The Price of
Liberty | The Price of
Liberty |
|
Libertarian
Commentary on The News
Posted August 20, 2012By Nathan A. Barton © 2012 Commentary for: Monday, August 13, 2012 Politics 2012 Ryan for VP (Townhall.com) Paul Jacob writes concerning Paul Ryan, the tentative GOP Veep nominee: But what about by our standards? By the standards of the electorate, or Republicans, or conservatives, or libertarians? A sign posted and re-posted on Facebook, reads: “Paul Ryan voted for TARP, the auto bailouts, Medicare expansion, housing subsidies, unemployment extension, a national ID, making the Patriot Act permanent, surveillance without a warrant, No Child Left Behind, keeping troops in Iraq indefinitely, the 2008 and 2009 stimulus? Sounds perfect for Romney.” It dawns on me, especially when explaining political reality to my children, that political reality just really stinks. Paul Jacob is right: we once more have a choice of four totally despicable people in the two old party slots, and a couple of okay or even good guys (Johnson and Gray) running a very distant third. It is a good thing that this election is not more important. My prayer is that the results will be less than meaningless in the long term as we regain our lost liberty in spite of these and not because of them. Culture Wars: Homosexuality Boy Scouts, after secret review, reaffirms ban on gays (Los Angeles Times) HOUSTON -- The Boy Scouts of America on Tuesday reaffirmed the organization's policy of excluding gays, despite recent protest campaigns by members, including some of the group's board. The media seem to be (as usual) very well coordinated in their attacks on the BSA, as with that on gun owners, homeschooling, private schools, and of course, businessmen. This is actually a few weeks old, but I didn't comment on it then and it is worth discussing. Thanks to Darryl for this; his comment: Hooray for the Boy Scouts! Mama's Note: Too few commentators or individuals ever point out that the real issue is NOT homosexuals, but free association. Each individual - and their voluntary groups - have the right to associate with, or NOT associate with, anyone they choose. The only thing I have against many homosexuals is this obvious tendency to force themselves on others. I won't tolerate that in any person. Nothing prevents the homosexuals (or anyone else) from forming their own clubs, of course. They simply would not be able to take advantage of the prestige and wealth that the BSA has earned over the years. Commentary of the week "The United States of Dependency?" (Investor's Business Daily) The IBD is, in all, a rather radical publication and calls a spade a spade. This article discusses the fact that 107 million Americans get welfare payments of some kind from the FedGov (out of 320 million people: a THIRD!) (and that doesn't count Social Security or Medicare), and is growing by 5 million people a year: consuming 70% of the FedGov's spending and giving us a $211 TRILLION dollar debt! As they point out, it must stop, and believe me, it will: and almost certainly in fire and bombs and blood. If you are on the West Coast, the Atlantic Seaboard, the Gulf Coast, and the Great Lakes area: GET OUT NOW. Head west to Wyoming or Montana or the Dakotas or the Great Basin. If you feel lucky, head for Tennessee and Kentucky, maybe Missouri-Arkansas-Kansas-Oklahoma. Store and grow your own food, arm yourself (more heavily) and stock up on ammo while learning to reload WITHOUT those UPS shipments from Cabela's, and keep a low profile. Mama's Note: I believe the $211 trillion does include SS, Medicare and other entitlements, but it hardly matters. Repent... for the end is near. Abominable Act "Ambiguity in Health Law Could Make Family Coverage Too Costly for Many," (New York Times) As reported by the National Center for Policy Analysis, this article points out that MANY families are between a rock and a hard place, based on definitions and interpretations in the Abominable Act: you are "too rich" to be eligible for all that lovely government-paid health insurance and too poor to afford it on your own or through your employer. Mama's Note: Don't forget that having "insurance" and finding competent (or any) actual health care are not the same thing. The entire system of western medicine is crumbling rapidly and Obummercare will simply be the wooden stake driven through its heart at the end. If you understand the problems with the AMA and big pharma, etc., you will see this as a good thing, painful as it will be to so many. This guy is actually DOING the free market medicine to a great extent. He does not accept any Medicare, Medicaid at all. He probably will not be allowed to continue, at least above ground, but there is already a lot of "gray market" medicine and many alternatives available. Unfortunately, the problem is not JUST that the government won't "let" us use things like special savings accounts. The entire web of "food stamps" and every other subsidy and entitlement program have conditioned generations of people to assume that they are not responsible for themselves or their health, and that others can be forced to pay for whatever they feel they "need." Nothing will change for the better as long as people think that way, and government has the power to make it continue happening. Tweaking the current system is as pointless as explaining to a drunk on Skid Row why he'd be so much better off sober. Heck, he might even agree with you, but few will ever take responsibility and do the hard work themselves to make it so. Tuesday, August 14, 2012 Theft by government 2,362 Millionaires Got Unemployment Benefits (CNSNews.com) There were 2,362 people who earned a million dollars or more in taxable income in 2009 and who also received federal unemployment benefits that year, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service. In fact, these millionaires collectively raked in more than $20 million in unemployment benefits. ... In addition to the 2,362 people with adjusted gross incomes of $1 million or more who got unemployment benefits in 2009, there were also 8,335 people with incomes between $500,000 and $1 million who received benefits and 120,227 with incomes between $200,000 and $500,000 who received benefits. Is this a crime? Or immoral? A person can have a net income of more than $1 million and STILL be unemployed - be laid off or have the company for which they work go out of business. And they or their employer had to pay unemployment taxes. This is not new, and it is a pittance compared to the BILLIONS (450 billion in 4 years) paid out. Or to the amount these people paid in income taxes alone: if they averaged just 10%, and were all just at $1 million, that means they paid in AT LEAST $236,200,000, just in income tax alone: not count SUTA or FICA or anything else. But it shows that the economy truly IS bad. Theft by government High School Dropout? Gov’t Will Pay You 36% More Than Private Sector (CNSNews.com) Now there is a deal for you! Seems as the philosophy of government today is "We help those who won't help themselves." Or so we are told, and then there is the next story: Stupid government Bureau of Indian Affairs Funded 'Non-Existent' Fish Hatchery for 14 Years (CNSNews.com) Like non-existent fish hatcheries? Oh? I thought business was about taking risks - I surely do enough of it, and lose pretty often, too. Government is supposed to reduce risk AND NOT take risks. There should be a clean understanding that government needs to NOT invest. This stopped in 2006, according to the BIA testimony, which also provided other examples of things gone wrong. For more than 150 years, the BIA and its ancestor agencies have been funneling graft to political supporters of those in power, and to keep much of the nation in a state equal to third-world countries. For eight generations in the Plains Tribes, the surest way to success and to providing for your future generations in your family has been to suck up to the government and get in on the graft once called the "Indian Ring." It is NOT changing. Home front Summer Food Program Trains Kids to Prod Fellow Students About Eating Healthy (CNSNews.com) I suppose the prodding includes snitching on them to the food police. Then when they graduate from school, they can continue to use the skills they learned, and even aspire to go into the informant business full time for the cops. Islamic wars: Arab Street Revolt Islamic Bloc Moves to Expel Syria, Leaving Iran Isolated (CNSNews.com) As I have said repeatedly, the only people that Muslims hate more than infidels is other Muslims: this isn't about "submission to Allah" but about who, 1400 years ago or so, was Mohammed's "legitimate" successor - an argument unfortunately similar to that which divides not just LDS (who was Joe Smith Jr's successor), but even the so-called major branches of "christianity:" Orthodox, Roman and Protestant. I suspect that this doesn't bother Iran much, since Persia has always been isolated to some degree. Mama's Note: And, of course, the central item in all these struggles is the question of who gets to be in control. It's all about control; of lives and property and the illusion of legitimacy. World wars Energy-Hungry Asian Customers Look for Ways to Skirt Iran Oil Restrictions (CNSNews.com) One reasons that sanctions and embargos do NOT work without either a LOT of moral justification OR the use of aggressive force. This kind of embargo IS aggressive force, and the FedGov should be ashamed. Mama's Note: The FedGov is incapable of shame. It should not exist. Home front: energy Lifting Drilling Restrictions Could Increase U.S. Reserves by 30 Percent, Study Finds (CNSNews.com) One more reason why "peak oil theory" now belongs in the dust bin out back of the sciences classroom building (or maybe in the "history of science" classes on "stupid things we used to believe" - like the philogen theory of fire, a flat earth, evolution, and manmade global warming. And one more reminder of what government does best: ruin people's lives and the nation's society and economy. First Citizen: more lies - Government war on religion Obama at Iftar Dinner: ‘Of All Rights We Hold Sacred, Foremost Is Freedom of Religion’ (CNSNews.com) Garbage. The man can't open his mouth without lying: his administration's track record at home and abroad indicates that religious liberty is at the bottom of the pile - the pile waiting to be hauled away to the landfill. Politics 2012 Ryan: 'It Is Our Duty to Save the American Dream for Our Children' (CNSNews.com) Hmmm. Missed that duty in the Bible, I guess. Got to be there someplace, right? If Ryan is so het up about it, I mean. But how about saving the American dream for THIS generation? Mama's Note: Of course it helps to define what one means by this "American Dream." My dream is for self ownership and the freedom to be left alone. Have not read that in any definition I've seen so far. Crash of 2009 - Theft by government Debt Up $6.35T Since Ryan Predicted--in 2008-U.S. Was Headed Toward Bankruptcy (CNSNews.com) This sort of prediction coming true we don't need - so let's get rid of the person who said it? And what better way to get rid of him than making him VEEP? Abominable Act Obamacare Mandate: Sterilize 15-Year-Old Girls for Free--Without Parental Consent (CNSNews.com) There appear to be a couple of prime candidates for this procedure at 1600 Pennsylvania, no? This is clearly a eugenics measure by Tranzis, and the heritage and background must be taken into consideration. American front - Environists EPA’s ‘Border Environmental’ Agreement With Mexico Ignores Damage to Federal Lands from Illegal Aliens (CNSNews.com) The entire concept of a "border environmental" agreement with a Mexico ravaged by its civil war, in which not just illegal aliens but drug producers and smugglers trash the environment, is absurdity at its best. Stupid government - Culture wars D.C. Gov't To Launch Anti-Transgender Discrimination Ad Campaign (CNSNews.com) I am not sure how this holds with the idea of sterilizing 15-year-old girls and increasing abortion rates. It would seem (from a eugenics point of view) that "transgendered" people are exactly the kind of physical-mental defects which you would WANT to eliminate from the population - horrifically disruptive and expensive for society (directly or indirectly), and with no real benefit. Even promoting homosexuality makes more sense from a Tranzi point of view than this does. Yet, here we go. Islamic wars: Arab Street Revolt ‘More Visible’ U.S. Role Expected in Syria in Coming Weeks, Turkey Says (CNSNews.com) Actually reporting what is going on, or just wishful thinking on the park of Ankara? This plays into the broad sweeping and fevered imaginings of the conspiracy theorists (now that Syria is distracting them from Iran) that the FedGov (and Israel) is just slavering for the opportunity to start dropping bombs on Syria while using drones against Syrian leaders and shooting down yet another set of old-generation MiGs. Home Front Off-duty Cop Biker Hits Child and Kills Father (The Stir) Saturday night, an off-duty police officer was riding down the street on his motorcycle when apparently a little girl darted out from nowhere in front of his bike. He intentionally "ditched" the bike