RANTING: Does America really have “poor”?

Friday, May 21, 2010

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=152409

Are free markets good for the poor?
Posted: May 12, 2010
Walter E. Williams
Professor of Economics at George Mason University

*** begin quote ***

The market is a friend in another unappreciated way. In poor black neighborhoods, one might see some nice clothing, some nice food, some nice cars but no nice schools. Why not at least some nice schools? Clothing, food and cars are distributed by the market mechanism, while schools are distributed by the political mechanism.

*** end quote ***

When Professor Williams writes, he usually nails it. Hits the mark here too.

A free marketplace is like an election of sorts. People vote with their “certificates of appreciation”.

It harnesses greed and enforces cooperation.

Trade makes everyone happy. Even if you can’t afford something, you get a motivating goal.

And, no force required.

It recognize and channels human nature into solving problems.

Sigh, it’s great for the poor.

Look at the “poor” here versus elsewhere. Seems to really put things in stark contrast.

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RANT: TV ads are gross!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Can you believe what they advertise on TV? Trojan personal massager. Sorry, but that’s unbelievable.

What can we learn from this? Anything sells.

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RANT: Pacific wasn’t as good as BoB; scarier in some ways

Monday, May 17, 2010

Just finished watching the conclusion of Pacific. It was better than Band of Brothers in that it gave some feel for post-war PTSD. Those guys had to be nuts. Kill or be killed in the mud. Against the “crazy” Japanese. To be manipulated at home by politicians. Made whatever FDR did deserving a special place in Dante’s lowest circle of Hell. Argh! Wilson did the same thing leading up to WW1.

I like Robert Heinlein’s idea in his novel Starship Troopers that only veterans should be able to vote or run for office. Be a lot less wars!

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RANT: GWB traffic yesterday

Sunday, May 16, 2010

What a day for traffic yesterday at the George Washington Bridge?

I went on the express lanes, which was unusual. (Not that it would have made a lot of difference.)

I couldn’t get traffic reports on 880 because of the Yankee game. Did catch any on any of the other stations. (Were they broadcasting any?)

None of those expensive message boards were lit up. How much did they cost us to put in and operate? Or in this case NOT operate!

Argh!

I sat without moving on Route 80 for 90 minutes. Without moving. OK a little bit. But I’ve never been mired in such traffic.

Wasted the better part of a day. Put me in a foul mood. And, no explanation. Argh!

Why?

The only guess I had was Homeland Security. That would account for the lack of information. Nothing was moving on any approach!

Argh!

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RANT: Ties suck; coin flips are insult to the effort put out

Thursday, May 13, 2010

*** begin quote ***

The draw to decide which two squads join Siena and Mount St. Mary’s in the MAAC Tournament will be held on Sunday morning. Whichever team is drawn will not be in the field, while the other two will be seeded third and fourth depending on the result of their regular season meeting.

*** end quote ***

I dislike ties. Not so much. At least a tie is honest.

I really dislike random ways ties are broken.

Those are disrespectful to the effort put out getting to the tie.

On the game show, CATCH21 there are no ties; a player who freezes on a number (i.e., the player got their score first) “owns” that value space.

That seems “fair”.

For an athletic team to work their butt off and have it decided by a coin flip or other random event seems disrespectful to me.

They could have started with the coin flip and forgot about the work. Makes as much sense.

ARGH! No coin flips; use the CATCH21 rule. No ties; no coin flips.

Hear that baseball: No extra innings. Hear that pro basketball: no OTs that end with the curfew. (Have to make sure the “athletes” can get to the disco!). College bball exempted; they play till they drop.) Hear that pro football: No coin flip that decides every thing for the most part. BUT especially — hear that ncaa football: Your tie break is boring and insane — the coin flip there is de facto the game for the most part.

REMEMBER: “There are NO ties in Catch 21!” http://tv.gsn.com/shows/catch21/

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RANT: Sadly, this picture says it all

Saturday, May 8, 2010

http://www.resistnet.com/

201005081134.jpg

My Rx for our problems:

(1) End welfare. Corporate and private.

(2) End the “War on (some) Drugs”

(3) Bring our troops home. (From all 170+ countries!)

(4) End the Fed and return to sound commodity money.

