Analytics

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Miscellany: 8/31/14

Quote of the Day
The world is moving so fast these days 
that the man who says it can't be done 
is generally interrupted by someone doing it.
Harry Emerson Fosdick

Tweet of the Day
Chart of the Day
Via Mercatus Center
Rant of the Day: Keynesianism is DEAD

HT Carpe Diem: Scott Grannis' post: What happened to all the profits?
Despite assurances from politicians and most economists of Keynesian persuasion, not only did the biggest and most rapid increase in our federal debt burden since WW II fail to boost the economy, it coincided with the weakest recovery in history—growth of only 2.2% per year on average.
Here's the failure in a nutshell: The government can't stimulate the economy by borrowing from Peter and sending a check to Paul, because that doesn't create any new demand—it's like taking a bucket of water from one end of the pool and pouring it into the other end; the level of the water doesn't change. And the government can't stimulate the economy by spending more, because the government is notoriously inefficient (not to mention the fraud, waste, and incompetence that surround most major public initiatives); the private sector is far more likely to spend its money wisely and productively than the government is. 
Here's my interpretation of what really happened in a nutshell: the private sector generated $8.9 trillion of profits in the past six years, and the federal government borrowed 83% of those profits to fund a massive increase in transfer payments, income redistribution, bailouts, subsidies, and a modest increase in infrastructure spending (as I noted here, only 8% of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act went to transportation and infrastructure). 
That (the unprecedented sluggishness of the economy despite the unprecedented growth of corporate profits) most likely can be explained by the fact that federal government borrowing consumed almost all of the profits; corporations generated tons of economic resources (i.e., capital) that the government then squandered. When the government commandeers a huge portion of the fruits of the private sector's labor, much money is wasted through inefficiencies, bureaucratic costs, waste, fraud, and the creation of perverse incentives (e.g., taking/borrowing from the most productive members and giving/lending to the least productive). The result is meager growth. 
Ippon!

 Image of the Day
Via Overlawyered
Via Overlawyered
Via Libertarian Republicans



Via Lawrence Reed and the Daily Mail
Via Being Classically Liberal
Some Key Points on Tenure in Lower Education

I have not worked in lower education, but an aunt, a sister, two cousins, and two nieces have education degrees (a nephew with a Master's in English has joined my two nieces as active educators, and another nephew is finishing up his teaching degree). I have not visited their classrooms, but on the Facebook page of one of my nieces, I have seen unsolicited praise, including one parent saying how upset her daughter was to find out my niece wasn't going to be her teacher. Some states, including the one my nieces teach in, have already implemented tenure reforms.

Katebi has written an excellent short post on the recent California tenure decision (thumbs UP), and I would like to single out some key points:

  • For California, teachers only have to work for 18 months before being granted tenure. When five school districts in California were surveyed to see how many new teachers were granted tenure, 99 percent made the cut...However, when fellow teachers were asked, 68 percent reported that many of their fellow tenured educators were unfit to teach.
  • A study by the New Teacher Project found that only 13 percent to 16 percent of teachers that are let go in the current seniority system would also be let go if teacher quality was a consideration.
  • Between 2000 and 2010, the Los Angeles School District spent $3.5 million to discharge only seven teachers, of which only four were successfully fired. 
  •  Research from Harvard University has found that replacing a less competent teacher with even just an average teacher can raise a student’s lifetime earnings by $250,000 per class.
  •  California is just one of 14 states that make seniority the sole consideration for termination. Teacher performance, however, is the primary factor in teacher firings in only three states and the District of Columbia.

More Posts on Lower Education

Vicki Alger says it all in her post title: Competing for Students, Not Federal Funding, is Still the Best Preschool Policy.

