Deal with the Dragon | Daniel Griswold | Cato Institute: Commentary

Deal with the Dragon | Daniel Griswold | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Politicians who call for higher tariffs on imports from China are aiming straight for the pocketbooks of the poor and middle class."

"While trillion-dollar deficits are terrible, they are not China's fault, but that of our profligate politicians in Washington."

"Of the $179 it costs to actually make an iPhone, the study found that only $6.50 is spent on the labor to assemble it in China. Yet the full price of the iPhone hardware is counted in our bilateral trade deficit with China."

Come back with those petition signatures! | River Falls Journal | River Falls, Wisconsin

Come back with those petition signatures! | River Falls Journal | River Falls, Wisconsin: "River Falls police were asked to track down and find a suspect who had made off with a batch of Sen. Sheila Harsdorf recall petition signatures late Sunday afternoon. The alleged theft occurred on the sidewalk near EconoFoods. The male suspect pretended he wanted to sign the petition to recall Harsdorf but instead swiped the forms with signatures and drove off."

I don't think Harsdorf should be be recalled but I certainly don't agree with what this man did!

U.S. troops getting wearable gunshot detectors | Crave - CNET

U.S. troops getting wearable gunshot detectors | Crave - CNET: "Weighing less than 2 pounds, the IGD picks up supersonic waves produced by the blast and whiz of rounds and indicates where they're coming from in a fraction of a second.
An earpiece that was developed for the system provides audio warnings such as 'Shot, 400 meters, 3 o'clock.' It tracks the shooter and continues to provide audio updates."

Mexican Criminals, American Guns | David Rittgers | Cato Institute: Commentary

Mexican Criminals, American Guns | David Rittgers | Cato Institute: Commentary: "The plan, Operation Fast and Furious, was intended to help investigators follow low-level gunrunners to cartel leadership. That may justify letting a few illegal sales slip by, but agents say the number soon climbed into the hundreds and thousands."

Why Is Unemployment So High? - Robert P. Murphy - Mises Daily

Why Is Unemployment So High? - Robert P. Murphy - Mises Daily: "The government made low-skilled workers artificially more expensive. In July 2009, the federal minimum wage (due to legislation from 2007) rose from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour. Thus, anyone with productivity worth more than $6.55 but less than $7.25 per hour to an employer was turned into a money-losing proposition when he otherwise would have been profitable to hire."

Campaign For Liberty — Union Busting

Campaign For Liberty — Union Busting: "Compulsory collective bargaining - key word compulsory - is incompatible with the principle of liberty. End of argument. If union enthusiasts would simply make membership voluntary, I would be out there stomping around with them. But the 'right' they insist upon is the right to deny the rights of others by force"

"They will yell themselves hoarse over a 5% minority religion's potential offense over a mural with the Ten Commandments; but they find it perfectly acceptable to force the 49% of a workforce that voted against union membership to join it anyway and for employers to withhold the dues that will be used against their interests."

Obamacare Marches On | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary

Obamacare Marches On | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary: "It raises the question, then, of just how committed the Republican leadership really is to killing Obamacare.

It is worth remembering that House Republicans did not include the cutoff in health-care funding as part of their original CR proposal. It was added as an amendment after a mini-rebellion by House conservatives. And the leadership was quick to jettison it at the first sign of Democratic objection."

"Given a choice between 'free' federal money and standing up against big government, the money wins every time."

BofA Comes To Trash Out House After It's Sold - The Consumerist

BofA Comes To Trash Out House After It's Sold - The Consumerist: "When she asked if people buying short sales and foreclosures should hire security guards to protect their properties, the bank representative agreed that that would be a good idea."

Ron Paul: No-Fly Won't Fly Constitutionally | Ron Paul 2012 | Sound Money, Peace and Liberty

Ron Paul: No-Fly Won't Fly Constitutionally | Ron Paul 2012 | Sound Money, Peace and Liberty: "for the US to establish a “no fly” zone over all or part of Libya would constitute an act of war against Libya. Establishing any kind of military presence in the sovereign territory of Libya will require committing troops to engage in combat against the Libyan air force, as well as anti-aircraft systems."

"Frankly, it is not up to the President whether or not we intervene in Libya, or set up “no-fly” zones, or send troops. At least, it is not if we follow the Constitution. Even by the loose standards of the War Powers Resolution, which cedes far too much power to the president, he would have no authority to engage in hostilities because we have not been attacked – not by Gaddafi, and not by the rebels. This is not our fight. If the administration wants to make it our fight, let them make their case before Congress and put it to a vote."

Looting in Japan: Why so little looting in Japan? The explanation is legal as much as cultural. - By Christopher Beam - Slate Magazine

Looting in Japan: Why so little looting in Japan? The explanation is legal as much as cultural. - By Christopher Beam - Slate Magazine: "For example, if you find an umbrella and turn it in to the cops, you get a finder's fee of 5 to 20 percent of its value if the owner picks it up. If they don't pick it up within six months, the finder gets to keep the umbrella. Japanese learn about this system from a young age, and a child's first trip to the nearest police station after finding a small coin, say, is a rite of passage that both children and police officers take seriously. At the same time, police enforce small crimes like petty theft, which contributes to an overall sense of security and order, along the lines of the 'broken windows' policy implemented in New York City in the 1990s. Failure to return a found wallet can result in hours of interrogation at best, and up to 10 years in prison at worst."

"[Organized crime makes] their money off extortion, prostitution, and drug trafficking. But they consider theft grounds for expulsion."