You Didn't Build That? Oh, Mr. Obama, You Can't Be Serious | Jim Powell | Cato Institute: Commentary

You Didn't Build That? Oh, Mr. Obama, You Can't Be Serious | Jim Powell | Cato Institute: Commentary: "
Politicians scold citizens for consuming too much sugar, but the government provides subsidies for producing high fructose corn syrup that's widely used in sodas, cookies and other sweets.
Taxes are higher because government subsidizes some farmers to grow crops and subsidizes other farmers not to grow crops.
Government subsidizes home ownership and restricts the number of homes that can be built.
Politicians criticize business executives who take on too much debt, but government encourages debt by providing tax deductions for interest (no deductions for equity capital), and of course the government itself is deeper in debt than anybody else.
Politicians complain that companies invest so much money overseas, but the government imposes a 35 percent tax on earnings brought back to the United States.
Politicians bemoan our dependence on foreign oil, while restricting oil drilling on public lands and offshore.
Businesses can be prosecuted for (1) "predatory price cutting" if they charge too little, (2) "price gouging" if they charge too much or (3) "price fixing" if they charge the same as their competitors.
By providing billions of dollars of federal aid for attending college, government subsidizes demand, which has had the effect of making college more expensive and more difficult to pay for than it otherwise would be for everybody who doesn't get federal aid.
Politicians promote the virtues of small, high-mileage cars, and they enforce laws that make it hard to produce such cars profitably in the United States.
There are laws that make it harder for employers to hire people and laws that provide income for the unemployed.
The government shuts off water in California, intensifying a drought and leading to higher unemployment, all to save small fish, while proposing thousands of square miles of windmills that kill birds.
Politicians encourage more couples to get married, but there have been higher taxes on married people than on single people, providing incentives not to get married.
Politicians say they want more doctors, while enforcing laws that limit the number of students who can enter medical schools.
Government promotes health care inflation by channeling hundreds of billions of dollars a year into the health care sector, enabling people to bid up health care prices — and then the government tries to limit health care price increases with health care rationing, such as excluding more treatments from coverage.
Government provides subsidies for growing tobacco and enforces prohibitions on smoking."

"In 1978, when it was estimated that people spent almost a billion hours a year filling out federal forms, Congress passed the Government Paperwork Elimination Act" " It has been estimated that people now spend more than 10 billion hours a year filling out some 8,000 different federal forms."

"In 1985, it was estimated to cost $2.6 billion" ... "The project ended up costing $14.6 billion"

"The airport was supposed to cost $1.5 billion, but the tab turned out to be $5.3 billion."

Feds: Student rights violated in east Miss. city | Fox News

Feds: Student rights violated in east Miss. city | Fox News: "incarcerates students for disciplinary infractions as minor as dress code violations"

Connecticut town threatens to take overgrown pet bunny from girl, 7 | Fox News

Connecticut town threatens to take overgrown pet bunny from girl, 7 | Fox News: "Zoning Enforcement Officer Arthur Hausman issued a cease-and-desist order to the Lidsky family two weeks ago, informing them that they were violating town zoning regulations because their property was smaller than the 2 acres required to keep rabbits and other types of livestock."

"North Haven First Selectman Michael Freda said town officials are not trying to take the bunny away from the girl, but are instead trying to get Josh Lidsky to respond to neighbors' complaints about blighted conditions on his property."

They want them to clean up there property so they bug them about the rabbit?!?

2 Pa. teens cited for parking lot chalk drawings | Fox News

2 Pa. teens cited for parking lot chalk drawings | Fox News: "Doylestown police Chief James Donnelly says although chalk washes off, the drawings are "an attempt at vandalism.""

Let's ban finger painting in kindergarten because it might lead to vandalism!

Make Profits, Not War - Gary North - Mises Daily

Make Profits, Not War - Gary North - Mises Daily: "In the days before the income tax, anyone could come into the United States. There were no passports. Late in the 19th century, there was an entry point at Ellis Island. Immigration bureaucrats blocked the entry of sick people. This meant that immigration restrictions were a public-health issue. The authorities blocked out microscopic invaders by blocking the people who carried them. But healthy people were allowed to enter the nation."

"When immigrants could become citizens and vote their way into other Americans' wallets, the barriers went up."

"You mean we should charge Americans an extra 20 percent or 30 percent because the government on the other side of the line is going to nuke us? Does this make sense?"