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August
20, 2004
The views
and opinions expressed herein are those of the author, not necessarily
doctrinaire libertarian, or the opinion of anyone else, big L or little
l-libertarian! They may be disturbing, and hopefully will cause the reader
to think! For the rest of the news,
click here.
1- Survey
claims bureaucrats are important in Americans' lives
GovExec.com
Consider the source, folks! Like any survey, you can bias the results
by the way you ask the questions. Not saying that they were asking questions
like, "Is the US government better than having Castro rule the USA?"
- I'm sure they aren't that blatant. But the negative "stereotypes"
are interesting reading. It might be fun to conduct your own survey of
neighbors and people in stores: How do you view the federal government?
Of course,
buro-rats ARE important in our lives, just like botulism, idiot drivers,
and all the other things that, with a bit of carelessness or bad luck,
can hurt or even kill us.
2- O'Hare
agrees to ignore market, limit flight arrivals
Chicago Sun-Times
Funny - if they'd treated this like a free market (the way it should be),
the prices would have risen anyway, but at least there would have been
some connection, and it would not have been the political football it
is today. Of course, since it is government regulation in the first place
that causes the crowding, the lack of capacity, and the demand, obviously
more government intervention and control is the only solution!
3- Ninth
court reverses itself, okays mandatory DNA tests
Seattle Times
I suppose there is some logic to this decision, a rare enough event for
the 9th. But exactly how does this DNA testing have anything to do with
their parole and compliance? When you need an excuse to extend your power,
anything will do, I guess.
4- The
devil touts potency pill
Independent
Funny.
Mama's
Note: Perhaps it is an indication of the moral decay in this country too.
Imagine needing the image of Satan to sell sex, of all things. Sex alone
used to be enough to sell most anything.
5- Publishing
industry considers digital rights management
c|net news
Publishers in general, like music publishers, seem to fall into two categories:
those who will be around in a few years, and those who won't. Those who
won't are so bent out of shape trying to protect their "intellectual
property" that they've lost sight of the fact that all their money
comes from customers, the very target of much of the war on copying. Other
firms (Baen Books -free e-books
- comes to mind) have decided to embrace and take advantage of the new
technology to provide a superior product and service to their customers.
6- Federal
judge tries to force reporters to reveal sources
Bradenton.com
Nothing shows the folly of trusting to the present court system to protect
our rights than the routine abuse of "contempt" by judges (and
not just federal judges). The hubris of judges who believe that they can
demand anything they wish from the press, clerics, doctors, or anyone
else is an affront to a free people. Judges are a very, very big part
of the problem with our judicial system.
7- Army
inquiry: poor leadership, little culpability at Abu Ghraib
Indy Star
The original revelations indicated this was a likely finding of the initial
inquiry. It will not be the last one, of course, and this will drag on
for years. But whatever guilt is assigned to those senior officers and
organizations (who must be made to pay for their own mistakes and failures,
let me add), it does not excuse the actions of the rankest private who
participated in this screw-up. They too must be held accountable - nothing
the senior leadership did (or didn't do) justifies this kind of stupidity.
8- Vermont
campaign finance law ruled constitutional
Times Argus
Here we have another example of how the judicial system has taken over
the role of lawmakers AND executive-branch officials. Again, I cannot
understand how the First Amendment isn't violated - but then, I never
understood why "commercial" speech isn't protected by the First,
so I fall back on my earlier statement - Judges are a very, very big part
of the problem with our judicial system.
9- Montana
capital to impose land-use permission slips?
Independent Record
Even the West is getting more and more of this kind of nannying and busy-body-ness.
In this case, the developers and builders seem to be on the side of the
angels. That's good, because too many places it is the "legitimate"
builders, contractors, and developers that are PROMOTING permitting, zoning,
and central statist planning in a misguided attempt to restrict their
competition and force customers to use their services.
10- California
pols vote to up penalties on toy guns
San Diego Union-Tribune
California is following the lead of the UK and many other places. Every
time I visit a sporting goods store, I'm amazed at how much the new generation
of SoftAir and pellet and BB guns look like firearms. So while I can understand
the ways toy guns can cause cops to panic, especially as younger and younger
children become killers, we are still treating the symptoms and NOT the
causes - including the cops themselves, who make themselves an occupying
army to too many people, including children, and a war on guns that makes
replicas and realistic-looking toy guns more common and desirable, and
laws that make open-carry illegal or very difficult. Government is the
problem, and more government is obviously the answer!
11- Washington
state mandates more newborn tests
Seattle Times
Virtually anytime some state or locality goes and does some hyper-nanny
thing like this, you can see the fine hand of some special interest group
in the pot - seeking to "force" people to take care of themselves.
And generally, you find a "serious, life threatening condition"
that is so rare that parents (and those bastions of evil, HMOs) can't
see any real benefit to paying the cost for the test. Which fuels the
lobbying efforts of the SIG, and so the cycle continues.
Mama's
Note: Another tiny example of the saying: It isn't right or good to do
something just because we CAN do it.