(5) Repeal the Federal income, estate, and excise taxes.

(6) Close the Federal Department of Education, and a bunch more.

(7) Pass “Read The Bills”, “One Subject At Time”, and “Enumerated Powers Act”.

The that fellow in the picture would really have something to complain about!

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Posted by reinkefj

RANT: ABC broke The View for OBH44

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

ABC broke The View for OBH44 to “update the American people”. Argh! They never did that for Bush. And, he’s congratulating everyone.

Hey guys, we were just lucky that this fellow was so inept.

And, our technology infrastructure can’t track folks traveling to and from Pakistan.

And, our gooferment is still as inept as it ever was.

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RANT: Government is not us

Saturday, May 1, 2010

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/56930.html

Not Us. Never, Ever Us.
Posted by Charles Featherstone on May 1, 2010 10:50 AM

*** begin quote ***

But second, it’s important to emphasize again and again and again that this notion that we, the people, are in any way the government is fraudulent. The government is not us. It cannot ever be us. If it were, there’d be no need for signs that say “Property of the United States Government” with warnings to trespassers because how can citizens — who are sovereign — trespass on the property over which they are sovereign? It’s the problem of socialist property writ large, and it’s why popular sovereignty is bunkum. All human societies become societies in which a relatively tiny elite rule a majority, and democracy (along with ideology) is just modernity’s method of legitimizing that elite rule. I have compared democratic rituals to religious rituals before, and I do believe that elections are the central sacrament of democracy. A pointless sacrament of an idolatrous religion.

The truth is governments are always a menacing entity. Often times they are evil. Sometimes they are even foreign. Government is not us. And it will not ever be us.

*** end quote ***

Important to underscore.

This is not a democracy.

It’s an oligarchy.

Leadership by a political elite, who do what they want.

(Think the healthcare polls!)

We have to follow Gandhi and just not cooperate!

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RANT: Prayers for Ms. Bullock

Thursday, April 29, 2010

http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20364464_20364640,00.html

EXCLUSIVE: Sandra Bullock Has Filed for Divorce

Wednesday April 28, 2010 07:00 AM EDT

# – # – #

I give not a rat’s tush for Hollywood, its marriages, or its politics.

After Rosie (Queeeen of Nice when she needed us) O’D, I don’t believe any celebrity’s public persona.

I enjoyed Bullock’s movies. Even the bad ones. They were mostly clean and mostly funny.

She conducted her personal life in a dignified and quiet manner.

For her to be ignored by the Hollywood elite for an Oscar somewhat endeared her to me. (The enemy of my enemy is my friend.)

When what’s his face appeared on the Apprentice (Hey Season One was good!) I had no idea who he was and, when I found out, I said “everyone gets to choose their mate”.

When she spoke highly and lovingly of him at the Oscar win, I was impressed.

Then this trash came out.

I felt sorry for her. They say Reagan became the heros that he portrayed in the movies. I wish the same to her. She always (for the most part) played “happy”. I wish her “happiness”.

While she (unlike the rest of us) probably never has to worry about money again, I hope she’s able to overcome the betrayal by this slimy fellow (I’d say that about any man who cheats on his wife. No matter how good he is at golf. We should shun them all. They are untrustworthy and, to me, completely despicable.)

I’ll say a silent prayer for her to rebound. And, unlike Jane Fonda, (an old vet never forgets), I look forward to her next movie.

I hope she rebounds. I hope she uses her platform to cry foul eventually, call on me to grow up, and sneer at all this “sex rehab” stuff.

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RANT: Recording ANY “public servent” should be allowed anytime!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/56563.html

April 26, 2010
Don’t Film a Cop Pointing a Gun at You
Posted by Karen De Coster on April 26, 2010 05:42 AM

*** begin quote ***

“Turns out there’s a law against audibly recording someone without their consent. It’s a felony.”

The motorcyclist, Anthony Graber, spent 26 hours in jail. Read the rest of this remarkable story here. Carlos Miller has a good website if you have never been to it: Photography is Not a Crime. Thanks to Ymbel Diaz for the link.

*** end quote ***

This has to go to the Supremes.

Absolutely absurd!

Do Maryland police have dash cams?

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