Clipmarks | Rustee's Politics collection

KGB Tactic - Demoralization

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:19:09 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: Recorded in 1985, but as relevant today as ever.

Clip Source: www.dailymotion.com

[Video]

Tags: communism, marxism, ideology

Open Letter to the Left

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:51:58 GMT

clipped by: Rustee

Clip Source: myslu.stlawu.edu

My friends,

In the last week or two, I have heard frequently from you that the current financial mess has been caused by the failures of free markets and deregulation.

In the end, all I can ask of you is that you continue to think this through.

Consider that you may be mistaken.

Explaining it as a failure of free markets faces the obvious truth that these markets were far from free of government.

Consider that government intervention might have led banks and other organizations to take on risks that they never should have.

Consider that government central banks are the only organizations capable of fueling this fire with excess credit.

And consider that various regulations might have forced banks into bad loans and artificially pushed up home prices.

Lastly, consider that private sector actors are quite happy to support such intervention and regulation because it is profitable.

The real problem here is the marriage of corporate and state power. That is the corporatism we both oppose.

The Lure of Socialism

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:24:39 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: Quoting Bastiat in The Law, 1850.

Clip Source: www.econlib.org

Now this must be said: When justice is organized by law—that is, by force—this excludes the idea of using law (force) to organize any human activity whatever, whether it be labor, charity, agriculture, commerce, industry, education, art, or religion. The organizing by law of any one of these would inevitably destroy the essential organization—justice. For truly, how can we imagine force being used against the liberty of citizens without it also being used against justice, and thus acting against its proper purpose?

Here I encounter the most popular fallacy of our times. It is not considered sufficient that the law should be just; it must be philanthropic. Nor is it sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the free and inoffensive use of his faculties for physical, intellectual, and moral self-improvement. Instead, it is demanded that the law should directly extend welfare, education, and morality throughout the nation.

This is the seductive lure of socialism.

Life, Liberty, Property > Law

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:46:42 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: From F. Bastiat's book, The Law.

Clip Source: www.econlib.org

Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place.

If this is true, then nothing can be more evident than this: The law is the organization of the natural right of lawful defense. It is the substitution of a common force for individual forces. And this common force is to do only what the individual forces have a natural and lawful right to do: to protect persons, liberties, and properties; to maintain the right of each, and to cause justice to reign over us all.

But, unfortunately, law by no means confines itself to its proper functions.

The law has placed the collective force at the disposal of the unscrupulous who wish, without risk, to exploit the person, liberty, and property of others.

It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder.

Reason in Politics

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:06:23 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: Written in 1940.

Clip Source: mises.org

What is wrong with Western civilization is the accepted habit of judging political parties merely by asking whether they seem new and radical enough, not by analyzing whether they are wise or unwise, or whether they are apt to achieve their aims.

The usual terminology of political language is stupid. What is “left” and what is “right”?

Reaction against an unwise policy is not to be condemned. And progress towards chaos is not to be commended.

People hasten to exchange their “old” ideas for “new” ones, because they fear to appear old-fashioned and reactionary. They join the chorus decrying the shortcomings of the capitalistic civilization and speak in elated enthusiasm of the achievements of the autocrats. Nothing is today more fashionable than slandering Western civilization.

“Orthodoxy” is not an evil if the doctrine on which the “orthodox” stand is sound.

What mankind needs today is liberation from the rule of nonsensical slogans and a return to sound reasoning.

Tags: politics, ideology, reason

The Great Depression Hoax

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:30:03 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks:

Are we a nation of whiners, as Phil Gramm put it a little while ago? No, the American public is not whining...More likely, though, Americans are just leaving the whining to pundits and trend reporters. Our problem is not whining. It is persuading young people that, with baby boomers retiring, entitlement programs bulging and the world economy growing ever more competitive, now's the time to roll up the sleeves for something other than tattoos.

For example, India produces 2.5 million college graduates every year (with concentrations in high demand fields - electronics, programming, engineering, accounting, etc.), and approximately 90,000 MBA's. Nothing against tattoos, but I do feel ignorance and apathy are much too prominent in America. Awareness of ignorance is the first step to wisdom.

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

Never mind that GDP is puttering along in positive terrain. Headlines still scream that we're closing in on 1929, not 2009.

Meanwhile, Prius cars are flying off the Toyota lots, even though they cost $3,700 more than a similarly sized gasoline-fired Toyota and it takes 3.5 years to pay back the investment in fuel savings.

In July the jobless rate among college graduates was just 2.4%, drifting up from 2.1% in March. That is miles away from the 1981 recession and, of course, you'd need scientific notation to compare it to the Great Depression

For some, it still feels lousy out there. But lousy is not a technical synonym for recession.

