History does not repeat itself.
Historians repeat each other.
Arthur Balfour
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Politicians love to rob Peter to pay Paul, but Peter and Paul are wards of the State: better to return the money from whom it was stolen.
— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 24, 2015
Is Mitt Romney trying to become the new Harold Stassen? We need free markets and trade, not 59-point plans and government technocrats.
— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 24, 2015
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Blended Education: Towards a More Personalized Educational Context
Towards a More Humane, Open Immigration System
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(Reason). Social progress comes from weird places some times.
A real privatization of marriage would take marital status out of state jurisdiction, including tax preferences. This proposal only seems to be privatizing wedding procedures. Alternatively we could simply create some superset construct, say certified household partners, without compromising the heterosexual institution of marriage.
The government on all levels should get out of marriage. It does not decide who can be I a relationship or not.
As far as I know, couples have not had to get state permission to date or live together. So I don't know where this idiotic talking point came from. The question has to do with legal recognition of said relationship. This has more to do with social norms. The evolved construct of marriage is between a man and woman; think of the social sigma associated with the term "bastard". Gays for centuries had their own partnership constructs; I think the current "gay marriage" kerfuffle is really aimed at gays trying to socially validate their own relationships by co-opting a heterosexual construct. through judicial tyranny.
(IPI). The Illinois Supreme Court has refused to consider 9 amicus briefs filed by groups that want the court to uphold the state’s pension-reform law.
The bottom line is that public employees and the public sector have been grossly underfunding pension funding relative to retirement promises for decades-long retirements, in many cases over and beyond active worker and/or median taxpayer household income; the Illinois Supreme Court cannot bailout an insolvent pension fund. Nobody is going to lend Illinois money knowing their contractual rights are less equal than self-serving public employees/retirees. If and when Illinois citizens without pensions of their own see their taxes soar while essential services are cut to pay off a growing public retiree base -keep in mind 5 of 6 employed are in the private sector-you can bet on a taxpayer revolution that corrupt unions will be powerless to stop.
Illinois needs to consider at least an optional 401K-style program in lieu of pension plan participation. Let public employees make the decision--do they want to gamble on dubious future bailouts or have more control over their own retirement contributions and employer matches? I know what any rational person would choose.
(Reason). Meet the new Mitt Romney, same as the old Mitt Romney
Romney's only virtue is that he is neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton. However, we knew that he was more of a technocrat than principled: a 59-point economic plan? Really? It doesn't take a lot to say "free markets and free trade" or to point out economic liberalization, not "progressive" policies, has brought more people out of poverty than anything else. We don't want government that spends smarter: we want less government. The evolving Romney is like a bad "To Tell the Truth" episode: which is the "real" Romney? Is he vying to be the new Harold Stassen?
(Ron Paul). Want to Really Help Students? Make it Legal to Pay Them!
by Ron Paul
Everybody from the President, to the libertarians, to populists, Republicans, Democrats, and me, is a champion of the middle class. Anyone who has an understanding of the free market and sound money actually knows exactly what the answer is for achieving a large and thriving middle class. Unfortunately, politicians in Washington know little about the free market and that certainly includes President Obama.
One of the President's plans to help the middle class is to give everyone two years of free college. Free to him means making someone else pay. I have a better plan. I want to make it legal to pay students to get a useful education by repealing all laws that interfere in voluntary contracts dealing with employment. This includes minimum wage laws. Today our colleges graduate a lot of students with degrees that have not provided them with the skills needed to take the many jobs going begging. What is needed are electricians, plumbers, welders, carpenters, technicians, etc. Why not let people learn on the job for a wage agreed upon by student and the employer-teacher while learning a trade? That would be a lot better than robbing Peter to pay Paul for an "education" that fails to prepare the student for a real job. A healthy dose of liberty would go a long way toward helping the middle class and the entire economy.
You want more affordable higher education? Privatize college financing; end subsidies and streamline government regulation; vest students more immediately in college financing and encourage work internships for degree credit; tighten entrance criteria and degree time frame and make college programs more rigorous; consolidate degree programs, eliminate politically correct pseudo-disciplines/requirements (e.g., women's studies/multicultural programs) and facilitate resource sharing across universities; streamline college administration and staffing. Just a starting point...
Want to make 4 years of college affordable for EVERY American??? Simply cut 10% of the completely unnecessary bloated military budget. There has not been a soldier fighting for American freedom at any time in the past 150 years.You want more affordable higher education? Privatize college financing; end subsidies and streamline government regulation; vest students more immediately in college financing and encourage work internships for degree credit; tighten entrance criteria and degree time frame and make college programs more rigorous; consolidate degree programs, eliminate politically correct pseudo-disciplines/requirements (e.g., women's studies/multicultural programs) and facilitate resource sharing across universities; streamline college administration and staffing. Just a starting point...
Politicians love to rob Peter to pay Paul, but Peter and Paul are wards of the State: better to return the money from whom it was stolen.
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of Lisa Benson via Independent Institute |
Céline Dion, "That's the Way It Is". Another infectious pop gem, one of my favorite Céline tunes.