12- Texas
pol arrested after driving with suspended permission slip
Houston Chronicle
Much as I hate drivers licenses, you would think the very guys (and gals)
that pass these laws would have the common decency to follow their own
laws. Unless this woman is on record for trying to reform or abolish licensing
laws, she is a lowlife hypocrite, and the threat she presents to the public
health is NOT going to end just when she is stopped from driving on Texas
roads.
Mama's
Note: I took a very simple test many, many years ago, and have "renewed"
the permission slip by mail ever since. How in the world does that prove
I'm a good driver? It is simply a way for the statists to keep track of
us and control a large part of our lives. It has nothing at all to do
with safety.
13- Ohio
Sec. of State pushes for fiscal responsibility
Cincinnati Enquirer
Bravo for a man who is, whatever his other faults as an agent of the state,
trying to fix a problem that is real and pressing. He is one of a dozen
different state anti-tax movements that are making at least some progress,
even if it is just a greater awareness. I do like his phrase:"deepening
economic death spiral."
14- Montana
city increases youth-drinking nannying
Independent Record
Someone is trying to get reelected, no doubt. Of course, Missoula is a
college town, and this is a "legitimate" way for the town to
beat up on the gown, since it is likely that much of the UAC (underage
consumption) is by college students: 18 and old enough to vote (or get
drafted) but under 21 and therefore unable to decide for themselves what
to drink (as a result of earlier government nannying).
15- RFID
tagging of patients, staff coming to DC hospital
RFID Journal
This, I think, is one of those good uses of RFID: many cases of the wrong
patient being operated on, or losing a patient somewhere in the hospital
could be eliminated, and it beats those silly little wrist bands.
Mama's
Note: As a nurse, I can tell you that it won't make a particle of difference.
The usefulness and reliability of ANY system rests in the integrity of
the users of that system. Remember: garbage in- garbage out. It doesn't
matter if it is a hand written list or a micro-chip. If the people making
and using the information do not have the integrity to get it right, it
won't be right.
16- More
Wyomingites clue in to futility of voting
Casper Star Tribune
I've been doing some research on Wyoming voting, and Wyoming has always
had a pretty good turnout - what makes this important is that for many
offices, the primary election IS the election: there is no Libertarian
or candidate from the other wing of the majority party to contest the
seat (and not just seats with an incumbent). The problem is, there is
always somebody willing to be a warm body and fill these seats, so business
goes on as usual.
17- Duluth
home buyers bribed to buy on bus lines
Duluth News Tribune
What a clear case of the tail wagging the dog. Fannie Mae is NOT supposed
to be in the social engineering business, and neither, I wager, is the
Transit Authority. It is not enough to subsidize the public transportation
system directly, we must now go and find ways to waste money indirectly
to support what would otherwise be dead and buried.
Mama's
Note: It is the unspoken motto of all government: Throwing good money
after bad.
18- California
gov sues another energy company over 2000 crisis
Forbes
Lockyear - what else needs to be said. The man is so good at finding scapegoats
it is scary.
Mama's
Note: And where do these companies get the money to pay these "fines"
and "judgments"? From their customers, of course! We'd all be
better off if they just shut up about the whole thing and left it alone,
but that is a futile hope. We'll be paying for this over and over again
for many years to come.
19- Nashville
judicrats bungle traffic court scheduling
Tennessean
Funny indeed. Of course, given the mischievous and in-your-face attitude
of Tennessee's many libertarians and anti-tax activists, I wouldn't put
it past them making a bad situation even worse, just to put egg on the
face of the buro-rats! You know, a whisper to the fire inspectors or something?
20- Aussie
tax thugs taking lessons from IRS?
Sydney Morning Herald
Of course, keeping in mind who makes sure that the government auditors
get paid, I don't think the Aussie tax goons have much to worry about,
any more than the IRS does.
21- Israeli
high court backs decision not to charge PM Sharon
Haaretz
I guess we should be glad that the petitions were even possible - but
I think no one is surprised that Sharon is being let off the hook.
22- Japanese
pols indicted in vote-buying scandal
Japan Times
They'll probably get off by the skin of their teeth, with this kind of
backing.
23- UK
gov to fund elder house-sharing?
Independent
As a fan of British comedies, especially the classic "Waiting for
God," This gives me such a chuckle - what a surefire plan for disaster,
and how typically British! (Waiting for God is about an elderly pair of
misfits in a retirement home in southern England, causing terror for local
authorities, the money-grubbing management of the retirement home, their
younger relatives, and various others!)
24- Pakistan
gov agency wants bank snooping powers
Daily Times
Killing several birds with one stone, this is. How convenient to find
out who can afford the biggest bribes for not investigating them!
25- Russian
gov rejects foreign mediation call for Georgian conflict
Moscow Times
Of course, with the existing Georgian government, outside mediation, especially
by Moscow, would accomplish nothing except to prolong the killing. These
people need to resolve their own problems, and the biggest one is the
idea that South Ossetia is a permanent part of Georgia. Hmmm. That sounds
familiar, doesn't it?
Nathan Barton is a libertarian and engineer writing from a concealed location
in the Metro Denver area. He welcomes comment, does respond, and hopes
that you find this interesting and informative. Please note, some of the
above remarks are intended to be sarcastic and should not be taken at
face value. Oh, and you DON'T have to donate money to PBS to watch British
comedies.
If you
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