Still, no president, Democrat or Republican, can create prosperity for those who decide to forgo even a basic education.

High schools don't teach what they used to, and so students who don't go to college are left without the skills necessary to compete in a global economy.

Tags: economy, education, media

Obama's Fair Tax

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:34:57 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks:

Mr. Warren, a man of the cloth, has done us a great service by asking the candidates to answer a pretty secular question: What kind of income makes an American "rich"? Maybe in the more secular setting of an upcoming debate, one of our nonpastor moderators could ask the candidates the moral question: What specific rate of individual taxation would it take for the rich to be paying their fair share?

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

He talks about it as a general theme: "It is time for folks like me who make more than $250,000 to pay our fair share."

He invokes it as a solution for Social Security: "[W]e will save Social Security for future generations by asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share."

He points to how it guides his energy policy: "The first part of my plan is to tax the windfall profits of oil companies and use some of that money to help you pay the rising price of gas."

And he stuck to it on capital gains, even after ABC's Charlie Gibson noted that the record shows increased taxes on capital gains -- which would affect 100 million Americans -- would likely lead to a decrease in government revenues: "Well, Charlie, what I've said is that I would look at raising the capital gains tax for purposes of fairness."

It's not about robbing from the rich to give to the poor. Robbing from the rich will do, especially if it's done in the name of fairness.

Tags: taxes, election

Government True-isms

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:11:03 GMT

clipped by: Rustee

Clip Source: www.ktrh.com

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress... But then I repeat myself.
-Mark Twain

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.
-James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
-Ronald Reagan (1986)

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!
-P.J. O'Rourke

A government big enough to give you everything you want,
is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Thomas Jefferson

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.
-Winston Churchill

Tags: government, quotes

Teachers Pack Heat In Tiny Texas School

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:10:48 GMT

clipped by: Rustee

Clip Source: www.statesman.com

HARROLD, Texas — A tiny Texas school district may be the first in the nation to allow teachers and staff to pack guns for protection when classes begin later this month, a newspaper reported.

Trustees at the Harrold Independent School District approved a district policy change last October so employees can carry concealed firearms to deter and protect against school shootings, provided the gun-toting teachers follow certain requirements.

Superintendent David Thweatt said the small community is a 30-minute drive from the sheriff's office, leaving students and teachers without protection. He said the district's lone campus sits 500 feet from heavily trafficked U.S. 287, which could make it a target.

"The naysayers think (a shooting) won't happen here. If something were to happen here, I'd much rather be calling a parent to tell them that their child is OK because we were able to protect them," Thweatt said.

Tags: crime

No Tax Increase Needed for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid...

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:39:55 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks:

If Congress were to act responsibly (yes, an oxymoron), it would hold down the growth of spending, as was done in the late 1980s and late 1990s, and eliminate those government programs that do not meet a reasonable cost-benefit test. As has been shown before, such actions would quickly eliminate the deficit.

Clip Source: washingtontimes.com

Many of those who insist that tax increases are needed argue that the entitlement programs will grow more rapidly than the economy and they must be funded. The problem with this argument is that tax increases will slow economic growth, and that no amount of tax increase can fund these programs if they are allowed to continue to grow faster than the economy.

Other countries have solved, or are solving, the social security problem through privatization. The renowned economist, Jose Pinera, developed the world's first, major, privatized social security system when he was labor minister in Chile. The Chilean program has been in effect for 29 years, is fully phased in, and has provided the workers with a rate of return exceeding 10 percent per year compounded, resulting in many Chileans having a very large investment portfolio for retirement. The Pinera system has been so successful that more than 30 countries have now adopted it.

This program would be real constructive "change."

Tags: taxes, government

Cigarette Tax Burnout

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:55:36 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks:

In New York City and State, tobacco taxes have been raised so many times that the retail cost can exceed $9 a pack -- about double the national average. Few budget-savvy smokers in the Big Apple pay that tax. Patrick Fleenor, an expert on tobacco taxes at the Tax Foundation, estimates that there is "now a 75% gap between cigarette sales in the city and cigarette consumption." In other words, three out of four cigarettes are bought elsewhere or are contraband.

In New Jersey, about 40% of the Marlboros and Virginia Slims that are lit up escape the $2.57-a-pack tax. In Washington State, evasion was so rampant that the legislature decided in 2005 to lower the 75% tax on cigars and other tobacco products as a way to raise revenue and help state retailers.

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

Politicians in Annapolis are scratching their heads wondering what happened to all those chain smokers who were supposed to help balance Maryland's budget. Last year the legislature doubled the cigarette tax to $2 a pack to pay for expanded health-care coverage. Eight months later, cigarette sales have plunged 25% and the state is in fiscal distress again.

