy or Facts | Richard W. Rahn | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Those on the left never stop claiming that problems will be solved if only tax rates are increased. Why then does California, with its 10.6 percent state income tax rate, have a huge budget deficit and a 12.2 percent unemployment rate, while Texas, which does not have a state income tax, enjoys a budget surplus and a below average unemployment rate of 8.2 percent?"
"Any American citizen (which includes all native-born Puerto Ricans) who resides in Puerto Rico pays income taxes to the Puerto Rican, not to the U.S., government. The maximum income tax rate in Puerto Rico is now 33 percent, just a couple of points lower than the U.S. federal rate.
But if Mr. Obama succeeds in raising the maximum federal income tax rate up to the 50 percent range (by letting the Bush tax cuts expire and increasing "surtaxes" to fund his health care and energy schemes), and if the high-tax states continue to raise their rates so the total burden on upper-income people reaches 60 percent or more, Puerto Rican residency is going to become increasingly attractive."
"Any American citizen (which includes all native-born Puerto Ricans) who resides in Puerto Rico pays income taxes to the Puerto Rican, not to the U.S., government. The maximum income tax rate in Puerto Rico is now 33 percent, just a couple of points lower than the U.S. federal rate.
But if Mr. Obama succeeds in raising the maximum federal income tax rate up to the 50 percent range (by letting the Bush tax cuts expire and increasing "surtaxes" to fund his health care and energy schemes), and if the high-tax states continue to raise their rates so the total burden on upper-income people reaches 60 percent or more, Puerto Rican residency is going to become increasingly attractive."
Has Federal Involvement Improved America's Schools? | Andrew J. Coulson | Cato Institute: Commentary
Has Federal Involvement Improved America's Schools? | Andrew J. Coulson | Cato Institute: Commentary: "we have little to show for the nearly $2 trillion dollars spent on federal education programs since 1965. As the chart demonstrates, federal education spending per pupil has nearly tripled since 1970 in real, inflation-adjusted dollars — but achievement has barely budged. In fact, the only subject in which achievement at the end of high school has changed by more than 1 percent is science, and it has gotten worse.
This overall average masks some tiny gains for minority children, such as a 3 to 5 percent rise in the scores of African American 17-year-olds. But even these modest improvements can't be attributed to federal spending. Almost all of the gain occurred between 1980 and 1988, a period during which federal spending per pupil actually fell. And the scores of African American 17-year-olds have declined in the twenty years since, even as federal spending has shot through the roof."
"A key goal of this administration is to homogenize standards and testing nationwide. Is your son or daughter really identical to every other child you've ever met? Does he or she learn math, reading, biology, and history at the same pace as every other 9, 12, or 15 year old? If not, it makes no sense to place all children on a national education conveyor belt that drags them through the curriculum at a fixed pace.
Wouldn't it be better to make schools adapt to the needs of individual kids instead of trying to forcibly fit the kids into a single bureaucratic learning schedule? Wouldn't it be better to give teachers the professional freedom to do their jobs, and then make it easier for families to pick the best schools for their children — public, private, or parochial?"
This overall average masks some tiny gains for minority children, such as a 3 to 5 percent rise in the scores of African American 17-year-olds. But even these modest improvements can't be attributed to federal spending. Almost all of the gain occurred between 1980 and 1988, a period during which federal spending per pupil actually fell. And the scores of African American 17-year-olds have declined in the twenty years since, even as federal spending has shot through the roof."
"A key goal of this administration is to homogenize standards and testing nationwide. Is your son or daughter really identical to every other child you've ever met? Does he or she learn math, reading, biology, and history at the same pace as every other 9, 12, or 15 year old? If not, it makes no sense to place all children on a national education conveyor belt that drags them through the curriculum at a fixed pace.
Wouldn't it be better to make schools adapt to the needs of individual kids instead of trying to forcibly fit the kids into a single bureaucratic learning schedule? Wouldn't it be better to give teachers the professional freedom to do their jobs, and then make it easier for families to pick the best schools for their children — public, private, or parochial?"
The $1.5 Trillion Fraud | Michael F. Cannon | Cato Institute: Commentary
The $1.5 Trillion Fraud | Michael F. Cannon | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Never mind the everyday budget gimmicks House Democrats have used, such as removing $250 billion of deficit spending to be voted on separately. Or claiming their bill would cost just $894 billion — around $400 billion less than the CBO actually projected."
"The current leadership has rigged the legislation so that 60 percent of its total cost will not be made public by the CBO in advance of the House vote."
"The current leadership has rigged the legislation so that 60 percent of its total cost will not be made public by the CBO in advance of the House vote."
The Dead Zone: The Implicit Marginal Tax Rate - Clifford F. Thies - Mises Institute
The Dead Zone: The Implicit Marginal Tax Rate - Clifford F. Thies - Mises Institute: "For many of the working poor, the implicit marginal tax rate is greater than 100 percent."
Basically, incomes under $40,000 all get the same benefit so there is no incentive for someone making $20,000 to try to earn more until they make over $40,000.
Basically, incomes under $40,000 all get the same benefit so there is no incentive for someone making $20,000 to try to earn more until they make over $40,000.
Why Would Congress Compel Young Adults to Buy Health Insurance They Don't Need? | Aaron Yelowitz | Cato Institute: Commentary
Why Would Congress Compel Young Adults to Buy Health Insurance They Don't Need? | Aaron Yelowitz | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Obama won the presidency with 66% of the vote among adults ages 18 to 29 - a larger share than any presidential candidate in decades. So it's ironic that his health plan could impose its greatest hidden taxes on young adults."
"The legislation before Congress would force young adults to purchase health insurance at prices far higher than the market would charge. The legislation would use that hidden tax to reduce premiums for their parents, who typically have higher incomes."
"Forcing young adults to purchase health insurance, and forcing them to pay actuarially unfair premiums, effectively taxes the young to subsidize the old. Never mind that median family income for households headed by someone in his 50s ($60,000) is nearly double that for households headed by someone in their 20s ($33,000).
A desire to redistribute income is the only thing that can explain a policy of forcing young adults to pay above-market premiums for health insurance. Gruber estimates that one bill before Congress would charge young adults at least 62% more than those low-cost California plans, even if they qualify for government subsidies. Young adults could end up paying hundreds or thousands of dollars more, many of them for a product they didn't want in the first place."
"The legislation before Congress would force young adults to purchase health insurance at prices far higher than the market would charge. The legislation would use that hidden tax to reduce premiums for their parents, who typically have higher incomes."
"Forcing young adults to purchase health insurance, and forcing them to pay actuarially unfair premiums, effectively taxes the young to subsidize the old. Never mind that median family income for households headed by someone in his 50s ($60,000) is nearly double that for households headed by someone in their 20s ($33,000).
A desire to redistribute income is the only thing that can explain a policy of forcing young adults to pay above-market premiums for health insurance. Gruber estimates that one bill before Congress would charge young adults at least 62% more than those low-cost California plans, even if they qualify for government subsidies. Young adults could end up paying hundreds or thousands of dollars more, many of them for a product they didn't want in the first place."
When Government Slippery Slope Goes Vertical | David Boaz | Cato Institute: Commentary
When Government Slippery Slope Goes Vertical | David Boaz | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Libertarians often warn about the slippery slope of government intervention:
Let the government run the schools, and it may end up teaching your children values that offend you. Let the government have new powers to fight terrorism, and it may use those extraordinary powers in the pursuit of ordinary crimes. Let the federal government give the states money for highways, and it may eventually use its money to impose its own rules on the states."
"Before he had even secured government control, Obama fired the chief executive officer of General Motors. He decided what the ownership structure of the companies should be. He insisted that the companies build 'clean cars' rather than cars that consumers want to buy. And as soon as a deal was concluded, members of Congress started trying to block the closing of inefficient dealerships and to require the companies to buy their palladium in Montana, use unionized trucking companies, remove mercury from scrapped cars, and so on. Politics reared its ugly head in the first moments of government control."
"On the very day that the government czar announced that he would cut the pay of companies that received taxpayer bailouts, the Federal Reserve announced that it would start regulating compensation at the thousands of banks that it regulates, as well as American subsidiaries of non-U.S. financial companies."
Let the government run the schools, and it may end up teaching your children values that offend you. Let the government have new powers to fight terrorism, and it may use those extraordinary powers in the pursuit of ordinary crimes. Let the federal government give the states money for highways, and it may eventually use its money to impose its own rules on the states."
"Before he had even secured government control, Obama fired the chief executive officer of General Motors. He decided what the ownership structure of the companies should be. He insisted that the companies build 'clean cars' rather than cars that consumers want to buy. And as soon as a deal was concluded, members of Congress started trying to block the closing of inefficient dealerships and to require the companies to buy their palladium in Montana, use unionized trucking companies, remove mercury from scrapped cars, and so on. Politics reared its ugly head in the first moments of government control."
"On the very day that the government czar announced that he would cut the pay of companies that received taxpayer bailouts, the Federal Reserve announced that it would start regulating compensation at the thousands of banks that it regulates, as well as American subsidiaries of non-U.S. financial companies."
DeLong's Stimulus Accounting: A Deconstruction - Robert P. Murphy - Mises Institute
DeLong's Stimulus Accounting: A Deconstruction - Robert P. Murphy - Mises Institute: "Jared Bernstein, chief economist and senior economic advisor to the vice president, ... said the cost per job was actually $92,000 — but acknowledged that estimate is for the whole stimulus package as of the end of 2010."
$92,000 per job!!! No wonder unemployment is so high! And that number is only what they hope -- it is probably much better.
$92,000 per job!!! No wonder unemployment is so high! And that number is only what they hope -- it is probably much better.
Unanswered Questions for Us at War | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary
Unanswered Questions for Us at War | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary: "'If we can't feel the impact of the people that we're killing and we can't see them, and none of our own people (are) at risk, does this somehow make it easier to just be in a perpetual state of war because there's no seeming cost to us?'"
Obama's Extra-Judicial Killers Subvert American Values | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary
Obama's Extra-Judicial Killers Subvert American Values | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary: "'The embrace of the Predator program has occurred with remarkably little public discussion.' That's why I'm writing this series. Mayer continued: '(yet) it represents a radically new and geographically unbounded use of state-sanctioned lethal force. And, because of the C.I.A. program's secrecy, there is no visible system of accountability in place, despite the fact that the agency has killed many civilians inside a politically fragile, nuclear-armed country with which the U.S. is not at war.'"
