who's your nanny?

The Newest Terrorists: Chili Cooks!

Now that I'm a bigshot chili cookoff winner, I feel compelled to stick up for my homies.

We're a nation of dipshits.

Should We Bring Back Slavery?

The new health care bill by House Democrats proposes to fine Americans who do not purchase health insurance. Liberals love to boast that this will dramatically lower the number of the 47 million Americans who do not have health insurance. This is like arguing that we should bring back African slavery because it has the salubrious effect of dramatically lowering the unemployment rate for blacks.

Red Light and Speed Cameras in the District Are Very Lucrative

The red light and speed cameras in Washington, DC have added a record high of $36.4 million to the DC treasury during the first 11 months of fiscal year 2009. But do not be alarmed. The purpose of the cameras clearly is to keep the residents of the District safe on the roads. The money collected will only be used to benefit the public at large. I mean, no government would set up red light and speed cameras just to collect money from its citizens and then spend the money on itself, would it? That's ludicrous. It's the government; it's here to help us.

 

America's Belligerence

Just saw the War State's latest slogan while I was watching a football game -- "America's Navy: A Global Force for Good."

I really think my writing days are coming to an end because I can barely stop laughing long enough to type. Then tears start to drip on the keyboard, and it's all downhill from there.

I guess we should give the Five-Sided Polygon credit for at least admitting what many of us have long known: that the U.S. military is hardly used for the immediate defense of the "homeland," but rather as a vehicle to grow the global American empire at all costs as it flaunts its bellicosity abroad.

Still, I think they could've come up with a better slogan. But I guess "America's Navy: We'll Murder Your Kids" doesn't have quite as nice a ring.

Bam-Bam Declares H1N1 National E-Mergency

After months of unsuccessfully shoving swine flu propaganda at the American people and failing to effect a nationwide panic, Obama has declared the H1N1 virus a national emergency. (I don't have a link; I saw a CBS special report during the Alabama/Tenn game.)

That's right.. if the peeps aren't dumb enough to fall for the czars' statist B.S., by gawd we'll just fall for 'em!

Idiots.

So You Think YOUR Gas Is Expensive?

Within an outstanding piece chronicling the failure that has been the "American Experiment," failure due in no small part to how the U.S. government squanders valuable resources, Paul Craig Roberts points out that American taxpayers taxsurrenderers are on the hook for $320,000,000 a day just to fund the gasoline burned by the Marines in Afghanistan alone.

At $400 a gallon, the Marines consume some 800,000 gallons a day. This is the same government that a majority of Americans credulously trust to educate their kids and manage their health insurance. In a war waged precisely to conquer and control oil-rich nations, the U.S. state can't even figure out how to get these resources cheaply.

Jigsaw's Solution to the Health Insurance Industry

I guess if we had a single-payer insurance system, Jigsaw would still find this solution appropriate.

The Obama Administration Continues to Strangle the US Economy

It is not enough for the Federal Reserve Bank to destroy the currency unabated or the Obama Administration to continue two wars or propose an $863 billion ($863,000,000,000) health care package while increasing the deficit to $1.42 trillion ($1,420,000,000,000). This will not destroy the US economy quickly enough. In addition to spending money we do not have, the Obama Administration wants to ensure that there is little wealth to tax and sustain Leviathan in the future. So to ensure that few if any private businesses will come into existence, the regulatory agencies under the Obama administration have increased their regulatory reach.

Top appointees at the Food and Drug Administration, for example, have cracked down on dietary supplements with "steroid-like" substances that for years had been sold in gyms and health-food stores. In a move designed as much for symbolism as effect, the new chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission last month dispatched all 100 agency inspectors across the country to enforce a law that requires special drains on swimming pools to prevent children from entrapment. The agency shut down more than 200 pools.

The new regulators display a passion for rules and a belief that government must protect the public from dangers lurking at home and on the job -- one more way the new White House is reworking the relationship between government and business.

"In the Bush administration, the problem was that the political folks were hostile to the mission," said Michael A. Livermore, executive director of the Institute for the Study of Regulation at New York University Law School. "We've already seen the new direction of this White House play out in other regulatory aspects -- the Environmental Protection Agency and financial regulation. With the consumer protection agencies, you're going to see a lot more stuff happening because they fit Obama's broad vision for government." (emphasis added)

What I have found interesting about the Obama Administration is just how candid it is about controlling our lives. He and his minions are true progressives. The progressives of the early 1900s were very frank about their goals to use the power of the State and force people to live as the progressives thought they should. Obama is just as honest about redistributing wealth to make things more equal (See The Plumber, Joe). This is not the war economy of the Wilson or Roosevelt administration, but I think we're getting a good idea of that economic life sans a draft and Jim Crow.

This is an all-hands-on deck approach to strangling the economy. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are also becoming more active in enforcing regulations. The article admits that there might be obstacles to overcome:

The regulators still face significant hurdles if they want to dramatically expand government's reach....And the private sector is likely to assert that new regulations would be an additional burden in a weak economy.

