LIBERTY: Gooferment fails to protect property rights

Friday, January 27, 2012

http://lewrockwell.com/napolitano/napolitano37.1.html

How Much Economic Freedom Do We Have in the United States?
by Andrew P. Napolitano

*** begin quote ***

The root of economic freedom is the recognition of the right to own private property. That includes the right to utilize it unmolested, to dispose of it without anyone’s permission and to exclude anyone from it, even the government. Suffice it to say, no American president since the advent of the income tax and the Federal Reserve 100 years ago has fully accepted or meaningfully defended that right. The more the government extracts in taxes and the more it inflates the money supply, the more it rejects and assaults property rights.

*** and ***

There is not a single example in human history of central economic planning producing more prosperity than a free market. The framers understood that. That’s why they wrote a Constitution that prohibited an income tax, forbade the states from interfering with contracts, and prevented the feds from taking life, liberty or property without due process. All those constitutional prohibitions have been nullified by amendment or disregarded by consensus.

*** end quote ***

From the diktats (i.e., what the politicians call “laws” and “regulations”) that deprive folks of their property, to the taxes and inflation to just steal their wealth, we have no property rights.

In New Jersey, the real estate property tax mostly to support the Gooferment Skrules turns owners into defacto “renters.

How can you think we are free?

# – # – # – # – #  2012-Jan-20 @ 09:32


GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Gooferment tests on unsuspecting USA cities

Thursday, January 26, 2012

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/104030.html

U.S. Army Dispersed Zinc Cadmium Sulfide Over U.S. Cities in the 1950s and 1960s
Posted by Michael S. Rozeff on January 22, 2012 09:02 AM

*** begin quote ***

This is old news, but it was news to me. Some reports are here, here, and here. Dispersion of this compound and other microorganisms were conducted in America and England without informing the public. The official rationale for these trials was that they were done to learn about germ warfare, but why the secrecy? Because people in the affected areas would have surely objected, and these areas included large cities like St. Louis, Corpus Christi, Winnipeg and Fort Wayne.

*** end quote ***

Who knows what damage “they” caused?

Clearly, the Gooferment, the politicians, and the bureaucrats are all “war criminals”. The Nazis were put on trial for killing their civilians.

Argh!

I’d call it “tin foil hat”, but there doesn’t seem to be any dispute as to what happened. And, there doesn’t seem to be any outrage.

“We, The Sheeple” go back to sleep. Nothing to see here?

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TECHNOLOGY: APPLE’s IBOOKS2 is a paradigm and meme shift in education. And elsewhere.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-57362293-12/ibooks-2-brings-textbooks-to-life-hands-on

iBooks 2 brings textbooks to life (hands-on)
by Jason Parker
January 19, 2012 3:01 PM PST

*** begin quote ***

We decided to download a free preview version of E.O. Wilson’s “Life on Earth” textbook to get a feel for the features (the preview comes with only two chapters). Navigating through chapters and sections of a textbook works great on the iPad. You swipe to switch chapters, or touch sections or pages to get right into the content. We think this will be useful for students who need to jump around through chapters. Once you’re looking at a page, you also have touch options, such as a pinch, which shrinks a page, and slide, which returns it to the navigation area on the bottom of the chapter screen.

*** end quote ***

Looks like Apple hit this one out of the park.

(I’ve got to upgrade my MACBOOKAIR to try the “AUTHOR” software.)

If it’s as easy and as free as they say, it might be another even bigger revolution. Figure education, from a technology pov, hasn’t changed since Plato taught Aristotle.

This is BOTH a paradigm and meme shift.

Wonder how to extract some of the value from such a shift?

And, how does it impact medicine, engineering, and Informaton Technology?

Free AUTHOR software and easy e-publishing throws the doors open even wider than LULU did.

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MONEY: Kill the FED; save the Republic

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_777634.html

Kill the FedBy Eric Heyl, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEWSaturday, January 21, 2012
Read more: Kill the Fed – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

*** begin quote ***

John Allison is the former chairman and CEO of BB&T, the nation’s 10th-largest financial holding company. He was named one of the 100 most successful CEOs by the Harvard Business Review and since 2009 has been on the Wake Forest University Schools of Business faculty as Distinguished Professor of Practice.

*** and ***

Q: In the long term, what do you think should be done with the Fed?

A: If I were in charge, I would get rid of the Fed. I believe that as long as the Fed exists, Congress can effectively print money. And it doesn’t matter whether they are Democrats or Republicans, they would rather print money than tax people. They want to spend because that effectively buys votes, and they don’t want to tax people because that loses votes.

