2015-Mar-23

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/03/23/my-three-part-plan-for-post-obamacare-era/

HEALTH CARE
My three part plan for the post-ObamaCare era
By Sen. Marco Rubio
Published March 23, 2015
FoxNews.com

*** begin quote ***

First, we should provide an advanceable, refundable tax credit that all Americans can use to purchase health insurance. The value of these credits should increase every year, and we should set the tax preference for employer-sponsored insurance on a glide path to ensure that it will equal the level of the credits at the end of the decade. This will prevent large-scale disruptions and reform one of the most significant distortions in our tax system.

*** end quote ***

Sounds like a great idea!

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http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/03/11/open-letter-to-members-congress-about-authorization-to-use-military-force/?intcmp=ob_homepage_opinion&intcmp=obnetwork

Ten reasons to vote against the use of military force
By Rep. Dennis Kucinich
Published March 11, 2015 FoxNews.com

*** begin quote ***

7. A Solution: Follow ISIS’ money, and shut it down.Where is ISIS getting its money? Up to 100,000 ISIS fighters are funded by Gulf State donors, identified in the past as being from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. Fully equipping and providing for one modern combat-ready soldier can cost $850,000 to $1,000,000 a year. ISIS’ army could be gaining $85 billion to $100 billion a year from various sources. We can either commit the U.S. military to another war, and the U.S. to further risk of impending attacks through the genesis of a new crusade, or we can fight this threat with intelligent power and high technology.

The administration must identify the specific sources of ISIS’ money, the individuals, the nations and the means of transfer, and shut them all down. It must sanction countries and individuals, tie up their bank accounts and commercial activities, freeze their assets and cancel their credit cards. Send platoons of accountants from the Treasury Department and the IRS into the fray, not platoons of U.S. soldiers. The U.S. must track oil sales, sales of antiquities and other valuables. Anyone involved in any transactions of any kind with ISIS must be identified and sanctioned. 

*** end quote ***

I don’t often agree with a Liberal Leftie, but in this case, I think he’s correct.

“Not my monkey; not my circus.”

The fact that our alledged ally, Saudi Arabia, is funding this to keep their own power is crazy.

Bring the girls and boys home. Tell the “bad guys”, you “mess with us and we’ll nuke ya”!

Argh!

Dona Nobis Pacem

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http://www.cato.org/blog/after-eight-years-losses-end-governments-postal-monopoly

MARCH 2, 2015 4:34PM
After Eight Years of Losses, End the Government’s Postal Monopoly
By DOUG BANDOW

*** begin quote ***

The United States Postal Service lost $5.5 billion last year. That is the eighth annual loss in a row and the third highest ever. The only good news is that it remains below the red ink tsunami of $15.9 billion in 2012.

Why does the federal government deliver the mail? Why does it have a monopoly over delivering the mail?

The Postal Service one of the few government programs with actual constitutional warrant. Alas, America’s revolutionaries turned the system into a fount of federal patronage.  Local postmasters became perhaps the president’s most important appointments. The Postmaster General was a member of the Cabinet from 1829 to 1971.

*** end quote ***

Obviously, it’s a patronage boondoggle.

End the monopoly now.

Interesting that the PO is using FedEx and UPS to deliver to the PO’s and FedEx and UPS are using UPS to deliver to end Users.

Stop it all now.

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http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/who-should-select-senators/386489/

Who Should Select Senators?
A century after the Seventeenth Amendment transferred that power to the voters, legislatures and governors are devising new ways to retain it for themselves.
GARRETT EPPSMAR 1 2015, 9:18 AM ET

*** begin quote ***

There are a lot of reasons that I love the Seventeenth Amendment, which transferred the power to elect senators from state legislatures to ordinary voters.

Its passage was one of the most sweeping progressive victories in American history—public fury so intimidated reactionary lawmakers in the Senate that, by approving the Amendment, they in effect voted their own body out of existence.

A second reason is that in the past two decades, new redistricting techniques have allowed state legislatures to create unshakably safe House districts for their members. (Because Republicans controlled a majority of legislatures after the 2010 census, most Republican seats are as safe as Brezhnev’s old spot on the Politburo.) But those techniques are useless when elections must take in the entire state; as a result, a small group of Senate candidates must at least pretend to represent both red and blue voters.

*** end quote ***

I OTOH would like to repeal the Seventeenth completely.

