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Must Reads For The Week 5/16/15

May 15, 2015
The pen is mightier than the sword...

 The pen is mightier than the sword… (Photo credit: mbshane)

Lilly Camera Drone Films And Follows You, at wired.com. The drone films your movements by following a tracking device worn on your wrist.

More Creative Destruction For Transportation: Here Comes Bridj, The App Based ‘Uber Of Bus Transit‘, by Mark J. Perry, at Carpe Diem blog. The most productive and least costly way of providing services and products will win out in a free market.

Reduce Healthcare Costs With MediBid, at medibid.com. Obamacare is creating a true free market in healthcare, as providers and consumers work together to find more cost effective methods. I can’t believe I just said something good about Obamacare. Unfortunately for the central planners, it is an unintended consequence of a bad policy.

Socialist Government Madness: French Retailers Can Now Hold Sales Only Twice A Year, at economicpolicyjournal.com. Why doesn’t the French Government just take over the retail business. They obviously think they are smarter than the people who “own” these businesses.

Hawaii’s $205 Million Obamacare Exchange Implodes, by Alexander Hendrie, at atr.org. Low enrollment will force the Hawaii Obamacare exchange website to shut down by the end of the year, in spite of tax payer funding to the tune of $205 Million. Government politicians and bureaucrats thought they were smart enough to run the healthcare system, They’re not! Bureaucratic central planning doesn’t work as well as voluntary cooperation among individuals when it comes to coordinating men’s activities.

The Best And Worst Cities To Start A Business, at economicpolicyjournal.com. I know this is hard to believe, but seven of the bottom ten worst cities for starting a business are in that low tax low regulation high tax high regulation State of California.

Denmark Legislates Cashless Society, at pymnts.com. Here is a quote from the article, “electronic payments make banking systems more productive and lessen the need for an informal or shadow economy, which isn’t taxed nor monitored by the government.” Why should government be monitoring everything you do? Money came to exist as a free market phenomenon, not as a creation of government. Government took over the creation of money after the fact. Going cashless won’t stop Governments ability to electronically print counterfeit money, it will just give them power to monitor every transaction that you make.

The War On Cash Destroys A Small Entrepreneur, at economicpolicyjournal.com. The IRS seized the cash deposits of this small business. Government is force. It can be used against anyone who bureaucrats and politicians want to wield it against. Going cashless, like Denmark, will make it easier for you to be monitored.

College Enrollment Drops As Millennials Re-Enter Work Force, by Justine Underhill, at yahoo.com. They are starting to figure out that taking on large amounts of college loan debt isn’t worth it.

This Is How Government Backed Education Debt Works, economicpolicyjournal.com. The Government is giving out loans to kids who would not normally qualify for the financing. Does this sound similar to how the housing bubble was created leading up the 08 collapse?

Helio Castroneves Takes To The Air During Practice At Indy.

 

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Must Reads For The Week 5/9/15

May 8, 2015
The pen is mightier than the sword...

 The pen is mightier than the sword… (Photo credit: mbshane)

ECONOMIC LESSONS ABOUT PRICE FLOORS AND CEILINGS

NYC Mayor: Lets Bomb New York City With Rent Controls, at economicpolicyjournal.com. Rent control is a price ceiling. When the price of rent is not allowed to go above what the price would be under normal market conditions, an artificial shortage is created. Less is supplied at a lower price than a higher price, and more is demanded at the lower price than a higher price, creating a shortage of housing and a surplus of renters. It’s simple supply and demand.

Robert Reich: Economic Malpractice On The Minimum Wage, by Mark J. Perry, at carpediemblog. A minimum wage law is a price floor that a wage can’t go below. Watch the difference between the explanation about the minimum wage from Robert Reich, and the explanation by the Kahn Academy. Robert Reich is trying to fool people who are economically ignorant. When a wage is set at a rate higher than what that labor produces, the demand for that labor will decrease, creating unemployment. Less labor will be demanded at a higher rate than a lower rate, and more labor will be supplied at a higher rate than a lower rate, creating a surplus of labor or a job shortage.

