The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
Eureka! (I found it!)
but rather, 'hmm.... that's funny...'.
Isaac Asimov
Image of the Day
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| Via Drudge Report |
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| I'll Take "Progressive" Ideology for $200, Alex... |
One theme I've been pushing over the last several weeks is the fact that over 60% of the federal budget goes not for common goods and services, but individual benefits (which can be done faster, cheaper, and better in the private sector). I have also been highly critical about the moral corrosiveness of "progressive" social policies; part of the conservative nature of my political views involves promoting the traditional bedrock of virtues (e.g., self-reliance, frugality, persistence, perseverance, independence, honesty, etc.) This is one of those talks that are so good, I wish that I had delivered it first.
The Rights of Property Owners v. Local Bureaucrats
Facebook Corner
And now for another two episodes of troll stomping:
(from a Cato thread on the need to reform uncompetitive tax brackets:)
Lower the corporate tax rate . . . Tell me, how much tax did BP, EXXON and Phillips Petroleum pay in actual taxes last year . . . ?
"Progressive" trolls should not demonstrate their economic illiteracy. In 2012, the top 2 companies paying the most income taxes were: Exxon ($31B) and Chevron ($20B). (Did you think we wouldn't notice you targeted big energy companies, for transparent political reasons?)
(from a Cato thread on leftist intolerance of the right of association)
Yes, CATO, explain to us about how great discrimination is for society. I will wait for that article.
Explain to us how your fascist intolerance of the rights of people to associate for any purpose they choose is for social good. I await your hypocritical post.
(Cato Institute) “The criminal justice system is nothing like you see on TV — it has become a system of plea bargaining."
Disparate outcomes for similar offenses offend the very concept of equality under the law. Under an increasing avalanche of rule making, any innocent person can be thrown the book of unknowable violations by prosecutorial intimidation and abuse of discretion for the mere audacity of asserting his constitutional rights. It is paradoxical and shameful that the land of the free has a disproportionately large imprisonment rate: individual rights have been trampled for the convenience of the prosecution.
(Cato Institute). "To the extent that states recognize marriage, every person has the right to choose whom to marry and to have that decision respected equally by the state in which they live."
Marriage is a social/religious construct, not a political one. The State is no more competent in intervening traditional institutions than in economics. If gays choose to migrate to communities which are supportive (vs. tolerant) of the social recognition of their relationship, it is their liberty to do so, but they should not seek to impose their values on more traditional communities/states.
(Reason). Is it constitutional to require strippers to wear pasties and G-strings?
Consenting Adults should be able to make whatever arrangements they choose without interference by the Government or busybodies
I agree, but the US Constitution does not prohibit states, cities, etc., from enacting and enforcing laws about things like nudity.
Generally, the Tenth Amendment recognizes the role of the state in promoting health, safety, and morals. I think the problem is where you draw the line. Generally speaking, I think that restrictions against artistic or personal expression under voluntary association behind closed doors (or, say, a nude beach) unduly compromise personal liberty.
(Cato Institute). "Government, as inefficient and incompetent as it often is, can sometimes make honest mistakes...however, these mistakes should raise serious concerns about government’s abilities as it seeks to spread into even more aspects of the economy and our lives."
The Congress vastly expands its intervention into the healthcare sector based on inflated estimates of the uninsured, and then the Bureau decides it needs to change metrics. Coincidence? No doubt "progressives" will pick and choose a metric to validate the "effectiveness" of their megalomaniac delusional program. But I believe Tanner is correct: I know enough about governmental bureaucratic inertia to believe it's a matter of incompetence. Still, I'm troubled by the "apples-and-oranges" statistics we get from the government for a number of indicators: inflation, unemployment, etc.
(Lew Rockwell). Camile Paglia is right, although I don’t agree with everything in her article, that the federal 21-year-old drinking age should be repealed. Within the American system, this should be a state or local matter. (I’d say parental, of course.) But Paglia places all the blame on MADD and Congress without mentioning that Reagan also pushed it.
I still remember when my Dad was stationed in France; one vacation we were driving through France when our VW bus broke down near Paris. We had to return home via train when we spotted a 4-year-old boy sipping beer and pointed him out to the folks.
I had my first beer in undergraduate school (I graduated at 19). But it was a Coors Light; I was so turned off, I didn't try another beer for years...
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of the original artist via IPI |
Pat Benatar, "Suffer the Little Children/Hell Is For Children". I believe that children are gifts from God; hitting or harming a child is anathema. My 14-months-younger RN sister has had a hard time brokenheartedly coping with treating the victims of out-of-control parents. I recently featured Suzanne Vega's related signature hit "Luka". I was a Benatar fan from the start, but "Hell Is For Children" is by far my favorite track of hers with its brilliant arrangement and Pat's searing vocals.
I think my brother-in-law (of said sister) gave me a couple of albums, probably duplicates of my sister's collection; one of them was a Michael Jackson album and the other was a Benatar compilation. Now I did have my own copy of the original studio track of "Hell...", but this collection had a brief live medley intro of "Suffer the Little Children" that poignantly transitions to the signature introduction of "Hell..." It isn't often I prefer a "live" version, e.g., McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed". It took a while for me to find a relevant clip on Youtube.