"As Whitlock emphasizes, there is 'fierce opposition from Afghan officials, who say it could undermine their fragile justice system and trigger a backlash against foreign troops.'
The Afghan family survivors of those inadvertently but terminally killed nonterrorist men, women and children in implementing this hit list are deeply angry at this lethal operation by foreign forces including us.
Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister for counter-narcotics operations, Gen. Mohammad Daud Daud, says that he's grateful for this NATO-U.S. help 'in destroying drug labs and stashes of opium,' but about those killings, he adds the names on the hit list are not told to Afghan officials.
Says Daud: 'They should respect our law, our constitution and our legal codes,' Daud said. 'We have a commitment to arrest these people on our own.' Note: Arrest, not kill instantly."
"As Whitlock emphasizes, there is 'fierce opposition from Afghan officials, who say it could undermine their fragile justice system and trigger a backlash against foreign troops.'
The Afghan family survivors of those inadvertently but terminally killed nonterrorist men, women and children in implementing this hit list are deeply angry at this lethal operation by foreign forces including us.
Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister for counter-narcotics operations, Gen. Mohammad Daud Daud, says that he's grateful for this NATO-U.S. help 'in destroying drug labs and stashes of opium,' but about those killings, he adds the names on the hit list are not told to Afghan officials.
Says Daud: 'They should respect our law, our constitution and our legal codes,' Daud said. 'We have a commitment to arrest these people on our own.' Note: Arrest, not kill instantly."
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Study: At Its Worst, H1N1 Only Slightly More Serious Than Seasonal Flu - H1N1 - FOXNews.com
Study: At Its Worst, H1N1 Only Slightly More Serious Than Seasonal Flu - H1N1 - FOXNews.com: "They analyzed data from Milwaukee and New York, two U.S. cities that have kept detailed tabs on outbreaks of H1N1, to calculate a likely mortality rate of 0.048 percent.
'That is, about 1 in 2,000 people who had symptoms of pandemic H1N1 infection died,' Dr. Marc Lipsitch of Harvard University and colleagues wrote.
Probably 1.44 percent of patients with H1N1 who were sick enough to have symptoms were hospitalized, and 0.24 percent required intensive care, they added."
'That is, about 1 in 2,000 people who had symptoms of pandemic H1N1 infection died,' Dr. Marc Lipsitch of Harvard University and colleagues wrote.
Probably 1.44 percent of patients with H1N1 who were sick enough to have symptoms were hospitalized, and 0.24 percent required intensive care, they added."
Friday, December 04, 2009
How to baby-proof a disaster zone | Health Tech - CNET News
How to baby-proof a disaster zone | Health Tech - CNET News: "Smart Baby Case comes equipped with a removable door to protect the infant's lungs in the event of disaster conditions such as air pollution or chemical warfare. The safety doors even shut automatically when air pressure is too low.
Then there is the communication unit and LED screen, enabling parents and babies to affectionately exchange gazes and noises without ever having to exchange germs. The LED screen continuously monitors air quality inside the pod via an orange light.
Within the pod is an auto-rocking unit, so you can rock your baby to sleep without ever having to actually rock your baby to sleep. There is even an auto diaper around the bottom of the baby seat that is sensitive to moisture, flushing away waste through tubes to a waste storage unit at the front of the case."
Then there is the communication unit and LED screen, enabling parents and babies to affectionately exchange gazes and noises without ever having to exchange germs. The LED screen continuously monitors air quality inside the pod via an orange light.
Within the pod is an auto-rocking unit, so you can rock your baby to sleep without ever having to actually rock your baby to sleep. There is even an auto diaper around the bottom of the baby seat that is sensitive to moisture, flushing away waste through tubes to a waste storage unit at the front of the case."
Campaign For Liberty — Affirmative Action
Campaign For Liberty — Affirmative Action: "In fact, I reject the whole notion of group rights and group responsibilities - we are not a flock of geese. I believe that each individual person has been endowed by their Creator with a unique set of talents and potentials, rights and responsibilities."
"[Affirmative Action] assumes that Martin Luther King and Rodney King are cut from the same cloth; that Nancy Pelosi and Nancy Reagan are one."
"50 years of Affirmative Action is enough. If it has worked, it should no longer be necessary; if it has failed, it should no longer be desirable. In either case, it should no longer be."
"[Affirmative Action] assumes that Martin Luther King and Rodney King are cut from the same cloth; that Nancy Pelosi and Nancy Reagan are one."
"50 years of Affirmative Action is enough. If it has worked, it should no longer be necessary; if it has failed, it should no longer be desirable. In either case, it should no longer be."
Political Mailing Lists: A Message from Senator Kohl on Black Market Cigarette Smuggling
Political Mailing Lists: A Message from Senator Kohl on Black Market Cigarette Smuggling: "Cigarette smuggling is a multibillion dollar phenomenon and getting worse."
What do you expect when the sales tax is 30%?
What do you expect when the sales tax is 30%?
Political Mailing Lists: Rep. Kitty Rhoades eUpdate. November 20, 2009.
Political Mailing Lists: Rep. Kitty Rhoades eUpdate. November 20, 2009.: "The “public option” would provide very limited coverage, with premiums not to exceed $100 per month. How can it be so cheap?� Easy, the “public option” does not have to meet the laws forced on private insurance. Wisconsin law mandates that private insurance must cover certain procedures, procedures that the Basic plan does not cover. The fact is that there is no way for private insurance to ever compete against the proposed Basic plan because it would be illegal! �
For example, if a young man wanted to purchase health insurance in Wisconsin, state law requires that his policy cover mammograms.� He could not purchase a “bare-bones” plan that only provided catastrophic coverage.� His policy would have all state mandates (including mammogram coverage) that applied to an individual policy.�
However, under the new Basic plan, the state is essentially disregarding the law and offering a bare-bones policy that can not be purchased in the private insurance market. Going back to our example, if the young man purchased this new basic plan, he would not be paying for mandated mammogram coverage that he would pay for in the private insurance market.�"
For example, if a young man wanted to purchase health insurance in Wisconsin, state law requires that his policy cover mammograms.� He could not purchase a “bare-bones” plan that only provided catastrophic coverage.� His policy would have all state mandates (including mammogram coverage) that applied to an individual policy.�
However, under the new Basic plan, the state is essentially disregarding the law and offering a bare-bones policy that can not be purchased in the private insurance market. Going back to our example, if the young man purchased this new basic plan, he would not be paying for mandated mammogram coverage that he would pay for in the private insurance market.�"
This Land Is Your Land - funny extra verse
This Land Is Your Land - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said 'No Trespassing.'
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me."
And on the sign it said 'No Trespassing.'
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me."
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Obama's Phony Federalism | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary
Obama's Phony Federalism | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Just a few years back, the Republicans — nominally the party of federalism — were busily wielding federal power to enforce red state values — prosecuting medical marijuana patients, punishing doctors participating in Oregon's 'Death with Dignity' initiative, and trying to overturn Florida court decisions that allowed Terry Schiavo to be removed from life support. In that odd political climate, you often heard liberals lamenting the decline of states' rights.
That strange new respect for the 10th Amendment lasted roughly as long as the blue team's exile from power.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said recently that 'if we accomplish one thing in the coming years, it should be to eliminate the extreme variation in standards across America.' Diversity is bad, uniformity double-plus good; get with the program, comrade.
But one of federalism's core virtues is the enormous diversity it allows. Decentralization makes it easier for Americans to escape unwelcome state experiments with fiscal and social policy.
It enhances the political power of individual citizens by allowing important decisions of governance to be settled closest to where Americans live and work. And it avoids making politics a centralized war of all against all, where each contested issue is settled in a one-size-fits-all fashion at the level furthest from the people."
That strange new respect for the 10th Amendment lasted roughly as long as the blue team's exile from power.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said recently that 'if we accomplish one thing in the coming years, it should be to eliminate the extreme variation in standards across America.' Diversity is bad, uniformity double-plus good; get with the program, comrade.
But one of federalism's core virtues is the enormous diversity it allows. Decentralization makes it easier for Americans to escape unwelcome state experiments with fiscal and social policy.
It enhances the political power of individual citizens by allowing important decisions of governance to be settled closest to where Americans live and work. And it avoids making politics a centralized war of all against all, where each contested issue is settled in a one-size-fits-all fashion at the level furthest from the people."
The 'Stimulus' for Unemployment | Alan Reynolds | Cato Institute: Commentary
The 'Stimulus' for Unemployment | Alan Reynolds | Cato Institute: Commentary: "As Larry Summers, the president's top assistant for economic policy, noted in July, 'the unemployment rate over the recession has risen about 1 to 1.5 percentage points more than would normally be attributable to the contraction in GDP.' And the rate has moved nearly a percentage point higher since then, even though GDP increased. Countries with much deeper declines in GDP, such as Germany and Sweden, have unemployment rates far below ours.
Summers knows why the US rate is so high. He explained it well in a 1995 paper co-authored with James Poterba of MIT: 'Unemployment insurance lengthens unemployment spells.'
That is: When the government pays people 50 to 60 percent of their previous wage to stay home for a year or more, many of them do just that."
"Incidentally, the 'mercy' of longer benefits does no long-term favors: The literature is quite clear that a prolonged period on unemployment tends to depress income for years after you finally go back to work"
"Last August, Krueger and Andreus Miller of Princeton also found that 'job search increases sharply [from 20 minutes a week to 70] in the weeks prior to benefit exhaustion.'
Similarly, Meyer found 'the probability of leaving unemployment rises dramatically just prior to when benefits lapse.' In other words: If you extend benefits to 79 weeks, many people won't find an acceptable job offer until the 76th or 78th week."
"Katz also found that extended benefits, by making it easier for workers to wait and see whether they get their old jobs back, also makes it easier for employers to delay recalling laid-off workers. Just before unemployment benefits run out, Katz found 'large positive jumps in both the recall rate and new job finding rate.'"
Summers knows why the US rate is so high. He explained it well in a 1995 paper co-authored with James Poterba of MIT: 'Unemployment insurance lengthens unemployment spells.'
That is: When the government pays people 50 to 60 percent of their previous wage to stay home for a year or more, many of them do just that."
