When Is Too Much Security Too Much? | Cato Institute

When Is Too Much Security Too Much? | Cato Institute: "A society would make better public-policy decisions as to how much to spend on protection i.e., policing, firefighting, first-response medical systems, and the military if we viewed these expenditures as we do other forms of insurance. A rational person does not spend far more for homeowners and business insurance than the home or business is worth. Most people do not have $100 million in life insurance, because they cannot afford it and because they also implicitly realize that their lives are probably not worth that much."

"we greatly overspend on airline security (because the rare crash is big news) relative to driving, bicycling and walking. According to an analysis published in the American Scientist, “to make flying as dangerous as using a car, a four-plane disaster on the scale of 9/11 would have to occur every month.” The hassles and time loss of going through airline screening causes some people to drive more and fly less (estimates are in the 5 percent range), so the folks at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are inadvertently causing more lives to be lost than necessary. "

Property Rights and Lake Cd'A | Cato Institute

Property Rights and Lake Cd'A | Cato Institute: "In 1976, the Court ruled that cities did not even need the excuse of a possible nuisance to regulate land. Instead, cities could take away most uses — and most of the value — of someone’s property for any reason at all, so long as they allowed some use, even if that use did not have much value."

GE Capital cuts off lending to gun shops | Fox News

GE Capital cuts off lending to gun shops | Fox News: "General Electric is quietly cutting off lending to gun shops, as the company rethinks its relationship to firearms amid the fallout from the school shooting in Newtown, Conn."

"GE is based in Fairfield, Conn., and many of the GE's employees live around Newtown, and several have children in the Sandy Hook elementary school, where the shootings took place. Peter Lanza, the father of Sandy Hook gunman Adam Lanza, is an executive at GE Capital."