Why?

Unintended Consequences!

By removing the State Legislatures from the “State’s Senate choice”, it eliminated a critical feedback loop in the Federalism design of the Dead Old White Guys.

And, as is true with most “improvements” to the Dead Old White Guys’ design, this too is flawed.

Remember, the Dead Old White Guys wanted government as close as possible.

(That movie quote caught the spirit: “Would you tell me please, Mr. Howard, why should I trade one tyrant three thousand miles away for three thousand tyrants one mile away? An elected legislature can trample a man’s rights as easily as a king can.” Mel Gibson as the character Benjamin Martin in the movie The Patriot http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0187393/quotes)

So, the Seventeenth permitted unfunded mandates on the States.

And, basically turned the USA from “these United States” into “the United State”.

Argh!

In addition, the conduct of Senators was closely monitored by the the States. Do something undignified and you were recalled. Do something criminal and you were recalled. Do vote for something that hurt your State and you were recalled.

And, guess what? Hillary becomes the Senator from Pepuls Republik of Nu Jerk. Corzine pays of the D party bosses and becomes the Senator from the Pepuls Republik of Nu Jerzee. Carpet bagging par excellence. All of course voted for by the pee-pull.

Give me a break.

The Seventeenth, like most “progressive” legislation, has given us tyranny!

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http://cafehayek.com/2015/02/quotation-of-the-day-1277.html

Quotation of the Day…
by DON BOUDREAUX on FEBRUARY 28, 2015
in DINNER TABLE ECONOMICS, NANNY STATE, SEEN AND UNSEEN

*** begin quote ***

… is from page 16 of Jeffrey Miron’s excellent 2004 monograph, Drug War Crimes:

Under legalization, the incidence of accidental poisonings or overdoses would not be zero, just as it is not zero for currently legal goods such as alcohol. But the rate of such incidents would decline significantly, since consumers would know the potency of the drugs they consume and have far greater confidence that the drugs contained the desired ingredients rather than unknown contaminants.

*** end quote ***

What is imho the biggest Unintended Consequence of the “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs” is that “children” die.

Yeah, I know they are sort of “young adults”, but in so many ways they are like “children”.

They have been denied the “experiences of life” by our over-protective infantilization of their “life’s non-experiences”. 

Think about what life was like for the American “youth” from the Dead Old White Guys to say 1980’s.

Life was tough. Hard work. Discipline — either self or externally imposed. Dirty work for any wages was valued. 

Now think about since then — undereducated in Gooferment Skrules where feelings count more than results. Virtually unlimited food for just being there. Entertainment to the exclusion of any “earnings”.

So why are we surprised when they die of overdoses and “rat poison” in “kool illegal drugs”?

Ending the war on drug, just as when (Alcohol) Prohibition ended, makes what was “illegal and kool” not so much any more.

Going to buy your “drugs” at Walmart, Walgreens, or RiteAid does quite feel the same. It’s equivalent to in the 50’s going to a strange drug store where no one knew you to buy condoms. (Not that I ever had to do that.) 

But think about “safety”. Do you think that your local Walmart pharmacy will give you “hot shots” or a drug cut with strychnine?

And imagine that it would come with a “health safety warning” that list where you can go for free help to get clean?

And, imaging that it will cost about as much as aspirin. You can have a “habit” and keep a job, just like the pre-drug war days.

Of course, it does bring about the unemployment question — drug lords, drug gangs, police, prison guards, politicians, and bureaucrats will all have to find new lines of work. 

But what’s wrong with that?

Argh!

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Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton made the following statement regarding potential criminal violations of law in Hillary Clinton’s conducting official State Department business using a private email account:

“The latest news that Hillary Clinton, while serving as Secretary of State, conducted all of her official business on a private account may impact nearly a dozen of our Freedom of Information Act lawsuits now active in federal courts as well as dozens of pending FOIA requests. As with what happened when Judicial Watch forced the disclosure of the ‘missing’ IRS emails, I am convinced that these emails would never have been disclosed but for our FOIA lawsuits that broke open the Benghazi scandal and first exposed the scandal of her and Bill Clinton raising money illicitly while she was Secretary of State.

“We are concerned that the Obama administration may have withheld material information and may have purposely misled and lied to Judicial Watch, as well as at least one federal court about these emails.