"Incidentally, the 'mercy' of longer benefits does no long-term favors: The literature is quite clear that a prolonged period on unemployment tends to depress income for years after you finally go back to work"
"Last August, Krueger and Andreus Miller of Princeton also found that 'job search increases sharply [from 20 minutes a week to 70] in the weeks prior to benefit exhaustion.'
Similarly, Meyer found 'the probability of leaving unemployment rises dramatically just prior to when benefits lapse.' In other words: If you extend benefits to 79 weeks, many people won't find an acceptable job offer until the 76th or 78th week."
"Katz also found that extended benefits, by making it easier for workers to wait and see whether they get their old jobs back, also makes it easier for employers to delay recalling laid-off workers. Just before unemployment benefits run out, Katz found 'large positive jumps in both the recall rate and new job finding rate.'"
Warning Label for Pelosicare | Michael F. Cannon | Cato Institute: Commentary
Warning Label for Pelosicare | Michael F. Cannon | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Millions who are satisfied with their current, low-cost health plans would have to switch to more expensive plans, solely because Congress decided they weren't buying enough coverage.
The legislation would increase premiums even further over time, as drug companies, chiropractors, acupuncturists, fertility specialists and other special interests lobby Congress to force you to purchase coverage for their services too."
"Medicare — by far the largest purchaser of medical services in the world — actually penalizes doctors and hospitals that reduce medical errors. The House bill would cement those deficiencies in place with yet another massive government program, and create new quality problems, like insurers skimping on care and customer service for the sickest patients."
"The bill purports to cut Medicare spending, but those cuts are not likely to happen. Want proof? At the same time House Democrats promise future spending cuts, they are gutting $210 billion of spending cuts promised by past Congresses.
And like most government health care programs, this bill's actual costs will exceed current projections. In 1967, Congress predicted that Medicare would cost $12 billion in 1990. Medicare's actual cost that year was $110 billion. Oops."
The legislation would increase premiums even further over time, as drug companies, chiropractors, acupuncturists, fertility specialists and other special interests lobby Congress to force you to purchase coverage for their services too."
"Medicare — by far the largest purchaser of medical services in the world — actually penalizes doctors and hospitals that reduce medical errors. The House bill would cement those deficiencies in place with yet another massive government program, and create new quality problems, like insurers skimping on care and customer service for the sickest patients."
"The bill purports to cut Medicare spending, but those cuts are not likely to happen. Want proof? At the same time House Democrats promise future spending cuts, they are gutting $210 billion of spending cuts promised by past Congresses.
And like most government health care programs, this bill's actual costs will exceed current projections. In 1967, Congress predicted that Medicare would cost $12 billion in 1990. Medicare's actual cost that year was $110 billion. Oops."
Copenhagen Climate Conference to Create 'Huge' Carbon Footprint - United Nations - FOXNews.com
Copenhagen Climate Conference to Create 'Huge' Carbon Footprint - United Nations - FOXNews.com: "The U.N. estimates the 12-day conference will create 40,584 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, roughly the same amount as the carbon emissions of Morocco in 2006."
With the internet and teleconferencing, why can't this be done better?
With the internet and teleconferencing, why can't this be done better?
Official Gmail Blog: Spread some holiday cheer, one card at a time
Official Gmail Blog: Spread some holiday cheer, one card at a time: "This holiday season, as a token of our appreciation to our most enthusiastic fans, we'll snail-mail a free holiday postcard on your behalf."
Of the 6 card designs, only one is religious, and it is for Hanukkah. While they certainly have the right to do that, and it is very nice of them to provide this service, it does seem weird to not have at least one Christmas card.
Of the 6 card designs, only one is religious, and it is for Hanukkah. While they certainly have the right to do that, and it is very nice of them to provide this service, it does seem weird to not have at least one Christmas card.
Campaign For Liberty — An Answer to Bernanke | by Ron Paul
Campaign For Liberty — An Answer to Bernanke | by Ron Paul: "Today's dollar is now worth four cents compared to the dollar entrusted to the Federal Reserve in 1913.
Ninety-six years should have been plenty of time for the Fed to come up with a plan for preventing economic crises."
"The Fed has clearly failed on its mandate to maintain full employment and price stability. It's time to find out what's going on. Instead of assuming responsibility for the Fed's role in the crisis, Bernanke brags about 'arresting' the crisis. I would suggest to Mr. Bernanke that it's too early to brag.
Bernanke decries any effort to gain transparency of the Fed's actions to find out just who gets bailed out and who is left to fail. Instead, he proposes giving even more power to the Fed to regulate the entire financial system. What he does not recognize, or does not want to admit, is that he is talking about symptoms and ignoring the source of the crisis -- the Federal Reserve itself. "
Ninety-six years should have been plenty of time for the Fed to come up with a plan for preventing economic crises."
"The Fed has clearly failed on its mandate to maintain full employment and price stability. It's time to find out what's going on. Instead of assuming responsibility for the Fed's role in the crisis, Bernanke brags about 'arresting' the crisis. I would suggest to Mr. Bernanke that it's too early to brag.
Bernanke decries any effort to gain transparency of the Fed's actions to find out just who gets bailed out and who is left to fail. Instead, he proposes giving even more power to the Fed to regulate the entire financial system. What he does not recognize, or does not want to admit, is that he is talking about symptoms and ignoring the source of the crisis -- the Federal Reserve itself. "
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
A Fed Takeover by Any Other Name... | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary
A Fed Takeover by Any Other Name... | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary: "resident Obama has gone to great pains to deny that his proposed health-care reform is a government takeover of the health-care system.
'Nothing could be further from the truth,' he has said.
Yet it's hard to see the 1,994-page bill that the House passed last night as anything else. After all, the bill uses the command 'shall' -- as in 'you shall do this,' 'businesses shall do that' and 'government shall do some other thing' -- 3,345 times.
Not a great deal of choice or options there.
To make sure that we obey these 'shalls,' the bill would create 111 government agencies, boards, commissions and other bureaucracies -- all overseen by a new health-care czar bearing the Orwellian title 'commissioner of health choices.'"
"That means every time a doctor decides on a treatment, he or she would have to ask: 'Does the government think I'm doing this too much? Will I be penalized if I order this test?'
The government would also undertake comparative- and cost-effectiveness research and use the results to impose practice guidelines on providers."
"Given that the government has mismanaged everything from "cash for clunkers" to the swine-flu vaccine (not to mention the Iraq war and the response to Hurricane Katrina), how much of our health-care system do we really want it to control?"
'Nothing could be further from the truth,' he has said.
Yet it's hard to see the 1,994-page bill that the House passed last night as anything else. After all, the bill uses the command 'shall' -- as in 'you shall do this,' 'businesses shall do that' and 'government shall do some other thing' -- 3,345 times.
Not a great deal of choice or options there.
To make sure that we obey these 'shalls,' the bill would create 111 government agencies, boards, commissions and other bureaucracies -- all overseen by a new health-care czar bearing the Orwellian title 'commissioner of health choices.'"
"That means every time a doctor decides on a treatment, he or she would have to ask: 'Does the government think I'm doing this too much? Will I be penalized if I order this test?'
The government would also undertake comparative- and cost-effectiveness research and use the results to impose practice guidelines on providers."
"Given that the government has mismanaged everything from "cash for clunkers" to the swine-flu vaccine (not to mention the Iraq war and the response to Hurricane Katrina), how much of our health-care system do we really want it to control?"
Should We Believe the GDP? - Doug French - Mises Institute
Should We Believe the GDP? - Doug French - Mises Institute: "Murray Rothbard always made the point in his class lectures that GDP figures were suspect because government outputs are included. Of course, government doesn't produce anything that consumers will pay for willingly, thus it must take from the productive economy to provide these services. So there is at least double counting of the outputs."
Currency That Kills | Richard W. Rahn | Cato Institute: Commentary
Currency That Kills | Richard W. Rahn | Cato Institute: Commentary: "It has been well-known for decades that paper currency is a major source of disease transmission. During the life of the average dollar bill, it will be handled by hundreds, if not thousands, of people. It is hard to think of any physical object that is handled by more different people than paper currency."
Krugman's Magic Solution to Budgetary Woes - Robert P. Murphy - Mises Institute
Krugman's Magic Solution to Budgetary Woes - Robert P. Murphy - Mises Institute: "The real problem with my household finances wasn't that we were underearning or overspending. No, the real problem was that our superstitious bank decided to peg its unit of account rigidly to the dollar at 1:1."
"I informed [the managers of my local bank] — in case the boobs didn't already know — that Dr. Krugman not only teaches at Princeton, but is a Nobel (Memorial) laureate, for goodness' sake. Taking his advice, I henceforth want to devalue my checking account, so that when I write a check for 500 units, the bank only transfers $250 to the person whose goods I am purchasing."
" Immediately, my household's budget crisis is solved, for I now have double the effective reserves as I previously did. Making my mortgage payment is no longer a struggle!
But this isn't just about me. With my depreciated bank currency, I can spend more freely on local merchants, thus boosting business in my community. Before removing the absurd 1:1 dollar peg, my wife and I would have had to sharply curtail our consumption. This is no longer a concern, thanks to the magic of modern monetary analysis."
"I informed [the managers of my local bank] — in case the boobs didn't already know — that Dr. Krugman not only teaches at Princeton, but is a Nobel (Memorial) laureate, for goodness' sake. Taking his advice, I henceforth want to devalue my checking account, so that when I write a check for 500 units, the bank only transfers $250 to the person whose goods I am purchasing."
" Immediately, my household's budget crisis is solved, for I now have double the effective reserves as I previously did. Making my mortgage payment is no longer a struggle!
But this isn't just about me. With my depreciated bank currency, I can spend more freely on local merchants, thus boosting business in my community. Before removing the absurd 1:1 dollar peg, my wife and I would have had to sharply curtail our consumption. This is no longer a concern, thanks to the magic of modern monetary analysis."
If You Believe in IP, How Do You Teach Others? - Jeffrey A. Tucker - Mises Institute
If You Believe in IP, How Do You Teach Others? - Jeffrey A. Tucker - Mises Institute: "Another approach is the one taken by Harvard and, most explicitly, by the University of Texas, which has suggested that professors make the following contract with students:
My lectures are protected by state common law and federal copyright law. They are my own original expression and I record them at the same time that I deliver them in order to secure protection. Whereas you are authorized to take notes in class thereby creating a derivative work from my lecture, the authorization extends only to making one set of notes for your own personal use and no other use. You are not authorized to record my lectures, to provide your notes to anyone else or to make any commercial use of them without express prior permission from me.