Let's go with the 3 studies often used by Statist propagandists used to justify Obama's dubious universal preschool agenda:
The first is the High/Scope Perry Preschool Project, conducted from 1962 through 1965. Back then project researchers asserted that taxpayers would get a $7.16 return for every dollar spent—except neither they nor toddlers got the promised bang for the buck. Aside from the weak scientific methods used (see here, p. 3; here, pp. 2-3; and here, pp. 18-21), the results have never been replicated. Moreover, the project focused on just 58 disadvantaged preschoolers with mental retardation, and experts caution that this is a poor model to universalize. In fact, David Weikart, past president of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, told U.S. News & World Report, “For middle-class youngsters with a good economic basis, most programs are not able to show much in the way of difference.”
The Carolina Abecedarian Project, begun in 1972, involved 57 infants averaging about four months old (see here, pp. 3-4; and here, pp. 21-23). These children received intensive home interventions that lasted until they entered kindergarten. As with the Perry Preschool Project, results were never replicated, and experts noted that after nearly five year there was very little difference between participants and non-participants.
A federally funded longitudinal study of the Chicago Child-Parent Center Program began in the mid-1980s and at least had a larger study group—more than 1,000 low-income children. But those children participated with their parents in extensive workshops and tutoring—again far more than just preschool (see here, pp. 4-5). Like the Perry Preschool and Abecedarian Projects the Chicago program analysis used suspect methodologies. 
I won't go into arcane discussions of statistical power (number of subjects), the nature and extent of observation points (short-term vs. long-term), individual differences (e.g., generalizing from a group of mentally retarded students), variances in treatments, not to mention deviations from Obama's target program. The lack of replication, not to mention longer-term attentuation of purported advantages (prominently observed with the subsequent Head Start program), are red flags. In fact, all the usual hyped alleged economic benefits are not based on hard data whatsoever:
None of this has stopped Obama, Pelosi, Kristof, and others from linking any number of long-term benefits to government preschool, from more than 10 to 1 rates of return on taxpayer subsidized “investment,” to reduced incarceration rates, and higher college attendance rates.
Alger concludes:
Evidence shows that federal Head Start program funding hasn’t noticeably improved preschoolers’ academic outcomes. Yet President Obama wants universal government preschool for all American four-year-olds—whether parents want it or not.
A better solution is universal options for all. Let taxpayers keep the money that would otherwise be funneled into failing fed ed programs such as Head Start. Let parents save for the preschool options they prefer. Keep them in charge of whether their children’s schools are performing or not. And, make preschools compete for students and their tuition dollars.
A final post from Jenna Robinson reminds me how bored I was in lower education; in fact in high school, my biology teacher told me that I didn't have to come to class anymore--it was a waste of my time because he would lose all the other students teaching to my level. In fact, my high school counselor was the one who brought up graduating in 3 years, saying I would be better off in college earlier. I know I could have done college level work by sixth grade (as for maturity or relevant social skills, that's a more open question...) I'm not implying I was unique; in fact, the older brother of a fellow freshman was accepted at MIT straight out of his junior year (and never graduated high school). But the point is that college allows a more flexible way for students to advance at their own pace. She suggests 5 lessons lower education could learn from higher education:

  • Students learn at their own pace. 
  • Students and parents have skin in the game.
  • Professors are required to have degrees in their field. 
  • Students can attend any school for which they’re qualified. 
  • Professors are paid as individuals, not as a collective. 

Facebook Corner

(Reason). If you want to help the poor, give them money directly. But don't pretend that minimum wage increases - that distort labor markets and go to workers who often belong to middle- and upper-class households - are an effective anti-poverty policy.
Lowering the minimum age won't help anyone so not sure why the argument exists that raisin it would hurt
Economically illiterate trolls with Facebook are like 2-year-olds playing with knives. There should be NO minimum wage, period. Minimum wages are PROHIBITIONS against people who would otherwise find employment, experience which can lead to better jobs or pay down the line.
It's not a cure-all but certainly helps
No, it doesn't help anyone. More than 98% of jobs pay above minimum wage. Use common sense: if we set a minimum pice for TV's at $500, does it help the retailers? No; if I don't want to buy a TV at $150, I certainly won't at $500. I might buy a TV below $500, but the law of supply and demand tells us we sell fewer widgets as the price of widgets goes up. Wages are not immune from supply and demand.
No worker should earn less than a living wage.
No one who has never run a business has the right to bitch about wage policy.
Those claims have never been shown to be true in real world situations. A minimum wage benefits all society.
Bullshitter. A minimum wage benefits NO ONE. Some 98% of jobs pay above it. If someone's skills and experiences were worth more than some number a political whore pulls out of his ass, he would already be making it. A minimum wage simply outlaws contracts between willing parties, which is none of your goddamn business, jerk!

