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Heading toward National Insolvency | Doug Bandow | Cato Institute: Commentary: "The full national debt already is 100 percent of GDP, compared to about 84 percent for Europe."
"Putative Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney promises to be tough on federal spending, but nothing in his past behavior suggests that he takes this promise any more seriously than he has treated the many positions he has cheerfully tossed aside when he thought doing so was to his political advantage. Believing that Republicans, if victorious come November, will rein in Uncle Sam, is, like a second marriage, the triumph of hope over experience."
Monday, July 23, 2012
How to Fix the Supreme Court After the ObamaCare Judgment | Doug Bandow | Cato Institute: Commentary
How to Fix the Supreme Court After the ObamaCare Judgment | Doug Bandow | Cato Institute: Commentary: "To have momentous cases decided by a five-four vote carries more than a hint of arbitrariness. Happenstance in one appointment three or more decades before could effectively set important areas of government policy today.
A larger court—Turley proposes adding justices slowly, to prevent any single president from dominating the institution—would reduce the likelihood of decisions by a small, idiosyncratic majority. Where a true consensus developed, the Supreme Court would speak with a large and authoritative majority. A larger court also would allow more diverse membership. Today the high court is dominated by former appellate court judges. That’s good training, but the body would benefit from a greater mix of backgrounds."
"The jurist pool should be leavened with a few judges who understand economics, history, and more. They would need to become conversant with the law, but the average bright college graduate could do far better than some past Supreme Court justices in interpreting the Constitution."
"members of the high court should be appointed for a fixed term of five or ten years. Lifetime appointment is intended to shield jurists from political currents, but it also ensures that bad jurists are able to inflict themselves on the American people for decades in some cases. The greater their perceived insulation from reality, the greater will be the attacks on justices for their decisions."
"The natural churning of justices would be more orderly and less arbitrary if they served fixed terms."
"Unless the starting point is what the relevant text was intended to mean, interpretation is but a sophisticated fraud, an eloquent rationalization for one ideology or another. There always will be disagreements, even among jurists with similar philosophies, but a commitment to the rule of law rather than the rule of man is critical."
"President George W. Bush signed into law a campaign “reform” measure he believed to be unconstitutional and said that he could arrest American citizens on American soil and lock them away without legal due process."
A larger court—Turley proposes adding justices slowly, to prevent any single president from dominating the institution—would reduce the likelihood of decisions by a small, idiosyncratic majority. Where a true consensus developed, the Supreme Court would speak with a large and authoritative majority. A larger court also would allow more diverse membership. Today the high court is dominated by former appellate court judges. That’s good training, but the body would benefit from a greater mix of backgrounds."
"The jurist pool should be leavened with a few judges who understand economics, history, and more. They would need to become conversant with the law, but the average bright college graduate could do far better than some past Supreme Court justices in interpreting the Constitution."
"members of the high court should be appointed for a fixed term of five or ten years. Lifetime appointment is intended to shield jurists from political currents, but it also ensures that bad jurists are able to inflict themselves on the American people for decades in some cases. The greater their perceived insulation from reality, the greater will be the attacks on justices for their decisions."
"The natural churning of justices would be more orderly and less arbitrary if they served fixed terms."
"Unless the starting point is what the relevant text was intended to mean, interpretation is but a sophisticated fraud, an eloquent rationalization for one ideology or another. There always will be disagreements, even among jurists with similar philosophies, but a commitment to the rule of law rather than the rule of man is critical."
"President George W. Bush signed into law a campaign “reform” measure he believed to be unconstitutional and said that he could arrest American citizens on American soil and lock them away without legal due process."
Government Transparency Is Becoming a Joke | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary
Government Transparency Is Becoming a Joke | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary: "the National Security Agency refused to provide Congress with a rough estimate of how many Americans have had their communications monitored by the agency since 2008, on the grounds that revealing that information might violate Americans' privacy."
Man accused of breaking into homes purely to view porn | Technically Incorrect - CNET News
Man accused of breaking into homes purely to view porn | Technically Incorrect - CNET News:
Another reason not to charge someone with a crime just because it was committed from an IP address or computer that was assigned to them!
Another reason not to charge someone with a crime just because it was committed from an IP address or computer that was assigned to them!
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Constitutional Fix to Overspending | Richard W. Rahn | Cato Institute: Commentary
Constitutional Fix to Overspending | Richard W. Rahn | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Tea Party members are going to be very unhappy. Many of the new members of the House and Senate that the Tea Party helped elect are already becoming part of the political class, as evidenced by their votes for continued farm subsidies, refusals to put reasonable limits on the growth of the food-stamp program, support for unaccountable international organizations, and on and on. Members of Congress vote for unjustified spending because they think the recipients will reward them with campaign contributions and praise while the majority of the electorate will never notice."
