The Orwellian Jeep “Liberty”
January 4th, 2009 by Steve
From Wikipedia: Liberty, the freedom to act or believe without being stopped by unnecessary force, is generally considered in modern time to be a concept of political philosophy and identifies the condition in which an individual has the right to act according to his or her own will.
It was against my will that Chrysler just received some $4 billion dollars, some of it from my wallet, to use to compete against other businesses not receiving the benefit of government thugs.
I enjoy automobiles and two of my favorites are Jeeps and Mustangs. To be sure, I am currently driving my third Jeep (a Grand Cherokee) and recently sold a CJ7 to a friend (more because he’ll take good care of the car than for the money; he still owes me a few bucks on it). The freedom to act “without being stopped by unnecessary force” is one reason I’ve been a Jeep enthusiast for years. Additionally, my wife and I own a Mustang, which we also enjoy very much.
Here’s (below the fold) Read the rest of this entry »
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The Revolution will not be smoked
January 3rd, 2009 by Steve
Nope. This has nothing to do with marijuana.
The unRevolution in Cuba was officially declared dead by the Sun-Sentinel to mark the 50th anniversary of a revolution which quit being a revolution many years ago.
The world will mark the Cuban Revolution when it turns 50 this evening. However, this revolution stopped being a revolution decades ago.
The government produced by the revolution has become the status quo in Havana — as well as in Miami and Washington, D.C. In fact, the government led by the Castro brothers has governed longer than any other dynasty, except for the clan in North Korea. That alone should tell everybody something.
Since The Revolution is now officially over, perhaps we can revisit opening trade with our little tropical buddies again. I’d like to expand on my cigar supplies and experiences.
In the meantime, it seems that the Sexual Revolution is over, too. Perhaps Alabama might consider opening trade with sex toy manufacturers, too.
About the image: Image from this site with the following caption:
A Nazi anti-smoking ad. The translation: “Attack vices rather than complain about ‘burdens.’ 2 million KdF cars [the Volkswagen] up in smoke. Excessive use of tobacco costs the German people 2.35 billion marks annually, enough for around 2 million KdF cars, or enough gas for those cars to drive 50 billion kilometers (not million, dear proofreader)! We need to rationalize our people’s economy!”
Source: Die wirtschaftspolitische Parole, #1/1939.
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Worth checking out…
January 3rd, 2009 by Steve
The Right to Keep and Bear Cutlery
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You know you’re in Alabama when…
December 24th, 2008 by Steve
Overheard on Christmas Eve in local gas station in Hartselle, Alabama.
Mother (placing hands on hips in exasperation to son wearing camoflague clothing and hunting boots): Jimmy, you are not going over to Memaw’s wearing that. Go home right now and change into your nice camo.
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Something else for Alabamians to feel proud of
December 13th, 2008 by Steve
This week’s indictment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has sparked talk about which state has the most corrupt politicians: Some say Illinois. No, it’s Alabama, as anyone who has followed events here lately can testify. Unh-uh, it’s Louisiana, always Louisiana.
Believe it or not, there is such a ranking, albeit from late last year. The Corporate Crime Reporter, a legal newsletter, used data from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section to rank the 35 most populous states, based on federal convictions over the previous decade per 100,000 residents.
There really is no surprise about who’s No. 1: Louisiana, a state with a long, sordid history that takes a perverse pride in its corrupt politicians. (”Vote for the crook. It’s important,” read a bumper sticker in the Edwin Edwards-David Duke gubernatorial primary runoff in 1991.) Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama and Ohio rounded out the top five. A pre-Blagojevich Illinois ranked 6th.
For those who are curious about the least corrupt states, the bottom five are Utah, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and Oregon.
CCR’s ranking, like those in college football, is hardly perfect. It includes only federal convictions, although in many states, including Alabama, there are precious few state and local prosecutions of public officials.
The next time CCR ranks states by public corruption, don’t be surprised if Alabama makes a move toward the top. The Public Integrity Section’s data was from 1997 through 2006.
That report doesn’t take into account all the convictions in Alabama since then, and possibly still to come, from the two-year college scandal and the Jefferson County sewer mess. Things are so bad, according to indicted former County Commissioner Gary White, that he is having trouble hiring a lawyer to represent him partly because of the plethora of public-corruption cases in the county.
CCR reported that over the past 20 years, there have been an average of 1,000 public corruption convictions nationally each year. It only seems as if there have been that many in Alabama in recent years.
If we keep electing the same old crooks, we’re going to continue to receive the same old crimes.