(IPI). There are 300,000 government employees in Illinois, generating a minimum of $120 million in revenue for government unions each year.
So how exactly do government unions use the money they are given?
Check out our latest report for a breakdown.
Quit beating up unions , fuck the non union work sites no pay benefits job protections ect ,,, all you are at the policy are attorneys and trust fund babies , go out and guard prisons , scrub toilets, send r kids off safe , take care of the elder , give our citizens drivers test. , put our fires , plow our roads and highways , and many more , we do the work you people at the policy consider BENEATH YOU
Talk about a self-serving ego. Unlike all you parasites who feed off the real economy without having to compete for your job, we have to provide real goods and services to compete for voluntary transactions in the marketplace. If you bothered to read the article, IPI is talking about lack of transparency in public union dues reporting and grossly overpaid union leadership, all made possibly by corrupt crony relationships protected by corrupt state laws.

(Being Classically Liberal). (Wrinkle) If the United States of America is such a horrible nation, why do people continue to risk their lives coming here?
Despite government, it has the biggest, most diversified economy, abundant natural resources, world-class education and industries, a fairly high standard of living, occupational freedom and entrepreneurial opportunities, a better future for your children.

(Being Classically Liberal). In your opinion what is the single best change/reform the U.S government could make?
Example: repealing the income tax, tax reform, putting cameras on police officers, etc.
Devolve all individual benefit spending to the state/local level in accordance to the principle of Subsidiarity.

More Proposals










Political Cartoon

Courtesy of the original artist via IPI
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Petula Clark, "I Know a Place"

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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Miscellany: 8/30/14

Quote of the Day
Promise yourself to be strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. 
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet. 
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them. 
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. 
To think only of the best, to work only for the best. 
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. 
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. 
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile. 
To give so much to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. 
To be too large for worry, 
too noble for anger, 
too strong for fear and 
too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
Millionaire Eagles

Chart of the Day

Via Libertarian Catholic
Via Being Classically Liberal
Tweet of the Day
Image of the Day

Via Being Classically Liberal
Via BCL

Via BCL


The Reality of ObamaCare



Locavorism

I have an instant skepticism to "progressive"/left-wing hype, especially when it comes to overpriced foods. I've focused on the non-GMO movement for criticism. but locavorism, the idea of relying on locally, sustainable produce and other products, is simply a version of protectionism. As Don Boudreaux points out in his recent column, transportation is simply one aspect of a product's cost to marketplace. To use an alternative scenario, it might be possible to grow almost everything locally, say, coffee, tropical fruits or cocoa, but it might require significant costly infrastructure. So why aren't growers investing in said infrastructure? Most likely, it isn't as cost-effective as foreign producers and current logistics allow. Boudreaux points out a 2012 book concluding that the best ecological, economical diet is globally sourced; indeed, I enjoy Portuguese-tin sardines, Dutch Gouda cheese, California produce and nuts, Mexican peppers, South American fruits, etc.

Will I sample local produce? Yes, especially if it is fresh and cost-competitive. During a recent trip to Texas, a brother-in-law stopped by a peach stand to the family gathering, and those were some of the best peaches I've ever tasted.

Secret Property Restrictions County Hid From Owner



Economic Liberty A Little Brighter in Kentucky



DoD Is Having a Blowout Sale... Municipalities Eligible! Everything Must Go...



Civil Asset Forfeiture Abuse



Facebook Corner

(Cato Institute). "After promising to strictly limit the military mission in Iraq, the president is preparing to expand the war to Syria, where the administration is working to overthrow the Assad government—which now blocks Islamic control over the entire country. Instead, the administration should encourage other nations, starting with Syria, to kill ISIL radicals."
We are not safe behind the Atlantic Ocean.
Yeah, right. Fearmongering is ludicrous. Do you have any clue what it would take to mount a campaign against a nuclear superpower with state of the art technology from thousands of miles away? We need to stop meddling in the affairs of other global regions.