in an effort to avoid hitting her, but it was too late. His bike slammed into 4-year-old Taniyah Middleton, as well as her 18-year-old cousin, who had run out to help her. The cop, despite being injured himself, reportedly began trying to help the little girl. This is when the girl's father, Christopher Middleton, ran out of a nearby restaurant, saw the scene, and began taking out his fury on the man who had hurt his daughter. Reportedly the man identified himself as a police officer, but the infuriated man just kept pummeling. Then the 18-year-old cousin joined in. About to lose consciousness from the beating, the cop pulled out his gun and fired, killing the father. Comments from the person (thanks, Sandy) who sent this: This horrible scenario brings up a whole lot of questions: How did the little girl get out of the restaurant? Why was she running across the street? Why would the cop feel his life was so in danger that he had to fire into the father to get the fight to stop? What about firing into the air? Or, at the most, his leg? The little girl is recovering from her injuries, as is the police officer. The tragedy is being investigated. But it does make you wonder if this all could have been avoided if the father had called police rather than begun lashing out physically. When it comes to our kids, it's not easy to let our heads, not our hands, be in charge. But it might be for the best. What do you think the father should have done? Nathan's comments: It could very well be the reason the man was so angry is BECAUSE the biker identified himself as a cop: the people of the inner city KNOW that the cops are not their friends. They KNOW that cops kill and injure children, and are callous towards the community. Right or wrong, the LAST thing this father would want to do is call the cops - ESPECIALLY on another cop! What should the father have done? That is NOT the question here: the questions are (1) WHY the father instinctively lashed out at the man who hurt his child and cousin? And (2) WHY did the cop so quickly resort to deadly force to defend himself against a traumatized father and KILL him. Cops are trained in self-defense, and this claim that he was "about to lose consciousness" smells fishy to me. Mama's Note: Just to address one suggestion from Sandy... shooting into the air is a seriously bad and negligent thing to do. What goes up does come down, and could hit an innocent bystander with deadly force. A "warning shot" is irresponsible and, in many places, illegal. If someone actually has the time and opportunity to fire a "warning shot," they probably do not have any ethical reason to shoot at all. As for aiming at an arm or leg, this is a myth and is not something even considered by people who rationally train to defend themselves. Again, if a person has an ethical and legal reson to draw and fire a gun, it is to stop a lethal attack and nothing else. That means the shooter must do the best they can to produce as devastating a wound as possible so that the attacker is incapacitated or gives up immediately. Even if the shooter is a world class marksman and is ABLE to hit a small target under such stress, an attacker so wounded can take advantage of the time wasted and kill the defender without further ado. Considering the usual poor "report" details and the lack of credibility for anything reported by MSM anyway, I see nothing in the story to even suggest that this "cop" had any ethical or logical reason to draw, much less shoot anyone. But the "only ones" don't usually worry much about that anyway. I'm sure he's losing no sleep over it. Self-defense Texas: Shotgun robber no match for victim with handgun (12 News Now) "Police say an armed robber got more than he bargained for Friday night when he targeted the wrong victim. Just after 10 p.m. a 36-year- old man was confronted by a robber with a shotgun in the parking lot of the Walgreens located in the 3600 block of College. The man said the robber held the shotgun to his head and demanded money. The man, a concealed handgun license holder, was able to get his handgun and fired one shot at the would-be robber. The robber dropped his shotgun and took off running fleeing south behind the store. The intended victim was not injured during this confrontation and he did not lose any property." (08/11/12) Not a good shot - needs practice. Yeah, I realize the conditions were not conducive to good marksmanship, but still. At least it turned out well. Mama's Note: First problem was poor situational awareness. How did someone with a shotgun get that close to him to start with? But, after that, it would indeed be a dicey situation in which to practice good marksmanship! Self-defense Kentucky: Homeowner kills intruder in invasion (Bowling Green Daily News) "An Allen County homeowner clings to life today in a Nashville hospital following a home-invasion shooting Thursday. The critically injured homeowner shot the intruder to death, according to a release from Kentucky State Police." (08/010/12) This defender didn't fare as well, but he STILL survived because he was armed, alert, and able to shoot effectively even in bad conditions. Mama's Note: I wonder if the guy had his doors locked... Such a simple thing, and so many people just ignore it. Politics 2012 Iowa deli co-owner caters for Obama visit, but his T-shirt tells another story (Washington Post) DAVENPORT, Iowa — Ross Murty likes business, but he doesn’t like President Obama. And so the co-owner of the Village Corner Deli here agreed to cater Obama’s visit Wednesday — but not before donning a T-shirt blaring the message: “Government didn’t build my business. I did.” Pretty telling, isn't it? That there isn't a good Democrat running a catering business in this city? Theft by government Study: Some companies pay more to CEOs than to federal government (Reuters) "Citigroup, Abbott Laboratories, and AT&T are among the 26 companies that paid more to their CEOs in 2011 than they did in federal taxes, according to a study released on Thursday. Tax breaks on research and development, past losses, and foreign-held earnings were among those lightening the tax load for many companies on the list, said the Institute for Policy Studies, a left-leaning think tank in Washington, D.C. Citi, Abbott and AT&T all took issue with the institute's methodology. All three said they paid all taxes owed in 2011." [editor's note: In cases where those CEOs are actually improving things, it only seems just! - SAT] (08/16/12) It is apparently rare. But what is wrong with paying more to the CEO than to the government: not a thing: GOVERNMENT didn't build their business, after