UPDATE: The Weekly is reporting that the ‘ham is the country’s eighth most dangerous city in which to live. Considering the amount of time I spend in Birmingham, DC and Atlanta, it’s sort of hard for me to realize that Birmingham is actually worse. I certainly feel safer in most of Birmingham than I do in my old stomping grounds in SW DC.
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Here’s the most brainless, dazed, deficient, dense…
December 12th, 2008 by Steve
…dim, doltish, dopey, dull, dumb, dummy, foolish, futile, gullible, half-baked, half-witted, idiotic, ill-advised, imbecilic, inane, indiscreet, insensate, irrelevant, laughable, loser, ludicrous, meaningless, mindless, moronic, naive, nonsensical, obtuse, out to lunch, pointless, puerile, rash, senseless, shortsighted, simple, simpleminded, slow, sluggish, stolid, stupefied, thick, thick-headed, trivial, unintelligent, unthinking, witless idea yet. From HuffPo:
I propose we create a Department of Sport. Admittedly, this is not a unique idea. Most countries have a Ministry of Sports with responsibility for fostering physical education, developing amateur athletics and monitoring the businesses of professional sports. Canada, for example, has a bureau of sport that is part of its Department of Canadian Heritage. France has a Ministry of Health, Youth and Sport. By comparison, the United States has the non-governmental NCAA, the
I just beat up on two nitwit Republicans (and one imbecilic Democrat) for trying to intervene in college football, now this proftard wants the feds to take over our entire sporting arena.
One Reason commenter made a good point about what will happen when government intervenes into the arena of sports:
We’ve had a Ministry of Sports in India for a very long time (ever since Independence, I think). So far in the entire history of the Olympics since 1947, India has had less medals than Michael Phelps won individually. So yeah, its been working well for us. Excellent use of public money.
What’s next, a Secretary of Sexual Activity?
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Latest bailout boondoggle stalls in Senate
December 12th, 2008 by Steve
Here’s the shocker of the day: the Senate found a bailout bill they don’t like enough to pass. The left is claiming that Republicans are out to destroy the UAW. The right is gloating, while failing to recognize that Republicans had no problem with a $700 billion bailout of one of their favorite industries.
Another Republican, President Bush, could still give TARP funds to automakers and still appoint a Car Czar. We’ll see what happens.
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Alabama fans opposed to Congress meddling with the BCS
December 12th, 2008 by Steve
“Patriotic to the core, devoted to his players and inspired by a winning spirit that never quit, Bear Bryant gave his country the gift of a legend. In making the impossible seem easy, he lived what we all strive to be.” – President Ronald Reagan about Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, 1983
My fellow Crimson Tide football fan has it right: Congress has no business mandating a NCAA Division 1-A Football playoff series. Like Austin Wilkes, Barack Obama and many Americans, I think the current system needs to be improved upon. Austin writes:
Personally I prefer an 8 team playoff that integrates the existing bowl traditions, while still finding annual closure to each season. But the difference between myself and Rep. Barton is that he is using his position of power to introduce a bill that would push the NCAA to end the current system and introduce a playoff system. I argue that he does not and should not have the authority to use the legislative process to accomplish this worthy goal. In his bill, he cites the problems everyone who has watched five minutes of any of the ESPN networks already has heard a myriad of times-
“In some years the sport’s national championship winner was left unsettled, and at least one school was left out of the many millions of dollars in revenue that accompany the title,” Barton said in a statement released ahead of the bill’s introduction. “Despite repeated efforts to improve the system, the controversy rages on.” -ESPN
OK, Barton has correctly identified a problem. The next step as a legislator to solving the problem is to ask whether or not Congress has any business attempting to rectify the situation, let alone whether or not they have Constitutional authority to do so. In fact the Supreme Court has already weighed in on this matter in 1922 when it ruled that the MLB did not fall under Congress’ interstate commerce jurisdiction.
Alabama has had a tremendous season this year, and I believe they deserve as much of a shot at the national title as Oklahoma and Florida. Texas should have a chance, too. I think Utah (and any undefeated team) deserves a crack at the title. I also think the undefeated 2004 Auburn team deserved the same chance.
Personally, I’d love for Alabama to be able to participate in a playoff series and potentially become the national champion — but not if it happens by government decree.
It’s no big surprise that Illinois Democrat Bobby Rush is supporting the bill — Democrats make no claim to support small government. That Texas Republicans Joe Barton and Michael McCaul are pushing this bill is probably causing both Ronald Reagan and Bear Bryant to roll over in their graves.
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Mayors from around the nation want their handouts, too
December 10th, 2008 by Steve
On Monday, the U.S. Conference of Mayors went to Capitol Hill to ask for a handout, or as they put it: “We are reporting that in 427 cities of all sizes in all regions of the country, a total of 11,391 infrastructure projects are ‘ready to go.’ These projects represent an infrastructure investment of $73,163,299,303 that would be capable of producing an estimated 847,641 jobs in 2009 and 2010.”
A wish list that is 11,391 projects strong! What vital infrastructure projects would cash-strapped taxpayers get for their $73 billion? Here’s a sampling:
- Hercules, Calif., wants $2.5 million in hard-earned taxpayer money for a “Waterfront Duck Pond Park,” and another $200,000 for a dog park.
- Euless, Texas, wants $15 million for the Midway Park Family Life Center, which, you’ll be glad to note, includes both a senior center and aquatic facility.
- Natchez, Miss., “needs” a new $9.5 million sports complex “which would allow our city to host major regional and national sports tournaments.”
- Henderson, Nev., is asking for $20 million to help “develop a 60 acre multi-use sports field complex.”
- Brigham City, Utah, wants $15 million for a sports park.
- Arlington, Texas, needs $4 million to expand its tennis center.
- Miami, Fla., needs $15 million for a “Moore Park Community Center, Tennis Center and Day Care” facility. The city is also desperate for $3.6 million to build a covered basketball court and a new tennis court at Robert King High Park. Then there’s the $94 million Orange Bowl parking garage you are being asked to pay for.
- La Porte, Texas, wants $7.6 million for a “Life Style Center.” And Oakland, Calif., needs $1 million for Fruitvale Latino Cultural and Performing Arts Center.
And you thought infrastructure investment meant roads, bridges and schools. It is clear that any infrastructure stimulus money given to the country’s mayors will lead to thousands of tennis centers to nowhere. News alert for mayors: We are officially in a recession. American families have to get by with less, and so do American cities.
Please remind me again as to why my federal tax dollars should pay for a “Waterfront Duck Pond Park” in California…
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Newspaper actually editorializes for small government
December 10th, 2008 by Steve
Here’s a bit of a shocker from the Decatur Daily regarding the Morgan County (where I live) budget:
Prudence suggests, however, that we cannot ignore the financial crises that surrounds us.
It is time to take a lean approach toward governance.
Kudos to the Daily. Perhaps they will continue to maintain this same position when we aren’t facing a fiscal crisis, as well.
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Updates from the Blagojevich front
December 10th, 2008 by Steve
ABC News is reporting:
Chicago Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) is the anonymous “Senate Candidate #5″ whose emissaries Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich reportedly claimed offered up to a million dollars to name him to the U.S. Senate, federal law enforcement sources tell ABC News.
According to the FBI affidavit in the case, Blagojevich “stated he might be able to cut a deal with Senate Candidate 5 that provided ROD BLAGOJEVICH” with something “tangible up front.”
In the meantime, Republicans are already wondering if the stench travels all the way to President-elect Obama:
Republicans pounced nonetheless.
“The serious nature of the crimes listed by federal prosecutors raises questions about the interaction with Gov. Blagojevich, President-elect Obama and other high ranking officials who will be working for the future president,” said Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the new GOP House whip.
Added Robert M. “Mike” Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee, “President-elect Barack Obama’s comments on the matter are insufficient at best.”
Watergate, Whitewatergate, Travelgate? In American politics, it seems impossible to have a scandal without a”gate” suffix.
Pay-for-play gate? Blagogate?
Any idea of what to call this one?
UPDATE: Time is already calling this scandal BlagoGate.
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Bailout joke of the day, courtesy of Chrysler
December 10th, 2008 by Steve
It’s not a spade; it’s a shovel…
Here’s a screenshot taken from this page:
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The Libertarian Party of Alabama now tweets @ …
December 10th, 2008 by Steve
http://twitter.com/AlabamaLiberty
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Bad news day for freedom lovers
December 9th, 2008 by Steve
From the corporate welfare front:
The loans would support the cash needs of the automakers through the first quarter, sending the companies back to work on more detailed plans that will include a new round of negotiations with the United Auto Workers union.
The car czar would have broad power to monitor progress and could withhold new funding if the automakers lagged.
The automakers would be required to work with the car czar to submit finalized restructuring plans by the end of March. Those plans would have to show that creditors, investors and the union were all making financial concessions.
A “world government” would involve much more than co-operation between nations. It would be an entity with state-like characteristics, backed by a body of laws. The European Union has already set up a continental government for 27 countries, which could be a model. The EU has a supreme court, a currency, thousands of pages of law, a large civil service and the ability to deploy military force.
So could the European model go global? There are three reasons for thinking that it might.
First, it is increasingly clear that the most difficult issues facing national governments are international in nature: there is global warming, a global financial crisis and a “global war on terror”.
Second, it could be done. The transport and communications revolutions have shrunk the world so that, as Geoffrey Blainey, an eminent Australian historian, has written: “For the first time in human history, world government of some sort is now possible.” Mr Blainey foresees an attempt to form a world government at some point in the next two centuries, which is an unusually long time horizon for the average newspaper column.
But – the third point – a change in the political atmosphere suggests that “global governance” could come much sooner than that. The financial crisis and climate change are pushing national governments towards global solutions, even in countries such as China and the US that are traditionally fierce guardians of national sovereignty.
Barack Obama, America’s president-in-waiting, does not share the Bush administration’s disdain for international agreements and treaties. In his book, The Audacity of Hope, he argued that: “When the world’s sole superpower willingly restrains its power and abides by internationally agreed-upon standards of conduct, it sends a message that these are rules worth following.” The importance that Mr Obama attaches to the UN is shown by the fact that he has appointed Susan Rice, one of his closest aides, as America’s ambassador to the UN, and given her a seat in the cabinet.
From the libertarian I-told-you-so department: Rates on T Bills go negative for first time:
Treasuries rose, pushing rates on the three-month bill negative for the first time, as investors gravitate toward the safety of U.S. government debt amid the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
The Treasury sold $27 billion of three-month bills yesterday at a discount rate of 0.005 percent, the lowest since it starting auctioning the securities in 1929. The U.S. also sold $30 billion of four-week bills today at zero percent for the first time since it began selling the debt in 2001.
And now they want to outlaw guns Google Earth:
An Indian Court has been called to ban Google Earth amid suggestions the online satellite imaging was used to help plan the terror attacks that killed more than 170 people in Mumbai last month.
A petition entered at the Bombay High Court alleges that the Google Earth service, “aids terrorists in plotting attacks”. Advocate Amit Karkhanis has urged the court to direct Google to blur images of sensitive areas in the country until the case is decided.
There are indications that the gunmen who stormed Mumbai on November 26, and the people trained them, were technically literate. The group appears to have used complex GPS systems to navigate their way to Mumbai by sea. They communicated by satellite phone, used mobile phones with several different SIM cards, and may have monitored events as the siege unfolded via handheld Blackberry web browsers.
Are the gunmen were “technically literate, so obviously we also need to outlaw GPS systems, satellite phones, mobile phones (or at least those which use SIM cards), Blackberries, etc. And of course guns. And books.
Better yet, why not just ban terrorists?
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If not for the facts, one might think Republican leaders are actually opposed to auto bailouts
December 9th, 2008 by Steve
To hear FoxNews tell the story, one might think Republicans are opposed to government intervention in what should be private markets. Here’s (source) the Fox title and subtitle:
Critics of Auto Bailout Decry Fallout of Government Intervention
As an auto bailout package looks closer to passage, a group of conservative lawmakers are questioning whether the U.S. government should be in the business of nationalizing private industry to keep it alive.
From the article:
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, one of the Republicans considering filibuster options, said he doesn’t see the benefit of bailing out an industry that hasn’t provided a plan for “long-term viability.”
“The draft plan released yesterday fails to require the kind of serious reform that will ensure long-term viability for struggling auto companies. By giving the government the option of canceling government assistance in the event that reforms are not being achieved — rather than requiring it — we open the door to unlimited federal subsidies in the future,” McConnell, R-Ky., said.
“I want to support a bill that revives this industry. But I will not support a bill that revives the patient with taxpayer dollars yet doesn’t secure a commitment that the patient will change its ways so future help isn’t needed,” he added.
So McConnell isn’t opposed to government intervention in the auto industry (he certainly likes other bailouts, too), he’s merely opposed to this particular plan for taking money from your wallet to give to positively reinforce poor business habits. In other words, he’ll give money to the corporate junkie if and only if they are able to “secure a commitment that the patient will change its ways so future help isn’t needed.”
Of course, the Republican president will be naming our new Car Czar.
Graphic courtesy of an e-mail from Miche.
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