Via LFC

I found the missing Community Chest card to Monopoly...

More Proposals





Um, I think the ring goes on the left hand...




Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Chip Bok via Townhall
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Petula Clark, "Downtown". I don't even like big cities like NYC (I've felt almost claustrophic, seeming to be in the middle of a crowd of people walking anywhere), but there is just something infectious about Hatch's melody and arrangement, the cadence of the lyrics, that simply exudes joie de vivre. The song was so popular I remember one "My Three Sons"(loved that show) episode started with the Douglases practicing the music.



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Friday, August 29, 2014

Miscellany: 8/29/14

Quote of the Day
An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Reason's Nanny of the Month



Image of the Day

Via Economic Freedom
Via Voluntary Virtues Network
Via Being Classically Liberal
Via Dollar Vigilante

Tweet of the Day
Rant of the Day: Mike Rowe (HT LFC)

THE S.W.E.A.T. PLEDGE”
(Skill & Work Ethic Aren’t Taboo)

1. I believe that I have won the greatest lottery of all time. I am alive. I walk the Earth. I live in America. Above all things, I am grateful.

2. I believe that I am entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Nothing more. I also understand that “happiness” and the “pursuit of happiness” are not the same thing.

3. I believe there is no such thing as a “bad job.” I believe that all jobs are opportunities, and it’s up to me to make the best of them.

4. I do not “follow my passion.” I bring it with me. I believe that any job can be done with passion and enthusiasm.

5. I deplore debt, and do all I can to avoid it. I would rather live in a tent and eat beans than borrow money to pay for a lifestyle I can’t afford.

6. I believe that my safety is my responsibility. I understand that being in “compliance” does not necessarily mean I’m out of danger.

7. I believe the best way to distinguish myself at work is to show up early, stay late, and cheerfully volunteer for every crappy task there is.

8. I believe the most annoying sounds in the world are whining and complaining. I will never make them. If I am unhappy in my work, I will either find a new job, or find a way to be happy.

9. I believe that my education is my responsibility, and absolutely critical to my success. I am resolved to learn as much as I can from whatever source is available to me. I will never stop learning, and understand that library cards are free.

10. I believe that I am a product of my choices – not my circumstances. I will never blame anyone for my shortcomings or the challenges I face. And I will never accept the credit for something I didn’t do.

11. I understand the world is not fair, and I’m OK with that. I do not resent the success of others.

12. I believe that all people are created equal. I also believe that all people make choices. Some choose to be lazy. Some choose to sleep in. I choose to work my butt off.

On my honor, I hereby affirm the above statements to be an accurate summation of my personal worldview. I promise to live by them.