all. HAVING to pay anything to government is a moral crime, anyway. More to the point, though, all these companies are paying more to the FedGov than to INVESTORS: that is, profits. Consider the typical gasoline seller, who usually collects 8-10 times as much in taxes for the government (direct taxes) than they have in profit on a gallon of fuel. Congress in Action - YEA! Congress: Fewest laws since 1947 (The Arizona Republic) "Congress is on pace to make history with the least productive legislative year in the post-World War II era. Just 61 bills have become law to date in 2012 out of 3,914 bills that have been introduced by lawmakers, or less than 2 percent of all proposed laws, according to a USA Today analysis of records since 1947 kept by the U.S. House Clerk's office. Congress' historically low approval ratings hit 10 percent Tuesday, according to Gallup polling." [editor's note: This would be of course be cause for festive celebration in a sane society - SAT] (08/16/12) The idea that Congress is "productive" only when it passes a lot of laws, and that this is a good thing, is akin to the idea that a "productive" hitman who kills more victims each year is a good thing. This, to me, is GREAT news: would only that they (a) passed still FEWER bills, and (b) REVOKED many they already passed. Local tyranny - stupid government PA: $600 a day fine for feeding needy children (The Raw Story) "A woman in Chester Township, Pennsylvania has been warned that she could be fined as much as $600 a day if she continues to feed needy children in her community. Angela Prattis has been feeding lunch to as many as 60 children a day under a program funded by the state's Department of Education and administered by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. But because Prattis [is] allowing the children to come to her home, Chester Township has threatened fines of $600 a day if he continues to hand out the lunches, which consist of a sandwich, fruit and milk. Prattis told KPLC that the town sent her a letter stating she needed a variance to use her personal residence." (08/16/12) This is as stupid and sick as the next story. Local tyranny - Government-run, tax-funded schools Student punished for standing up for bullied handicapped student (The Blaze) (The Blaze.com) Obviously, THIS school has no problem with bullying the handicapped; but when the bully whinges, they take action. clearly, there is a LOT not reported in this story. Self Defense - Home front DC: Security guard credited for thwarting FRC shooting (Christian Science Monitor) "A man who had been a volunteer at a community center for gays walked into the lobby of a conservative political organization, assailed the group's work, pulled a gun and opened fire. But the shooting Wednesday morning at the downtown Washington headquarters of the Family Research Council left only one person injured: the security guard. And after being struck in the arm, he helped wrestle the gunman to the floor, thwarting an attack that police fear could have turned deadly." (08/16/12) It was hard to find this story - it was not well-covered by the mainstream media, for obvious reasons: no gallons of blood, no screaming families of victims demanding "something" be done, and no reason to scream for universal disarmament! This WAS a political attack, there is no doubt; and if it were against an pro-abortion group, a Muslim organization, or a government agency, it would have been called Terrorism. At least it isn’t “workplace violence” like the Fort Hood attack! Wednesday, August 15, 2012 Crash of 2009 Price of Ground Beef Hits Record High (CNSNews.com) We can blame a LOT of factors: inflation, ethanol subsidies by government, government regulations (especially on Confined Animal Feeding Operations, plus other environmental regulations), higher transportation costs, and the bad economy for four years. Mama's Note: Add to those the recent drought and big fires in many beef production areas, ongoing and ever increasing cost of operations and taxes, death taxes, predator problems, and the shrinking population of those willing to live a ranch life... it's all been taking a toll for a hundred years or more. A friend who ran a few head west of here for the last few years had his range and winter hay destroyed by a brush/forest fire recently. He had to put down 17 cows injured by the fire and smoke in their lungs... his costs were already exceeding any profit he might have had from them, and his taxes will be "due" in a few months. He sold the rest of his cattle and will probably never buy more. The government would have been happy to make him a "loan," but that would simply have kicked the can down the road a little. He was never going to make enough to pay it back anyway. And that's the way they like it. Islamic wars: South Asian front Clinton Omits Religious Tolerance in Her Message to Pakistan on Its Independence Day (CNSNews.com) Actually, I can agree with her: why bother? They won't listen anyway. Politics 2012 Obama: ‘We Have Been Outspent Before’ (CNSNews.com) By whom? The FedGov is the biggest spender on the planet and the biggest spender in history. Of course, he is talking about the political campaign - and even there, I find it hard to believe that the total spending for the two old parties in the race for President is such that the GOP is outspending the Dems. Stupid Tranzi tricks Bill Gates Commits $370M to Reinventing the Toilet (CNSNews.com) The best thing that can be said for this is that it is officially non-governmental, but it is still Tranzi in heart and soul: the enlightened ones must lead the rest of us to salvation here on earth. At least none of the proposals run on Windows. Mama's Note: What a thought... just about sprayed coffee through my nose when I read that one. Yes, "Windows" could actually screw up even the simple operation of a toilet. Politics 2012 - Abominable Act Obama Pledged His Medicare Cuts Are Here to Stay (CNSNews.com) And no one seems to listen to him. Of course, maybe he isn't telling the truth here. Mama's Note: The only good part of any of this is the fact that, no matter what he says or does, none of it is "here to stay." There will always be someone happy to make it worse, and the very nature of the current disaster is guarantee that it can't go on much longer. One way or another, things will change. Free Speech - East Asian front Twitter CEO: We Are Not Going to Go to China (CNSNews.com) Well, that is a relief; having a billion + "screamin' Chinese" all trying to put their 140 characters on the web would be a disaster. Not that they can't already hack into every Twitter