LIBERTY: Welfare costs us

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

http://townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/
2008/08/06/a_nation_of_thieves

***Begin Quote***

Browning’s concluding chapter tells us what the welfare state costs us. He acknowledges the non-economic costs such as infringements on liberty and strains on the political process, but focuses on the quantitative economic costs. The disincentive effects of Social Security have reduced the GDP by 10 percent, the federal income tax (as opposed to a proportional tax) by 9 percent and past deficits by 3.5 percent for a total of 22.5 percent. He guesses that welfare programs have reduced GDP by 2.5 percent. The overall effect of redistributionist policies has created incentives that have reduced GDP by a total of 25 percent. Without those, our GDP would be close to $18 trillion instead of $14 trillion.

***End Quote***

Welfare costs us in more ways than just money. It gives the politicians and bureaucrats control over people. And, like the young elephant, we think we need them!

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POLITICAL: Hiroshima … never again?

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima

*** begin quote ***

On Monday[10], August 6, 1945, the nuclear weapon Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima by the crew of the American B-29 bomber Enola Gay, directly killing an estimated 80,000 people. By the end of the year, injury and radiation brought total casualties to 90,000-140,000.[11] Approximately 69% of the city’s buildings were completely destroyed, and 6.6% severely damaged.

*** end quote ***

As an American who wasn’t alive when this happened, I won’t judge the people who did this. I’m sure they have met the Maker and received their eternal reward. I will say I am shocked and appalled by it.

Government, gooferment, the meme that kills.

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FUN: The movie “The Bucket List”

Tuesday, August 5, 2008
From the movie "The Bucket List"

From the movie "The Bucket List"

Frau and I watched this the other night on Comcast OnDemand. Hey for five bucks why shlep to a theater.

I found it funny and insightful. I don’t care that the premise was absurd. I don’t care about the flubs in the movie of a technical nature (i.e., identical heart rates; ripped up lists; unlimited money). It was a morality play of sorts.

I’ve begun working on my list! You?

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WRITING: TEOTWAWKI fiction — It happened in Church – Chapter Eighty Four – Vermont

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

It happened in Church – October 19, 1962
Chapter Eighty Four – Vermont

It Started In Church – October 19, 1962
http://www.itstartedinchurch.com

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RANT: Air-Travel Pass Data Stolen From SFO?

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/08/05/1539231&from=rss

“Clear” Air-Travel Pass Data Stolen From SFO
Posted by timothy on Tuesday August 05, @12:12PM

from the is-kip-hawley-thetan-clear? dept.
Privacy Security Transportation

*** begin quote ***

Kozar_The_Malignant writes “A laptop containing the unencrypted security data for 33,000 travelers using the Clear system was stolen at San Francisco International Airport on July 26, according to CBS5 Television. The Clear system allows travelers who register and pay a $100.00 annual fee to speed through airport security by using a smart card at special kiosks in some airports. TSA has suspended new registrations in the system, which is run by a private contractor, Verified Identity Pass, Inc., a subsidiary of GE. The laptop was apparently stolen from a locked office at SFO. The company has now decided that it might be a good idea to encrypt the data in their systems. They are in the process of notifying customers that all of their personal data, including name, address, SSi number, passport number, date of birth, etc. has been compromised.”

*** end quote ***

Ahhh, your gooferment at work. Why am I not surprised!

I had to take a break at work and blog this one. It’s just sweet!

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POLITICAL: Or are you just as ignorant as you sound?

Sunday, August 3, 2008

A COMMENT THAT WAS A DRIVE BY

*** begin quote ***

A new comment on the post #3602 “POLITICAL: Obama’s Prayer: The Intended Audience” is waiting for your approval https://reinkefaceslife.com/2008/07/31/political-obamas-prayer-the-intended-audience/

Author : no (IP: 172.162.117.177 , ACA275B1.ipt.aol.com) E-mail : no@no.com
URL :
Whois : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=172.162.117.177
Comment:
You do realize that Obama isn’t muslim, right? Or are you just as ignorant as you sound?

*** end quote ***

I love “drive by” anonymous comments.

I’ll take a stab at this one.

I don’t KNOW anything about O other than he’s running for President.

  • His religion, if any, is doubt. Muslin, Wright wacko, or something else — who knows?
  • He’s flip floped on the war — only Ron Paul was going to get us out of Iraq!

