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Thursday, August 31, 2017

Post #3344 M

Quote of the Day

No matter who says what, 
you should accept it with a smile 
and do your own work.
Mother Teresa 

Tweet of the Day



















Corrupt Government, Developers and Eminent Domain





What's Wrong With the Alt-Right





The Labor Theory of Value (It's wrong but understand it.)


One sample flaw.



Sportsmanship In Action




Political Cartoon


Courtesy of Steve Kelley via Townhall

Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists


Barbra Streisand, "We're Not Making Love Anymore"

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Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Post #3343 M

Quote of the Day

I believe in intuition and inspiration. 
Imagination is more important than knowledge. 
For knowledge is limited, 
whereas imagination embraces the entire world, 
stimulating progress, 
giving birth to evolution. 
It is, strictly speaking, a real factor in scientific research.
Albert Einstein  


Tweet of the Day



































Image of the Day

Not quite there on the black but yes to the others


Why Libertarians Might Welcome Less Dysfunctional Government




Ron Paul On Trump and North Korea




Munger On Rent Seeking





Political Cartoon


Courtesy of Henry Payne via Townhall


Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists


Barbra Streisand (with Don Johnson), "Till I Loved You"


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Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Post #3342 M

Quote of the Day

If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts.
Albert Einstein  


Tweet of the Day























Image of the Day


via Bastiat Institute on FB

As a Former Houston Resident, I Appreciate People Opening Their Hearts and Wallets For Fellow People





Anti-Competitive Certificate of Need




Political Humor




Online Competition





Political Cartoon


Courtesy of Jerry Holbert via Townhall


Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists


Barbra Streisand, 'Somewhere". I remember hearing this remake for the first time on the drive home from work in Houston: pure magic. Among my top 3 Streisand tunes/

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Monday, August 28, 2017

Post #3341 M

Quote of the Day

Nevër miss an opportunïty to make others happy, 
even if you have to leave them alone in order to do it.
Source Unknown  

Tweet of the Day











Without Government, Who Would Supply the Water?




The Impossibility of Government Solving Problems




The Story of Modern Venezuela




Political Cartoon


Courtesy of Bob Gorrell via Townhall

Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists


Barbra Streisand, "Emotion"

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Sunday, August 27, 2017

Post #3340 M

Quote of the Day

Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, 
but in ourselves are triumph and defeat.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow  

Tweet of the Day















































Stat of the Day




The Anti-Competitive North Carolina Government vs. Teaching Make-Up Artistry




Towards Civility




Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Gary Varvel via Townhall

Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists


Barbra Streisand (with Kim Carnes), "Make No Mistake; He's Mine"

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Saturday, August 26, 2017

Post #3339 M

Quote of the Day

People will accept your ideas much more readily 
if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first.
David H. Comins  

Tweet of the Day














Massie Is Spot On On Afghanistan





A Great Libertarian Rant on Statues, Lincoln, etc. Via Dollar Vigilante



Choose Life: Their "Big" Cousin Saved Them




Foote On the Confederate Flag




Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Steve Breen via Townhall


Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists


Barbra Streisand, "Papa, Can You Hear Me?"

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If I Were Trump

Well, this essay would be if I simply put my libertarian views into Trump's mouth and actions. Among other things, I would be looking to:

  •  privatize parts of the federal government, including the USPS, FDA and the TSA
  • privatize senior entitlements and service elderly poor in existing poverty programs 
  • consolidate welfare programs  and use the principle of Subsidiarity (i.e., state/local to distribute social welfare net  resources
  • largely privatize most of the federal workforce
  • decentralize federal authority over states
  • downsize our military footprint overseas by 85%
  • pay down the federal debt
  • unilaterally declare free trade and open migration
  • repeal 1913: the Federal Reserve and the income tax
  • reduce regulatory overhead by 85%
  • break up the Department of Homeland Security and eliminate all but a half dozen federal departments
Okay, I know that's never going to happen, and I will have the AnCaps on my right saying I'm still leaving too much on the table for the Statists. That's really not the point  I'm looking for a paradigm shift in American politics. If we don't start conceptualizing goals and specifics in terms of how to regain lost liberty, we're screwed playing defense against corrupt Statists who have built their unsustainable government by bribing the electorate. We need to fight the beneficiaries, the bureaucrats and the special interests who benefit from such corruption. I don't see that happening but under extraordinary circumstances like an economic meltdown.