Signed_______________________________________ Dated____________________
Interesting conversation over on the wall. It was started by a guy called Jayson LaVictorie, who has posted a few thousand words about what’s wrong with America. He started with these observations, inspired apparently by my S.W.E.A.T. Pledge.
Jayson: “The 12 points are stupid. Corporate SHILLS don't want you to think (critically) of how the average worker of the United States are getting screwed over by the ultra rich! They don't want you to know that you are losing your jobs to people that are working for nothing or next to nothing! Why do they get freebies on Labor Costs, and Corporate Welfare, then bitch if the average American has to rely on Welfare? The Hypocrisy is overwhelming when it comes to the free market thought, which no one seems to follow! The free market has no room for corporate welfare!”
Hi Jayson -
Like many today, you seem to believe the poor are poor because the rich are rich. I do not share that view, not because I'm a corporate shill, but because I don’t find your arguments to be very persuasive. Name calling aside, I do not believe that I’m “shilling” for a corporation when I espouse the virtues of hard work and self-reliance. In fact, I don’t understand how anyone could argue with a straight face that such qualities should not be encouraged.
To be clear - I believe the world is a fundamentally unfair place. From what I’ve seen, it’s filled with people of unequal talents, unequal intelligence, unequal looks, unequal empathy, unequal luck, and unequal senses of humor. Some will agonize over the unfairness of all this inequity, and others will rise above their circumstances, no matter how grim. Personally, I prefer the latter group to the former. That does not mean I tolerate injustice or cruelty. I find those those qualities equally contemptible in corporations and individuals alike. But I don’t run a foundation designed to eliminate Corporate Welfare. My goals are to elevate the basic notion that hard work and personal responsibility are simple choices that we must all either reject or embrace as individuals. I believe this to be a simple truth, regardless of your race, gender, or tax-bracket.
That’s what the S.W.E.A.T. Pledge is all about. It’s not an attack on the poor or a defense of the rich - it’s an attempt to magnify the power that comes from never seeing yourself as a victim of circumstance. If you see that as a threat to your own worldview, cheer up. We live in a society where you have the freedom to rant and rave and call me all the names you wish. 
Jayson: "I can't find the original Face Book page I saw it on. Anyways, I remember reading it and thinking oh, great the guy from Dirty Jobs has a great idea on how to bring jobs back to this country. I clicked on to the posting and then I get this 12 points list. What a let down. It pretty much blames you and only you on why there are only a few jobs for everyone to scramble to get, and feed their family with."
First of all, I realize it’s disappointing to be told that you are responsible for your own happiness, but if you need comfort Jayson, look around - you’ll find it everywhere. The country is full of programs and organizations that reflect your belief that other people are responsible for whatever difficulties you might face in life. Personally, I find that philosophy to be the opposite of empowering.
Secondly, I didn’t write The SWEAT Pledge to create jobs - I wrote it because we currently have nearly four million available jobs that for whatever reason, people don’t seem to want. I talk with evil CEO’s every week who are looking to hire people that are willing to learn a truly useful trade. I assure you Jayson, the jobs are there. Maybe they’re not your idea of a dream job. Some require retraining and long hours. Others require relocating and hard work. But the jobs are real, and the opportunities to advance far better than most people realize. My scholarship fund was designed to encourage and reward people who are willing to get the necessary training to do those jobs. The SWEAT Pledge is there to differentiate mikeroweWORKS scholarships from those programs that only reward scholastic achievement, athleticism, talent, or need. I wish to reward something different. I wish to reward work ethic. That’s what I’m trying to encourage. If you believe that’s stupid, I guess I’ll just have to find a way to live with your opinion.
Jayson: "A free market economy is a market-based economy where prices for goods and services are set freely by the forces of supply and demand and are allowed to reach their point of equilibrium without intervention by government policy, and it typically entails support for highly competitive markets and private ownership of productive enterprises."
And where exactly, do you suppose this “free market” exists? Cleveland? Dallas? Los Angeles? Please. The economy is GLOBAL, Jayson. We compete with China, Germany, South Korea, and about 200 other countries that don’t give a damn about your definition of a market economy circa 1950. Wake up, man. You’re worried about corporate welfare? Fine. Me too. But do you understand that these corporations are competing with corporations in other countries that set their tariffs and trade policies and currency valuations and working standards with absolutely no concern for ours? You can blame the corporate welfare all day long, and rage against injustice and hypocrisy till you’re hoarse. But if you really want to see manufacturing return to this country, you might want to reserve some invective for the American consumer, who has made it crystal clear that the origin of a widget no longer matters. And you might want to think about what it’s going to take to fill four million jobs currently available. I humbly suggest the answer will involve the kind of work ethic embodied in my stupid Pledge.
Also - speaking of free markets, let me explain what’s happening with The mikeroweWORKS Scholarship Fund. I sell SWEAT Pledges (and all sorts of other stuff) to raise money for said fund. I also shake money out of evil corporations. Then, I then give that money away every to a particular type of person. So far, we’ve awarded millions. But - to be absolutely clear - we discriminate. And we do so without apology. Not regarding gender, or color, or weight, or looks, or intelligence, or star sign. We discriminate with respect to your willingness to work hard and learn a useful skill. I’d rather reward the right attitude, then subsidize the cost of a chip on the shoulder. To those people who have refused to sign the Pledge, I say "fine. No harm, no foul. Go find another, less discriminating b-list celebrity with a pile of money to give away. Or, better yet - go start your own Scholarship Fund, and administer the funds in whatever way you see fit."
And that's what I'll say to you - with respect. Seriously - why not form The Jayson LaVictorie College Fund? You could raise your own money from like-minded friends, and then write your own Pledge - one that absolves the applicant from any measure of personal responsibility. Think about it. A simple creed that helps you identify those special Americans who believe their best opportunity for success in life lies firmly in the hands of the government, the kindness of strangers, the generosity of their parents, or the munificence of the village. Anyone but the individual themselves.
Of course, if you go that way - you better have a robust endowment. You'll have applicants lined up for miles...
Mike
Facebook Corner

