Quote of the Day
If you can find a path with no obstacles,it probably doesn't lead anywhere.
Frank A. Clark
Upcoming Publication Schedule
This weekend, through next Tuesday, my publication schedule may be interrupted and/or pre-scheduled with shorter posts.
Pro-Liberty Thought of the Day
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| Courtesy of Illinois Policy Institute |
A Shawnee County District Court Judge has ruled that a sperm donor for a lesbian couple's child is liable for child support, despite an unambiguous contract waiving parental rights. She argued that the transaction wasn't performed by a state recognized professional (in and of itself, a violation of economic liberty), hence the waiver is invalid, and in any event, a birth father can never really cede away his financial responsibility. I am not going to go on a rant here of anti-male bias in family courts; if I would ever be blessed with a child of my own, I would step up to my responsibility. From my personal morality, a child is born and raised by his natural parents. But men can't win: men have often been found financially responsible for a child not related by blood in lieu of the missing natural father. It's clear that the man in this case acted in good faith to an unambiguous agreement to be a donor in exchange for a waiver of his parental rights and responsibilities. For a judge to arbitrarily dismiss an unambiguous contract on a technicality where the State's fiat decisions trump individual liberty is contemptible and unconscionable.
Facebook Corner
(Cato Institute). "Letting free markets determine wage rates is consistent with a free society and also with economic logic. It is the surest path toward greater income mobility as younger, low-skilled workers get experience and move up the income ladder. Cutting that ladder off by mandating a higher minimum wage is a recipe for poverty not progress."
Employment is an agreement between A and B. Either has the right to accept or reject the terms. I'll never understand how any of it is the business of C.
A must offer B an equitable solution.
What is "equitable" is the rub. We cannot morally argue against a mutually satisfactory arrangement, which, in your condescending opinion, is "unfair"; it is literally none of your business. One thing is for sure: no government bureaucrat or professional politician is a competent surrogate for the market. Wages reflect a worker's productivity: if someone shovels twice as much snow over a unit of time, he should earn twice as much.
But as to the "comparable worth" or "living wage" of a snow shoveler, all of this rests on dubious statistics. The barriers of entry are low; all you need is a shovel and to be in good physical shape, with minimal training. Obviously if you invest in technology like a snow-blower or a snow-plowing equipment, you can increase your productivity and wages. If there is a shortage of snow professionals, the well-off may bid up the price to the fair market price of their own market wages.
Political Humor
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of Michael Ramirez via PatriotPost |
Jermaine Jackson & Whitney Houston, "If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful". I don't think this beautiful duet was ever released as a single, but it is one of my favorite Houston performances and duets of all time.