“One key concern is that these emails must be immediately secured so that they can be searched in response to our lawful FOIA requests. In addition to violations of the Freedom of Information Act, laws governing the preservation of federal records and the handling of classified information also may be implicated in this latest Clinton scandal.”

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Interesting that these emails are not “public records”?

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Obama Vetoes Keystone XL Pipeline Bill

President Barack Obama Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have approved the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that is a top priority for congressional Republicans and a touchstone issue for environmentalists and the nation’s booming energy industry.

The bill would have authorized Canadian company TransCanada Corp. to construct the 1,179-mile pipeline, which has been under review by the Obama administration for more than six years. The bill, which declared the pipeline to have satisfied environmental laws, passed the GOP-controlled Congress earlier this year.

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Not unexpected.

Too bad since not only is it jobs and energy. It’s a safer way to transport the stuff.

Dumb!

Now the battle lines are drawn.

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http://thehill.com/policy/finance/232688-rand-paul-scrap-the-tax-code

Rand Paul: Scrap the tax code
By Kevin Cirilli – 02/12/15 04:52 PM EST

*** begin quote ***

“The IRS is too big, too powerful, and we absolutely should scrap the code,” Paul, a prospective 2016 presidential candidate, answered. “Look for my tax plan later this spring.”

Paul was touting his “Audit the Fed” proposal, which has 30 co-sponsors and would allow the comptroller general to audit the Federal Reserve. Fed officials oppose the policy, saying that it’d politicize monetary policy.

*** end quote ***

First thing is to change the incentives from “taxing work” to “taxing consumption”. On the way to not taxing at all.

All Gooferment “services” should be on a take it / pay for it or leave it / don’t pay for it basis.

Education is a classic example of a corrupt boondoggle.

Teachers are represented by “unions” who “bargain” with politicians and bureaucrats. The “unions” contribute money and labor to the politicians. And, everyone, except the taxpayer, gets rich.

First step to disassembling this is to END Gooferment defined benefit plans. Can’t find one in industry any more. Why are they in the “public sector”?

Argh!

We need a “Hercules” to clean the Aegean Stable!

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http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/weekly-updates/irs-obstructs-justice/

Obama IRS Obstructs Justice?

*** begin quote ***

Well this one doesn’t come as a surprise, but it does demonstrate that justice delayed can be justice denied. We have just obtained new internal documents from the Department of Justice (DOJ) that show how the IRS Office of the Chief Counsel worked to delay a meeting between an IRS employee and DOJ and FBI investigators about the Obama IRS abuse and harassment of Tea Party and conservative groups and individuals who were in the way of Barack Obama’s reelection effort.

*** and ***

We don’t know why the emails needed to be filtered. And we don’t know what the witnesses shared with investigators. We do know this “investigation” is an ugly mess and it is no surprise that, after nearly two years, the criminal investigation of the Obama IRS by its co-conspirators at the Obama Justice Department is a farce.

*** end quote ***

But isn’t any Gooferment investigation of Gooferment wrong doing by definition a farce?

Why would “We, The Sheeple” care?

First they came for the Tea Party … …

“First they came …” is a famous statement and provocative poem attributed to pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) about the cowardice of German intellectuals following the Nazis’ rise to power and the subsequent purging of their chosen targets, group after group. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_…

Where does it end?

I can only see three results — totalitarian dictatorship guised as what we have today, violent revolution, or peaceful secession.

Two out of three won’t end well for the average joe or jane sixpack.

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http://dailycaller.com/2015/01/13/will-the-jeffrey-epstein-pedophile-case-snare-clinton/

Updated: 2:00 PM ET January 20, 2015
Will The Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Case Snare Clinton?
Is This The Scandal That Ends Hillary

*** begin quote ***

Is this the scandal that ends Hillary’s campaign? Former President Bill Clinton visited the hedonistic private island of a billionaire pedophile who police found was engaging girls as young as 12, multiple times. Now a new lawsuit may compel the former president to testify under oath about what he was doing there. The New York Post reported that Hillary is furious that Bill is mired in the scandal.

Democrat mega donor and billionaire Jeffrey Epstein was tied by Palm Beach Police to as many as 40 underaged girls and allegedly provided minor girls to Prince Andrew and lawyer Alan Dershowitz, among others. Now, a lawsuit to overturn a secret and controversial sealed wrist slap plea deal that got Epstein a mere 15 months in a Palm Beach Halfway house, may reveal what Clinton was doing on the island and why Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane 10 times to party abroad, according to FAA Logs. One woman abused on the island by Epstein told the UK Daily Mail Clinton was provided with two women “no older than 17″ when he visited Epstein’s island.