  • He’s pro-abortion. Sorry, it abhorrent, and I don’t want to pay for it.

  • His tax policy is right out of the Socialist playbook.

I think his qualifications are non-existent and imho he’s an empty suit.

Guess I AM as ignorant as I sound.

(I love softballs!)

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LIBERTY: Federal agents may take a traveler’s laptop

Friday, August 1, 2008

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/content/article/2008/08/01/laptops.html

Travelers’ Laptops May Be Detained At Border
No Suspicion Required Under DHS Policies
By Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 1, 2008; Page A01

*** begin quote ***

Federal agents may take a traveler’s laptop or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.

Also, officials may share copies of the laptop’s contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

*** and ***

In April, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld the government’s power to conduct searches of an international traveler’s laptop without suspicion of wrongdoing. The Customs policy can be viewed at: http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/travel/admissability/
search_authority.ctt/search_authority.pdf.

*** end quote ***

And you thought you had Fourth and Fifth Ammendment rights!

“Comrade Cititzen, It’s to keep you safe!”

Yeah, right.

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POLITICAL: Obama’s Prayer: The Intended Audience

Thursday, July 31, 2008

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/07/obamas_prayer_the_real_audienc_1.html

July 30, 2008
Obama’s Prayer: The Intended Audience
By Helen Cadogan
Helen Cadogan is the owner of iEdit.

Editor’s note: Publication of this article is suspended. Ma’ariv has backed away from the published story and YA has indicated differences with the published account.

*** begin quote ***

Barack Obama wanted the world to know that he can pray like a Christian. Thus, he penned a ‘note to God’ on stationery from the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, and he generously gave a copy to the “international media even before he put in the Kotel, a short time after he wrote it at the King David Hotel.” Thus says the Ma’ariv spokesman in defense of his newspaper, which may be the subject of a criminal investigation for publishing the ‘note to God’ which Obama gave to the paper. For, interestingly, not only Ma’ariv was a recipient of Obama’s generosity, so was Yediot Ahoronot (YA), the most popular Israeli daily. YA also obtained the ‘note to God’ from Obama but declined to print it, ironically, “to respect Obama’s privacy.”

*** and ***

If Ma’ariv had the note from Obama right after it was written, it could have published it at anytime. However, had Ma’ariv done so, then Obama would have been justly accused of politicizing one of the most sacred places of Judaism, the Western Wall. How, then, is he supposed to avoid such a charge? The logical answer would be to have a supporter temporarily retrieve the note (notice I don’t call it a prayer, which is a private matter), take it to a newspaper, which would then publish it, with this added cachet that vindicates Obama of spiritual crassness — claim it was stolen.

Who was the intended audience for this little passion play? Every speech act has an intended audience, and prayer, a very personal speech act, also has its own. In the normal course of events, God is the intended audience. However, given that Obama released his note for publication immediately after writing it, then God may not be the intended audience. Rather, Obama’s intended audience may be of this world: America’s voting Jews, Christians, and Muslims. To reach them, Obama would have to engage in a tricky balancing act purposed to let each group know that he believes as it does.

*** end quote ***

Wow!

I’m no fan of either political party, either politician, nor any of the gang!

This is something one would expect in a Tom Clancy novel.

It does HOWEVER have the ring of truth to it. Manipulation by politicians, and their helpful lackies in the media, have made me suspicious of EVERYTHING they do.

I have no problem with a black Muslim President. I do have a problem with politicians that hide their stipes and denty their associations until AFTER they are elected. It seems that time after time, we learn AFTER the fact, that we’ve been had.

Bush Senior read my lips. Clinton’s middle class tax cut. Bush Junior’s humbel foreign policy.

Nope, I dislike them both, but O may have set a new bottom if this is true.

What media outlet will dig for the truth?

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WRITING: TEOTWAWKI fiction — It happened in Church – Chapter Eighty Three – The Big Bang

Thursday, July 31, 2008

It happened in Church – October 19, 1962
Chapter Eighty Three – The Big Bang

It Started In Church – October 19, 1962
http://www.itstartedinchurch.com

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FUN: Joke wiith a political message!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008
From the Free State Project Dot Org

From the Free State Project Dot Org