(IPI). Illinois’ active legislators will each cost the state budget about $180,000 next year.
What kind of perverse system reinforces the rent-seeking professional politician?

Courtesy of the original artist via IPI
It's amazing how few commenters understand the issue. Burger King will continue to pay high US income taxes on US operations. What this will do is allow Burger King not to have to pay US taxes on international operations, which are subject to their own local taxes, i.e., a territorial tax system. The US is one of the few greedy countries left which have refused to abandon a worldwide tax system.
Not sure if I still understand completely. The US is against a worldwide tax system because they can make more money by basing corps in those countries with low taxes? Who's pushing for a global tax system?
No, the US has a worldwide tax system. What that means is if you make a dollar in Thailand after paying Thai business taxes, the US thinks you owe money to them, even though it provided no services for that income. http://www.liftamericacoalition.org/territorial-and-worldwide-tax-systems-in-the-oecd/
If I understand correctly, the US (and who else... EU/NATO) is pushing a global financial system with little corporate tax by placing corps in countries with low tax rates, avoiding their profits from taxation here in US. BK moving is an example of that. Still not understanding the political cartoon though. Also, Ronald would you enlighten us?  What is to be done...why are we still losing the fight to protecting public rights, is what they're doing legal?
No, you're flat out wrong. Burger King will continue to pay the same high US taxes on US income under either system. The inversion simply means under Canada's territorial tax system, Uncle Sam can't steal money on international operations. What Uncle Sam should do is lower or eliminate (preferably) corporate taxes across the board and relinquish tax claims elsewhere. 

 The cartoon is ridiculing Obama's self-serving claims of "economic patriotism" and "corporate deserters". There's an implicit accounting reference here. Laws generally allow you to deduct expenses like taxes paid abroad; what if, say, Japanese taxes were higher than US taxes? Do you get a US tax credit? No. But by maintaining artificially high tax rates, it thinks it has a right to tax profits elsewhere as if the profits were earned in the state. It's an economically clueless, counterproductive policy.
If all big business/corporations move out of the US, that would decrease our countries overall wealth and world standing. If that continues we will become a "ghost town". Maybe this is done on purpose, to spread the wealth?
No, inversions are being done because the US has refused to abandon its obsolete worldwide (vs. territorial) tax system. It doesn't mean that US investment is going away; however, globally noncompetitive US tax rates are a significant barrier to foreign corporate investment or expansion in the US.
The blame for BK, Walgreens, et al belongs with congress that created the laws that encourage companies to leave the country. Change the laws, and you'll stop the undesirable behavior.
Economically illiterate troll! The US is one of a vanishing number of countries still clinging to a worldwide vs. territorial tax system. And we are not even talking about globally noncompetitive tax rates that serve as a barrier to increased US investment. Burger King isn't going out of business in the US; it's simply acting in the best interests of its stakeholders to keep legal plunderers like Obama off foreign operations subject to their own local taxes. 

 Anyone with a modicum of Economics 101 knows that we should eliminate corporate income taxes, period. It's perverse to tax productivity.

(Jeffrey Tucker). Uh oh, it's getting ever more expensive to give up your citizenship. Discrimination against the poor! http://globalnews.ca/news/1532175/want-to-get-rid-of-u-s-citizenship-fee-just-quadrupled-to-2350/
Hotel California: "You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave..."

(Citizens Against Government Waste). A new law that provides the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with $5 billion plans to help the agency hire additional health care professionals and increase salaries of VA employees to "make them more competitive with those in private practice and at universities."
Although the law itself allows veterans to seek medical care outside of VA facilities, is the additional $5 billion being allocated to create a recruitment program a good use of taxpayer money? SHARE your thoughts below!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/va-is-looking-for-a-few-good-doctors-and-nurses/2014/08/28/731c9556-2ed9-11e4-994d-202962a9150c_story.html?wpisrc=nl_politics&wpmm=1
I oppose any government empire building. I agree that the government, whose meddling activities in the affairs of other countries has cost us immeasurable blood and treasure, should pick up the costs of those personal sacrifices, but I believe that the private sector can treat relevant veterans cheaper, better and more conveniently than a self-serving, misallocated, Procrustean federal bureaucracy. We need to privatize veteran care.

(Cato Institute). "While free marketers may be tempted to welcome legislation that allows ridesharing companies to operate, it is worth keeping in mind that as local lawmakers across the country try to regulate rideshare companies, there is a risk of regulatory capture and...a risk of ridesharing companies eventually using legislation to their advantage to stifle competition as technology continues to advance."
If I have to purchase commercial insurance for limo service so should gitney or Uber drivers. DoT physical, car inspection and background checks. Level playing field. Your personal auto insurance does not cover commercial use.
This is a pathetic, predictable, defensive cronyist, anti-competitive rant. In fact, I believe that the companies provide commercial liability insurance during ride sharing services, cleanliness of the vehicle and customer feedback are key considerations. What the cronyists try to do is to impose more Draconian conditions.

 What we see is more innovations (e.g., car seat service and food delivery) than the dinosaur taxicab industry has provided in decades of self-serving operations.

(LifeSiteNews). German homeschoolers regain custody of children, vow to stay and fight for freedom
The idea that Germany can trump parental responsibility for the education of their own children in favor of State-dominated "education"/indoctrination is an abomination.

(IPI). Have you ever wondered why you can’t buy food on the street in Chicago?
Wonder no more — it’s Illegal to sell any prepared foods from a street cart in Chicago.
(responding to a sarcastic response by one of the resident IPI trolls)
You confuse nativism with conservatives. True conservatives embrace the free market and the hard work ethic. As for the predictable Koch brother bashing, are you really that pathetic and predictable a "progressive" whore?

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Henry Payne via Reason
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Billy Joel, "Hey Girl". A rare Joel remake (he also did "All Shook Up",  which I recently covered). This was, according to Wikipedia which I often reference in chart histories, Joel's last major hit (on the adult contemporary charts) and marks the end of this series. Next up: Petula Clark.

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Thursday, August 28, 2014

Miscellany; 8/28/14

Quote of the Day
It takes a big man to admit when he's wrong, 
and an even bigger one to keep his mouth shut when he's right.
Jim Fiebig

Tweet of the Day
Chart of the Day


Courtesy of the Independent Institute
Rant of the Day
Two salesmen approach you. One is named "Koch Brothers", the other's name is "American Federal Government": Both want you to buy their healthcare product. The Koch Brothers ask if you are interested in their healthcare plan. You politely decline their product. They hate to see you leave, but they smile, shake your hand and thank you for your time. Then, the American Federal Government approaches you and wants you to buy their plan. You politely decline their product. After all, it's far inferior to the deluxe plan you just declined. In your mind, you're healthy enough to not need either plan. As you go to shut the door, the American Federal Government bursts its way in and threatens you with civil penalties, jail time and more if you do not allow them to steal your money, to purchase a product for you, that you don't need-- or want. You try to hide, but the American Federal Government is watching your every move at every moment. You couldn't hide if you were the invisible man. Are you enjoying your new healthcare plan America? And people believe "big business" is the evil one. The great American fallacy. - Mike Lotfi
Image of the Day
Via Dollar Vigilante



Civil Forfeiture = Legal Plunder




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(IPI). From the Chicago Tribune: "Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday that he would push aldermen to raise Chicago’s minimum wage to $13 an hour no matter what Springfield lawmakers do on the issue this year."
All this does is restrict employment to workers who bring labor value at least $13/hour. What is this going to do for less-skilled/experienced workers whom are already having a problem finding work in the existing market? With economically illiterate "friends" like Dead Fish, who needs enemies?

(FEE). When people are free to bargain over a property right, it will go to whoever values it most.
It is astonishing how many pro-reclining jerks there are in this thread. Listen, if you've ever had one of those seats that won't recline--not necessarily your choice, and some asshole in front of you insists on reclining to the point his seat is in your direct space--you can't do squat because you're literally pinned in your seat, there is no reasoning with the pro-recliner's appalling hypocrisy and lack of common courtesy. Any reasoning that says the jerk is unilaterally entitled to more space than I am--and he did not pay a premium charge to invade my personal space--is ludicrous.

 I think the opinion writers and the pro-reclining fascists have it exactly backwards. If you want the extra room, you should pay for that privilege. It is not a question of someone having to buy back his personal space. Buy a first class ticket or a premium extra-room ticket.

 As I recall, in my incident, the first flight attendant was totally unsympathetic. I think the second found a petite female passenger willing to exchange seats--although I felt the person who should have had to move was the space hog

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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Miscellany: 8/27/14

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Knowledge is power.
Thomas Hobbes

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(Independent Institute). Senior Fellow John Goodman: "The most significant innovations in medical practice are usually produced by entrepreneurs and although they may be motivated by many factors, entrepreneurship tends to flourish where there is significant downside financial risk and significant upside potential for profit. That’s why some of the most interesting things going on right now are in independent doctor associations, managed by entrepreneurs, in contrast to the activities of hospitals, insurance companies and government agencies."
Name some successful privatizations of Gov't programs.
For the uneducated "progressive" troll, nearly every local government function somewhere has been successfully privatized. Everything government touches--education, healthcare, mortgages, college tuition, etc.--turns to crap. The most successful parts of the economy, e.g., high tech, the Internet, have flourished without the benefit of fascist meddling. http://reason.org/files/fresnoprivatization.pdf

(Rand Paul). The Islamic State represents a threat that should be taken seriously. But we should also recall how recent foreign-policy decisions have helped these extremists so that we don't make the same mistake of potentially aiding our enemies again. Read my entire op-ed HERE: http://online.wsj.com/articles/rand-paul-how-u-s-interventionists-abetted-the-rise-of-isis-1409178958
People who are part of the problem--Obama, Clinton, the interventionists on both sides of the aisle--will never be part of the solution.

(Reason). LA Schools billion-dollar iPad fiasco resulted from a contract bidding process tailored to the products of the eventual winners — Apple and Pearson — rather than to demonstrated district needs.
I was amused when I saw my little grandniece Google for the finale to one of her favorite Nickelodeon series. But my first MIS professor used to ridicule people paying over $2K to replace a 99-cent plastic recipe box. In the last microcomputer applications class I taught in Illinois in the early 90's, I wanted the students to come up with a simple practical application. I think the best came from a farmer who built a simple application to track immunizations for his animals, but most students begged to be assigned a project.

 High technology is a tool, not an end to itself. I realize this is going back for a lot of people, but we did not create classes on using a slide rule or a simple calculator. I did not want to leave my students with the idea that key stroke combinations they used were material in the long run; I told them new applications would likely supersede these. Indeed, the Microsoft Office platform would later emerge an an industry standard.

 We need to beware of snake oil "progressive" education hype and other misleading pushing-on-a-string Statist interventions, like the "net neutrality" agenda.

(Libertarian Republic). Ever seen one of these? [Device that prevents the airline seat in front from reclining.] What would you do if someone installed one in the back of your seat?
I scanned through the comments first to see if anyone had an experience like mine, but I do have a point of view, not even as a tall person. But if you've ever been in one of those seats which are locked and cannot recline (plane structure behind you). and some inconsiderate son of a bitch pins you in your seat by reclining directly into your personal space--you can't do anything because of his self-righteous indulgence at your expense, you would have a different view. I had a battle with one such jerk (he leaned back, and I pushed back; rinse and repeat) and the flight attendant was yet another jerk, saying the son of a bitch was entitled to pin me in. I think another flight attendant managed to get me reassigned to another seat on the plane, but I came close to being tossed off the flight. Anyone who thinks that I knew this would happen when I booked my flight is out of his mind.

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