You can make 'no other use' of what you learn? Really? That sort of smashes the whole point of education, doesn't it?
The goal of the university is to spread knowledge, not to grant a one-time use for what you learn in the classroom. The aim of an individual student is to gain knowledge that is used in every possible way for a lifetime — and to pass the ideas on to others.
In fact, what the contract requires is impossible. It is not as if our bodies are equipped with hard drives that can be wiped clean after the semester is over. In any case, even if we were so equipped, that would defeat the whole point of taking classes and paying universities for offering them."
My lectures are protected by state common law and federal copyright law. They are my own original expression and I record them at the same time that I deliver them in order to secure protection. Whereas you are authorized to take notes in class thereby creating a derivative work from my lecture, the authorization extends only to making one set of notes for your own personal use and no other use. You are not authorized to record my lectures, to provide your notes to anyone else or to make any commercial use of them without express prior permission from me.
You can make 'no other use' of what you learn? Really? That sort of smashes the whole point of education, doesn't it?
The goal of the university is to spread knowledge, not to grant a one-time use for what you learn in the classroom. The aim of an individual student is to gain knowledge that is used in every possible way for a lifetime — and to pass the ideas on to others.
In fact, what the contract requires is impossible. It is not as if our bodies are equipped with hard drives that can be wiped clean after the semester is over. In any case, even if we were so equipped, that would defeat the whole point of taking classes and paying universities for offering them."
Delayed Economic Reform Killed 14.5 Million Children | Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar | Cato Institute: Commentary
Delayed Economic Reform Killed 14.5 Million Children | Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar | Cato Institute: Commentary: "This shows that the delay in reforms led to an additional 14.5 million infant deaths, an additional 261 million illiterates, and an additional 109 million poor people. Indian socialism delivered a monumental tragedy, lacking both growth and social justice."
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Congressman Ron Kind : On the Road - Blog : I Support Affordable Health Care: November 16, 2009
Congressman Ron Kind : On the Road - Blog : I Support Affordable Health Care: November 16, 2009: "The Affordable Health Care for America Act not only makes health care more stable and affordable for those who already have health insurance, but it also guarantees access to health insurance coverage for the uninsured and provides security for seniors, while responsibly reducing the federal deficit during the next ten years and beyond."
How are increasing premiums more affordable? Access to health insurance coverages really doesn't help -- we need more access to health care. I haven't seen any proof that this would reduce the deficit.
How are increasing premiums more affordable? Access to health insurance coverages really doesn't help -- we need more access to health care. I haven't seen any proof that this would reduce the deficit.
Rep. Issa Questions Plan to Pay Government Workers for Government Property - FOXNews.com
Rep. Issa Questions Plan to Pay Government Workers for Government Property - FOXNews.com: "The gift cards were offered as a way to induce those who might otherwise be possessive about the printers to give them up and use a network printer.
But Issa questioned the logic in that.
'If collecting printers will save taxpayers money, the government shouldn't have to bribe federal employees to do it,' he said."
But Issa questioned the logic in that.
'If collecting printers will save taxpayers money, the government shouldn't have to bribe federal employees to do it,' he said."
Campaign For Liberty — The Case Against Military Tribunals ��| by Andrew Napolitano
Campaign For Liberty — The Case Against Military Tribunals ��| by Andrew Napolitano: "But the rules of war apply only to those involved in a lawfully declared war, and not to something that the government merely calls a war. Only Congress can declare war -- and thus trigger the panoply of the government's military powers that come with that declaration. Among those powers is the ability to use military tribunals to try those who have caused us harm by violating the rules of war.
The last time the government used a military tribunal in this country to try foreigners who violated the rules of war involved Nazi saboteurs during World War II."
The last time the government used a military tribunal in this country to try foreigners who violated the rules of war involved Nazi saboteurs during World War II."
Monday, November 30, 2009
ObamaCare Is Not Pro-Choice -- for Anyone | Michael F. Cannon | Cato Institute: Commentary
ObamaCare Is Not Pro-Choice -- for Anyone | Michael F. Cannon | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Whatever your views on abortion, the fight over abortion in the Obama health plan illustrates perfectly why government should stay out of health care.
When the government subsidizes health care, anything you do with that money becomes the voters' business. And rather than allow for choice between different ways of doing things, the government typically imposes the preferences of the majority — or sometimes, a vocal minority — on everybody."
"The bill's subsidies would be so pervasive that prohibiting the use of taxpayer dollars for abortion coverage would restrict access to such coverage even for women who don't use the subsidies."
That shows how little freedom you will have to do anything outside of the government system!
When the government subsidizes health care, anything you do with that money becomes the voters' business. And rather than allow for choice between different ways of doing things, the government typically imposes the preferences of the majority — or sometimes, a vocal minority — on everybody."
"The bill's subsidies would be so pervasive that prohibiting the use of taxpayer dollars for abortion coverage would restrict access to such coverage even for women who don't use the subsidies."
That shows how little freedom you will have to do anything outside of the government system!
A Real Team of Rivals | Malou Innocent | Cato Institute: Commentary
A Real Team of Rivals | Malou Innocent | Cato Institute: Commentary: "'If we don't have a government we can point to that has some basis of legitimacy in the country, the best generals, the best strategy isn't going to help turn it around.'
Now in its ninth year in Afghanistan, the United States finds itself in the unenviable position of assisting and sponsoring a corrupt, illegitimate, and slightly autocratic regime, which itself is contributing to the collapse of public confidence and to the resurgence of the Taliban insurgency."
Now in its ninth year in Afghanistan, the United States finds itself in the unenviable position of assisting and sponsoring a corrupt, illegitimate, and slightly autocratic regime, which itself is contributing to the collapse of public confidence and to the resurgence of the Taliban insurgency."
Underpinning U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is the belief that remaining will keep America safe, despite evidence to the contrary. For example, a 2004 Pentagon Task Force that reviewed the Bush administration's anti-terrorism efforts found that the underlying sources of threats to American interests were America's direct intervention in the Muslim world. This was the same task force that reported: "Muslims do not 'hate our freedom,' but rather, they hate our policies."
Campaign For Liberty — Questions Regarding The Fort Hood Massacre ��| by Chuck Baldwin
Campaign For Liberty — Questions Regarding The Fort Hood Massacre ��| by Chuck Baldwin: "So, how is it that these intensely trained, disciplined, rugged, highly qualified warriors are not allowed to carry their own weapons on base? This makes about as much sense as the policy forbidding airline pilots from carrying their own handguns on board commercial airliners, or teachers not being allowed to carry their own handguns in the classroom. After all, judges are granted the authority to carry their own firearms into the courtroom. If we can trust lawyers, we should be able to trust soldiers, airline pilots, and teachers."
"If the federal government--including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, etc., with billions of dollars worth of technology; tens of thousands of snoops, spooks, and intelligence gatherers; and myriad Patriot Act-type laws--could not protect US soldiers on one of the most tightly secured and heavily guarded military installations in America, how can anyone in the country possibly not break out in cacophonous laughter when politicians tell us we need to surrender more liberties so that they might pass more laws to protect us crummy little peons?"
"Are we now really supposed to believe that all these Patriot Act-type laws, which allow the federal government to trash the Constitution and Bill of Rights--and poke its ubiquitous and meddlesome nose into every corner and crevice of our lives--are actually doing anything to make us safer? You've got to be kidding! The only thing they are doing is stealing our liberties. If the Fort Hood massacre proves anything, it proves that."
"Furthermore, this was an all-or-nothing, kill-or-be-killed environment: something these men are trained for. If untrained civilian passengers on flight 93 on 9/11 could rush and thwart armed attackers on board a commercial airliner from a narrow aisle way and stop a hijacking--a task infinitely more difficult than for a group of highly trained professional soldiers outnumbering an attacker by scores or hundreds in a large building--tell me again how Hasan was able to open fire with only two handguns, kill and wound scores of people, and calmly walk out of the building unscathed? Again, this makes no sense. "
"If the federal government--including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, etc., with billions of dollars worth of technology; tens of thousands of snoops, spooks, and intelligence gatherers; and myriad Patriot Act-type laws--could not protect US soldiers on one of the most tightly secured and heavily guarded military installations in America, how can anyone in the country possibly not break out in cacophonous laughter when politicians tell us we need to surrender more liberties so that they might pass more laws to protect us crummy little peons?"
"Are we now really supposed to believe that all these Patriot Act-type laws, which allow the federal government to trash the Constitution and Bill of Rights--and poke its ubiquitous and meddlesome nose into every corner and crevice of our lives--are actually doing anything to make us safer? You've got to be kidding! The only thing they are doing is stealing our liberties. If the Fort Hood massacre proves anything, it proves that."
"Furthermore, this was an all-or-nothing, kill-or-be-killed environment: something these men are trained for. If untrained civilian passengers on flight 93 on 9/11 could rush and thwart armed attackers on board a commercial airliner from a narrow aisle way and stop a hijacking--a task infinitely more difficult than for a group of highly trained professional soldiers outnumbering an attacker by scores or hundreds in a large building--tell me again how Hasan was able to open fire with only two handguns, kill and wound scores of people, and calmly walk out of the building unscathed? Again, this makes no sense. "
Campaign For Liberty — Our Financial Dependence on China ��| by Peter Schiff
Campaign For Liberty — Our Financial Dependence on China ��| by Peter Schiff: "While the peg certainly is responsible for much of the world's problems, its abandonment would cause severe hardship in the United States. In fact, for the U.S., de-pegging would cause the economic equivalent of cardiac arrest. Our economy is currently on life support provided by an endless flow of debt financing from China. These purchases are the means by which China maintains the relative value of its currency against the dollar. As the dollar comes under even more downward pressure, China's purchases must increase to keep the renminbi from rising. By maintaining the peg, China enables our politicians and citizens to continue spending more than they have and avoiding the hard choices necessary to restore our long-term economic health.
Contrary to the conventional wisdom, when China drops the peg, the immediate benefits will flow to the Chinese, not to Americans. Yes, prices for Chinese goods will rise in the United States �€' but so will prices for domestic goods. As a corollary, the Chinese will see falling prices across the board. As anyone who has ever been shopping can explain, low prices are a good thing.