Meet The Hotel Robot That Will Battle Minimum Wage Hikes, at economicpolicyjournal.com. When a wage is set higher than what the labor produces, the labor will go away. Automation is one way this will happen. Robert Reich forgot to mention this as well as some other salient points.

Free market prices coordinate supply of and demand for scarce goods and services. Government price controls, like minimum wage laws and rent control laws, are interventions that are factored into the economic law of supply and demand. Government force can’t do away with the economic reality of scarcity, it can only distort the coordination process.

MORE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION

Ripple Labs Faces Fines From FinCEN, at payments.com. Ripple Labs is the first virtual currency exchanger to be fined by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The Government wants to keep its monopoly on money creation via the Federal Reserve, by making virtual currency providers comply with anti-money laundering laws. This is curious because the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve are running the biggest money laundering operation in the history of the world.

Obamacare Killer? Global Spending On Cancer Drugs Surges To $100 Billion, at economicpolicyjournal.com. Obamacare has taken over decision-making from what was left of a free market system in the healthcare system. Coordination of supply and demand through prices barely exists. Lobbying Government for protection and favors through Government decision-making is no way to run an industry, just ask the former USSR.

The Mysterious Source Of Surging Demand For GM Cars, Revealed, at zerohedge.com. The first trick to increase sales was channel stuffing. The second was subprime car loans. Now the Government has increased its purchases from Government Motors. Maybe it does pay to get into bed with the Government! They bailed GM out. They subsidised purchases of the Chevy Volt. Now they are buying cars, (for whom, I don’t know).

Government Using Subprime Mortgages To Pump Housing Recovery, Tax Payer Will Pay Again, at zerohedge.com. This didn’t end well last time, did it?

MISCELLANEOUS

Meet Three Kids Alive Today Thanks To 3D Printing, by Ashley Welch, at cbsnews.com. We are only scratching the surface of what can be done with 3D printing.

Creative Destruction: Newspaper Ad Revenue Continues Free Fall, by Mark J. Perry, at carpediemblog. The market (decisions by individuals), picks the most productive goods and services. I predict the print media will, at some point, ask for a Government bailout.

CNN Anchor, Chris Cuomo, Ignorant About The Constitution And Hate Speech, by Robby Soave, at reason.com. And Chris Cuomo has a law degree from Fordham University? He must have missed the class when they talked about the first amendment!

Hello Al Gore: Low Sun Spot Cycle Could Mean Another ‘Little Ice Age’, by Chriss Street, at americanthinker.com. Who would have ever thought that the sun is the most important factor when it comes to the earths temperature.

CARTOONS THAT MAKE YOU THINK

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https://i0.wp.com/media.cagle.com/205/2015/04/30/163369_600.jpg

https://i0.wp.com/i.imgur.com/G3PgdMW.jpg

 

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Must Reads For The Week 5/2/15

May 2, 2015

Toya Graham Interview, youtube. Follow up on our post this week about Baltimore mom Toya Graham who got the attention of her son who was part of the riot.

Reporter, “Do you think strong mothers can keep this thing from happening?” Toya Graham,  “I think so, I think it wouldn’t have been as bad as it was, but once again we don’t know where those mothers were at....”. I tip my hat to Toya Graham. She has not abdicated her responsibility as a mother, even though as a single parent it would have been easy to do.

Mom Shamed For Packing Oreo Cookies In Daughter’s Lunch, by Keith Farrell, at thefederalistpapers.org. Why do parents put up with idiocy like this. Parents should deal with these central planning administrators like Toya Graham dealt with her son. Without slapping them silly.

Video: Tammy Bruce On Fox Friends Discussing Gay Gestapo, at tammybruce.com. The bakery that was fined $135K for not baking a wedding cake for gay couple, was getting help with the fine from crowd funding site,Go-Fund-Me, until gay Gestapo pressures Go-Fund-Me to take it down. Tammy Bruce’s background makes her uniquely qualified to speak on this issue.

