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South Carolina woman accused of using ambulance as taxi -- at least 100 times | Fox News: "A South Carolina woman was arrested after authorities discovered she called 911 at least 100 times in the past seven years to get rides into Charleston, the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office says.
Audrey Ferguson, 51, allegedly faked illnesses and would immediately sign out of area hospitals upon arrival, telling doctors she was fine, WCSC reports."
"Each of Ferguson’s trips cost $425 plus mileage, and officials say taxpayers may have to pay a bill of more than $400,000 to cover expenses that aren’t covered by Medicaid, WCSC reports."
Friday, May 10, 2013
The False Security of Surveillance Cameras | Cato Institute
The False Security of Surveillance Cameras | Cato Institute: "Between the throngs of spectators and police on the scene and the television cameras broadcasting the event, the Boston Marathon must have been one of the most monitored spots in the country on that grim afternoon.
That we can identify suspects from video footage after the fact — knowing the time, location and method of the attack — does not make it realistic to suppose an observer at a monitor station could have identified the impending attack and intervened in time when those on the ground did not, however comforting that supposition might be.
Terror attacks are (thankfully) so rare and varied that any system with the slightest chance of detecting a real one would necessarily yield a vast, paralyzing number of false positives.
It is also unlikely that cameras will be especially helpful in deterring such attacks. Even when it comes to ordinary crime — where the perpetrators are generally motivated by the desire to make a quick buck without getting caught — studies have been mixed and inconclusive about the value of CCTV cameras as a crime deterrent."
That we can identify suspects from video footage after the fact — knowing the time, location and method of the attack — does not make it realistic to suppose an observer at a monitor station could have identified the impending attack and intervened in time when those on the ground did not, however comforting that supposition might be.
Terror attacks are (thankfully) so rare and varied that any system with the slightest chance of detecting a real one would necessarily yield a vast, paralyzing number of false positives.
It is also unlikely that cameras will be especially helpful in deterring such attacks. Even when it comes to ordinary crime — where the perpetrators are generally motivated by the desire to make a quick buck without getting caught — studies have been mixed and inconclusive about the value of CCTV cameras as a crime deterrent."
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Privatize Almost Everything | Cato Institute
Privatize Almost Everything | Cato Institute: "The air-traffic controller fiasco last week was a perfect illustration of how almost all governments eventually turn against the citizens they are supposed to protect and serve. As The Wall Street Journal noted April 26, the Federal Aviation Administration “managed to convert a less than 4 percent budget cut into a 10 percent air traffic control cut that would delay 40 percent of flights.” This occurred despite several years of substantial budget increases for the agency, coupled with a decreasing number of flights and workload for the controllers."
"Canada’s Air Traffic Control system is run by the nonprofit corporation Nav Canada, which is separate from the government. It raises money from its customers to cover operational costs and capital investments. Unlike the U.S. system, Nav Canada is self-supporting and not subsidized.” It also has a reputation for being very well run, with state-of-the-art systems (unlike the FAA). Approximately 50 countries have now, in part or fully, privatized their air-traffic control systems — with excellent results."
"Canada’s Air Traffic Control system is run by the nonprofit corporation Nav Canada, which is separate from the government. It raises money from its customers to cover operational costs and capital investments. Unlike the U.S. system, Nav Canada is self-supporting and not subsidized.” It also has a reputation for being very well run, with state-of-the-art systems (unlike the FAA). Approximately 50 countries have now, in part or fully, privatized their air-traffic control systems — with excellent results."
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Committee seeks judge's order before names of mentally incompetent vets sent to gun registry | Fox News
Committee seeks judge's order before names of mentally incompetent vets sent to gun registry | Fox News: "Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs automatically submits the names to the FBI's database of those veterans who are deemed unable to handle their own financial affairs and have a fiduciary appointed to administer their benefits.
But the House Committee on Veterans Affairs approved legislation requiring a judge's order before a veteran's name is submitted to the database. Lawmakers said veterans who are not a threat to harm themselves or others should not be denied a constitutional right to buy and possess guns."
But the House Committee on Veterans Affairs approved legislation requiring a judge's order before a veteran's name is submitted to the database. Lawmakers said veterans who are not a threat to harm themselves or others should not be denied a constitutional right to buy and possess guns."
George F. Will: The government puts a limit on free speech about taxes - The Washington Post
George F. Will: The government puts a limit on free speech about taxes - The Washington Post: "The government’s total price rule forbids the airlines from calling attention to the tax component of the price of a ticket by listing the price the airline charges and then the tax component with equal prominence. The rule mandates that any listing of the tax portion of a ticket’s price “not be displayed prominently and be presented in significantly smaller type than the listing of the total price.” The government is trying to prevent people from clearly seeing the burdens of government."
"The government, far from regulating to prevent customer confusion, is trying to prevent customers from understanding the taxes and fees that comprise approximately 20 percent of the average airline ticket."
"The government, far from regulating to prevent customer confusion, is trying to prevent customers from understanding the taxes and fees that comprise approximately 20 percent of the average airline ticket."
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
Mom survey says: Three is the most stressful number of kids - TODAY.com
Mom survey says: Three is the most stressful number of kids - TODAY.com: “There’s just not enough space in your head” for perfectionism when you get to four or more kids, Taylor said. For example, she recalls with her fourth child she didn’t bother with things like obsessively covering all the outlets with safety plugs.
Monday, May 06, 2013
Smoking Stupidity | Cato Institute
Smoking Stupidity | Cato Institute: "The research evidence about adolescent smoking is full of powerful explanations for why some kids smoke and others do not. None relate to the legal age for buying cigarettes."
Works of art that will mark hurricane evacuation points arriving in New Orleans | Fox News
Works of art that will mark hurricane evacuation points arriving in New Orleans | Fox News: "More than a dozen sculptures that will be used to call attention to evacuation points around New Orleans are arriving in the city."
That sounds like a good way to help people remember those locations.
That sounds like a good way to help people remember those locations.
Passing resolutions in a political party
Currently political party resolutions only require greater than 50% support to pass, so some resolutions may have many people who oppose them. How can political parties expect our elected officials to follow all of the party resolutions when many party members might oppose each of the resolutions and support for all resolutions could technically be much less than 50%?
Should resolutions require a super-majority in order to pass?
Should resolutions require a super-majority in order to pass?
Illegal Immigrration solutions
The two major solutions to illegal immigrations (amnesty and securing borders) both seem to be band-aids that don't address the causes of the problem. I think the fact that legal immigration is so hard is a huge factor in illegal immigration.
There is a plaque on the Statue of Liberty that says "Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" and before 1921 we didn't restrict the number of people who could immigrate but now we have an arbitrary limit per area.
We should first ensure that there are minimal hurdles to legal immigration. That will greatly reduce illegal immigration and allow us to focus our border security efforts on the real bad people. It will also give a great incentive to current illegal immigrants to go back and come through the legal path.
There is a plaque on the Statue of Liberty that says "Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" and before 1921 we didn't restrict the number of people who could immigrate but now we have an arbitrary limit per area.
We should first ensure that there are minimal hurdles to legal immigration. That will greatly reduce illegal immigration and allow us to focus our border security efforts on the real bad people. It will also give a great incentive to current illegal immigrants to go back and come through the legal path.
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