In addition, credit will expand in China while it contracts here. When China abandons the peg, it will no longer need to swell its currency reserves by buying Treasuries or other dollar-denominated debt instruments. Other nations will no longer feel the pressure to keep their currencies from rising, so they too could throttle down on their onerous dollar purchases.
As demand falls for both dollars and Treasuries, prices and interest rates in the United States will rise. Rising rates will restrict the flow of credit that is currently financing government and consumer spending. This change will finally force a long overdue decline in borrowing. So, not only will Americans lose access to the consumer credit that funds their current spending, but the things they buy will also get more expensive.
Our short-term loss will be in sharp contrast to the gain felt by foreigners, who will be rewarded with falling consumer prices and a more abundant supply of investment capital. In other words, the American standard of living will fall while that of our trading partners will rise. "
Contrary to the conventional wisdom, when China drops the peg, the immediate benefits will flow to the Chinese, not to Americans. Yes, prices for Chinese goods will rise in the United States �€' but so will prices for domestic goods. As a corollary, the Chinese will see falling prices across the board. As anyone who has ever been shopping can explain, low prices are a good thing.
In addition, credit will expand in China while it contracts here. When China abandons the peg, it will no longer need to swell its currency reserves by buying Treasuries or other dollar-denominated debt instruments. Other nations will no longer feel the pressure to keep their currencies from rising, so they too could throttle down on their onerous dollar purchases.
As demand falls for both dollars and Treasuries, prices and interest rates in the United States will rise. Rising rates will restrict the flow of credit that is currently financing government and consumer spending. This change will finally force a long overdue decline in borrowing. So, not only will Americans lose access to the consumer credit that funds their current spending, but the things they buy will also get more expensive.
Our short-term loss will be in sharp contrast to the gain felt by foreigners, who will be rewarded with falling consumer prices and a more abundant supply of investment capital. In other words, the American standard of living will fall while that of our trading partners will rise. "
Campaign For Liberty — A Gun-Free Zone at Ft. Hood ��| by Jacob Hornberger
Campaign For Liberty — A Gun-Free Zone at Ft. Hood ��| by Jacob Hornberger: "There are strict gun-control laws on military bases, including a prohibition against concealed-carry, even if the state in which the base is located permits concealed-carry.
Thus, at Ft. Hood, the shooter knew that the likelihood of anyone being able to defend himself from the coming onslaught was virtually nil. He knew that since this was a federal gun-free zone, he would be able to shoot his gun and kill his victims until he ran out of ammunition or until the local police arrived and gunned him down.
Why do shooters select gun-free zones to commit their massacres rather than, say, gun shows? No doubt that question continues to befuddle the gun-control crowd."
Thus, at Ft. Hood, the shooter knew that the likelihood of anyone being able to defend himself from the coming onslaught was virtually nil. He knew that since this was a federal gun-free zone, he would be able to shoot his gun and kill his victims until he ran out of ammunition or until the local police arrived and gunned him down.
Why do shooters select gun-free zones to commit their massacres rather than, say, gun shows? No doubt that question continues to befuddle the gun-control crowd."
Former NIH Chief: Ignore Government's Mammography Recommendations - FOXNews.com
Former NIH Chief: Ignore Government's Mammography Recommendations - FOXNews.com: "The first female to head the National Institutes of Health said Sunday she is advising women to ignore new recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which last week changed guidelines for mammographies from annually starting at age 40 to every other year starting at age 50."
What happens when government regulation prevents you from ignoring those new recommendations?
What happens when government regulation prevents you from ignoring those new recommendations?
Gov't Wastes $98B in Taxpayer Dollars in 2009 - FOXNews.com
Gov't Wastes $98B in Taxpayer Dollars in 2009 - FOXNews.com: "In all, about 5 percent of spending in federal programs in fiscal year 2009 was improper, according to new details of a government financial report that were released Tuesday. Saying the overall error rate was similar in 2008, officials attributed the $26 billion jump to some changes in how to define improper spending as well as an increase in overall spending due to the recession."
Lawmakers Slam Administration for Faulty Job Data on Government Web Site - FOXNews.com
Lawmakers Slam Administration for Faulty Job Data on Government Web Site - FOXNews.com: "One recipient of stimulus funds, Talladega County of Alabama, claimed that it had saved or created 5,000 jobs from only $42,000 in government money -- which would amount to $8.40 in annual income per job if each position received an equal amount of funding.
New Mexico Watchdog, a project of the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, said in all, nearly $6.4 billion was used to 'create or save' nearly 30,000 jobs in 440 non-existing districts, including in New Mexico's 4th, 22nd, 35th and 40th Districts. New Mexico has three Congressional Districts.�"
New Mexico Watchdog, a project of the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, said in all, nearly $6.4 billion was used to 'create or save' nearly 30,000 jobs in 440 non-existing districts, including in New Mexico's 4th, 22nd, 35th and 40th Districts. New Mexico has three Congressional Districts.�"
USDA: Number of Americans Going Hungry Increases - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com
USDA: Number of Americans Going Hungry Increases - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com: "More than one in seven American households struggled to put enough food on the table in 2008, the highest rate since the Agriculture Department began tracking food security levels in 1995."
"The USDA said Monday that 5.7 percent of those who struggled for food experienced "very low food security," meaning household members reduced their food intake."
So only 0.83% of Americans actually went hungry. Exaggerating doesn't help.
"The USDA said Monday that 5.7 percent of those who struggled for food experienced "very low food security," meaning household members reduced their food intake."
So only 0.83% of Americans actually went hungry. Exaggerating doesn't help.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Brain scan finds man was not in a coma--23 years later | Health Tech - CNET News
Brain scan finds man was not in a coma--23 years later | Health Tech - CNET News: "In his paper, Laureys writes that in about 40 percent of 'vegetative state' cases he has analyzed, current brain scanning techniques reveal signs of varying levels of consciousness. A case is being made, it seems, to stop relying on the Glasgow Coma Scale and start looking more closely at brain scanning images."
How many of those, who seem to be in a coma but aren't, have their feeding tubes removed and are killed (and know they are being killed)?
How many of those, who seem to be in a coma but aren't, have their feeding tubes removed and are killed (and know they are being killed)?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Krugman's Magic Solution to Budgetary Woes - Robert P. Murphy - Mises Institute
Krugman's Magic Solution to Budgetary Woes - Robert P. Murphy - Mises Institute: "The real problem with my household finances wasn't that we were underearning or overspending. No, the real problem was that our superstitious bank decided to peg its unit of account rigidly to the dollar at 1:1."
"I have since forwarded a copy of Krugman's blog post to the managers of my local bank. I informed them — in case the boobs didn't already know — that Dr. Krugman not only teaches at Princeton, but is a Nobel (Memorial) laureate, for goodness' sake. Taking his advice, I henceforth want to devalue my checking account, so that when I write a check for 500 units, the bank only transfers $250 to the person whose goods I am purchasing."
"This step solves so many problems; I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier. Immediately, my household's budget crisis is solved, for I now have double the effective reserves as I previously did. Making my mortgage payment is no longer a struggle!"
"I have since forwarded a copy of Krugman's blog post to the managers of my local bank. I informed them — in case the boobs didn't already know — that Dr. Krugman not only teaches at Princeton, but is a Nobel (Memorial) laureate, for goodness' sake. Taking his advice, I henceforth want to devalue my checking account, so that when I write a check for 500 units, the bank only transfers $250 to the person whose goods I am purchasing."
"This step solves so many problems; I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier. Immediately, my household's budget crisis is solved, for I now have double the effective reserves as I previously did. Making my mortgage payment is no longer a struggle!"
Monday, November 16, 2009
White House Criticizes Plan to Strip Fed's Powers - FOXNews.com
White House Criticizes Plan to Strip Fed's Powers - FOXNews.com: "moves to merge oversight into a single agency could cause industry 'nervousness.'"
Nervousness?!?
Nervousness?!?
Friday, November 13, 2009
GOP Chairman Ends Abortion Insurance for Employees - FOXNews.com
GOP Chairman Ends Abortion Insurance for Employees - FOXNews.com: "Steele instructed staff to inform the insurance carrier that the RNC wanted to opt out of elective abortion coverage, RNC spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said. She said the policy has been in effect since 1991."
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Universities reject Kindle over inaccessibility for the blind | The Digital Home - CNET News
Universities reject Kindle over inaccessibility for the blind | The Digital Home - CNET News: "Pamela McLaughlin, director of communications and external relations at Syracuse University, said in a statement that her school bought two Kindle DX units to see if it could replace hardcover textbooks and course materials."
Do they only buy textbooks and materials that have a blind-accessible version?
Do they only buy textbooks and materials that have a blind-accessible version?
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Divisions Remain Ahead of Climate Change Conference in Denmark - FOXNews.com
Divisions Remain Ahead of Climate Change Conference in Denmark - FOXNews.com: "developing countries say the West grew rich on cheap energy that polluted the atmosphere."
The developing countries also greatly benefited from that.
The developing countries also greatly benefited from that.
2010 Tesla Roadster Sport first drive | The Car Tech blog - CNET Reviews
2010 Tesla Roadster Sport first drive | The Car Tech blog - CNET Reviews: "Tesla often emphasizes that it works more like a Silicon Valley technology company than a traditional car company. And the company just proved it by delivering a model update to the Tesla Roadster for 2010. Remember, the Roadster has only been in production for one year, but in that time Tesla completely redesigned the interior, while at the same time adding new materials to reduce cabin noise. Model updates from other automakers often take five years."
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Three Cheers for Divided Government | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary
Three Cheers for Divided Government | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary: "since the start of the Cold War, we've had only a dozen years of real fiscal restraint: Six under Eisenhower and a Democratic Congress, and six under Clinton and a GOP majority."
"since FDR, unified governments have spent roughly three times as fast as divided ones, and they've been much more likely to waste blood and treasure abroad."
"since FDR, unified governments have spent roughly three times as fast as divided ones, and they've been much more likely to waste blood and treasure abroad."
Friday, November 06, 2009
Planned Parenthood Director Quits After Watching Abortion on Ultrasound - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com
Planned Parenthood Director Quits After Watching Abortion on Ultrasound - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com: "'When I was working at Planned Parenthood I was extremely pro-choice,' Johnson told FoxNews.com. But after seeing the internal workings of the procedure for the first time on an ultrasound monitor, 'I would say there was a definite conversion in my heart ... a spiritual conversion.'