account, I'm sure. (Disclaimer: I am NOT on Twitter!) Mama's Note: Oh me... how silly. Does anyone remember when you had 10 families on a telephone party line and you knew everyone was listening to everyone else at some point or other? We didn't worry about it, for the most part, but it was incentive to improve things and eventually we all got "private" lines. This too shall pass. Politics 2012 Obama Brings Back Dog-on-Roof Issue When Criticizing Romney (CNSNews.com) Oh, yes, the "messiah" has made this campaign personal and dirty from the beginning. Stupid government Obama’s Energy Policy Puts Half of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve Off Limits, CEO Says (CNSNews.com) Only half? But then, we can also remember the rest of the nation: both on the Continental Shelf and on the land: trillions of barrels of oil equivalent are off-limits. And we pay for that EVERY day at the pump. Mama's Note: The silver lining in that cloud is that this oil isn't going anywhere... it will still be available when we need it... and manage to get rid of those who are standing in the way. Space - Stupid government Air Force's hypersonic test fails (CNN) "A hypersonic aircraft launched by the Air Force Tuesday spiraled out of control and was destroyed before it could reach its goal of speeding to 4,600 mph, Pentagon officials said Wednesday. The third test of the X-51A Waverider was launched Tuesday off the California coast from a B-52 modified bomber aircraft and was to fly for 300 seconds, reaching hypersonic speeds of Mach 6, but only flew for 16 seconds, according to the Air Force." (08/15/12) Well, if this is the kind of worthless results we get from this outfit, isn't it time to just shut them down? Get them to stop wasting our money trying to do things as stupid as this? If God had wanted us to go 4,600 mph, He would have given us rocket engines on our feet, right? Space Space race turns to commercial side (Arizona Republic) "This spring ushered in a new chapter of space flight when the successful cargo flight of the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station was launched by private firm SpaceX. Run by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, [it] isn't the only firm vying to haul cargo and people into orbit since NASA relinquished its near-monopoly on U.S. space transportation by retiring the space shuttle program. At least a dozen companies are developing spaceships to replace the shuttle's duties or to carve their own commercial pathways in space." [editor's note: As it should have been all along - SAT] (08/15/12) Is there a chance that the private sector can take space away from government? Hope so! And given the USAF problems, none too soon (although I am being a bit sarcastic on that first article). Theft by government Do the Rich Pay Their Fair Share in Taxes? (National Center for Policy Analysis) The top 20 percent of income earners -- those earning more than $74,000 -- paid 94 percent of federal individual income taxes, 85 percent more than the share of national income they earned, says Peter Ferrara, a senior fellow with the National Center for Policy Analysis... This article deserves some careful reading and sharing with your bleeding-heart type liberal friends. Government theft is NOT about stealing from the poor - or even the middle class - when it comes to income taxes. Other forms of taxes are stealing from everyone, but it is the top 1% and the top 20% who really take it in the shorts - to the seeming benefit of the lower 40%. BUT this article does not point out the essential truth: it is not HOW taxes are divided out that is the problem, it is that the FedGov is a parasite on the economy and draining too much out, not just through taxes but by borrowing and regulating and subsidizing bad behavior; welfare and what is in essence bribery. Until THAT is stopped, the debate on who pays how much in taxes is NOT a major point to be decided. The best way to make the share of ALL economic layers more bearable is to reduce the total cost of government - and ultimately, eliminate all NON-voluntary costs. Crash of 2009 Sluggish Labor Market in July (Heritage Foundation) The labor force participation rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 63.7 percent as 150,000 workers left the workforce in July, contrary to predictions of a summer jobs recovery... One more lie (or broken promise) for the Administration: this is saying that fewer and fewer Americans are working: the REAL numbers start to look like the Great Depression. Especially when you consider women in the workplace. More trouble is coming. Stupid government Ethanol vs. the World (Wall Street Journal) The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently downgraded its 2012 corn forecast by 13 percent from last year's crop, to 10.8 billion bushels -- the shortest harvest since 2006... Food or fuel? The question wouldn't even be asked IF the government hadn't meddled with the marketplace in the first place. In six years, a LOT has changed and most of the change regarding corn and ethanol is the result of government subsidies and manipulation. Mama's Note: Yes, government is definitely the fly in that ointment. The unintended consequences, however, might just be a reduced dependence on corn. There are, of course, a great many other things in this world to eat... and a lot of them are easier to grow and much more nutritious. Crash of 2009 - Theft by government United States to Lose $25 Billion on Auto Bailout (Detroit News) The federal government expects to lose more than $25 billion on the $85 billion auto bailout -- 15 percent higher than its previous forecast... Nice going, people. What a VICTORY for common sense and the American Way. Thursday, August 16, 2012 Politics 2012 - First Lackey Ryan in Ohio Mocks Biden: ‘As Joe Biden Might Say, It’s Great to Be Here in Nevada’ (CNSNews.com) As well he should, as the next story and several others remind us: the man is lower than Dan Quayle. Politics 2012 - First Lackey Biden: Who Says U.S. Can't 'Lead The World in the 20th Century'? (CNSNews.com) Oh, no - is Theodore Roosevelt channeling through Joe Biden? Although the next commentary came out on Friday or Saturday, it is worth including here: Biden Staffers Heavily Policing Joe Biden and His Press Corp (Townhall, by Katie Pavlich) Apparently, Joe Biden's staff is a bit worried about what might come out of the vice president's mouth and what the press is saying about it....to each other, not to the public. Mama Liberty: Probably would have been a good idea to do that a long time ago. :) Nathan: The man is a serious candidate for senility