Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Image of the Day
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| Via Chris Walker on FB |
The Imprisonment of "Progressive" Policies
Facebook Corner
(from yesterday's IPI thread on sentencing reform)
That's Illinois liberal Democrats for you... Jack booted Nazi, fascist thugs every one.
So if I understand you correctly, the same people who advocate not imposing penalties are the ones who actually made all the myriad of laws that were violated to result in incarceration????? Overregulated society.....and who decided that we needed all the regulations to protect us from ourselves and who is continually trying to pass new laws and regulations about every aspect of our lives???? Who created the mess of overcrowded court dockets and prisons?
To the first commenter: fascism refers to a government-dominated State--people want security of some type and are willing to sacrifice liberty to strengthen that authority. Quite often in this forum, I reference left-wing authoritarians as fascists for trying to intervene in the economy vs. the free market. In this case we are likely talking right-wing "law and order" authoritarians who worship "the law", no matter whether "the law" is overextended at the expense of liberty. Yes, the fascist left loves to pile on rules and regulations, which contradicts the very concept of the rule of law. To the State, if they really want to get you, they'll find something, anything, like convicting Capone on taxes.
The second commenter makes a similar conceptual error. The fact of the matter is that prisons have largely exploded because of bad public policy of the War on Drugs. (And I'm saying this as someone who has never touched the stuff.) When the government tries to restrict the supply, it makes the prices high--and for suppliers, the lure of huge profits. This is a classic Bootleggers and Baptists story, i.e., Baptists by bad public policy in restricting the ability of others to transact in the white economy are the useful idiots for profit-seeking bootleggers. Yes, the left-wing fascists do create "the law is the law" mess that right-wing fascists worship. For pro-liberty conservatives like me, it's clear that politicians, mostly leftist but right-wing also (consider the unrestrained NSA), think they aren't doing their job unless they pass retarded laws telling people what they can't do. Any true fiscal conservative knows when our incarceration rates are only matched by those in highly repressed countries, there's something wrong with our laws and legal system.
(IPI). The Democrat-controlled Rules Committee has refused to call a vote on House Bill 4225, which would stop lawmaker pay raises for the current fiscal year.
Make lawmaker compensation an issue decided at the general election ballot box. If you don't want to work for the money your bosses, the taxpayers, decide, then get the hell out of politics. But putting professional politicians in charge of their own compensation is like Barack Obama grading himself a solid B+.
(National Review). “The war against genetically modified organisms is full of fearmongering, errors, and fraud. Labeling them will not make you safer.” -- Slate.com
Why should I be surprised that the anti-science/anti-Monsanto nut jobs are spamming this thread? Let's get a few things straight:
"In 2012-2013, two separate courts acknowledged that Monsanto has not taken any action – or even suggested taking any action – against organic growers because of cross-pollination.."
"Monsanto’s average of roughly 13 lawsuits per year “is hardly significant when compared to the number of farms in the United States, approximately two million.”
The food fearmongering fascists want nutritious GMO foods to wear a scarlet letter. It's absurd--it's like demanding blueberry producers to identiffy if the berries came from Michigan or the Northeast. If a producer wants to provide that information, fine, Perhaps we should require a warning that this non-GMO rice does not have beta carotene, which can save thousands of children from blindness or death
I am far from being a leftist but I want GMOS labeled so I can make the choice to buy them or not. I would not!
Anti-science bullshit. First of all, GMO's are healthy; the scientific evidence is compelling. There's no reason to label them, although given the fact that GMO's are often nutritionally superior, perhaps we should consider require labeling of nutritionally-inferior non-GMO/organic products. People should be made aware unscrupulous non-GMO producers are charging excessive prices based on junk science.
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists
Kenny Rogers, "Lady". Kenny Rogers' only #1 solo hit on the Hot 100; a pop masterpiece written by one of our greatest singer-songwriters, Lionel Richie in the transition period of launching a hugely successful solo career apart from the Commodores. One of my all-time favorite songs, a song I've wanted to sing all my life to the love of my life (still waiting...) I could put the track on auto-replay for a half hour or more. Rogers' vocals are perfect and Lionel's gift for unforgettable melodies brilliant...