Johnson said she became disillusioned with her job after her bosses pressured her for months to increase profits by performing more and more abortions, which cost patients between $505 and $695."
"'Ideally my goal as the facility's director is that your abortion numbers don't increase,' because 'you're providing so much family planning and so much education that there is not a demand for abortion services.'
'But that was not their goal,' she said."
Johnson said she became disillusioned with her job after her bosses pressured her for months to increase profits by performing more and more abortions, which cost patients between $505 and $695."
"'Ideally my goal as the facility's director is that your abortion numbers don't increase,' because 'you're providing so much family planning and so much education that there is not a demand for abortion services.'
'But that was not their goal,' she said."
Campaign For Liberty — Marriage License & Registration, Please ��| by Steve Bierfeldt
Campaign For Liberty — Marriage License & Registration, Please ��| by Steve Bierfeldt: "In the American colonies and the subsequent Republic, the idea of the government holding preeminence over a marriage is a relatively new concept. Historically the 'requirement'to get married had more to do with obtaining parents' approval, making a public announcement, and finding a willing church official to perform the ceremony. State supreme courts often ruled public cohabitation was sufficient evidence the marriage was valid and referred to the couple as having been married under 'Common Law.' A couple whom had the approval of their parents, held a ceremony, and pledged their faithfulness to one another had made it as clear as possible they were getting married.
How then did we arrive at the point we now find ourselves? As time progressed, many states began passing laws outlawing the marriage of racially mixed couples. In the mid-1800's, certain states began allowing interracial marriages as long as those marrying received a the state's approval. In the 1920's more than 30 states prohibited whites from marrying individuals of another racial background. 18 states had restrictions on remarrying after a divorce, and a dozen states would refuse a license if one partner were a drunk, addict or "mental defect." Soon states began requiring all people to obtain a marriage license. By 1929, every state in the nation had adopted marriage license laws.
The government had now entered into the business of determining who was fit to marry, how drunk was "too drunk," or if some had an addiction or just a vice."
How then did we arrive at the point we now find ourselves? As time progressed, many states began passing laws outlawing the marriage of racially mixed couples. In the mid-1800's, certain states began allowing interracial marriages as long as those marrying received a the state's approval. In the 1920's more than 30 states prohibited whites from marrying individuals of another racial background. 18 states had restrictions on remarrying after a divorce, and a dozen states would refuse a license if one partner were a drunk, addict or "mental defect." Soon states began requiring all people to obtain a marriage license. By 1929, every state in the nation had adopted marriage license laws.
The government had now entered into the business of determining who was fit to marry, how drunk was "too drunk," or if some had an addiction or just a vice."
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Read the Bills? How about Reading the Constitution? | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary
Read the Bills? How about Reading the Constitution? | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary: "If congressmen can't be bothered to read a [campaign finance] law that directly affects them, should we be surprised that they're not planning to read the health care bill, which won't?"
Fannie, Freddie Mustn't Be Left Out Of Reform | Mark A. Calabria | Cato Institute: Commentary
Fannie, Freddie Mustn't Be Left Out Of Reform | Mark A. Calabria | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Ultimately, Fannie and Freddie were not bailed out in order to save our housing market; they were bailed out in order to protect the Chinese Central Bank from taking losses. Without the implicit federal guarantee of Fannie and Freddie, trillions of dollars of global capital flow would not have been funneled into the U.S. subprime mortgage market."
Welcome to the Health Care Free Lunch Cafe | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary
Welcome to the Health Care Free Lunch Cafe | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary: "At the core of the president's proposal is the idea that he can provide more health care services to more people and have it cost less. A neat trick – but one that flies in the face of economic reality, not to mention common sense.
For example, the president wants to require insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions, that is, people who are already sick. Doing so will cost money. And where will that money come from? Insurance companies will simply raise premiums for the rest of us.
Similarly, the president would mandate that all insurance plans provide a new government-designed minimum benefits package. In addition to the usual coverage for hospitalization, physician services and so on, all insurance plans would also have to include coverage for prescription drugs, rehabilitation services, mental health and substance-abuse treatment; preventive services and maternity, well-baby, and well-child care, as well as dental, vision, and hearing services for children under age 21. If that's not enough, he would also establish a new federal commission headed by the surgeon general, which will have the power to develop additional minimum benefit requirements. There is no limit to how extensive those future required benefits may be."
For example, the president wants to require insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions, that is, people who are already sick. Doing so will cost money. And where will that money come from? Insurance companies will simply raise premiums for the rest of us.
Similarly, the president would mandate that all insurance plans provide a new government-designed minimum benefits package. In addition to the usual coverage for hospitalization, physician services and so on, all insurance plans would also have to include coverage for prescription drugs, rehabilitation services, mental health and substance-abuse treatment; preventive services and maternity, well-baby, and well-child care, as well as dental, vision, and hearing services for children under age 21. If that's not enough, he would also establish a new federal commission headed by the surgeon general, which will have the power to develop additional minimum benefit requirements. There is no limit to how extensive those future required benefits may be."
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Reduce, Reduce, Reduce, Reuse, Reuse, Recycle
The phrase is usually "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" but I think that makes each part equally important. Reducing is the most important and recycling is the least important. But, of those three, recycling seems to get the most focus. Why isn't reducing given the most focus? If I reduce the usage of something, it is much better for conservation than to recycle it. Why isn't there a push to create and use items that last longer? Why can't I buy an appliance with a 10 year warranty (and expect it to last 25 years)? Just think of how much waste would be reduced if we used products that lasted longer! Why aren't there rebates for reusing and buying products with a longer warranty? Why is reusing discouraged by charging sales tax on used goods?
Obama's Protectionist Policies Hurting Low-Income Americans | Daniel Griswold | Cato Institute: Commentary
Obama's Protectionist Policies Hurting Low-Income Americans | Daniel Griswold | Cato Institute: Commentary: "America's highest remaining trade barriers are aimed at products mostly grown and made by poor people abroad and disproportionately consumed by poor people at home. While industrial goods and luxury products typically enter under low or zero tariffs, the U.S. government imposes duties of 30 percent or more on food and lower-end clothing and shoes - staple goods that loom large in the budgets of poor families."
"The tariff the president imposed on Chinese tires earlier this month was heavily biased against low-income American families. The affected tires typically cost $50 to $60 each, as compared with the unaffected tires that sell for $200 each. The result of the tariff will be an increase in lower-end tire prices of 20 percent to 30 percent. Low-income families struggling to keep their cars on the road will be forced to postpone replacing old and worn tires, putting their families at greater risk."
"The future president ignored the fact that every poor family must buy those shirts to keep themselves clothed, yet only one-third of 1 percent of American workers make clothing or textiles of any kind. A wealthy politician or TV commentator need not care about the price of a T-shirt or other everyday consumer items, but millions of poor and middle-class American families do care."
"In his 2007 book Freedom From Want: American Liberalism and the Global Economy, he calculated that a single mother earning $15,000 a year as a maid in a hotel will forfeit about a week's worth of her annual pay to the U.S. tariff system, while the hotel's $100,000-a-year manager will give up only two or three hours of pay."
"The tariff the president imposed on Chinese tires earlier this month was heavily biased against low-income American families. The affected tires typically cost $50 to $60 each, as compared with the unaffected tires that sell for $200 each. The result of the tariff will be an increase in lower-end tire prices of 20 percent to 30 percent. Low-income families struggling to keep their cars on the road will be forced to postpone replacing old and worn tires, putting their families at greater risk."
"The future president ignored the fact that every poor family must buy those shirts to keep themselves clothed, yet only one-third of 1 percent of American workers make clothing or textiles of any kind. A wealthy politician or TV commentator need not care about the price of a T-shirt or other everyday consumer items, but millions of poor and middle-class American families do care."
"In his 2007 book Freedom From Want: American Liberalism and the Global Economy, he calculated that a single mother earning $15,000 a year as a maid in a hotel will forfeit about a week's worth of her annual pay to the U.S. tariff system, while the hotel's $100,000-a-year manager will give up only two or three hours of pay."
Get Serious about Decriminalizing Drugs; Others Are | Tim Lynch and Juan Carlos Hidalgo | Cato Institute: Commentary
Get Serious about Decriminalizing Drugs; Others Are | Tim Lynch and Juan Carlos Hidalgo | Cato Institute: Commentary: "In 2001, Portugal decriminalized all drugs, including cocaine and heroin. Not only has the predicted spike in drug use and a public health crisis failed to materialize, Portugal's drug usage rates compare more favorably than many other European states that have kept up a strict 'lock 'em up' approach."
We Call Upon the Hedge Funds - Dan O'Connor - Mises Institute
We Call Upon the Hedge Funds - Dan O'Connor - Mises Institute: "What also separates the hedge funds from most of our financial system is that none of the hedge funds had their hands out in search of bailouts during the turmoil of 2008. In fact, a myriad of hedge funds went bust in this period. Some of them, worth billions of dollars, not only collapsed but did so in a very smooth fashion. Their collapse represents the natural process of liquidation, on which Mises and Hayek placed such a great emphasis in their analyses of the boom and bust periods historically caused by the expansion of money and credit.
Many of the more prescient hedge funds recognized the fact that 2006–2007 was an over-inflated boom period, specifically in the mortgage industry. Those who acknowledged this boom for what it was were able to shift their capital away from the mortgage industry or bet against it. Those companies that remained highly invested in the mortgage industry (e.g., AIG and Lehman Brothers) failed."
"The US government is deeply afraid of failure, which is in fact an integral part of a pure capitalist model. Many economists and politicians define America's economy as "capitalist" but one of the most essential aspects of capitalism, failure, is being blocked by government. Those who continue to criticize America's "capitalist" system need to realize how far the country has strayed from it.
Short selling actually adds efficiency to the market, because it identifies weaker companies and filters them out of the market more quickly. This increases competition and encourages companies to perform as best as they can. For example, if hedge funds short sell Britannica and buy Wikipedia long, this sort of market action only promotes a speedier way to filter out the obsolete player. If Britannica fears its stock being sold short, it is more likely to urgently shift up its business strategy in order to meet the changing needs and habits of consumers.
In 2003, The Economist noted that 'constraints on short selling allowed stocks to become more overvalued during the most recent bull run.… More short selling then might have made the bear market less painful now.' Suppressing short selling with tighter regulation of hedge funds also stifled the market's ability to police itself."