U.S. Encouraging Cuba To Shift Toward Democratic System Of Corruption, at theonion.com. And I thought Obama went to Cuba to meet with Castro to get pointers on how to implement higher levels of totalitarianism.

Obama’s “Green Energy” Scams Costing Tax Payers Billions, by Russ Helper, at thefederalistpapers.org. When is giving out a pile of money there will be scam artists that are more than willing to take it. We’ve talked about this before in these posts, Green Energy Proving Venture Capitalists Are Smarter Than Government Bureaucrats, and The Hidden High Cost Of Green Energy.

Electric Vehicles Lose Buzz, by Michael Wayland, at detroitnews.com. Car companies, with the help of government subsidies, can’t even give these things away. “The market picks winners, and leaves the losers for government“, at a high cost to tax payers in particular and the economy in general.

This Drivable Car Was 3D Printed In 44 Hours, at entrepreneur.com. From the article; “In the near future, it could cost only about $7,000 to manufacture, perhaps the start of what will become a niche market for customized cars.” In the near future there could be many more car companies competing for market share, which would drive down the cost of cars. Consumers would get more choices at a lower cost.

Video: Ohio Police Officer Refuses To Shoot Man Attempting Suicide By Cop, by Barry Donagen, at benswann.com. This cop had every right to shoot this guy. He trusted his gut and didn’t shoot, which probably went against how he was trained.

CLINTON SLUSH FUND, AND/OR, MONEY LAUNDERING SCHEME

Clinton Non-Profit Admits Organization Is Just A “Pass-Through”, by Seth Davis, at thefederalist.com.

Is The Clinton Foundation Just An International Money Laundering Scheme?, by Sean Davis, at thefederalist.com.

15 cents of every dollar was actually used for charitable work. Part of that 15 cents went to the Clinton Presidential Library. I don’t think that is a charity; is it?

Excerpts from the article, “The entire operation was constructed in order to provide a facade of plausible deniability for Hillary Clinton. Conceal the cash. Hide the donors. Delete the e-mails.”

Is America Still On F. A. Hayek’s “Road To Serfdom“, by Richard Ebeling, at epictimes.com. This is our heavy lifting for the week.

 

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Must Reads For The Week 4/25/15

April 25, 2015
The pen is mightier than the sword...

 The pen is mightier than the sword… (Photo credit: mbshane)

People Are Voting With There Feet, at washingtimes.com. In the last 10 years the population in over regulated states is decreasing and the population in states with more freedom is increasing.

Can You Solve This Moral Dilemma From A Real Job Interview, by Jason Stevens, at thefederalistpapers.org. One guy comes up with a creative solution. See if you’re this clever.

Two TSA Agents Fired For Pre-Planned Groping, at targetliberty.com. A couple of points. 1) I thought people turned in their pitch forks and horns for a halo when they became public servants? 2) Their union must not be very good because I’ve heard of union members jobs being protected for doing worse. 3) Whats the real difference between a, by the book pat down, and what these two did? Don’t you feel violated either way?

What Happened To Book Sales In Israel After A Year Of Price Controls And Minimum Payment Mandates To Authors, by Sharona Schwartz, at economicpolicyjournal.com. Anyone want to take a guess what happens with these price controls? Why do politicians and bureaucrats think that this time it will be different?

Stunned Greeks React To Initial Capital Controls And The Decree To Confiscate Reserves, And They Are Not Happy, at zerohedge.com. The Government mandated that any idle reserves be transferred to the Greek Central Bank for investment in short term state debt, (Isn’t that theft?). Something like this couldn’t happen here, could it?

DISGUSTING Republicans Vote To Hide Congress’s Obamacare Exemption, at targetliberty.com. The Senate Small Business Committee voted to not subpoena secret documents that show how the House and Senate members got an exemption from joining Obamacare exchanges. They think of themselves as the ruling aristocracy that doesn’t have to abide by the very rules they’ve forced us to obey.

