ENCOURAGING: Swiss Say ‘No’ to Soaking the Rich

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

‘Inequality in Opulence is Better than Equality in Poverty’ — Switzerland Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutte 

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https://reason.com/2025/12/03/switzerland-just-overwhelmingly-rejected-a-new-wealth-tax-will-california-lawmakers-learn/

Switzerland Just Overwhelmingly Rejected a New Wealth Tax. Will California Lawmakers Learn?

  • The hammer of heavy wealth and inheritance taxes falls hardest on those still climbing the economic ladder.

J.D. Tuccille | 12.3.2025 7:00 AM

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California progressives are pushing a wealth tax that would skim 5 percent of the assets of billionaires to cover the state government’s fiscal gap. That is, it would hit billionaires to start—there’s no telling who would come to be regarded as wealthy enough to be fleeced as the state’s spending likely continues to outstrip its revenues. But before Californians proceed down the path of chasing high earners out of the state, they should consider the example of Swiss voters, who just rejected a billionaire tax of their own.

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Unfortunately, all the “We, The Sheeple” in the Pepuls Republik of Kaliforkneeah are NOT smart enough to realize that, like the Federal Gooferment’s income tax, eventually in a few years will come “down” to include everyone. 

Argh!

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GUNS: The FGC-9 (Fuck Gun Control 9mm) was designed by Jacob Duygu and the genie is out of the bottle big time

Friday, August 15, 2025

https://reason.com/2025/08/08/making-the-world-freer-with-homemade-guns/

Making the World Freer with Homemade Guns

  • DIY firearms aren’t just an end-run around the law; they represent a libertarian political movement.

J.D. Tuccille | 8.8.2025 7:00 AM 

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Recently, while touting gun seizures in a city that has some of the most authoritarian gun laws in the United States, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch lamented, “the number of illegal guns that we’ve seen used in New York City has exploded since 3D technology has come about.” She’s not alone. Homemade guns are increasingly sophisticated and available almost everywhere. That’s a good thing.

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Summarizing events at June’s MoneroKon conference in Prague, an annual meeting devoted to “privacy-enhancing technologies and distributed systems,” security expert Zoltán Füredi described a presentation by the pseudonymous Zé Carioca, designer of the recently unveiled Urutau, a 9mm select-fire firearm designed to be constructed with a 3D printer and components purchased at any hardware store. Rather than focus on his creation, Zé Carioca instead championed 3D-printed firearms as companions to cryptocurrency in challenging the power and reach of governments.

“His speech blurred the lines between technology, ideology, and extreme libertarian politics,” commented Füredi. He added of the speakers’ message, “Just as the freedom to transact (via cryptocurrency) is now seen as a fundamental human right, so too should be the right to bear arms—worldwide.”

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The (God given) Human Right to self-defense is essential the embodiment of the little L libertarian First Principle of Self-Ownership.  If we don’t “own” ourselves, then who does?

Somewhere in the Libertarian An-Cap literature is the recognition that “rights” are: (a) something we have all agree that every human has; or (b) those things that an individual will die defending.  To me, either definition is acceptable.  There might be be another criteria around somewhere that a “right” is whatever and whenever a human can asset and defend it.  Not so sure about that; do babies and fetuses have rights?

Interesting that the gun grabbers (i.e., politicians and bureaucrats) can NOT keep guns out of the hands of criminals.  Sometimes they even get into their “jails”.  And, like drugs, they can keep humans from finding way to get what they want. 

So too, guns are merely tools and as such can’t be kept away from any human who is motivated and wants one.

I’m interested in how the WWII “liberator” handgun was used to arm the Nazi resistance.  Why is today’s Gooferments beginning to look like Nazi Germany?   (Remember the Japanese internment?)  Tyrants and their regimes can not exist if the population just refuses to be terrorized.  Ghost guns are the perfect solution to prevent that.  Even here in the USA.

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Is destruction of a dangerous dog in the dog’s interest?

Thursday, November 9, 2023

https://reason.com/volokh/2023/11/08/let-us-kill-your-dog-or-go-to-jail-for-a-year/

Animals
Let Us Kill Your Dog or Go to Jail for a Year
Eugene Volokh | 11.8.2023 8:01 AM

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The county code allows destruction of a dangerous dog under specific circumstances. It allows destruction when an owner does not redeem an impounded dog within 96 hours. And it allows immediate destruction when “a dog is suffering from a serious injury or disease, and destroying the dog is in the interest of public health and safety, or in the interest of the dog.” The code does not authorize destroying a dog in any other instance….

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I found this “in the interest of the dog” amusing.  How is killing the dog in “its interest”?

Argh!

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GUNS: Eliminate “gun free zones” as a small step towards safety?

Saturday, June 4, 2022

https://reason.com/volokh/2022/05/28/private-gun-carriers-self-defense-against-public-shooters/

Guns
Private Gun Carriers’ Self-Defense Against Public Shooters
The Charleston (West Virginia) incident from a few days ago, the FBI 2021 statistics, and more.
Eugene Volokh | 5.28.2022 5:32 PM

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Finally, always keep in mind that active shooter situations should not be the main focus in the gun debate, whether for gun control or gun decontrol: They on average account for less than 1% of the U.S. homicide rate and are unusually hard to stop through gun control laws (since the killer is bent on committing a publicly visible murder and is thus unlikely to be much deterred by gun control law, or by the prospect of encountering an armed bystander). But people talk about them a lot, so I thought I’d offer a perspective on them for those who are interested.

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I read this very calm and seemed to be neutral After Action review of the particular Charleston West Virginia incident.

The only quibble I have is, and I agree, with to paraphrase “criminals are undeterred by laws and probably an armed bystander”.  What about “gun free zones” being an attractive nuisnece.  We know from Columbine that the criminal in that case traveled further to a movie house that was “gun free”.  This assuring that even the slight risk of a “good guy (or gal) with gun” might interfere.  

So perhaps eliminating all “gun free zones” and allowing unlimited concealed carry by non-felons, we might make their rage a little more “inconvenient”.

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