"The argument is going to be that this is going to hurt jobs and be bad for the economy," [Michael A.] Livermore said. "That has resonance on the Hill and within the public. . . . That's the one big challenge."

This will hurt (some) jobs and this will be bad for the economy. Increased regulations raise the cost of entrepreneurship. Small businesses do not have the financial resources to hire lawyers to negotiate the layers of bureaucratic red tape as large businesses do. Since the State backs its regulations with violence, entrepreneurs face a huge risk if they run afoul of any regulations. The State will fine the entrepreneurs or shut down their business or even throw them in jail for violations. How many people would want to take that additional risk in the market place? It is hard enough to forecast what consumers will want and serve them. And yet the State burdens creative individuals with so many taxes and regulations, it is a miracle that our standard of living is what it is. Thus, entrepreneurs will be reluctant to open businesses which would create sustainable jobs. So I can see why Mr. Livermore believes that it will be a challenge to convince the public that these regulations are good for the economy. He has to find some really nice lipstick (probably MAC) for this pig.

There will be some job (sic) creation due to these regulations, however. The more aggressive rules will increase demand for lawyers and bureaucrats, but these jobs are not sustainable. These are not positions which create wealth or facilitate the creation of wealth. Government lawyers and bureaucrats create chaos which discourages resourceful individuals from investing. Moreover, these government positions are completely dependent on the production of the market to exist. This parasitical relationship cannot last indefinitely; the State agents' lust for power and wealth will never be satiated and will continue to grow with each generation. There will come a time when the State cannot survive because there will not be enough producers to live off of. But it will be a painful death.

 

 

What Depression?

Yesterday I noticed that the two-way road that leads from my house to the highway is riddled with "No Parking" signs. Seriously, like every 100 feet.

I've lived in my current house for more than six years, and I honestly cannot remember seeing a car parked along the side of this road. Ever.

"I Lost My Temper"

So says the 72-year old grandmother who was tased by a Travis County police officer because she swore at a police officer. Kathryn Winkfein was tasered by Constable Christopher Bieze during a traffic stop when she cursed out the officer for giving her a ticket.

When Winkfein walked toward a busy highway lane, Bieze shoved her back toward the shoulder. She shouted at Bieze, “Give me the f---ing [ticket] and I’ll sign it.” But by now the situation had escalated to the point where Bieze threatened to Taser her. She shot back, “Go ahead, Tase me!”

Winkfein then announced she was getting back in her car. After more shoving and shouting, Bieze made good on his threat — he Tasered Winkfein twice, sending her crumpling to the ground. Her cries of pain were captured on the dash-cam.

Ms. Winkfein was awarded $40,000 in an out-of-court settlement. In response to this settlement Travis County Constable Richard McCain said, “When the county wrote a check for $40,000, we rewarded this defendant for bad behavior, which is wrong.” 

Allow me to read between the lines of this comment in the context of what transpired between Officer Bieze and Ms. Winkfein. Ms. Winkfein was pulled over for speeding and was upset. Ms. Winkfein used some profane language to express her displeasure. Rather than act like a man and ignore such language, Officer Bieze felt threatened by an unarmed elderly woman who can give out a good tongue lashing. Fearing for his own safety, the officer threatened to assault Ms. Winkfein with a taser and then made good on his threat. Officer Beize tased an elderly woman for profanity. I'll give you a moment to let that sink into your mind.

In response to Officer Beize's actions, Officer McCain criticized the judgment, essentially arguing that rude behavior by regular citizens directed toward an officer warrants physical assault. Again, I'll give you a moment to let that sink into your head.

Stories such as this are why I have little hope for our future. The police in this country do not hide their brutality and genuinely believe that verbal insults warrant violent reactions. They really do believe that they have the right to abuse the people they were supposedly hired to protect. Officer McCain worries that the $40,000 settlement rewards bad behavior. Of course, he does not at all question Officer Bieze's actions. He does not bother to contemplate whether a violent response to angry but nonviolent individual is itself bad behavior. If any regular citizen had attacked a 72-year-old woman after she swore at him, he would be in jail now with no bail and the prosecutor would demand the maximum sentence.

The police in this country have no moral compass. They believe that they are the law and whatever they do is, by definition, just and right. They are idols unto themselves. The American public is just as corrupt for they defend the police and their actions. They are unable to apply moral law consistently. In the eyes of most Americans as long as you have a badge, you are a god and the law is what you say it is.

Learning from My Five Minutes of Stupidity

A wise man once told me that everyone is allowed five minutes of stupidity a day. Wisdom is knowing when you have reached your quota. Allow me to share a story of my five minutes of stupidity, how I became wiser through the experience, and how the experience only added kerosene to my fiery hatred of the State.