As House Majority Leader Kumar Barve put it, fewer people smoking is "a good thing." Yes, except that Maryland may be losing retail sales more than smokers. Residents of Maryland's Washington suburbs can shop in nearby Virginia, where the tax is only 30 cents a pack, and save at least $15 per carton.

The Maryland pols are so afraid this is true that they've made it a crime for residents to carry two packs of cigarettes that weren't purchased in the state.

Out-of-state purchases, tax-free Internet sales and a cigarette black market are booming.

Tags: taxes, government, tobacco

Chavez - More Like Castro Everyday

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:44:36 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks:

Nevertheless, Mr. Chávez appears pleased with the circumstances, illuminating another way in which he resembles Castro: Both men are narcissists above all else, and both have been driven by an intense desire to rule as the omnipotent caudillo. The welfare of the nation is beside the point.

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

It is no secret that Hugo Chávez wants to be just like Fidel Castro someday. And last week he took a step closer to that goal by laying down 26 new decrees designed to eviscerate property rights and further consolidate economic power in the presidential palace. He also nationalized the third-largest bank in the country.

What has been less publicized is the Venezuelan president's expanding collection of political prisoners, and his other sinister methods of neutralizing opponents.

Last week, his handpicked supreme court ruled that 260 aspiring candidates for the November municipal and gubernatorial elections -- most of whom oppose him -- will be barred from the ballot because they have been accused of corruption

Of course this doesn't quite work under Venezuelan law, because an individual may only be barred as a candidate if he is convicted. But the Chávez government got around that problem: None has been tried but the National Controller -- a chavista -- has declared them guilty by fiat.

Tags: venezuela, government

More on Obamanomics

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:50:45 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks:

Obama's economic plan also calls for mandating a "living wage." He plans to saddle retailers with a $10 minimum wage indexed to inflation, along with a mandate to provide seven days of paid sick leave to workers.

Obama assumes business owners will just eat the added costs.

Clip Source: www.ibdeditorials.com

Barack Obama the lawyer-organizer could use a crash course in economics.

In arguing for a heavier mix of government, he assumes that capitalism unfairly favors the rich, almost exclusively so, and fails to spread prosperity.

Obama cites data showing a yawning gap between the income of the average worker and the wealthiest 1%. He thinks it's government's job to step in and close it — "for purposes of fairness" — by soaking the rich, among other leftist nostrums.

But such a snapshot comparison would be meaningful only if America were a caste society, in which the people making up one income group remained static over time.

Of course that's not the case.

Few are "stuck" in poverty, or have a "lock" on wealth.

Obama would discover this if only he'd put down his class-warfare manuals and look closely at the IRS' own data.

He also fails to understand how taxes change behavior.

Forget growth and revenues. Let's just punish those "greedy" investors.

Even TV news anchor Charlie Gibson knows better.

Tags: economics, politics, class warfare

Medellin Executed

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:29:52 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: The end of what became a divided international struggle for justice.

Clip Source: www.khou.com

HUNTSVILLE, Texas—A Mexican-born condemned prisoner was executed Tuesday night for the rape and murder of two teenage girls 15 years ago after a divided U.S. Supreme Court rejected his request for a reprieve.

Medellin’s attorneys contended he was denied the protections of the Vienna Convention, which calls for people arrested to have access to their home country’s consular officials.

President Bush asked states to review the cases, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this year neither the president nor the international court can force Texas to wait.

Medellin, 33, was condemned for participating in the 1993 gang rape, beating and strangling of Elizabeth Pena, 16, and Jennifer Ertman, 14.

“I don’t want sympathy or pity, I’d rather have your anger,” Medellin had written on an anti-death penalty Web site where prisoners seek pen pals. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I’m where I’m at because I made an adolescent choice. That’s it!”

Tags: crime, death penalty, texas

New Record Deficit, Same Old Politics

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 06:28:39 GMT

clipped by: Rustee

Clip Source: www.cnsnews.com

Earlier this week the White House announced that the projected Fiscal Year 2009 deficit will be $490 billion, an amount much higher than originally anticipated and also a record for the national deficit. The deficit for the current fiscal year is expected to reach $410 billion.

As usual, politicians and many of the major media outlets explicitly or implicitly have blamed President George W. Bush’s tax cuts for much of the problem.

The problem is not his tax cuts, though. Bush’s tax cuts stimulated tremendous economic growth. History and most economists inform us that a reduction in the tax burden almost always stimulates growth.

The problem is that our elected officials lack the fortitude and wisdom to make the necessary cuts in spending that budget realities demand.

Congress must make some difficult decisions and cut the Federal Government’s expenditures.

Tags: taxes, economics, government, politics