The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20
has wasted 30 years of his life.
Muhammad Ali
Pro-Liberty Thoughts of the Day
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| Via the Independent Institute |
One of the most consistently attacked targets is the poorly financed flood insurance program; the Congress a couple of years back made reforms (obviously my policy goal would be to privatize it) to shore up the all but insolvent program and lessen taxpayer risk--by reducing subsidies, making premiums more self-sustaining. This, of course, resulted in premium spikes for policyholders and heavy pressure by this special-interest group to rollback reforms, and today the panderers carried the day. (I'm citing the WSJ article, because the Hill reported party vote totals that didn't add up to 306 votes. Roughly 60% of Republicans supported scaling back reforms, but the Democrats provided most of the support, with only 5 votes against.)
Famous Last Words: Obama on Russia in 2012: Let's Go To the Video Tape
I completely forgot this clip from the 2012 Presidential debates, but Obama's sarcasm was particularly obnoxious and unbelievably incompetent. Obama is truly out of his mind if he believes that Al Qaeda is a bigger adversary than Russia. Russia has among the most abundant natural resources of any nation on earth and has a stockpile of nuclear weapons and a large military with sophisticated technology. With all due respect, far more Japanese civilians died from two bombs at the end of WWII than Americans in the events of 9/11. I don't deny Al Qaeda is a serious threat, but it is no match for America's resources. What I think Obama is really doing here is indirectly remind voters that he took out UBL.
Don't read the above as implying a neo-con perspective. I oppose Russian intervention in Ukraine, but I also oppose American meddling, and I find the rhetoric of Obama and Kerry unduly provocative and counter-productive. Obama is beginning to lose credibility on the international stage, especially given his reversal on Syrian intervention (I welcomed his pulling back).
Make no mistake--I support the pro-liberty Ukrainian movement, and I condemn the lawless occupation of Crimea. I do understand Crimea was part of Russia before I was born (and ceded by Khrushchev), but I don't recognize the right to referee internal political affairs in Ukraine. The issue, say, of Crimean independence/secession must be addressed internally and/or arbitrated, but not imposed by an external power with a vested interest.
Facebook Corner
(Reason). We asked Rand Paul to comment on a recent order issued by a federal judge directing Kentucky to recognize out of state same-sex marriages. Here's what he said: Rand Paul Says He Believes in the "Historic and Religious" Definition of Marriage Between a Man and Woman.
Rand Paul is a fusion libertarian-conservative (as I am, his famous Dad, and others in the tradition of the Old Right, politicians like the late Howard Buffett (yes, Warren's Dad), Justin Amash and Robert Taft). At the risk of oversimplification, we tend to embrace free market principles, emphasize negative liberties, promote non-interventionist foreign/military policy, and reject socially experimental policies. What is ambiguous about Rand Paul's record on the Fourth Amendment, his position on Obama's aggressive drone warfare and meddling in north Africa, the Middle East/Gulf Region, opposition to the Fed, etc.? What I will grant is that Rand's political style is more pragmatic and his rhetoric is less strident. He knows that he has to show enough flexibility to build a political coalition. Granted, ideologues will never be satisfied with compromises; they want capitulation. They confuse tactics with strategy.
(John Stossel.) See the image at the top of the post.
This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard - as if government employees don't use the money in private industry?
I am not saying every dollar the government spends is WELL spent, but it is foolish in exactly the same way to assume the opposite is true. I worked for a state agency, and we funneled money to tech startups and life-saving health sciences companies. Many of those are growing and providing jobs for the area (Western New York). There are good things the government can do that individuals do not have the capacity to do.
Clueless "progressives" as usual--public employees provide no goods or services to the real economy; they are TAKERs, rent-seekers (in economics jargon). Taxes are not earned--they are confiscated under threat of force. Businesses are not guaranteed revenues or profits (unless the State strikes a bargain to use force). A preceding commenter wants to praise the government for picking winners and losers--and sometimes the government manages not to lose taxpayer money. The relevant insight is what Bastiat famously calls things unseen, i.e., opportunity costs. Generally speaking, the private sector doesn't need a "progressive" government's bribes to provide innovative products/services; the government's bribes are actually funded by higher taxes on other taxpayers. This is money that could be used to invest in a business's infrastructure and human resources. If you really want economic growth, cut back on taxes and regulations, which do not add so much as a widget to the nation's economy. As Mises pointed out a long time ago, central planners cannot allocate resources as well as an unfettered free market. Saying a government agency lucks into making a profit is merely a qualitative measure--all it means is that the agency makes at least its costs, plus a penny. What would, say, Apple or WalMart have made if they had the agency's budget to work with? I guarantee more than the government's "profits". I guarantee that venture capitalists are a lot better than any government bureaucracy in recognizing and funding worthy projects, without exposing taxpayers to a penny of risk.
yeah, especially those war veterans the Republicans dont seem to want to help out with increased veterans benefit spending. absolutely. nickel and dime the vets! very conservative of you!!
The best way to save veteran lives and health is to stop electing foreign interventionists to Congress and the White House. It's called preventive foreign policy--learn to mind our own business and stop being the world's policeman. Not all Republicans are interventionists--in fact, the Old Right, led by people like Robert Taft and Howard Buffett, and more contemporary libertarian-conservatives, like Ron and Rand Paul and Justin Amash, are the "real" conservatives. The real solution to veteran health programs? Privatize them! Don't feed the toll-collecting bureaucracies....
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of Glenn Foden and Townhall |
Barry Manilow, "Could It Be Magic?" I LOVE this song, but my inner producer wants an even faster, more frenetic beat/pace. Inspired by Chopin's Prelude in C-Minor this song's success suggests that pop music can find fertile ground in classical music.