Several weeks ago I purchased a used 1994 Camry V6 with less than 90,000 miles for $3,000. I purchased it without a warranty and the sale was final. I could not return the car if I found that it needed major work. At this point some of you are saying that this is already a bad deal, but don't get ahead. Some details might help explain my thinking. I was looking for another car with more power than my Corolla. I wanted to pay cash and had budgeted $6,000 for a car. I was looking at Honda Accords, Nissan Maximas, and Toyota Camrys, all with V6 engines, and I wanted to find one with less than 100,000 miles. It is really hard to find any of these cars for under $6,000 and under 100,000 miles. They hold their value very well. When I found the Camry, I knew someone else would get it. So I went to the dealership for a test drive.

The ride was very smooth. The car had some aesthetic problems, but Maaco could take care of these.¹ But after driving the car for about fifteen minutes I noticed the car smoked upon accelerating from a stop. When I got back to the dealer and told him about the problem, he said it was water vapor. I called my dad and he said white smoke was also a sign of water vapor so the dealer's explanation was plausible. My instincts, however, said to me that the smoke was not water vapor. And this is where my five minutes of stupidity begin.

My Life Really Sucks Now

Thanks to new network protocols at work, I'm prevented from even accessing personal websites and blogging software, much less using them to kill time during the day reading and writing.

Considering how infrequently I'm able to sit down at the computer at night, I'm starting to wonder just how much longer my own blog will be viable.

Get a Real Job, Warner

Jesus, I've lived in Maryland for over a dozen years now, and it seems like Mark Warner's on TV every year campaigning to be a parasitical drain on tax-surrenderers.

Hang it up, dude. Get a real job and start working for a living.

The Elders vs. The Remnant

Conservative columnist Peggy Noonan has written a lamentation over the dearth of "Elders." Who are the elders, you ask? Ms. Noonan writes:

They set the standards. They hand down the lore. They’re the oldest and wisest. By proceeding through the world each day with dignity and humanity, they show the young what it is that should be emulated. They’re the tribal chieftains. This role has probably existed since caveman days, because people need guidance and encouragement, they need to be heartened by examples of endurance. They need to be inspired.

…The new Elders will have to rescue America from the precipice. They’ll have to be mature, think of the collective, of the country as a whole.

Ms. Noonan names William Safire, Walter Cronkite, Bob Novak, Don Hewitt, and Irving Kristol as "Elder" role models. Karen De Coster describes these elite individuals as "a new generation of media shills to carry on the state’s agenda, with class, dignity, and humanity, just as the Elders of journalism, or Tribal Chieftains, did before them." As such, the Elders are to protect the idol of Democracy by ensuring healthy debate, but without the acrimony which generally manifests itself when people realize that their natural rights are being violated. This vitriol in political discourse, complains Ms. Noonan, "coarsens and inflames. It tears the national fabric. But it could wind up doing worse than that." According to Ms. Noonan, we simply cannot be outraged and angry as politicians coerce us to live as they want. There must be comity as we are robbed and plundered, as our sons and daughters are used as cannon fodder for wars of empire, and as we are regulated and prohibited from engaging in free exchange and disposing of our property peacefully. Animosity and contempt for politicians, on the other hand, are uncivilized reactions.

Radical libertarians also believe in an elite minority. Albert J. Nock named us the Remnant. Like Noonan's Elders, Nock's Remnant is separated from the masses. Writes Nock:

The mass man is one who has neither the force of intellect to apprehend the principles issuing in what we know as the humane life, nor the force of character to adhere to those principles steadily and strictly as laws of conduct; and because such people make up the great and overwhelming majority of mankind, they are called collectively the masses. The line of differentiation between the masses and the Remnant is set invariably by quality, not by circumstance. The Remnant are those who by force of intellect are able to apprehend these principles, and by force of character are able, at least measurably, to cleave to them. The masses are those who are unable to do either.

Woman Finds Police Officer in Her Bed

The Washington Post reports:

A U.S. Capitol Police officer was arrested Sunday morning in Arlington County when a woman came home and found him passed out drunk in her bed, police said. The two had never met.

The officer, Thomas Patrick McMahon, 34, was charged with unlawful entry. Police say they are perplexed as to why McMahon picked the apartment, in the 1000 block of North Randolph Street, to sleep. He lives in Reston.

"I don't know if it looks similar to his apartment in Reston or what," said Arlington police spokeswoman Crystal Nosal. "Thankfully, nobody was hurt."

(I'm also glad no one was hurt. Had the cop awaken from his drunken stupor to find an unknown woman in what he may have thought was his bedroom, the woman could have been assaulted or shot as an intruder.)

When officers arrived at 1 a.m., McMahon was still sleeping, Nosal said. Police think he walked into the apartment through the front door.

McMahon, a Capitol Police officer since 1998, is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal charges, said Kimberly Schneider, a Capitol Police spokeswoman. Schneider said the agency will also conduct an investigation.

His arrest was first reported on WUSA-9.com.

I wish I had a job where I could get drunk, unlawfully enter an apartment thus breaking a law I was hired to enforce, fall asleep in a stranger's bed, and be placed on paid administrative leave while the very agency that hired me has the final say on the outcome of the criminal charges. Nice work if you can get it.