A lawsuit to overturn the secret plea and a secondary defamation suit deal filed by a respected former Judge and a Fort Lauderdale lawyer may force Dershowitz to testify, and could rope in Bill Clinton.

 *** and ***

A few nights ago on FOX, Ann Coulter spoke the truth on the Jeffrey Epstein case. She hit the nail on the head when she said, “This is the elites circling the wagon and protecting a pederast.”

Let’s take Coulter’s observations a step further: the Epstein case is about the pedophile elite VIP friends of Jeffrey Epstein circling the wagons and protecting not just Jeffrey Epstein, but themselves.

“Elitism” is really about people who believe, because they have huge amounts of power, money, and connections, that the rules of society that the common man or woman must follow do not apply to them. Jeffrey Epstein was running a well- organized sex trafficking ring that provided underage girls for himself and his pedophile friends, many of whom were VIP figures in business and politics with names you would recognize.

*** and *** 

All stories like this have a butler. In this case Epstein’s Butler Alfredo Rodriguez, who was arrested and did time for his role of paymaster to Epstein, marked up a copy of Epstein’s little black book for Palm Beach Police showing who Epstein had pandered pre-teen girls to. The list, which I have seen, is mind blowing. It includes a former governor, a billionaire Republican donor, a Prime Minister, a former Senate Majority Leader, a well known lawyer, royalty, socialites and scientists. Kingpin sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s take on all this?: “I’m not a sexual predator, I’m an ‘offender.’ It’s the difference between a murderer and a person who steals a bagel.”

*** end quote ***

Really!

Remember innocent until PROVEN guilty. Provided that the Prosecutor didn’t take a dive! IF he did, then there’s no justice. And should be no peace.

We always “knew” the Bill was a pig and a moral disgrace.

How much Hillary knew, when did she know it, and what did she do about it?

(Is she still an “officer of the Court” with a law license?)

In any event, I’ve never trusted her since the details of WhiteWater (i.e., ripping off poor sometimes illiterate retirees with shady, sharp, and possibly illegal tactics) and cattle futures trading (i.e., disguised bribery).

Hopefully, this scandal gets me justice for the many (greater than 40) under age girls so molested.

And, every person involved should pay the price and be forever dismissed from being taken seriously.

Argh!

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http://www.lewrockwell.com/2015/01/lew-rockwell/break-up-the-us/

The Libertarian Principle of Secession
By Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.
January 29, 2015

*** begin quote ***

Ludwig von Mises gave succinct expression to the libertarian view of secession when he said, “No people and no part of a people shall be held against its will in a political association that it does not want.”

*** end quote ***

Keep breaking the State into smaller parts.

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http://www.ronpaulcurriculum.com/public/3346.cfm?affID=rphomesch

26 Reasons to Adopt the Ron Paul Curriculum Today (Not Next Term) . . . and 4 Not To

Ron Paul

There are 26 reasons why this curriculum is what your teenage children (or grandchildren) need . . . starting today.

All of the other reasons are secondary to this one . . . even my 100% money-back guarantee. The war for your children’s minds begins early, but it becomes a high-stakes battle in middle school: sixth grade. Here, the textbooks begin the process of defending the modern state — the state which provides “free” education. Here is where millions of parents lose the battle. College is merely the “mopping up” operation. Before I get to the other reasons why your children need this curriculum, I want to go over the basics.

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As you all know, I hate the Gooferment Skrules. Not just paying for them, but the “model” or meme of them. 

The “American Gooferment Skrule” System is a direct lift of the Prussian (German) system to create cannon fodder for the Army, willing morons for the factories, and useful idiots to vote for and be led by the elite. 

Question: Where do politicians and bureaucrats send there children?

Answer: Not to a Gooferment Skrule! Jimmie Carter, for all his flaws, sent Amy to “public school”. Ever hear of her again. But, I’m sure you’ve heard of the other President’s children!

So here’s a resource. Even if you don’t do the whole home school thing, then maybe you do it “after skrule”.

