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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Miscellany: 5/27/15

Quote of the Day
Whenever man comes up with a better mousetrap, 
nature immediately comes up with a better mouse.
James Carswell

Image of the Day




Remy Is Back; Spoofing Socialist Bernie Sanders



The Patriot Act Kerfuffle: Let It Die

The metadata intervention has had ZERO IMPACT in the much-hyped War on Terror and moreover is prohibitively expensive. I don't have much enthusiasm for the bipartisan measure, which basically mandates recordkeeping of dubious business merit. The law is little more than public relations for security populists to demonstrate they are willing to throw money we don't have and individual liberty under the bus to combat terrorism.



Nebraska Abolishes Death Penalty: Thumbs UP!

Facebook Corner

(National Review). How were they THIS far off the mark?
It's not just the fact that less than 5% of the population is gay, but we've seen so much emphasis on recognizing gay "marriage" given a segment that is notoriously promiscuous with only a small percentage of long-term relationship. Many states like California recognized gay partnerships with marriage-like legal recogniition long before the gay marriage kerfuffle became a political obsession for Democrats.

(National Review). EXCLUSIVE: An explosive, in-depth report on Elizabeth Warren's extreme hypocrisy on the one issue that gave rise to her political fame.
 Of course the populist windbag Cherokee Lizzie profited from cheap government easy money policy and tax policies favoring property flipping in the middle of an unsustainable housing bubble. It's somewhat amusing seeing the Warren leftist trolls spamming this thread saying the National Review is Hypocritical for attacking Warren's making a legal profit. The issue of course involves the fact that populists like Warren want to blame the 2008 crisis on "market failure", not the reality of failed government policy; of course, Warren rose to power as a demagogue hyping the totally discredited myth of predatory lending (as if selling houses to marginally qualified buyers with virtually no money down in a pricey housing market is "exploiting" buyers: the lender is taking all the risk). Yes, Cherokee Lizzie is a hypocrite; ;in her own way, she contributed to the housing bubble--but it's the OTHER parties looking to profit from the speculative bubble who are the evil ones...

(FEE). The highest property taxes in the state and oppressive local regulation often make investing in jobs and businesses in Baltimore unprofitable. Only fixing that will produce a stable community. Shoveling more federal money into the city is the triumph of hope over experience. http://at.fee.org/1Rox5PL
Only when government stops morally hazardous social welfare policies and tax-base reducing punitive taxation, propping up failing government monopoly schools, and intervening in the economy through counterproductive barriers to work (e.g., minimum wage policies that price low-akill/experienced workers out of the market; occupational licensing, etc) will we see genuine economic progress that lifts all boats.

(Mises Institute). Matt McCaffrey: Decades ago, economists like Mises and Rothbard were already arguing that tax breaks are not economically or ethically equivalent to receiving subsidies. Simply put, being permitted to keep your income is not the same as taking it from competitors. Exemptions and loopholes do not forcibly redistribute wealth; taxes and subsidies do, thereby benefiting some producers at the expense of others.
Yes, entrepreneurs who take advantage of tax breaks will incur fewer costs than entrepreneurs who don’t. But this doesn’t show that exemptions or loopholes provide unfair advantages; in fact, just the opposite — it shows that taxes penalize entrepreneurs unlucky enough to be left holding the bill. https://mises.org/library/no-tax-breaks-are-not-subsidies
Tax breaks are no different in concept than getting an intrinsically corrupt special-interest tax rebate. Taxes should be low and uniformly applied. A tax break is a centrally planned industrial policy violating the very concept of free markets. Arguing that those without the support of a majority of political whores are simply jealous because they can't redistribute their tax obligation ro others through tyranny is simply a morally corrupt point of view.

(Citizens Against Government Waste). The Post Office wants to expand to banking even though they can't handle mail...
 In no way should a public monopoly use its dying cash cow business to compete against banks. Cherokee Lizzie is now endorsing her concept of a too big to fail bank! if the post office wants to compete as a bank, let it first give up its corrupt monopoly privileges and/or let banks open up their own postal services business.
For those of you who think USPS can't handle the mail, I suggest you go to a UPS or FedEx store with your No. 10 business envelope, hand them $0.49, and see what happens.
If only like other countries, the post office was privatized...
If they hadnt been forced to prepay all the pensions and what ever else they were forced to do, they wouldnt be in the hole. Almost like they were set up to fail. Similar to what is happening to our soc.sec. with all the hands in the cookie jar, piss poor mgmt
 I KNEW some goddamn union whore would bitch about the failing postal union not being allowed to have the taxpayer bail out its unsustainable union pension costs...

(IPI). Due to record out-migration, Illinois’ population actually shrunk by 10,000 people last year.
To what far-off lands did they migrate?
Most went to high-growth states, such as Indiana or Texas, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Are we gonna blame teacher here again? How about blaming the voters. They vote for thieves.
Guess who taught the political whores how to lie, cheat, and steal?

(Pacific Legal Foundation0. "...it is an incredibly far-reaching and questionable assertion of unilateral power by President Obama, especially since Obama denied he had that power several times in the years leading up to his reversal of course,” PLF's DC Center Executive Director, Todd Gaziano
 Most of us libertarians want to see a far more open immigration policy. I don't necessarily object to the intent of Obama's policies, but the focus, means and the motivating factor (totally political). The current President NEVER compromises: he rhreatens unilateral fiat if the opposition refuses to capitulate to his terms.

An Act of Kindness For a Struggling Student



Political Cartoon
Courtesy of Bob Gorrwll via Townhall
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Cat Stevens, "Moonshadow". His first A/C Top 10.