March 08, 2005

What a State We're In!
By Lady Liberty

This week, I was in the audience for the annual "State of the City" address offered up by the City Manager of the town where I live. I try to attend these yearly talks to see what our local government thinks the rest of us think. Fair enough. So here's what I think: While I don't think anything that was said was particularly surprising, I think that some city leaders might be a little surprised by what it is I think about what it was I actually heard when I listened between the lines.

The City Manager readily acknowledged that our town has its problems. Many businesses have moved outside of the town limits or have left the area all together. The average income of residents has gone up over the years, but it hasn't increased as quickly or as much as has inflation. Many neighborhoods, while not blighted, are in at least some disrepair. And students are leaving the area to go to college or to bigger cities, never to return. Of course, immediately following the litany of troubles, he offered up some of his ideas for addressing those issues. (Read the rest here)

Tax Reform is a Shell Game
by Congressman Ron Paul - R - TX

Tax reform is back in the news, brought to the political forefront by a recent meeting of the president’s advisory panel on tax reform. Once again, politicians and former politicians are lamenting the complexity of our tax laws, as though their own spending measures have nothing to do with it. But we’ve heard this song before. In fact, we’ve been promised a simpler, fairer, and better income tax system many times, most recently in 1997 and 1986 when Congress made relatively significant changes to the tax code. Yet the federal tax system remains an embarrassment, both in terms of the tax burden itself and the outrageous compliance costs engendered by its complexity.

One tax reform idea tacitly endorsed by Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan calls for a national retail consumption tax to replace the existing income tax. Absent the outright repeal of the 16th Amendment, however, we cannot be sure that an income tax would not reappear at some point. One can easily imagine popular support for retaining the income tax on the “very rich,” which of course is how the 16th amendment originally was sold to a gullible public in the 1910s. (Read the rest here)

Ending the Death Penalty for Juveniles Is Not Enough
By Ivan Eland

The most important aspect of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of executing juveniles was its consideration of evolving international views of “cruel and unusual punishment.” The court wisely noted the rising global tide of revulsion against governments killing their younger citizens, no matter what their crime, and ruled that juvenile death sentences in the United States are unconstitutional. Similarly, in the future, the court should heed burgeoning world condemnation of the U.S. death penalty for persons of any age.

Since 1990, the United States has been in the deplorable company of the few remaining nations—Iran, China, Congo, Yemen, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia—that still put young people to death for crimes. America, famous for the extent of its individual freedoms, should not be on any list with such despotic third world abusers of human rights. In fact, Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion for the court, noted the “stark reality that the United States is the only country in the world that continues to give official sanction to the juvenile death penalty.” (Read the rest here)

Libertarian Commentary on The News
By Nathan A. Barton © 2004

China is in the news today - so tell me, in your opinion, is red china acceptable for formal dinner wear, or should you stick with the traditional white china? It's your opinion, of course, just like this column is mine - not necessarily TPoL's or anyone else's views. Let's see, red or white...

China wants US, Japan to abandon Taiwan
Daily Times [Pakistan]
"China warned the United States and Japan against including Taiwan in their military pact on Sunday, while also seeking to calm fears that the lifting of an EU arms embargo would lead to an attack against the island. Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said Beijing sought better ties with both Washington and Tokyo -- China's two largest trading partners -- but he warned increasing US-Japan military cooperation should be strictly bilateral and not encompass Beijing's archrival Taiwan. 'Any part of putting Taiwan directly or indirectly into the scope of Japan-US security cooperation constitutes an encroachment on China's sovereignty and interference in China's internal affairs,' Li said." (03/07/05)

Red definitely, for Peking, of course. But they want Taiwan to give up white. Sounds like Peking is blowing hot and cold - threats but "oh, we won't USE all these pretty European weapons." Would I be surprised if the US and Japan threw Taiwan to the wolves? Not really, but it would still be a blatant demonstration that we don't care about liberty, if we allow through our inaction or misdirection for Taiwan to go the way of Hong Kong and Macao. Meanwhile, more evidence of Chinese interference: (Read the rest of the Commentary here)

New at The Price of Liberty
The Mailbag for Tuesday

Features From The Last Issue

Fairy Godmother Government By Cat Farmer © 2004 The Way Tyranny Works By Ted Lang © 2004 Libertarian Commentary for Monday

New Articles Posted Every Week Day !
Click Here for the Archives
PLEASE let me know if you find a broken link!
Each day's front page is linked to the date on the calendar.
Just click on one for more great articles!

New Feature At The Price of Liberty
BEWARE - The Idiot Zone
Ok, I think I got it right this time! New Idiot sighting by our own Ed Henry!
(Read the rest here) And send us your IDIOT sightings too.

READER'S FORUM
New topics are being added frequently now.
Take a look and let us know what you are thinking about the issues of today.

MamaLiberty is the owner, publisher, writer, chief cook and bottle washer for The Price of Liberty. I'd love to hear from you! I promise to delete any nasty notes, threats or other nonsense. Serious questions and comments will be answered to the best of my ability.

Serious writers are also invited to submit articles for consideration. Please see the mission statement and the writer's guidelines first, just to save you time and effort. I don't require exclusives, by any means. Please do not submit someone else's copyrighted material unless it is clearly marked for use on the external oped page. Include a link to it or we can't use it. Thanks!