When I was in Good Shepherd, the Jewish kids — a few in the Catholic School with me and the ones who went to public school — would go to “Jewish School” from 3PM until 7PM during the school year and all day during the summer. Any wonder why they excelled?

YMMV and that’s why I have zero children.

Laugh!

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http://blog.motorists.org/the-business-of-civil-forfeiture/

The Business of Civil Forfeiture
Posted on January 6th, 2015

*** begin quote ***

Black Asphalt lets its 25,000 users compile and share detailed data on private motorists—whether they’ve done anything wrong or not—including addresses, social security numbers, information from traffic stops or interrogations, searches, etc. Information is shared informally without official oversight, and many of the reports end up in federal fusion centers where they can be shared with law enforcement agencies at all levels.

Desert Snow encourages users to provide data about their traffic stops by offering rewards and incentives. The more data an officer enters, the more rewards he earns. Desert Snow also holds an annual competition to recognize officers who have seized the most contraband. Top earners (to borrow a term from The Sopranos) are honored at Desert Snow’s annual conference.

The system appears to work. According to The Washington Post, police officers affiliated with Desert Snow reported seizing $427 million from traffic stops over a five-year period. In fact, Desert Snow’s methods are so lucrative, company personnel have even gotten in on the act. Last year, the Caddo County, Oklahoma, district attorney’s office contracted with Desert Snow employees to conduct interdiction operations on state highways. Working with local police officers, Desert Snow employees seized more than $1 million over six months. The firm retained 25 percent of the haul under the contract terms. Fortunately, the scheme was shut down after a local judge got wind of it and threatened to jail the Desert Snow employees who were involved.

*** end quote ***

So how do “We, The Sheeple” stop it?

Change the channel to sports, miss universe, or some other “circus”!

Argh!

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Obama Drops Plan to Raise Taxes on ‘529’ College Savings Accounts

The Obama administration said it would drop a controversial plan to raise taxes on so-called 529 college-savings accounts, after the proposal sparked widespread criticism over its potential impact on the middle class.

House Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday called publicly on the White House to withdraw its plan. Calls also were coming privately from leaders of the president’s own party.

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What took them so long?

# – # – # – # – #  2015-Jan-27 @ 19:54  

http://original.antiwar.com/lucy/2015/01/21/the-unquestioned-ignored-heroic-military/

The Unquestioned, Ignored, Heroic Military
Lucy Steigerwald

What with its title, “The Tragic Decline of the American Military,” Atlantic Monthly’s January-February cover story at first blush appears to be a thoughtless pro-military screed. But in spite of that headline, and the cover asking “Why Does The Best Military in the World Keep Losing?” it isn’t a bad piece at all.

Author James Fallows isn’t making any edgy arguments here. He’s actually painfully pragmatic as he spells out the declining skills of military leadership due to politics. More interesting for readers of Antiwar.com, however, is Fallows mentioning the strange, thoughtless respect for the military that now permeates the American public.

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The “young” easily buy into the nationalistic propaganda and “answer the nation’s call”.

Having done the oligarchy’s bidding and serving as “cannon fodder” for the military industrial complex that Ike warned us about, they return damaged.

(Remember the Prussian education system — that the USA imported hook, line, and sinker — had as its SOLE purpose was to create cannon fodder for the Army, willing morons for the factories, and useful idiots to vote for and be led by the elite!)

And, “the Nation” turns a collective “blind eye” to their situation.

Remember Heinlein’s Starship Troopers’ universe? One does not merely have the right to be a citizen and vote by virtue of what Heinlein called the mere accident of birth; rather, one has to earn this right through Federal Service that tested one’s ability and willingness to sacrifice for the greater good of the polity. Bet not a lot of vets would vote for all the undeclared wars the USA has been in since WW2?

That’s what “We, The Sheeple” have allowed the Gooferment’s politicians and bureaucrats to do in their name.

The response to this movie, and other of its ilk, is a recognition of exactly who the “bad guys” are in this morality play — the nation’s “leaders”.

Argh!

That’s why deflate-gate and all the other petty “news” is created — to distract us.

The pretty magician’s assistant or the matador’s cape.

Be distracted at your own peril.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lenore-skenazy/top-10-nanny-state-fails-of-2014_b_6367910.html

Lenore Skenazy
Founder of Free-Range Kids

Top 10 Nanny State Fails of 2014
Posted: 12/29/2014 1:16 pm EST Updated: 12/29/2014 1:59 pm EST

*** begin quote ***

2. Government bulldozes beloved special needs playground. A Seattle playground designed for kids with special needs was destroyed because it presented “extreme dangers”… even though over the course of its 10 year history, no child was seriously injured on it.