I think the Fed provides the temptation for massive government deficits. If the federal government couldn’t print money, it would have to have better financial discipline than it has today.

*** end quote ***

Vote Ron Paul.

There’s no other candidate on the horizon that understands or articulates that the FED is the problem.

It gives the duopoly — the D’s and the R’s are two sides of the same coin intended to give “We, The Sheeple” the illusion of a choice — an unlimited checkbook to borrow and spend.

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FUN: Of Bankers and Ship Captains

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Of Bankers and Ship Captains: “The same was true of engineers during the Roman era. If they built a bridge that fell down, the people who paid for it were out a considerable amount of money. So the engineers were required to stand under the bridge when the scaffold was taken away. If the bridge failed, the engineer was toast.”

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I never heard that one. Someone is pulling my leg?

# – # – # – # – #  2012-Jan-25 @ 13:55


INTERESTING: Paradigm shift — the Praetorian Class

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

http://lewrockwell.com/orig12/kofod2.1.1.html

The Rise of the Praetorian Class
by Pete KofodCasey Research

*** begin quote ***

Legions and Lictors – the Praetorian Class

The Praetorian Class includes members of the Armed Services, federal, state and local law enforcement personnel as well as numerous militarized officials including agents from the DEA, Immigrations, Customs Enforcement, Air Marshalls, US Marshalls, and more. It also includes, although to a lesser extent, various stage actors in the expanding security theater such as TSA personnel. The main mission of the Praetorian Class is to keep the order of the day. This requires displaying an intimidating presence in their interactions with the Economic Class.

*** end quote ***

Hmm, very profound statement of the meme — Political Class oppresses Economic Class with the Praetorian Class.

Certainly, a paradigm shift!

Explains a lot about why us in the Economic Class are losing our freedom.

Argh!

Might be too late to reverse this trends.

Time to nuke the TSA.

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TECHNOLOGY: Push back against Apple, IBOOKS2, and IBOOKS2_AUTHOR

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/the-poor-get-poorer-and-the-rich-get-richer-with-apples-ipad-based-textbooks/10186

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Here’s the strike back against Apple’s IBOOKS2.

Apple had the opportunity to break the marketplace open and whiffed.

(1) It’s IOS only and doesn’t support EPUB. In fact Apple’s format is reportedly a broken form of EPUB. Like what Microsoft does, take an open format and break it by extension.

(2) It crony capitalism as Apple enlists the Big Textbooks in locking things up by DRM.

(3) The restrictions on IBOOKS2_AUTHOR are onerous and expensive for authors.

(4) I’m no fan of Gooferment diktats, but this sure looks like an illegal tie in and restraint of trade.

What it does do is to popularize the questioning of expensive text books!

With Open Courseware and Open Text Books?

Look at all the classics in the public domain. Despite bookstores, Apple, and Amazon trying to sell them. Project Guttenberg for me.

And, with the ability to “publish” ebooks and print books cheaply, it will encourage folks to “roll their own”. Lulu print volumes under 25$ a copy and the ebook versions are basically free with no restrictions. Amazon’s Create Space is cheap; although I just saw a hint they were “revising” their offering.

It’s going to collapse the market, imho.

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LIBERTY: Has the driver’s license become the de facto national id?

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

http://lewrockwell.com/peters-e/peters-e136.html

The Case Against Driver’s Licenses
by Eric Peters Autos.com

*** begin quote ***

That little plastic laminated card you’ve got in your wallet or purse – you know, the state’s permission slip for operating a motor vehicle? Ever stop to reflect how peripheral the driving part of a driver’s license is?

Because, of course, a driver’s license is in fact our national ID card.

It’s impossible to function in modern society without this national ID card – even if you never get behind the wheel of an automobile. You can’t open a bank account, cash a check, visit the doctor, vote, board an airplane or even get a job without one.

*** and ***

Remember the opening scene in the original Rambo? It all begins when Stallone’s character is accosted by a bully cop who demands to see his ID. That was 1982 – when for the most part only “drifters” such as Rambo got racked up for not having ID. Today, we must all have our IDs. Or else.

This is the reality of 2012 Homeland America.

You must have permission to move. You certainly do not move freely.

Even if you are walking.

*** end quote ***

OK, I get the point.

You’re going to be amazed at how “forgetful” I’ve become.

Unless I am driving, I forgot it.

What my id? Sure, I’ve got my American Legion card right here!

Call my Post Commander, he knows me.