"The answer is to make it more difficult for the political class to spend and tax as much as it does but not make it so restrictive that government cannot spend sufficient funds on what is generally believed to be a constitutional and appropriate function of government. This can be accomplished best by having a constitutional amendment that requires both houses of Congress to pass all tax and spending bills with a supermajority — two-thirds of each chamber might be appropriate.
There already are many supermajority requirements, such as overrides of vetoes, so no new ground is being broken. In practice, what this would mean is that the special interests who want more spending or taxing will have a more difficult time rounding up the required numbers of votes, which means they will fail more often — all to the good. The supermajority requirement is not a panacea but will make it easier to reduce excessive spending and destructive deficits."
"The answer is to make it more difficult for the political class to spend and tax as much as it does but not make it so restrictive that government cannot spend sufficient funds on what is generally believed to be a constitutional and appropriate function of government. This can be accomplished best by having a constitutional amendment that requires both houses of Congress to pass all tax and spending bills with a supermajority — two-thirds of each chamber might be appropriate.
There already are many supermajority requirements, such as overrides of vetoes, so no new ground is being broken. In practice, what this would mean is that the special interests who want more spending or taxing will have a more difficult time rounding up the required numbers of votes, which means they will fail more often — all to the good. The supermajority requirement is not a panacea but will make it easier to reduce excessive spending and destructive deficits."
Hoarding cited in Pa. seizure of 185 Chihuahuas | Fox News
Hoarding cited in Pa. seizure of 185 Chihuahuas | Fox News: "Veterinarians who checked the Chihuahuas — plus two other dogs that were also removed from the residence — found no serious health issues, only minor eye, teeth and skin problems.
The dogs wagged their tails when visitors approached their crates and apparently came from a loving home, officials said.
"The owners were telling us their names as we were tagging them," said Nicole Bucher, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture.
The dogs in the freezer, which included adults and puppies, apparently died of natural causes and the owners said they planned to cremate them, Bucher said.
"They weren't killed," she said."
So the dogs were taken care of -- there were just too many?
The dogs wagged their tails when visitors approached their crates and apparently came from a loving home, officials said.
"The owners were telling us their names as we were tagging them," said Nicole Bucher, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture.
The dogs in the freezer, which included adults and puppies, apparently died of natural causes and the owners said they planned to cremate them, Bucher said.
"They weren't killed," she said."
So the dogs were taken care of -- there were just too many?
Gov't acknowledges one-time surveillance problem | Fox News
Gov't acknowledges one-time surveillance problem | Fox News: "the Obama administration acknowledged Friday that the government's surveillance efforts have exceeded legal limits on at least one occasion."
"Will the response be just? Will it be the same as if a private person made the same admission?"
"Will the response be just? Will it be the same as if a private person made the same admission?"
Obama, Romney views have evolved toward gun rights | Fox News
Obama, Romney views have evolved toward gun rights | Fox News: "As they expressed shock and sorrow over the bloodshed at a Colorado movie theater, neither [President Barack Obama nor Republican challenger Mitt Romney] suggested that tougher gun control could make a difference, a notion that has faded from political debate."
Free Speech Codes on Campus: Political correctness run amok? | Fox News
Free Speech Codes on Campus: Political correctness run amok? | Fox News: " One stipulation in the code requires that students may only "express opinions" within a free speech zone"
"if you want to tell your friend that you think it's hot outside, you have to go to the zone to do it"
"IUS's code also requires university approval for acts of 'expressed opinions' by submitting an application at least five days in advance.
But the school defended the speech code, expressing concern the exercise of First Amendment rights outside designated zones could disrupt others' pursuit of an education."
"if you want to tell your friend that you think it's hot outside, you have to go to the zone to do it"
"IUS's code also requires university approval for acts of 'expressed opinions' by submitting an application at least five days in advance.
But the school defended the speech code, expressing concern the exercise of First Amendment rights outside designated zones could disrupt others' pursuit of an education."
Friday, July 20, 2012
Boston mayor vows to keep Chick-fil-A out of city | Fox News
Boston mayor vows to keep Chick-fil-A out of city | Fox News: "Mayor Thomas Menino told the Boston Herald on Thursday that he doesn't want a business in the city "that discriminates against a population."
Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy told the Baptist Press this week that his privately owned company is "guilty as charged" in support of what he called the biblical definition of the family.
The fast-food chicken sandwich chain later said that it strives to "treat every person with honor, dignity and respect -- regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.""
So the Mayor will discriminate against at company that he thinks discriminates but actually just disagrees!
Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy told the Baptist Press this week that his privately owned company is "guilty as charged" in support of what he called the biblical definition of the family.
The fast-food chicken sandwich chain later said that it strives to "treat every person with honor, dignity and respect -- regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.""
So the Mayor will discriminate against at company that he thinks discriminates but actually just disagrees!
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