*** end quote ***

Argh!

Another example of the Gooferment being immoral, ineffective, and inefficient!

Some of the others are seriously worse. I thought this one was funny.

If we get people laughing at “them” and their stupidity, then they will lose their “gravitas”.

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http://www.therightcurmudgeon.com/2014/12/the-public-employee-pension-scam/

The Public Employee Pension Scam
Commentary
Dec 30, 2014

*** begin quote ***

Every public pension fund plays this game.  CalPERS, the California State Pension system, is reporting a shortfall of $260 billion.  The problem with that number is that they are assuming a return on investment of 7.5% in order to get to the $260B number.  In and of itself, $260B isn’t pocket change, but the reality is much, much worse.

In fact, using public sector accounting rules, CalPERS shortfall is more like $986 billion.  Because the shortfall is projected over the life of the fund, when it hits it’s going to be way too late to actually do anything about it.

*** end quote ***

What the private sector is doing? Converting.

In actuality, “We, The Sheeple” should be worried.

All “pensions” should be converted to defined contribution plans!

TANSTAAFL (“There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch” From Robert Heinlein’s classic) 

Argh!

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http://dailycaller.com/2014/12/26/report-massachusetts-auto-insurers-subsidized-and-calling-the-shots/

Report: Massachusetts Auto Insurers Subsidized And Calling The Shots
5:23 PM 12/26/2014
PETER FRICKE
Contributor

*** begin quote ***

A recent investigation has found that Massachusetts not only spends millions to subsidize private auto insurers, but also suspends drivers’ licenses at their request.

According to WHAV News, employees of the taxpayer-funded Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) “process paperwork and otherwise subsidize private insurance companies in the administration of ‘Driver Retraining Programs’ even when there is no state interest—criminal or civil—at stake.”

*** end quote ***

I am shocked … “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” Captain Renault in Casablanca … that the State Gooferment and Big Insurance are in cahoots.

Imagine how much cheaper “insurance” would be if it was not “regulated”.

Just as “life insurance” is cheap and easy to get and keep.

The greater the Gooferment involvement, the more expensive and “crony” it is!

Argh!

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http://patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj/middletown-physician-charged-five-others-running-prescription-drug-ring

New Jersey Physician Charged With Five Others For Running Prescription Drug Ring
A suspended Middletown physician was busted along with five others for selling forged Oxycodone prescriptions for $300 to $400, police say.
By Caitlin Brown (Patch Staff)
December 20, 2014 at 8:19am

*** begin quote ***

Detectives have dismantled a prescription drug ring run by a suspended physician Thursday night following a monthlong investigation, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Six people were arrested for their respective roles in a prescription drug ring, including Dr. Kenneth Lewandowski, 51, of Tatum Drive in Middletown, who is charged with six counts of third degree Conspiracy, six counts of third degree Forgery and the Unlawful Practice of Medicine – a third degree crime.

*** and ***

“Drug addiction is a menace to our society. The Middletown Police Department remains firmly committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to apprehend and prosecute anyone involved in illegal drug sales. This case is a great example of how law enforcement is working together to address this deadly issue,” said Middletown Police Chief R. Craig Weber.

*** and ***

“We cannot fail to recognize that drug dealers don’t just hang out on street corners or in parking lots. Sometimes drug dealers wear familiar uniforms, have specialized degrees and they live and work within our communities,” Gramiccioni added. “Our preconceived stereotypes are challenged when a trained physician turns his back on his duty to save lives so he can rake in cash at the expense of others enslaved by these drugs.”

*** end quote ***

Don’t buy into the “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs”?

All the force that the Gooferment has applied to this “problem” and the Unintended Consequences are the real problem.

With all the “laws”, diktats, and regulations haven’t budge the rate of addiction.

And the prisons are filled with “offenders”.

Time to recognize that Prohibition didn’t work for booze and it’s not working against certain drugs.

Sad that in the Gooferment Skrules it’s easier to get Marijuana than booze.

All this does is make it “cool”. 

And very dangerous.

Let’s turn from the meme of “force” and “prohibition” to the meme of it’s a “medical problem”.