Many of the more prescient hedge funds recognized the fact that 2006–2007 was an over-inflated boom period, specifically in the mortgage industry. Those who acknowledged this boom for what it was were able to shift their capital away from the mortgage industry or bet against it. Those companies that remained highly invested in the mortgage industry (e.g., AIG and Lehman Brothers) failed."
"The US government is deeply afraid of failure, which is in fact an integral part of a pure capitalist model. Many economists and politicians define America's economy as "capitalist" but one of the most essential aspects of capitalism, failure, is being blocked by government. Those who continue to criticize America's "capitalist" system need to realize how far the country has strayed from it.
Short selling actually adds efficiency to the market, because it identifies weaker companies and filters them out of the market more quickly. This increases competition and encourages companies to perform as best as they can. For example, if hedge funds short sell Britannica and buy Wikipedia long, this sort of market action only promotes a speedier way to filter out the obsolete player. If Britannica fears its stock being sold short, it is more likely to urgently shift up its business strategy in order to meet the changing needs and habits of consumers.
In 2003, The Economist noted that 'constraints on short selling allowed stocks to become more overvalued during the most recent bull run.… More short selling then might have made the bear market less painful now.' Suppressing short selling with tighter regulation of hedge funds also stifled the market's ability to police itself."
Obama Administration to Order Steep Pay Cuts for Bailed-Out Companies - FOXNews.com
Obama Administration to Order Steep Pay Cuts for Bailed-Out Companies - FOXNews.com: "The Obama administration plans to order companies that received the most money from the $700 billion Wall Street bailout to slash pay to top executives, a government source told Fox Business Network.�
Under the plan, the seven companies that received the most government aid will have to cut annual salaries by about 90 percent from last year for the 25 highest-paid executives."
Surprise! Surprise! The government attached more strings after the fact -- even when they made some companies participate that didn't want to participate.
Under the plan, the seven companies that received the most government aid will have to cut annual salaries by about 90 percent from last year for the 25 highest-paid executives."
Surprise! Surprise! The government attached more strings after the fact -- even when they made some companies participate that didn't want to participate.
Italian Court Convicts 23 Americans in CIA Extraordinary Rendition Case - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FO
Italian Court Convicts 23 Americans in CIA Extraordinary Rendition Case - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com: "In addition, Italy's highest court ruled some key evidence inadmissible because it is considered classified — including dossiers seized from the Rome apartment of an Italian intelligence agent and the testimony of a carabinieri officer allegedly at the scene of the kidnapping.
That does make the outcome suspect.
Magi ruled that the trial could go forward despite the ruling."
That does make the outcome suspect.
Magi ruled that the trial could go forward despite the ruling."
Can Government Fight Epidemics? - Eric M. Staib - Mises Institute
Can Government Fight Epidemics? - Eric M. Staib - Mises Institute: "The vast magnitude of this undersupply reveals not simple dysfunction in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) but rather the necessary failure of central planning.
The problem began simply enough: the DHHS granted itself a monopoly on the production, pricing, and distribution of H1N1 flu vaccines."
"By awarding the total revenue of the project in advance, the DHHS set a rigid cost ceiling for Novartis. It is plausible that Novartis soon figured out that producing 150 million flu shots annually for eight years would take more resources than they could afford to purchase with their maximum possible revenue of $486 million."
The problem began simply enough: the DHHS granted itself a monopoly on the production, pricing, and distribution of H1N1 flu vaccines."
"By awarding the total revenue of the project in advance, the DHHS set a rigid cost ceiling for Novartis. It is plausible that Novartis soon figured out that producing 150 million flu shots annually for eight years would take more resources than they could afford to purchase with their maximum possible revenue of $486 million."
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Obama as Bad as Bush-Cheney | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary
Obama as Bad as Bush-Cheney | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary: "It was Feingold who, in October 2001, was the only member of the Senate to vote against the original Patriot Act as, on the floor, he accurately predicted our greatly weakened privacy, due process and other rights since then."
That shows that he has principal. He didn't "vote against it after voting for it." As Franklin said, liberty should not be traded for safety.
"'No federal agency,' said Congressman Edwards, 'the CIA, the IRS, or the FBI, can be at the same time policeman, prosecutor, judge and jury. That is what constitutionally guaranteed due process is all about. It may sometimes be disorderly and unsatisfactory to some, but it is the essence of freedom.'
The Constitution, Edwards continued, does not permit 'federal interference' with Americans' speech or associations, and other such citizen constitutional rights, 'except through the criminal justice system, armed with its ancient safeguards.' Like mandated judicial supervision -- absent from current Obama administration FBI surveillance guidelines."
That shows that he has principal. He didn't "vote against it after voting for it." As Franklin said, liberty should not be traded for safety.
"'No federal agency,' said Congressman Edwards, 'the CIA, the IRS, or the FBI, can be at the same time policeman, prosecutor, judge and jury. That is what constitutionally guaranteed due process is all about. It may sometimes be disorderly and unsatisfactory to some, but it is the essence of freedom.'
The Constitution, Edwards continued, does not permit 'federal interference' with Americans' speech or associations, and other such citizen constitutional rights, 'except through the criminal justice system, armed with its ancient safeguards.' Like mandated judicial supervision -- absent from current Obama administration FBI surveillance guidelines."
Be a Good Victim | David Rittgers | Cato Institute: Commentary
Be a Good Victim | David Rittgers | Cato Institute: Commentary: "At the moment of the killings, two on-duty Marin County sheriff's deputies were within 100 yards of the shooter. One was close enough to see the muzzle blast of the shotgun. The police officers, however, did not move against the culprit. One, stuck in traffic, called in a description of the killer's vehicle as he fled. The other positioned her car to prevent traffic from entering the crime scene.
These two law-enforcement officers did what police officers tell the public to do: Don't intervene. Get a description of the offender. Call the police. Be a good witness.
Much debate ensued about whether the officers' behavior was appropriate, but the real tragedy is that the victims of this rampage did not have the legal opportunity to arm themselves. To them, the message was clear: Be a good victim."
These two law-enforcement officers did what police officers tell the public to do: Don't intervene. Get a description of the offender. Call the police. Be a good witness.
Much debate ensued about whether the officers' behavior was appropriate, but the real tragedy is that the victims of this rampage did not have the legal opportunity to arm themselves. To them, the message was clear: Be a good victim."
Hu versus Sarkozy | Steve H. Hanke | Cato Institute: Commentary
Hu versus Sarkozy | Steve H. Hanke | Cato Institute: Commentary: "According to most accounts, the stock market crash of October 1929 was the spark that sent the economy spiraling downward.
How could this be? After all, by November 1929, the stock market had started to recover, and by mid-April 1930, it had reached its pre-crash level. Contrary to the received wisdom, massive government failure — not the stock market crash — pushed the United States into the Great Depression."
"GDP growth and levels of GDP per capita are closely, and positively, associated with metrics that measure the vitality of free markets and the ease of doing business (see the accompanying table). And that's not all. Economic growth is, quite literally, a matter of life and death. As the accompanying chart indicates, prosperity (measured by standard metrics) affects life expectancy (health) in a positive way."
How could this be? After all, by November 1929, the stock market had started to recover, and by mid-April 1930, it had reached its pre-crash level. Contrary to the received wisdom, massive government failure — not the stock market crash — pushed the United States into the Great Depression."
"GDP growth and levels of GDP per capita are closely, and positively, associated with metrics that measure the vitality of free markets and the ease of doing business (see the accompanying table). And that's not all. Economic growth is, quite literally, a matter of life and death. As the accompanying chart indicates, prosperity (measured by standard metrics) affects life expectancy (health) in a positive way."
Exclusive: Inside Account of U.S. Eavesdropping on Americans - ABC News
Exclusive: Inside Account of U.S. Eavesdropping on Americans - ABC News: "'By casting the net so wide and continuing to collect on Americans and aid organizations, it's almost like they're making the haystack bigger and it's harder to find that piece of information that might actually be useful to somebody,' she said. 'You're actually hurting our ability to effectively protect our national security.'"
FACT CHECK: Health Insurers' Profits Not So Fat - FOXNews.com
FACT CHECK: Health Insurers' Profits Not So Fat - FOXNews.com: "In the health care debate, Democrats and their allies have gone after insurance companies as rapacious profiteers making 'immoral' and 'obscene' returns while 'the bodies pile up.'
But in pillorying insurers over profits, the critics are on shaky ground. Ledgers tell a different reality.
Health insurance profit margins typically run about 6 percent, give or take a point or two. That's anemic compared with other forms of insurance and a broad array of industries, even some beleaguered ones."
It looks like politicians are trying to redirect our focus.
But in pillorying insurers over profits, the critics are on shaky ground. Ledgers tell a different reality.
Health insurance profit margins typically run about 6 percent, give or take a point or two. That's anemic compared with other forms of insurance and a broad array of industries, even some beleaguered ones."
It looks like politicians are trying to redirect our focus.
Stoke China's Fears | Ted Galen Carpenter | Cato Institute: Commentary
Stoke China's Fears | Ted Galen Carpenter | Cato Institute: Commentary: "By reiterating Washington's commitment to extended deterrence — especially the nuclear component — U.S. officials send a message to Chinese leaders that they don't need to worry about Japan (or South Korea) developing an independent deterrent."
"Even as Japanese and South Korean leaders insist that North Korea poses a serious threat, they persist with anemic defense budgets. Although it shares a border with perhaps the most ruthless and unpredictable country in the world, South Korea spends less than 2.5 percent of its gross domestic product on the military. Seoul continues to rely on the United States for critical elements of its defense, especially air and naval power.
Security free riding is also alive and well in Japan. Indeed, South Korea's military effort seems robust compared to Japan's. Despite North Korea's repeated saber-rattling, Tokyo spends a paltry 0.9 percent of its GDP on defense, and that situation may get even worse under the new left-leaning government."
"Even as Japanese and South Korean leaders insist that North Korea poses a serious threat, they persist with anemic defense budgets. Although it shares a border with perhaps the most ruthless and unpredictable country in the world, South Korea spends less than 2.5 percent of its gross domestic product on the military. Seoul continues to rely on the United States for critical elements of its defense, especially air and naval power.
