Quote of the Day
All men dream: but not equally.Those who dream by night
in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity:
but the dreamers of the day
are dangerous men,
for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.
T.E. Lawrence
Happy Birthday, Magna Carta: 800 Years Old!
My Greatest Hits: June 2015
- Miscellany: 5/28/15
- Miscellany: 5/30/15
- Miscellany: 5/24/15
- Miscellany: 5/25/15 Happy Memorial Day!
- Miscellany: 5/31/15
I Don't Suffer Fools Gladly
If you've read some of my FB Corner segments lately, they might seem a little harsh: I have had a tendency to blast fascists, political whores, economic illiterates, etc. I may even throw in a few cuss words. To be honest, I rarely say or write these things in general. In part, even though I recognize some people may tune out the message because of the language, but I'm usually trying to make a point with a colorful, a little over the top response. It depends on the context. It's not unusual for "progressives" or anti-immigrants to spam a free market/open border thread. Let me give a few examples from yesterday's segment.
One dealt with the Iceland financial crisis.The "progressive" went into a cookie cutter rant trying to blame Iceland's crisis on nefarious greedy bankers, etc. I don't mind a difference of opinion, but don't engage in copy-and-paste political spin.
In another segment, there was a thinly disguised anti-immigrant, basically parroting those, say, rationalizing their support of Arizona's immigration law. His talking point was the Constitution only gave Congress to regulate naturalization, not migration, basically claiming the immigration power was invented by an activist court.
In a third segment, FEE was reprising an essay disputing the idea that Jesus was a socialist. The "progressives", even atheists, were out in force, with one of the last commenters proudly noting almost no one bothered defending the FEE piece.
Finally, a "progressive" in an IPI thread went into a rant on "trickle down economics" by arguing that a suspension of state subsidies for county fair prizes was essentially an attack on the middle class. I'm still not happy the pope recently used the pejorative in his own writings.
Marriage and Family
Facebook Corner
(Cato Institute). "Over a decade of experience has shown that the nationalization of airport screening under the Bush administration was a mistake. Let’s learn from reforms abroad, and bring in the private sector to boost the quality of our aviation security system."
The TSA is rubbish, but privatizing will likely work as well as it has for our prison system, where we get companies lobbying and getting ever increasing laws to keep their industry growing. That's a worse state than today, where they are inconvenient and useless. It's best to get rid of the concept of enhanced airport security altogether, or move to the Israeli model.
Unfortunately (for him), the fascist OP doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. What if I was to say--much of the prison system "(food services, counseling, industrial programs, maintenance, security, education, and vocational training) IS privatized/subcontracted out ALREADY: "Corrections Corporation of America, Inc. (CCA), formed in 1983 and now the largest private supplier of secure adult facilities, received a contract from New Mexico to design, finance, construct, and operate a prison for all of the state’s female felons, becoming the first private minimum-through-maximum-security state prison in recent history. In 1994, twenty-one different firms shared eighty contracts for adult prisons with 49,154 total beds. The Federal Bureau of Prisons contracts out all of its halfway-house operations. In 1985, thirty-two states also had nonsecure, community-based facilities (e.g., halfway houses, group homes, community treatment centers) under contract. In that same year, approximately 34,080 juvenile offenders were held in nearly 1,996 privately run facilities nationwide,"
Oh, I'm sure the fascist is going to argue that he didn't say there weren't privatized operations but they are (gasp!) for-profit. Apparently when the government spends twice as much, goes over budget and is less effective, it's OK because losing money stolen from taxpayers--at least it's not running an "evil" profit.
What does that fascist really believe that the private sector can't beat a 5% detection rate? There are already private operators "Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (STS); Dawson Community Airport (GDV); Frank Wiley Field (MLS); Greater Rochester International (ROC); Havre City County Airport (HVR); Jackson Hole (JAC); Joe Foss Field (FSD); Kansas City International (MCI); Key West International Airport (EYW); L.M. Clayton Airport (OLF); Lewistown Municipal Airport (LWT); Roswell International Air Center (ROW); San Francisco International (SFO); Sidney Richland Regional (SDY); Tupelo Regional (TUP); Wokal Field (GGW),"
(IPI). Don’t let city officials make you think that by borrowing more and pushing payments out into the future things will be more sustainable.
This is just the next kick of the can down the road that has become the modus operandi of Chicago and Illinois finances.
Bondholders who buy into Dead Fish's hype are gambling that the music doesn't stop (musical chairs) while they're holding onto the bonds. And homeowners bought during the real estate bubble thinking they would be out long before the bubble burst.(Cato Institute). "You deserve to drive on smooth, safe, uncongested roads, and mileage-based user fees will make it possible for that to happen."
Speaking to Kurtzer's concern: first of all, you're still getting socked by fuel-based taxes that subsidize government roads; second, there are a variety of technologies, not necessarily odometer; many use a GPS-based technology based not only on roads traveled, but reflect traffic load (e.g., higher rates at rush hour).
There are a number of other points. Sessa obscurely talks about efficient taxation based on scarcity; I believe this is an indirect reference to peak pricing, e.g., toll roads during rush hour. Some people have objected to the federal tax mechanism; some reformers have discussed the federal government delegating funding authority to the state/locals. As to the type of tax collection, various methods have been discussed including a surcharge at the point of fuel purchase.
Personally I want to see privatization of our highways and roads. But congestion is purely a consequence of bad public policy. Flexible pricing is a no-brainer, but unpopular politics.
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of Glenn McCoy via Townhall |
Dionne Warwick, "You'll Never Get To Heaven If You Break My Heart"
