LIBERTY: GUBAMINT SKOOLZ – the bigest problem – a well-thought out way out!

Friday, August 18, 2006

http://www.mises.org/story/2216

Enterprising Education: Doing Away with the Public School System
by Walter Block and Andrew Young
[Posted on Saturday, August 19, 2006]
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All the arguments in favor of a public provision of primary education prove to be unfounded and/or incorrect. The failure of the state to provide a high quality service to all (its explicit goal) has rendered public primary education illegitimate; and the immeasurable waste of resources and rejection of consumer desires has left public education borderline immoral. As well, if an educated citizenry is to be considered necessary for the operation of the republican government, then it is an inexcusable conflict of interest when elected officials are the ones in charge of providing that education. Furthermore, the argument of externalities and nonexcludability fails to buttress the case for socialist education. The only ethical, reasonable system for the provision of primary education is the free market.

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Education is too important to have the gubamint involved at all. Just look at what we have: Immoral (based on theft from taxpayers), Inefficient (e.g.: corruption, vested interests, cronyism, political decisions, agendas galore, dropouts, and private & parochial parents pay for services they don’t want), AND Ineffective (e.g.: poor results, high costs, one size fits all, slows the brightest, too fast for the slowest, discriminates against males, and political control of content).

1 Comment | LIBERTY | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

GUNS: Armed customer stops KFC robbery

Friday, August 18, 2006

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/NEWS01/60818008

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Maybe gun ownership isn’t so bad afterall…

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The writer, who nominated this link at REDDIT, may be rethinking “victim disarmament”. I hope that they do.

Leave a Comment » | GUNS | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

MONEY: The pension was a great benefit. Right! (continued)

Friday, August 18, 2006

http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/regulation/2006-08-17-pension-overhaul_x.htm

Bush signs massive pension overhaul
Updated 8/17/2006 1:51 PM ET

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With its hundreds of pages, the bill seeks to strengthen traditional defined-benefit plans and requires companies to tell workers more about the health of their pension programs. It also nudges workers into putting more money away for their own retirement.

It aims to boost the 30,000 defined-benefit plans run by employers that are now underfunded by an estimated $450 billion. Those plans must reach 100% funding, up from the current 90% requirement, in seven years.
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Hey sounds good right?

Now let’s look behind the curtain.

Defense contractors, exception.  Two big airlines, big exception. Shortfallers get 7 years to catch up (or go bankrupt!). A little pork project to make it palatable and worthwhile for one representative to vote for it! Automatic 401k enrollments because your too stupid to make your own decisions. And, plans with over 120% funding can fund retiree healthcare (a little relief to Medicare?).

Whatta bunch of Barbara Streisand!

This is about helping out their friends in the Airline industry, Defense Contractors, and making sure that the federal Pension Guarantee doesn’t have to pay out too much.

It’s not about rectifying the mistake made in WW2 when the Federal Government winked so that Companies could pay more than the government’s published wage and price controls allowed. We’ve been paying for that mistake ever since.

Here’s a novel idea. Let people make their own decisions.

Pension plans should be “spun out”. Take the assets and divide it among the recipients. Allow them to decide what to do next. I am sure that the Insurance Companies, Stockbrokers, and Mutual Funds can help them with plans that they won’t have to worry about.

(Look up a Vangard Guaranteed Annuity, and see how little one has to pay in fees for that! Then see how everyone is being ripped off by the collusion of the politicians and the companies.)

Bet the airline pilots would have like to have that before those tow special airlines welshed on them!

Unintended consequences.

When the government “protects” me from something, why should I be afraid? I should just be terrified!

1 Comment | MONEY | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

PROD: POWERPOINT is not a document. It’s not even as good as a mind map.

Friday, August 18, 2006

August 14, 2006
PowerPoint printouts used for communicating battle plans?

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Ricks quotes an Army Lt. General who was frustrated over getting vague PowerPoint slides sent to him instead of clear orders or plans. Said Ricks:

“That reliance on slides rather than formal written orders seemed to some military professionals to capture the essence of Rumsfeld’s amateurish approach to war planning.” — Thomas Ricks, author of Fiasco

Reliance on slides rather than formal written documents — sound familiar? It should. Remember the findings of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board in 2003?

“The Board views the endemic use of PowerPoint briefing slides instead of technical papers as an illustration of the problematic technical communication at NASA.” — Columbia Accident Investigation Board

Déjà vu.

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Powerpoint is a tool. It allows the speaker givign a presentation to hit the highpoints. There’s nothing deadlier that to be “read” a presentation. Powerpoint is the index card of the presenter. To ensure that major points are not missed.

Leave a Comment » | Productivity | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj