March 17, 2005

Soft Totalitarians On The Loose At The UN
By Carey Roberts

News Flash - UN top brass have begun to realize that the American public is growing tired of the non-stop scandals oozing like putrid swamp-fill from the world body. Appearing on Fox News Sunday this past weekend, UN chief of staff Mark Malloch Brown was forced to admit, "In a very real way, we seem to have lost touch with the great middle in America."

But Mr. Brown is actually quite fortunate.

Because if Middle Americans knew how radical feminists are working tirelessly behind the scenes to spread their socialistic views of gender equality, he would be facing a public relations problem of tsunamic proportions.

The Gender Warriors now operate with impunity from three base camps within the UN bureaucracy: (Read the rest here)

Job Market Reflected In Payroll Taxes
By Ed Henry

One of the best indications of the job situation in this country is the amount of surplus payroll tax flowing into the government, particularly in the 12.4 percent every worker pays for his or her supplemental retirement guarantee.

For months now, politicians and their shills have been telling us that Social Security is currently generating more than it needs, but someday this will not happen. So we must act now to “save” the system. Yet, no one asks “how much” Social Security is generating above its needs?

If the public realized how much surplus was flowing into government coffers and what happens to it, they’d be up in arms. But that’s not the subject of this article. (Read the rest here)

Government’s Social Security Mess
By Sheldon Richman

It’s hard to say how the debate over Social Security will turn out. Considering that the system rests on the three-legged stool of the welfare state — coercion, deception, and paternalism — it’s hard to see a case for anything but abolition and the individual right to control one’s own income. But in thinking about a way out of the mess, it is worth taking time to understand how we got into it.

And it is a mess. Government investment on behalf of future retirees is like the tooth fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus. It never existed. As a result, in about a dozen years, when the payroll tax can’t cover benefits, the government, to keep its promises, will substantially raise taxes on workers and/or begin borrowing huge amounts of money, consuming capital that would have raised our living standard. The government could reduce other spending, but that will be difficult because all government spending is backed by well-organized interest groups who do not cotton to proposed cuts. However, the political wizards may try to get away with trimming the benefits of future retirees or changing the retirement age. Whatever solution the politicians adopt is bound to harm large groups of people and stunt economic growth. (Read the rest here)

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

Saint Patrick's Day, for too long an excuse for drunkenness (green-beer drunks, to boot) and silly parades, should be a reminder of the significant difference ONE MAN made to an entire island and multitude of peoples, for 70-80 generations - and an ex-slave, to boot! Even today, just one person at the right place at the right time, and with the right qualities, CAN make a difference! That's my view, if not (like the rest of this column) necessarily that of anyone else, including RRND or FND.

Again, if you have suggestions or ideas for changing this column, please let me know. The new RRND/FND websites are really nice, and many other sites are also improving and revising their formats, so this is a good time to follow the example - but I'd appreciate your ideas.
On to the news:

Union waves white flag - Semper Fi!
Detroit News
"Facing intense criticism, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger reversed his decision to ban Marine Corps reservists driving foreign cars or displaying pro-President Bush bumper stickers from parking at the union's Solidarity House headquarters in Detroit. 'I made the wrong call on the parking issue, and I have notified the Marine Corps that all reservists are welcome to park at Solidarity House as they have for the past 10 years,' Gettelfinger said in a statement." But officials for the Reserve Center rejected the offer, saying that they have made other arrangements to secure overflow parking.

Thanks to Chuck for this story. I can't help but agree more with the Leathernecks than with the UAW, but such in-fighting between a big bunch of statists and a government agency warms our hearts! (Read the rest of the Commentary here)

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