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http://www.jeffjacoby.com/11084/why-should-the-state-license-drivers

Why should the state license drivers?
by Jeff Jacoby The Boston Globe
January 29, 2012

*** begin quote ***

Why should keeping an ordinary driver’s license up to date oblige anyone to deal with a government agency, in person or online? I hadn’t even realized that my license was about to expire until an airport security agent pointed it out to me the last time I flew out of Logan. The Registry no longer sends renewal notices; and woe betide the motorist who gets pulled over with an expired license, an infraction that can trigger a fine of up to $1,000, not to mention a potential arrest.

Try to imagine Visa or Discover requiring you to remember when your credit card is about to expire, and making you get in line at a branch office or go online to renew it. On the contrary: They do the remembering and renew your card automatically. Before the old one expires, you get a new one in the mail. And if there is an anomaly in your account, they typically flag it and alert you right away.

In the private economy, automatic renewals are routine. From Netflix subscriptions to homeowner’s insurance to newspaper delivery, vendors and service providers of every description make it simple to keep your account up-to-date. Your antivirus software and 401(k) investments can be put on autopilot, refreshing at regular intervals unless you choose to opt out. Why shouldn’t your driver’s license work the same way?

Maybe the real question is why the state should license drivers in the first place.

*** end quote ***

I always thought that the Insurance Company should be registering cars and testing drivers. They have the most to lose when the driver screws up or an accident occurs. They seem to be able to manage getting me my insurance ids cards well before they expire.

So why not have a combined vehicle registration and insurace card?

That’s easy. No Gooferment jobs to give to relatives!

# – # – # – # – #  2012-Jan-30 @ 14:59

 

 


RANT: Civil was between NY and TN?

Monday, January 23, 2012

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/states-fights-tn-vows-payback-on-new-yorkers-after-911-memorial-gun-arrest/

States Fight? TN Vows Payback on New Yorkers After 9/11 Memorial Gun Arrest
Posted on January 20, 2012 at 4:18pm by Buck Sexton

*** begin quote ***

Tennesseans have circled the wagons to protect one of their own arrested in the Big Apple for gun possession, and now New York motorists may want to keep a closer eye on their speedometers.Tennessee Vows Payback on New Yorkers After 9/11 Memorial Gun Arrest of Meredith Graves

In response to the arrest of 39-year old Meredith Graves for unlawful gun possession while visiting the newly opened 9/11 memorial, the Tennessee state legislature has taken action.

According to the New York Post, Tennessee’s state legislature has “declared civil war on New Yorkers“— at least when it comes to speeders in their state. State officials claim they may retaliate for the prosecution of a woman who was carrying an illegal pistol at the 9/11 Memorial.

*** end quote ***

As a gun owner, I support Meredith Graves and all others caught up in the “New York State” unconstitutional stupidity.

Honest mistakes can’t be a crime.

But, by the same token, “increased enhanced enforcement” by “The State ofTennessee” is unfair as well.

Just as stupid!

Argh!

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RANT: Joe Pa should have been deposed; now he’ll be the fall guy

Monday, January 23, 2012

http://www.keywestlou.com/2012/01/joe-paterno-passed-away-this-weekend.html

Monday, January 23, 2012

*** begin quote ***

Joe Paterno passed away this weekend. Good and bad things are being said about him. Most of the bad seems to be coming from a younger generation that reflects a lack of tolerance on their part.

His failings, if any, in the the Penn State scandal were ordinary and minimal. He waited 24 hours to report to higher authority. He failed to notify the police after his Penn State superiors did not do so.

A great man whose life is now besmirched. Shakespeare said it best. Through Marc Antony. Marc Antony’s words in eulogizing Julius Caesar.” The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones…”

A shame.

*** end quote ***

I was a fan of Joe Pa before all of this. BUT, (and there is always a BIG butt), how can you not have outrage at the whole issue? You were very gentle with his legacy. Football is supposed to teach character. Struggle, honor, courage, bravery, all the manly virtues.

A number of people were shown to be cowards. From the quarterback who has to ask his Dad if he should have rescued the child. To the Head Coach who meekly “reported it to his superiors”. To the University honchos who buried it.

I’m no youngster, but I too look on Penn State askance now. This pervert had to be common knowledge on the campus. Why else didn’t this famous well-respected coach not get one job offer after Penn State? This had to be common knowledge around the football community. If it was, still no one took actions. What cowards!

I would have like Joe Pa to stick around to be deposed. To get to the truth. Now that he’s dead, everyone’s going to make him the fall guy. Maybe he should be. Certainly seems like there is more than enough blame to go around.

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