treatments. Maybe he needs to look into some of the nutrients that are available today. Crash of 2009 - Theft by government Labor Dept. Attempts to Stop Layoffs by Giving $100 Million to States to Subsidize Payrolls (CNSNews.com) Yeah, let's pay off the states to do what the feds can not. Bet it doesn't bring the unemployment rate up even a tenth of a percentage point. Mama's Note: The point most seem to be ignoring is that government wages and contracts are paid for with stolen goods. This can never be any part of a recovery. Government employees (at any level) only consume the wealth others create and produce nothing. Stupid government tricks State Dept. Trained 450 Imams on the ‘Compatibility of Women’s Rights and Islam’ (CNSNews.com) Oh, I bet the test scores on THIS were out-of-this-world. Notice that we don't have to have a course on "Compatibility of Women's Rights and Christianity" or "Compatibility of Women's Rights and Judaism." But what is the State Department doing teaching religious topics? Is this not a violation of church and state? And will it make a bit of difference? Mama's Note: One person explained this very seriously... She said Islam is not a "church," so they're not included. Did they stop publishing dictionaries at some point and forget to tell me? Home front More Americans Hunting and Fishing, Survey Shows (CNSNews.com) Is it for a sense of tradition or sport, or is it of necessity to put food on the table? These are important skills that will be more necessary in coming years, as things collapse more and more. Home front - Nazgul Pa. Judge: Photo ID Law ‘Reasonable,’ ‘Non-Discriminatory' (CNSNews.com) Well, this is a shocker: how can this judge face himself in the morning after deciding this evil action is these things? Racist! Anti-Progressive! Evil! Politics 2012 Obama: Romney Calls Wind Energy ‘Imaginary’ (CNSNews.com) More lies, of course. Wind energy is not imaginary, and I don't think anyone in the GOP has said that it is. But it is NOT dependable and is NOT a replacement for coal, gas, oil, and nuclear power. Politics 2012 Biden: Who Says U.S. Can't 'Lead The World in the 20th Century'? (CNSNews.com) Oh, no - is Theodore Roosevelt channeling through Joe Biden? Politics 2012 Presidential Candidates Urged to Suspend Campaign Advertising on September 11 (CNSNews.com) Mmm, I LIKE this idea. Actually, I think it should be for the WHOLE week -maybe even the whole month! And no campaign appearances, either. Islamic wars: Arab Street Revolt/Canaanite front As Islamic Bloc Suspends Syria, Iran Tries to Shift the Focus Back to ‘Palestine’ (CNSNews.com) This is standard for a government - especially a government of the type the Persians have: they are not doing well right now in their campaign to gain leadership and control of the Ummah, the evil West and Israel have NOT attacked them yet, their intervention in Syria is less success than the one in Mesopotamia was, and the Israelis are still there. Stupid UN government - Free Speech U.N. Health Agency Welcomes Australian Court Ruling on Plain Tobacco Packaging (CNSNews.com) What an idea! Let us make all the political candidates do that as well: black lettering on white: no list of anything but last name and the office for which they are running. No pictures, not of the candidate kissing babies or shaking hands or riding a tractor or a tank. Oh, and let's do the same for things like recruiting: no pictures of aircraft diving in the sunset or a Humvee bouncing across an Afghan hillside: just "WE WANT YOU - US ARMY." And while we are at it, since sugar and sweet drinks are so bad, let us eliminate the traditional Coke and Pepsi and Dr. Pepper Bottles and go to plain bottles and black and white labels - not even the traditional lettering or symbols: Just "Coca-Cola, 2 liter, sugar." Stupid government Stepped-up computer monitoring of federal workers worries privacy advocates (Washington Post) When the Food and Drug Administration started spying on a group of agency scientists, it installed monitoring software on their laptop computers to capture their communications. The software, sold by SpectorSoft of Vero Beach, Fla., could do more than vacuum up the scientists’ e-mails as they complained to lawmakers and others about medical devices they thought were dangerous. It could be programmed to intercept a tweet or Facebook post. It could snap screen shots of their computers. It could even track an employee’s keystrokes, retrieve files from hard drives or search for keywords. Boo hoo hoo. Sounds like a good idea to me for ALL Federal employees: right up to the "messiah" himelf: and make it PUBLIC: ANY registered voter can read 'em. Politics 2012 Obama steps up portrayal of Romney, Ryan as out of touch with middle America (Washington Post) DAVENPORT, IOWA — President Obama left an unmistakable impression on his first campaign swing since the selection of Rep. Paul Ryan as Republican Mitt Romney’s running mate: His play for the middle is getting personal. It is an old tactic: accuse your enemy of what you yourself are doing. And the "messiah's" campaign has ALWAYS been personal: innuendo, sly attacks, and name-calling are all standard and have been for a long time. Mama's Note: I've been watching the political game for about 52 of my 66 years. I've seen 13 national election cycles come and go in that time. Yep... they've all been pretty much the same. New religions: environism A Survey on the Economic Effects of Los Angeles County's Plastic Bag Ban (NATIONAL CENTER FOR POLICY ANALYSIS) Stores inside Los Angeles County's plastic bag ban area reduced their employment by more than 10 percent; stores outside the ban area increased their employment by 2.4 percent, says Pamela Villarreal, a senior fellow with the National Center for Policy Analysis... Environism kills jobs and kills economies. Always has and always will. It is mindless, and more concerned about appearances that the reality: the reality is that plastic bags are NOT a significant problem, and all the propaganda in the world does not change that. Friday, August 17, 2012 Theft by government? Air France passengers asked to chip in for fuel in Damascus (Digital Journal) When an Air France flight was diverted to Damascus on Wednesday, the crew asked passengers if they could lend them some cash for fuel after Syrian authorities refused their credit card. Mama's comments: Adding a whole new dimension to foreign travel! Nathan's thoughts: Hmmm. Isn't Air France owned by the French government? Another case of bouncing credit of governments? Mama: Could be, but I suspect it had more to do with the fact that Syria is a war zone with a fair possibility of a rapid change of "rulers." It's a good question whether anyone's credit card would be acceptable for anything there right now because the merchant might not ever get paid and a tankful of gas for an airplane represents more than most businesses (or even most small countries) would care to risk losing. No idea what their actual relationship with France may be at the moment, of course. I was really surprised the airplane was even allowed to land. Theft by government U.S. Government's Foreign Debt Hits Record $5.29 Trillion (CNSNews.com) While only a very small part of the total debt (most of which is owed to Americans - now and future generations), this is impossible to pay without literally selling off much of the nation. If a Latin American country had this kind of debt, we'd have the Marines landing to collect it: instead, we rack up our debt still more to give money to them. Why? Because we are stupid, I guess. Home front - Self-defense (3 stories) Before Shooting: Southern Poverty Law Center Put Family Research Council on ‘Hate Map’ (CNSNews.com) This has as little to do with the SPLC (a better bunch of scumbags you never met, admittedly) as the tea party movement has to do with the Sikh shootings up in Wisconsin. What WAS done here was that an armed security guard kept it from being ANOTHER "mass murder." White House Dodges Question of Whether FRC Shooting Was Hate Crime (CNSNews.com) Smells like one to me, based on the FBI reports (next story) but what do I know? But the "messiah" is never going to speak up for any pro-lifers or proponents of traditional society. We all know that. FBI: Alleged FRC Shooter Carried 50 Rounds, Said ‘I Don’t Like Your Politics’ (CNSNews.com) Funny, huh? Didn't hear this all over the news yesterday: just a security guard being wounded doesn't have the MSM running nuts all over the place. Turn the coin around: if it were an abortion clinic or a pro-choice agency attacked and these words were said, we'd ALL be hearing about it. (Of course, the abortion clinics and agencies seem to trust a lot more in the cops, so this would also have been a cop and not a PriPol sitting there and getting wounded: or they would have had NO real security (just a warning sign "No Firearms") and it WOULD have been another mass-murder. Except that as a rule, even the most extreme of anti-abortion people seem somewhat adverse to doing more than actually popping the killer-doctor or person in charge. Islamic wars: Afghan front Afghan Policeman Kills Two U.S. Troops Minutes After They Hand Him A Gun (CNSNews.com) Our stupidity in Islamic countries just does NOT quit, does it? It is impossible for us to do anything right there, it seems. It isn't just that we gave a weapon to this jihadi, but that we are too stupid to be prepared to defend ourselves against him when he does something (not totally unexpected) with it. Home front - Stupid goverment Social Security Administration Explains Plan to Buy 174,000 Hollow-Point Bullets (CNSNews.com) The [SSA} blog states that the SSA has 295 special agents who work in 66 offices across the United States. “These investigators have full law enforcement authority, including executing search warrants and making arrests,” the blog post states. “Our investigators are similar to your State or local police officers. “They use traditional investigative techniques, and they are armed when on official duty,” the blog post states. I am seeing a lot of these stories, and that is good: people should know that government agencies are buying ammo. This is probably another example of a bunch of training ammo, though those of us who have to pay for our own ammo buy cheaper stuff for most of our practice: the SSA obviously has no such budget constraints. But I get peeved about two things: one, the writers crow about how the SSA obviously figures that they are going to get to go out and kill 174,000 citizens. Garbage! (my favorite word, this week, I guess.) Even the best snipers in the world probably use less than 1 in five hundred bullets "operationally" (to kill someone) - because they are constantly practicing. Now, these 295 government agency guys are not going to have that kind of training, but the vast majority of this buy will be used either for (poor) training or corrode away in some vehicle or desk drawer, or get sold as surplus in a few years. Second, people, it isn't that these agencies are buying ammo that is the problem: it is that these agencies (a) EXIST and (b) that they HAVE thise "full law enforcement authority" and are allowed to carry OFFICIAL weapons. If an SSA investigator is going into a dangerous situation (say, a nursing home where most or all of the inmates - patients - are engaged in using their laptops (and the home's computers) to prepare fraudulent claims for retirement and SSI benefits for their great-grandchildren or for Aunt Jane who died last year), well, they should be escorted by the local Sheriff (who, after all, has jurisdiction: the SSA "agents" don't, constitutionally) AND not be allowed out on their own. SSA agents have NEARLY as much right as any other citizen <grin> to be armed and defend themselves - AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE. Stupid Government - Abominable Act Health Care Reform Begins With Health Savings Accounts, Economist Says (CNSNews.com) A lot of people have said this over the years, and it MAY be one of several ways to start solving the problem: just like putting the bandage on might help start solving the problem of that massive gaping wound all down your right side and leg. But the only REAL solution is GET THE GOVERNMENT OUT: free the market, end the welfare, eliminate the regulations and regulators and bureaucrats. Nothing else will work, except to keep the "patient" from dying while real medical care is being done. Our right to self defense - Stupid government Democrats in 3 States Push Gun Bills After Aurora Theater Shooting (CNSNews.com) In Illinois, Gov. Pat Quinn proposed that his state enact a strict ban on assault weapons, similar to California's. New York lawmakers have proposed wide-ranging legislation that would limit weapons purchases. California Attorney General Kamala Harris and the Democratic state Senate leader back a bill that would make it more difficult and time-consuming to reload assault weapons. The chairmen of public safety committees in California's Assembly and Senate co-authored a bill that would require dealers to report purchases of large quantities of ammunition to law enforcement authorities. These, of course, are anti-gun bills, NOT anti-violence or anti-murder bills. That it is these three states