So then: what I'm referring to?

  • Trump should have exited Afghanistan and Iraq, declared victory, calling an end to the Bush/Clinton era
  • Trump won the Presidency with one of the lowest non-leading percentages since Harrison and John Quincy Adams and in a change election year. He should have shown more humility and not expected some sort of mandate for a largely unspecified agenda.
  • Trump's mishandling of Charlottesville was an unforced error, one that largely dogged him during the primary fight over David Duke. Trump is stubborn to the point of being counterproductive, fighting tooth and nail before (in the past) conceding the Obama birther issue (and in some bizarre way trying to claim credit for resolving it). There was no reason in the world why Trump shouldn't have said something like, "Look, what these radical groups on the left and the right teach do not reflect my values or those of my administration. I won the election largely based on Republican and independent votes, not on the votes of fringe groups, which I don't seek and repudiate unconditionally. I don't seek the votes of fringe groups who oppose equality under the law and won't abide by the rule of law. As President, I support the right of people to express their thoughts, even disagreeable ones, under our Constitution. As for Confederate statues and flags, let me point out that Gov. Nikki Haley, who took down Confederate flags in SC is part of my administration.
  • Trump needs to exercise more self-discipline. His threats against GOP Congressional leaders, Senators, Comey, Mueller, North Korea, and more (not to mention his infamous tweets) have badly backfired. He's roiled international stock markets with rogue comments
  • On healthcare, Trump needs to focus on how to restore competition in the health care sector and this means radically removing barriers to entry within and across states, lower financially ruinous mandates (like community rating, business and individual).
  • Trump needs to not sweat the small stuff.  He needs to cut his losses faster. He needs to stop this insane policy of threatening his own GOP allies; Dick Morris recalls that when FDR went after allegedly disloyal senators following the failure of his court packing scheme, he miserably failed, and his domestic initiatives were largely stymied for the remainder of his Presidency.
  • Trump needs to negotiate with Congress, not attempt to impose his will. He needs to build a record of win-win successes to build momentum for bigger policies.
  • I do not know exactly how to reverse his slumping 34-35% public approval rating. He thinks any publicity is better than no publicity, and he's wrong. I know his faithful love him calling out the mainstream media and take shots at the Establishment. But I don't think he's helping himself with the voters on the margin. They need to feel better off after 16 years of mediocre economic growth under Bush and Obama.
Can Trump survive the mid-terms and get reelected? Just a reminder that an unpopular IL Gov. Blagojevich managed to win reelection in 2006 by making his opponent radioactive. A lot depends on who the Democrats nominate, the state of the economy, etc. But I am surprised that despite his expertise with the media that he hasn't been able to maintain his job approval ratings.

On paper, Trump's abysmal ratings should  lay the prospect of a 2006 wave election. But it's possible if not likely that the GOP will pick up Senate seats since most seats up involve Democrat incumbents, many in red-leaning states, and the latest I've seen, the GOP seems to be favored in about 230 House seats, enough to remain in control. But a lot can happen over the coming year.

But even if Trump turns out to be a one-term President, his Presidency is likely to be consequential for at least 2 positive reasons:
  • Trump is likely to mitigate the damage caused by Obama's court appointments over the last 8 years
  • Trump is the first POTUS to seriously tackle the GDP-choking costs of over-regulation.
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Friday, August 25, 2017

Post #3337 M

Quote of the Day

You have to allow a certain amount of time 
in which you are doing nothing 
in order to have things occur to you, 
to let your mind think. 
Mortimer Adler  


Tweet of the Day













Choose Life: After 3 Girls: A Boy




Building a Business-Friendly Economy




Local School Reform Is Best Addressed LOCALLY




Government Needs To Stop Subsidizing Sports




Utah's Anti-Consumer, Anti-Competitive Corrupt Franchise/Licensing Laws




The Utter Stupidity of Our Meddling Policies Overseas




Political Cartoon


Courtesy of Jerry Holbert via Townhall







Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists


Barbra Streisand, "The Way He Makes Me Feel"

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