Do not spoil what you have
by desiring what you have not;
but remember that what you now have was
once among the things you only hoped for.
Epicurus
Image of the Day
Obama, Baltimore and Politics
Let's be clear where libertarians stand in the Baltimore kerfuffle:
- the Freddie Gray arrest was unconstitutional (making eye contact and/or running from police are not crimes), and the police, at minimum, are morally responsible for Gray's death. Even under the assumption that Gray was legitimately arrested, Gray was entitled to a presumption of innocence and the local government had an obligation to protect him so he had his day in court before a jury of his peers. There is no justification for a severe spine injury, which was a factor in Gray's death, on the way to the police station under grounds of due professional care.
- there is no justification whatsoever for criminal rioters assaulting people and property, rationalizing the cause of Freddie Gray. The people who are being attacked are not responsible for what happened.
- whereas there has been political fingerpointing by both sides of the partisan divide, let's be clear: government has a lot to do with urban issues: law and order (or lack thereof), failing public schools, a dysfunctional war on drugs, a failed war on poverty, occupational licensing, minimum wages and other barriers to job entry, regulatory barriers and high taxes to business formation or growth, etc. And let's be clear: most of the large urban centers have been controlled for decades by local Democrats, and on the federal level the federal government has spent an ungodly amount of money on public housing, healthcare, and schools, among other things. All this government really hasn't changed the facts on the ground like a seemingly permanent underclass.
Obama, who promised a post-racial Presidency, has been particularly pathetic, trying to blame the GOP for blocking his special interest infrastructure boondoggles, early childhood education initiatives (despite education is more of a local responsibility and there's little scientific evidence that the benefits of early education persist beyond a few grades). The reforms that will mean something include deregulation by all levels of government, allowing a true free market in education, encouraging business growth with less government burden. Obama's answer is just more of the same failed redistributionist and Keynesian economics. But, worse, he's going to leave behind around a $20T debt and maybe $100T in unfunded liabilities
Sunday Talk Soup and Alleged Government Sponsorship of Discrimination Against Gays
Stephanopoulos, moderator to ABC This Week, in late March kept trying to tie the recently enacted Indiana RFRA law to the sanctioning of discriminatory activity against gays. First of all, RFRA protects the religious liberty of people from the MONOPOLY STATE; in the private economy, there is no "natural monopoly". If I were a photographer or baker who didn't want to work for a "gay wedding" as a matter of moral or religious principle, I should not be attacked by a government on behalf of a fringe special interest group. Any kind of restriction--say, driving, immigration, voting, etc.--could be viewed as discriminatory. As a bookseller, I may choose not to sell pornography; I may own a shop that markets to extremely tall women. Gay bars specialize in serving certain customers. So if I choose to specialize my business in supporting traditional marriage, why should it matter if I leave money on the table? I may choose not to support "gay marriage" for the same reason I don't support plural marriages. If gay bars managed to launch as an alternative to "straight" bars, why not gay bakeries or photographers?
Was a desire to protect the religious liberty of Indiana small businesses a factor behind Indiana RFRA? Maybe; so what? Over a dozen states have passed their own RFRA's well before the current politically correct LGBT push. The idea of a vast anti-gay conspiracy is ludicrous. I, as a straight, lived in Houston and heard about their gay community some 30 years ago--in a conservative state, long before the current lesbian mayor got voted into office. There are gay officeholders when the percentage of gays by most accounts is less than 5% of the population. Nobody is proposing a Jim Crow-style policy against the marketing of goods and services against gays. And RFRA goes beyond gay issues; I believe the initial motivation was the use of certain drugs as part of traditional Native American rituals. Let's hope that mainstream media tools like Stephanopoulos can move beyond the talking points of politically correct fascists.
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of the original artist via Patriot Post |
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| Courtesy of Dana Summers via Townhall |
Olivia Newton-John, "Hopelessly Devoted to You"