Heal Wants To Be The “Uber” For Doctors Making House Calls, at targetliberty.com. This app brings doctors and patients together without any third party interference. Just as I’ve said before, Obamacare will create a free market for healthcare. Unfortunately the tax payer will have to fund both the free market system and Obamacare.

Regardless Of Obama Care, ‘Self Pay’ Primary Care Models Will Thrive, at selfpaypatient.com. This article explains that getting rid of third party pays is the way to go to fix healthcare. If Obamacare hadn’t passed, market realities would have started to fix the high cost of healthcare. Now we’re stuck with a huge Government program that tax payers will have to fund forever because Republicans don’t have the stones to get rid of it.

Get Ready For The ‘Achocolypse’: The World Is Running Out Of Chocolate, by Kate Taylor, at entrepreneur.com. A fungal disease and dry weather have cut the worlds coca supply by a third, at the same time world demand for chocolate is increasing. If prices are allowed to rise to ration this scarce resource, there won’t be a shortage, like the shortage of water that California is experiencing during this drought because of fixed prices. Read Prices Will Solve California’s Water Crisis.

Lets Laugh! Cartoons From theburningplatform.com.

Political Cartoons by Gary Varvel

Political Cartoons by Steve Breen

Political Cartoons by Glenn McCoy

Political Cartoons by Steve Kelley

 

 

 

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Must Reads For The Week 4/18/15

April 18, 2015
The pen is mightier than the sword...

 The pen is mightier than the sword… (Photo credit: mbshane)

GOVERNMENT IN SEARCH OF REVENUE. BECAUSE SPENDING IS OUT OF CONTROL.

Latest $269 Million DOE Loan Causes Controversy, at zerohedge.com. This DOE recently approved a loan that covers the cost of new factory capacity at ALCOA’s Tennessee plant. The high strength low weight aluminum will be used to make vehicles lighter which translates to more fuel efficiency. But ALCOA was two years into the plant expansion and was going to complete it without the DOE loan. Maybe the DOE was trying to pick a winner after it was clear the plant was going to be completed. There are multiple examples of Government agencies picking losers before the fact. Green energy is one example. Read “Green Energy Proving Venture Capitalists Are Smarter Than Government Bureaucrats“. Get rid of these government programs.

Average Fine For Noncompliance With Obamacare Is $1130, at economicpolicyjournal.com. The fine (tax?) “necessarily sky rockets” next year, unless you can get an exemption because of your political connections.

Nearly 6,00 Retired Illinois Teachers Made Six-Figure Pensions In 2014, by Ted Ballantine, at illinoisreview.typepad.com. Your tax dollars pay the teacher’s salary, pension, healthcare, and even their taxes. And most of those “greedy” *&#@&$^s think they deserve more.

Chef Ticketed, Facing $2,000 For Feeding Homeless In San Antonio, by Gilbert Garcia, at mysanantonio.com. There are so many laws on the books you can’t help but break one. Read, “As The Number Of Laws Increase, Individual Freedom Decreases“.

Cop Sues NYPD Over Quotes, Slams The Racketeering Culture, at zerohedge.com. This is called policing for profit. Here is a quote from the article, “In the NYPD, it’s clear that the police are protecting and serving themselves at your expense….The boys in blue are indistinguishable from the Crips or any other street gang in their extortion activities.”

PEOPLE ARE CREATIVE

Father-Son Team Raises $10 Million For Their Beekeeping Invention On Indiegogo, by Catherine Clifford, at entrepreneur.com. Harvesting honey used to be risky and take a lot of time. Not any more. A father and son from Australia invented a quick and safe way of accomplishing the task. Watch the video for the Flow Hive. It is amazing yet simple. The fact that they raised $10 million through the crowd funding service Indiegogo, tells me this is probably going to be a successful venture.

How 3D Printing Startups Are Shaping The Future, by John Patrick Pullen, at entrepreneur.com. 3D printing is mind-blowing, and we are just scratching the surface. The videos in this article are great.