Security free riding is also alive and well in Japan. Indeed, South Korea's military effort seems robust compared to Japan's. Despite North Korea's repeated saber-rattling, Tokyo spends a paltry 0.9 percent of its GDP on defense, and that situation may get even worse under the new left-leaning government."
Political Mailing Lists: A Message from Senator Kohl on Crime Prevention Month
Political Mailing Lists: A Message from Senator Kohl on Crime Prevention Month: "Striking the right balance includes hard work at preventing truancy and gang activity, cracking down on drug trafficking, providing safe and constructive after-school programs for at-risk kids"
Removing the minimum wage (and other restrictions on employment) would help with those issues.
Removing the minimum wage (and other restrictions on employment) would help with those issues.
Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn - UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum
Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn - UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum: "Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?"
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?"
Monday, November 02, 2009
How Congress Is Cooking the Books | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary
How Congress Is Cooking the Books | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Last week, the Senate Finance Committee voted 12-11 not to wait for the Congressional Budget Office to 'score' its health-care bill before the committee votes on it. Imagine that: Some senators actually wanted to know how much the bill costs before voting on it."
"The CBO provides 10- year projections of a bill's cost. But most provisions of the health bill don't take effect until 2014. So the "10-year" cost projection only includes six years of the bill.
Plus, the costs ramp up slowly. In its first year, the House bill would only cost about $6 billion; in its first three, less than $100 billion. The big costs are in the final years of the 10-year budget window — and beyond. In fact, over the first 10 years that the House bill would be in existence (2014 to 2024), its costs would be closer to $2.4 trillion. Similarly, the real cost of the Senate bill over 10 years of operation is estimated at $1.5 trillion.
Worse, the trajectory of the costs after 10 years rises dramatically — meaning 'reform' would cost even more in its second 10 years and beyond."
"For example, the Senate bill relies on Medicare "savings" that Congress keeps refusing to make. Specifically, Medicare has long been ordered to cut 21 percent from what it pays health-care providers — yet, each year since 2003, for reasons both good and bad, Congress has voted to defer the cuts.
Does anyone else really think that Congress is simply going to slash payments to doctors and hospitals by 21 percent across the board?"
"The CBO provides 10- year projections of a bill's cost. But most provisions of the health bill don't take effect until 2014. So the "10-year" cost projection only includes six years of the bill.
Plus, the costs ramp up slowly. In its first year, the House bill would only cost about $6 billion; in its first three, less than $100 billion. The big costs are in the final years of the 10-year budget window — and beyond. In fact, over the first 10 years that the House bill would be in existence (2014 to 2024), its costs would be closer to $2.4 trillion. Similarly, the real cost of the Senate bill over 10 years of operation is estimated at $1.5 trillion.
Worse, the trajectory of the costs after 10 years rises dramatically — meaning 'reform' would cost even more in its second 10 years and beyond."
"For example, the Senate bill relies on Medicare "savings" that Congress keeps refusing to make. Specifically, Medicare has long been ordered to cut 21 percent from what it pays health-care providers — yet, each year since 2003, for reasons both good and bad, Congress has voted to defer the cuts.
Does anyone else really think that Congress is simply going to slash payments to doctors and hospitals by 21 percent across the board?"
Michael Moore Kills Capitalism with Kool-Aid - Michael W. Covel - Mises Institute
Michael Moore Kills Capitalism with Kool-Aid - Michael W. Covel - Mises Institute: "And that view of course puts me in opposition to Moore since he has no problem with government as his and our father figure. That is his utopia. He truly believes that warehouses of federal workers, in Washington, D.C., remotely running our lives is the optimal plan. He is an unapologetic socialist who really doesn't care why the poor are poor or the rich are rich, he just wants it fixed."
"Arguably the most successful documentarian ever — a man who has made untold millions of dollars — was going to legitimately make the case that there was an alternative to capitalism."
"We listen to heartbreaking stories of foreclosed families across America — but we don't learn why the foreclosures happened. Did these people treat their homes as piggy banks? Was there refinancing on top of refinancing just to keep buying mall trinkets and other goodies with no respect to risk or logic? We don't find out."
"We listen to Catholic priests who denounce capitalism as an evil to be eradicated. What would they put in its place and how would the new system work? The priests don't tell us."
"ow does one legislate words like useful, enough, recreation, adequate, decent, and good? Who decides all of this and to what degree?"
"Phil Donahue was interviewing free-market economist Milton Friedman and wanted to know if Friedman had ever had a moment of doubt about "capitalism and whether greed's a good idea to run on?"
Friedman was quick in response:
Donahue then countered saying that capitalism doesn't reward virtue, but instead rewards the ability to manipulate the system. Friedman was having none of it:
"Arguably the most successful documentarian ever — a man who has made untold millions of dollars — was going to legitimately make the case that there was an alternative to capitalism."
"We listen to heartbreaking stories of foreclosed families across America — but we don't learn why the foreclosures happened. Did these people treat their homes as piggy banks? Was there refinancing on top of refinancing just to keep buying mall trinkets and other goodies with no respect to risk or logic? We don't find out."
"We listen to Catholic priests who denounce capitalism as an evil to be eradicated. What would they put in its place and how would the new system work? The priests don't tell us."
"ow does one legislate words like useful, enough, recreation, adequate, decent, and good? Who decides all of this and to what degree?"
"Phil Donahue was interviewing free-market economist Milton Friedman and wanted to know if Friedman had ever had a moment of doubt about "capitalism and whether greed's a good idea to run on?"
Friedman was quick in response:
Is there some society you know that doesn't run on greed? You think Russia doesn't run on greed? You think China doesn't run on greed? … The world runs on individuals pursuing their separate interests. The great achievements of civilization have not come from government bureaus. Einstein didn't construct his theory under order from a bureaucrat. Henry Ford didn't revolutionize the automobile industry that way. In the only cases in which the masses have escaped from the kind of grinding poverty you're talking about, the only cases in recorded history are where they have had capitalism and largely free trade. If you want to know where the masses are worst off, it's exactly in the kinds of societies that depart from that. So that the record of history is absolutely crystal clear: that there is no alternative way so far discovered of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleashed by a free enterprise system.
Donahue then countered saying that capitalism doesn't reward virtue, but instead rewards the ability to manipulate the system. Friedman was having none of it:
And what does reward virtue? You think the communist commissar rewards virtue? … Do you think American presidents reward virtue? Do they choose their appointees on the basis of the virtue of the people appointed or on the basis of their political clout? Is it really true that political self-interest is nobler somehow than economic self-interest? … Just tell me where in the world you find these angels who are going to organize society for us?"
Campaign For Liberty — Quit Talking Stupid
Campaign For Liberty — Quit Talking Stupid: "There are 105 million people who work in the private sector - that is where all the money comes from.� We spend $2.6 trillion each year on health care, so do the math: that's $24,762 each if everybody pays their fair share.
�
If we include public sector workers, the share drops to just under $20,000. I know we pay their salaries, so it doesn't change anything, but it would be fun to see university professors and Congressmen put their own money where their mouth is for once.��
���
It is nonsense to keep talking about coverage, access, and rights as if health care were free air.� Rosa Parks sought access to a seat in the front of the bus; she did not demand that the guy in seat 12A pay for it, and she did not call him a racist for thinking they should each buy their own.�
�
No, Ms. Parks did not talk stupid, like our leaders do. How can we possibly expand coverage to 47 million more people without adding a single doctor, and not have longer waits for appointments? That is talking stupid.
How can we possibly cover all those additional people without increasing taxes or increasing the deficit? That is talking stupid.
How can we say the 10-year "cost" of reform will stay under one trillion dollars by simply delaying enactment of the bill's provisions for the first four years and counting zeros in the total? That is talking stupid. "
"Proponents of universal health care like this bumper sticker: 'you should not go broke just because you get sick'. That would be a great ad pitch for an insurance company, but it is a silly moral premise. Who should go broke, then? Or should doctors and nurses and lab techs and billing clerks all have to work as slaves for no pay, so that nobody does?
Here is an improved, quit-talking-stupid version: 'you should not go broke just because I get sick'. Treatment of a serious deadly illness can quickly run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars."
"In Europe, they have universal health care. They also earn 29% less than we do, and they pay twice the payroll tax we do - 30% with no upper limit. And they pay higher income tax than we do, and they pay a VAT tax that we don't. So their disposable income is half of ours on average, and their unemployment rate is double. President Obama forgot to tell you about that stuff when he was bragging up how old they are in Denmark.
So how about it - are you willing to take a 50% pay cut so the government can run health care? Is it worth living half-broke your whole life just to squeeze out an extra year or two warehoused in a government home at the end of it? Not me."
�
If we include public sector workers, the share drops to just under $20,000. I know we pay their salaries, so it doesn't change anything, but it would be fun to see university professors and Congressmen put their own money where their mouth is for once.��
���
It is nonsense to keep talking about coverage, access, and rights as if health care were free air.� Rosa Parks sought access to a seat in the front of the bus; she did not demand that the guy in seat 12A pay for it, and she did not call him a racist for thinking they should each buy their own.�
�
No, Ms. Parks did not talk stupid, like our leaders do. How can we possibly expand coverage to 47 million more people without adding a single doctor, and not have longer waits for appointments? That is talking stupid.
How can we possibly cover all those additional people without increasing taxes or increasing the deficit? That is talking stupid.
How can we say the 10-year "cost" of reform will stay under one trillion dollars by simply delaying enactment of the bill's provisions for the first four years and counting zeros in the total? That is talking stupid. "
"Proponents of universal health care like this bumper sticker: 'you should not go broke just because you get sick'. That would be a great ad pitch for an insurance company, but it is a silly moral premise. Who should go broke, then? Or should doctors and nurses and lab techs and billing clerks all have to work as slaves for no pay, so that nobody does?
Here is an improved, quit-talking-stupid version: 'you should not go broke just because I get sick'. Treatment of a serious deadly illness can quickly run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars."
"In Europe, they have universal health care. They also earn 29% less than we do, and they pay twice the payroll tax we do - 30% with no upper limit. And they pay higher income tax than we do, and they pay a VAT tax that we don't. So their disposable income is half of ours on average, and their unemployment rate is double. President Obama forgot to tell you about that stuff when he was bragging up how old they are in Denmark.
So how about it - are you willing to take a 50% pay cut so the government can run health care? Is it worth living half-broke your whole life just to squeeze out an extra year or two warehoused in a government home at the end of it? Not me."
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