Police History: Was U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves the real Lone Ranger?

Police History: Was U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves the real Lone Ranger?: "The first black lawman west of the Mississippi, Reeves cut a striking figure on his large gray (almost white) horse, while wearing his trademark black hat and twin .45 Colt Peacemakers cross-draw style.

He gave out silver dollars as a calling card.

The “Indomitable Marshal”
Reeves became famous among criminals for his skills and relentless pursuit. Although shot at many times, he remained untouched by a single bullet, and because of this he was called “The Indomitable Marshal,” so tough he could “spit on a brick and bust it.”"

Middle of the Road in Healthcare Leads to Socialism - Campaign for Liberty

Middle of the Road in Healthcare Leads to Socialism - Campaign for Liberty: "Contrary to the claims of some of its opponents, Obamacare is not socialized medicine. It is corporatized medicine. After all, the central feature of Obamacare is the mandate that all Americans buy health insurance from private health insurance companies. And, as with previous government interventions in the marketplace, Obamacare is not only failing to correct the problems caused by prior federal laws, it is creating new problems."

"I fully expect the implosion of Obamacare to continue, and the supporters of nationalized health care to use Obamacare’s failures to push for a Canadian-style “single payer” health care system. Unfortunately, some Obamacare opponents fail to see that the problem is not just Obamacare, but all government interference with health care. These Obamacare opponents advocate replacing Obamacare with “Obamacare lite.” But economic law teaches us that “Obamacare lite” will be no more successful than Obamacare."

Dave Meslin: The antidote to apathy | Video on TED.com

Dave Meslin: The antidote to apathy | Video on TED.com: "Dave Meslin talks about how societies are falling apart because people are failing to act and participate in community activities. This is because of many reasons, such as the fact that communities are not clear enough in what they really want you to do"

Saving Consumers from Lower Prices | Cato Institute

Saving Consumers from Lower Prices | Cato Institute: "Why does the Obama administration claim it wants you to pay less for your airline ticket, but more for the shrimp you buy?"

"When I took my first course in antitrust economics, the concern at the time was that GM would monopolize the automobile market, that IBM would monopolize the computer market, and that U.S. Steel would monopolize the steel industry. The antitrust whizzes at Justice missed the possibility that Japanese, South Korean and many other automobile producers would grab a major share of both the U.S. and global markets, and that GM would end up in bankruptcy with a government bailout. After decades of trying to break up IBM, even the folks at Justice finally realized that because of the rapidity of technological change, no computer company was likely to remain on top for very long. Many millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted because too many in government had a static view of the world. Finally, U.S. Steel has been losing money and market share for years."

"Many Americans eat shrimp, but very few Americans catch shrimp, so the Obama administration would prefer that most consumers have their real incomes reduced by higher shrimp prices in order to benefit a relatively few producers. If you want to buy American shrimp and pay more, it should be your choice."

North Korea's Latest American Hostage | Cato Institute

North Korea's Latest American Hostage | Cato Institute: " the more the U.S. invests in releasing prisoners in foreign lands, the more valuable they will come to be seen — thus creating a greater incentive to grab Americans in the future."

The Man Who Was Treated for $17,000 Less | Cato Institute

The Man Who Was Treated for $17,000 Less | Cato Institute: "The insurance policy, the clerk said, would pay up to $2,500 for the surgeon—more than enough—and up to $2,500 for the hospital’s charges for the operating room, nursing, recovery room, etc. The estimated hospital charge was $23,000. She asked him to pay roughly $20,000 upfront to cover the estimated balance."

"We contacted a different hospital and they quoted him a reasonable upfront cash price for the outpatient surgical/nursing services. He underwent his operation the very next day, with a total bill of just a little over $3,000, including doctor and hospital fees. He ended up saving $17,000 by not using insurance"

Cash price was 88% cheaper than the normal price!

Welfare: A Better Deal than Work | Cato Institute

Welfare: A Better Deal than Work | Cato Institute: "welfare currently pays more than a minimum-wage job in 34 states and the District of Columbia. In Hawaii, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., welfare pays more than a $20-an-hour job, and in five additional states it yields more than a $15-per-hour job.

Consider this: In ten states and the District of Columbia, welfare pays more than the entry-level salary for a teacher in that state. In 38 states and the District of Columbia, welfare is more generous than the average starting salary for a secretary. And in the three most generous states, welfare pays more than the wages for an entry-level computer programmer. In eight states, welfare recipients receive benefits worth more than the median salary there."

"despite the work requirements put in place by the Nineties welfare reform, fewer than 42 percent of recipients are participating in broadly defined “work activities.” In some states, such as Missouri and Massachusetts, less than one out of five welfare recipients are “working.” Moreover, work activity frequently means not a job but only looking for work or participating in a job-training program. In fact, fewer than one-fifth of welfare recipients are working in unsubsidized private-sector jobs."

"Nor does our study suggest that people on welfare are lazy. Indeed, survey after survey suggests that they would prefer to be working. By not working, welfare recipients are simply responding rationally to the incentive systems our public-policy makers have established for them."

German Politicians Demand to See Gold in US Federal Reserve - SPIEGEL ONLINE

German Politicians Demand to See Gold in US Federal Reserve - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "The report also noted that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York refuses to allow the gold's owners to view their own reserves."

"Finally, in 2007, "following numerous enquiries," Bundesbank staff members were allowed to see the facility, but they reportedly only made it to the anteroom of the German reserves.

In fact, auditors from the Bundesbank made a second visit in May 2011. This time one of the nine compartments was also opened, in which the German gold bars are densely stacked."

Campus officer's misfire sends bullet flying through classroom window at Savannah State in Ga. | Fox News

Campus officer's misfire sends bullet flying through classroom window at Savannah State in Ga. | Fox News: "the officer's weapon misfired during either a training exercise or a demonstration Wednesday morning"

Was the problem with the user or the tool?

Get the Mortgage Industry out of Taxpayers' Pockets | Cato Institute

Get the Mortgage Industry out of Taxpayers' Pockets | Cato Institute: "If we simply let Fannie and Freddie disappear, we will still lead the world in mortgage subsidies."

"By 1969, the national home ownership rate reached 64.3 percent. At this time, the percent of mortgages securitized was in the low single-digits and the secondary market was irrelevant. Since the growth of Fannie and Freddie, the long run home ownership rate has been unchanged. The cost of the 30-year mortgage relative to Treasuries has actually increased as their market presence grew."

"Ultimately, Fannie and Freddie are vehicles for banks to dump their bad bets onto to the taxpayer."