Cow Milk Without The Cow Is Coming To Change Food Forever, by Marcus Wohlsen, at wired.com. “Researchers are trying to make cows milk cheese without the cow. Using mail-order DNA, they’re tricking yeast cells into producing a substance that’s molecularly identical to milk. And if successful, they’ll turn this milk into cheese.”

MISCELLANEOUS

RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE TO $50, at mrctv.  Dan Joseph asks George Mason College students to sign a petition raising the minimum wage to $50. As clueless as most of these young adults are, there are actually some, who have a clue on what happens when wages are set above what the job produces. Also, Dan Joseph is sarcastic, which I appreciate.

 

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Must Reads For The Week 4/11/15

April 11, 2015
The pen is mightier than the sword...

 The pen is mightier than the sword… (Photo credit: mbshane)

A Ticket To Prosperity, by Walter E. Williams, at jewishworldreview.com. Quote from the article, “Today’s third world poverty is mostly self-inflicted….The growth-promoting characteristics of the non-poor countries that are all but absent in poor countries are protected private property rights, personal liberty, enforcement of contracts, rule of law and a market-oriented economic system.”

UAW Reaps What Obamacare Sows, at detroitnews.com. Obamacare’s “Cadillac tax” on gold-plated healthcare plans will be implemented in 2018, and many UAW workers have such plans. The UAW helped pass the bill that is going to cost members their healthcare plans. Does anyone want to bet that the UAW gets a waiver on the Cadillac tax?

Obamacare Heading For Death Spiral: Premiums Rising Rapidly, Young And Healthy Bailing Out, by Sean Parnell, at econmicpolicyjournal.com. When insurers are forced to raise premiums to cover Obamacare mandated benefits, healthy policy holders drop coverage. This causes insurers to raise premiums again, which leads to more policy holders dropping coverage, which leads to……..

Medical Wait Times In Canada’s Socialized Healthcare System, fraserinstitute.org. Video below. This is where we are headed.

Why Do Progressives Hate Walmart For Low Prices And 3% Profit Margin, But Love High-Priced Apple And Its 24% Profit Margin?, by Mark J. Perry, at carpediemblog. Walmart isn’t the Apple of the progressives eye.

Venezuela Reaches The Final Stage Of Socialism: No Toilet Paper, by David Boaz, at cato.org. A socialists utopia always has shortages, waiting lines, and black markets.

The Irony Of Michigan’s Film Incentive Program, at michigancapitalconfidential.com. Michael Moore received more than $800 thousand from The Michigan Film Office, for making a film criticizing corporate welfare.

Oh, Just Secede Already, Arizona Legislature, by Laurie Roberts, at azcentral.com. The Arizona House approved a bill declaring that, “the sovereign state of Arizona will not enforce any executive orders issued by the president of the United States or any policy directives from the Department of Justice unless they are affirmed by Congress and signed into law.” Reclaiming freedom will come from the bottom up.

If You Can’t Wait To Read Bernanke’s Memoirs. Here Are Some Timeless Statements By The Former Fed Chairman, at zerohedge.com. Read Bernanke’s statements leading up to the 08 collapse, you will be amazed. Could he have been more wrong about the collapse that his actions as Fed Chairman caused?

Elvira Nabiullina: I Am Not Ben Bernanke, at economicpolicyjournal.com. Russia’s central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina will do the opposite of what other central banks around the world have done. She has the guts to do what will work, instead of what is politically beneficial.

Lane Bryant Joins The “Let’s Rewire Men” Craze, by Chris Rossini, at targetliberty.com. Lane Bryant is trying to “redefine society’s traditional notion of sexy with a powerful core message: ALL women are sexy”. Good luck with that!

 

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Must Reads For The Week 4/4/15

April 4, 2015
The pen is mightier than the sword...

 The pen is mightier than the sword… (Photo credit: mbshane)

Electric Cars Are Doing More Harm Than Good, at zerohedge.com. