Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.
Henry David Thoreau
Chart of the Day
 |
| Courtesy of MacKinac Center |
The (Spendthrift) One doesn't care about unsustainable liabilities because sperm aren't voters (rephrasing Boettke). http://t.co/QszRRblnOc
— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) February 21, 2015
Audit the Fed!Audit the Pentagon! Require the government to publish financial statements on GAAP principles, including unfunded liabilities.
— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) February 21, 2015
"Progressives" and members of the Fed are engaging in a disinformation campaign on the "Audit the Fed" bill. Policy must be transparent.
— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) February 21, 2015
Central planning in monetary policy is just as delusional as in fiscal policy, whether it's activism of a central bank or the Congress..
— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) February 21, 2015
The $700B TARP bill was scrutinized by Congress but not Fed transactions of $16T including loans to foreign entities. http://t.co/WISaCyWiiv
— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) February 21, 2015
Image of the Day
 |
| Via Rand Paul |
Against Forced Unionization Exploitation of Home Workers
Facebook Corner
(Reason). "It's very good for the country to see somebody [like Rand Paul] who's not just saying, 'I want to limit the government in the areas where it's bugging *me* but I want to expand it if I can make *you* live the way that I want you to.'"
is anyone else confused as me with this quote? who said it?
Nick Gillespie. I guess they forgot to post the link: http://reason.com/blog/2015/02/21/nick-gillespie-talking-rand-paul-on-npr
(separate)
Mr. Starrick's opinion is correct; the limited government piece does not apply to any "progressive" except perhaps on certain civil liberty issues and anti-war. Many conservatives are fairly good on economic issues but "tough on crime" (less worried about violations of the fourth amendment), oppose immigration liberalization, are less tolerant of self-destructive, morally dubious behaviors (like drug or gambling addiction, pornography/prostitution, etc.) and are less fiscally conservative and more proactive when it comes to defense matters.
(Rand Paul 2016). Lindsey Graham wants to run for president because he’s scared of Rand Paul
Read more at http://rare.us/story/lindsey-graham-wants-to-run-for-president-because-hes-scared-of-rand-paul/#QOjIc8mRdTvSowqy.99
The GOP must acknowledge issues with the Bush presidency in both domestic and foreign policy. Graham does not add anything new to the field that the American people haven't already rejected in the McCain and Romney candidacies. Neo-cons are the rule, not the exception in the prospective field; Rand Paul has a more restrained view of foreign policy with a more balanced, Constitutionally-based view of the line between the Congress and the Presidency. If Graham wants to argue that we can spend another trillion plus thousands in American lives and casualties with a nearly insolvent federal government, he is out of touch with reality and millions of moderates and independents who voted against such intervention in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Rand Paul is the least likely to replicate George W. Bush's mistakes.
(Rand Paul 2016). Here’s how serious Rand Paul is about passing Audit the Fed
Read more at http://rare.us/story/heres-how-serious-rand-paul-is-about-passing-audit-the-fed/#ASHj23KjgV8Tqk10.99
I like Rand Paul, the Fed will never be audited, it is owned by Rothshild/Morgan/Rockefeller of Europe, those who have tried to do this before were Abraham Lincoln, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jackson, past presidents. They even own the Vatican's money and the Bank of England, all of the Royals money.
Crackpot bullshit. Not to mention the Fed didn't exist for nearly 50 years after Lincoln was killed.
(IPI). The unemployment rate for black men is 1.3 percentage points lower in Right-to-Work states, and 2.3 percentage points lower for Latino men.
Read more: http://illin.is/1AuHeWv
Yeah and they make $7/hr less in those right to work for less states.
We must declare our self worth as greater than republicans and corporate America would declare.
More economic garbage statistics from a crony unionist. Your misleading statistics fail to adjust for the cost of living which is generally lower in right to work states. Not to mention any worker in right-to-work states is much better off unemployed people in a forced unionization state. http://www.mackinac.org/18216
(Cato Institute). "With the introduction of bills in both the House (H.R. 24) and Senate (S.264) allowing for a GAO audit of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy, officials at both the Board and regional Fed banks have launched an attack on these efforts. While we should all welcome this debate, it should be one based on facts. Unfortunately some Fed officials have made a number of statements that could at best be called misleading. "
All these stupid Ron Paulish lies about auditing the Fed...
The Fed is one of the biggest banks in the world, if not the biggest, it cannot be operated without continual internal and external audits, and both are mandated by law.
And the man who had the legal authority to audit anything in the Federal Reserve from 2012 to 2012? Ron Lying Paul.
Idiot arrogant OP! We are talking about auditing policy, not finances. You don't happen to recall the one-off Fed audit Ron Paul managed to push through the 111th Congress--which revealed $15T in foreign bank loans and $2.5T to Citicorp? To quote Ron Paul, whom you've obviously never read: "The argument that the Fed is already audited is purposely misleading. Yes there is a minor financial audit of day-to-day expenditures of the Fed, but there has never been a full audit of the policies and the privileges passed out to the special interests. That is what remains secret – especially all foreign transactions."
(FEE). In the short term, robotics will cause some job dislocation, but in the long term, they make everyone better off by decreasing costs and increasing productivity.
Excuse me, but have we considered how many jobs we have lost to the Big Trucking industry?
These giant corporations drive things to and fro, burning fossil fuels and losing millions of jobs.
What happened to the days of building a human chain from New York to Los Angeles? This automobile displaces millions of human chain workers. It's time to get rid of technology. It's time for the stone age.
The funniest sarcastic thread I've seen in a while. .. I'm surprised no one has suggested that our once largely agrarian economy has dwindled to about 2% of the workforce--imagine all the farms jobs generated by returning to plowing with oxen...
(IPI). Gov. Rauner’s initial pension proposal helps him achieve his goal of a balanced budget without tax increases.
But if Illinois wants to solve the pension crisis once and for all, it will take a comprehensive 401(k)-style reform plan.
Some of the ways that pension participants use to juice their pensions are being eliminated. Hurray!!! But the damage is done, So Starting July 1st, 401k for all.
Somewhat dated, but during my one-year visiting professor ISU appointment in 1990-1, there were no social security deductions--the only year in my work career going back to my college work-study days. I did have a 403B--which is a public sector version of 401K. I worked for 3 other state universities, the first as a grad student, and they all deducted payroll taxes. The Illinois set-up was definitely curious. I recall reading some teacher's comment in a forum--not sure if it was IPI--a few years back about an Illinois state teacher desperately wanting to enroll in social security and he was told that he couldn't. He knew that the Illinois pension system is a house of cards and was afraid the system would go broke before he was ready to retire.
(separate comment)
Pete, I'm somewhat confused by your opening comment. unless you're saying that's your hope for the eventual policy. My read of the IPI piece says none of the employees are being mandated 401K-like plans (it's what IPI argues, but that's not the Rauner proposal). From what I understand older pension plan employees will be merged into the newer pension plan with deferred payments of post-July pension benefits at 67; the older pension plan employees will be allowed the option to cash out their accrued benefits into a defined contribution/401K plan. The IPI piece says it's not clear if any current newer pension plan employees will be given an opportunity to cash out into a 401K.
I remember arguing in an IPI thread a few weeks back that things would have to be optional to get it past the liberal Illinois courts. I said if it was my money I would jump on a 401K conversion because I would rather control my retirement future than depend on the empty promises of political whores .
I'm somewhat disappointed because I don't see in the details discussed where they are clamping down to say a maximum distribution of $40K a year, a cap of tax-free benefits, means-testing of benefits, age-based deferments. It looks like Rauner is mostly tweaking around the edges, saving some money from merging the pension plans and putting an end to gameplaying near retirement. But anyone thinking this makes up for underfunding by both employees and employer for decades and unrealistic investment returns is in a state of denial. IPI is right--the only real solution is to move to a 401K style system; how you do that given a state-of-denial Illinois court system is difficulty to see.
A final note: Rauner's special consideration of public safety unions is not so surprising. There's been an alliance of sorts between law and order conservatives and public safety; in part, this explains Gov. Walker's separate treatment of unions during collective bargaining reform and NYC Mayor de Blasio's problems with the police in the aftermath of the Eric Garner case. If you recall, national labor leaders heavily pressured the Wisconsin public sector unions, arguing Walker was playing divide and conquer; to a large extent, the Wisconsin unions publicly rebuked Walker.
We Are the World
More Proposals
This lengthy clip impressed me with the sheer logistics--and asking for her hand in the very spot where her folks were engaged--really nice touch.
Skip ahead one minute: he's waiting for his girlfriend to enter the room on her own.
Choose Life
Political Cartoon
 |
| Courtesy of the original artist via the Libertarian Catholic |
 |
| Courtesy of Bob Gorrell via Townhall |
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists
James Taylor (with Simon & Garfunkel), "Wonderful World"