In the meantime, let Walmart be our weapon against the illegal drug dealers who kill the unfortunate addicts. It’s rumored that if there was a free market in drugs, that the junk would be cheaper than aspirin. And a lot safer.

Envision that an addict could be a burger flipper and afford his addiction.

And, we could shift the budget from “enforcement” to “treatment”.

Laissez-faire is an economic system in which transactions between private parties are free from intrusive government restrictions, tariffs, and subsidies, with only enough regulations to protect property rights.

Want to kick the habit? Then there are resources available. Don’t want to? Make it cheap and safe for an addict to indulge. 

It’s immoral to coerce people to behave the way the Gooferment thinks is “good for them”.

Argh!

Time to end the “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs”!

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http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/18/ending-the-invisibility-of-homelessness/

Ending The Invisibility Of Homelessness
by Kevin F. Adler

*** begin quote ***

Last night in San Francisco, 6436 of our neighbors slept on the streets or in shelters.

The lack of affordable, safe, and supportive housing is a scourge on society. It costs $90K to maintain a human being on the streets for a year, compared to $18K to provide supportive housing to a previously homeless person. Over the last 10 years, an influx of 75,000 people have moved to San Francisco, while only 17,000 new housing units have been built.

We can end chronic homelessness by 2020 by providing affordable, safe, and supportive housing options to the homeless and by electing representatives who will fight for housing as a basic human need.

But providing support means understanding that the needs of the homeless extend beyond housing.

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I empathize with the plight, and I blame the Gooferment for it.

Between “rent control”, zoning, and welfare, the Gooferment has created the problem.

Add to that the deinstitutionalizing of vast numbers of the mentally ill and breaking the promise to provide “community support”, Gooferment made the problem worse.

Throw in the “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs” and the mess is complete.

Gooferment drove out the “charity” in our hearts by taking over and providing the “safety net”, which is more like a trap.

Argh!

Separation of Charity and State is the answer. That and rolling back the diktats of the State that make house unaffordable. 

In word, the Gooferment isn’t helping.

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http://ncc-1776.org/tle2014/tle801-20141214-02.html

A is A: A Thing is Itself 
by L. Neil Smith

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“Americans don’t torture people,” My uncle and grandmother explained, something that, sadly, couldn’t truthfully be said of us today.

*** and ***

The third excuse is pure, epistemological silliness: that you can obtain useful information by systematically mistreating people. They may hold out for a while, but eventually they’ll break down and tell you exactly what they think you want to hear. I know that I certainly would. And our many “successes” in Aghanistan illustrate that pretty well. The government, to my knowledge, has never offered an example of torture saving the day—and there are so many unanswered questions about the killing of Osama bin Laden, it is too contaminated for such use.

I was brought up by my mother and father believing that only the bad guys torture people. The Spanish Inquisition, Italian fascisti, the Nazi German Gestapo, Darth Vader threatening Princess Leia with a floating torture machine. And guess what, Rush. My mom and dad were right.

We’re the bad guys.

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Sadly, there’s no excuse for this.

Time to roll back the warfare / welfare state.

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http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/cash-on-arrival-new-game-plan-for-airport-atms.html

Beware the New Airport ATM Scam
December 9, 2014 12:26 pm by Ed Perkins

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A representative of the Civil Aviation Authority, the agency that monitors consumer issues in air travel in Britain, told me that the retail foreign exchange folks have cut deals with airport management to oust the real banks and give retail foreign exchange outfits a monopoly, for which privilege they pay fat fees to the airports. A representative of ABTA, the association of travel agents and tour operators and U.K. equivalent of ASTA, summed it up by saying, “The worst place to exchange currency is at an airport.” This consumer issue hasn’t loomed large on the British scene because locals can, in fact, withdraw pounds with no fees; the practice hits only visitors.

*** end quote ***

Anything it can get away with!

Argh!

I’m sure it in EVERYTHING that Gooferment does!

Screw the little guy.

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NASA’s $349 million monument to its drift
Construction of a test tower in Miss. continued long after the rocket project was scrubbed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2014/12/15/nasas-349-million-monument-to-its-drift/?wpmm=AG0003409

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You have to read this one!

Another example of the Gooferment being immoral, ineffective, and inefficient!

So here we have a multi-decade multi-billion boondoggle.

Argh!

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