is no coincidence: their record is plain. People who love liberty should have LONG ago voted with their feet and moved from CA, NY, and IL: Or you have decided that you are just going to ignore this sort of insanity and live and buy and carry what you will. First Citizen - Shy-town Plaque in Chicago Marks Site of Obamas' First Kiss (CNSNews.com) This sounds more and more like a religion all the time. The proper word is "shrine" commemorating where the "messiah" and his consort did this hideous deed. New religions: environism EPA Requiring $85M in Upgrades to Industrial Plants to Cut Haze in Montana (CNSNews.com) [It will take "centuries" to cut the haze, according to EPA.] To get there, the agency detailed $85 million in upgrades needed within five years at the Colstrip coal power plant in southeastern Montana, the Ash Grove cement plant near Montana City and the Holcim cement plant near Three Forks. Including operating expenses over the next 20 years, the total costs to the three plants would top $270 million, EPA officials said Thursday. An alternative proposal that was favored by conservation groups but rejected by the EPA would have cost Colstrip an additional more than $120 million. And guess who pays for it? Certainly not the EPA (and therefore taxpayers, at least theoreticall): no the customers of the companies and the users of their products: electrical power (mostly used by Californians, I believe) and the cement by much of the northwestern US. And of course the people who will be laid off because the companies can't afford to comply (and compete with overseas manufacturers): I would expect both cement plants to shut down pretty quickly if this is forced through. And frankly, not providing California 2.2 gigawatts of power does not bother me NEARLY as much as hundreds or thousands of Montanans and Wyomingites losing their jobs. The Californians are part of this problem we call the EPA, after all. As the old 1970s slogan went, "Let them freeze in the dark." (According to Barry Popik: "The bumper sticker “Let them freeze in the dark” appears to have been started by a Wyoming company in February 1973. Energy prices were rising, but toughened environmental laws prevented finding more energy sources. The “them” were the environmentalists. " I am applying it to California in general. Islamic wars: Arab Street Revolt Muslim Brotherhood Denies Trying to ‘Islamize’ Egypt’s Media (CNSNews.com) It isn't already? Hard to tell, based on what you see - hard to tell if the WESTERN MSM hasn't already been islamized - or perhaps more accurately, made into Dhimmis. This is both logical from the MB's point of view AND a necessity: the new Caliphate won't form on its own: it MUST have media control to do so. Saturday, August 18, 2012 Home front Keystone XL pipeline crosses political boundaries in Nebraska and beyond (Washington Post) Political allies and enemies seem to find new orientations as some fight the pipeline and others support it. What should have been a private decision made voluntarily between landowners and the builders and operators of the pipeline has instead become a permanent political football. This stinks for many reasons, not the least of which is that technology and reason are defeated by government and who pays which politicians what money and gives them power. Politics 2012 Paul Ryan has record of pushing for and earmarking federal funds for his district (Washington Post) As expected, the WaPo finds this as a reason to attack Ryan - and don't get me wrong, he (and EVERY other politician, including Ron Paul, in Congress,) DESERVES to be attacked for pork-barrel projects. But to read this, you'd think that supporters of the "messiah" (who did his own pork barrel business when HE was in the Senate) don't EVER do it. Garbage! Crash of 2009 Unemployment rate falls in D.C., rises in Virginia and Maryland (Washington Post) The unemployment rate ticked up last month in 44 states and jumped more significantly in seven states that are considered up for grabs in the presidential race, the federal government reported Friday. Does this bother anyone else? DC gets all the money, all the power, all the jobs, and even the adjacent states get the shaft, together with 9 out of 10 states? No, the "Great Recession" is over, they crow - and they lie. And the GOP challengers lie too, by refusing to point out that this is the fault of the White House and BOTH past administrations as well as Congress - by messing with and further damaging the economy, they have made this a disaster. The solution is to get government OUT of "running" (ruining) the economy. Politics 2012 Romney, Obama campaigns spar over tax returns (Washington Post) Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign Friday rejected a new call from the Obama campaign to release five years of tax returns, while trumpeting a surge in support for the Republican ticket since Romney chose Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his running mate. This is smoke and mirrors on both sides: because BOTH sides have records that cannot be defended. Romney's campaign refused Wayne Allen Root's suggestion to try and pry the "messiah's" records on college (and other things) loose, and so the Dems have the "high ground" (they are on the edge of the gutter and not in the bottom of it) in this. But it is really nothing but a distraction from the overseas adventures and the total destruction of the economy at home, as well as the growing police state. **************** Your comments and feedback are welcome! Now PoL has its own forum at The Mental Militia! Check it out Nathan Barton Written from the Four Corners, a land and community which has some (but not much) freedom left, but where even that liberty hangs by a thread. Nathan is a christian, a free-market anarchist, military officer, engineer, and writer. Feel free to contact him through The Price of Liberty. Special Feature! Add your signature to the NEW Declaration of Independence By Robert Greenslade To Read previous Commentaries, go to the archives page and click onto the link for the week. The commentaries are linked from the weekly front pages. Please note: Information about readers is never given or sold to anyone for any purpose. Remember, however, that many people can read and recover anything posted to web sites or email unless it is carefully encrypted. Please take personal responsibility for what you post anywhere. MamaLiberty) |
Your comments and feedback are
welcome! Now PoL
has its own
forum at The Mental Militia! Check
it out. Links to Previous posts are on the front page for each week. Check the archives page. |
|||||||||
 |
|
|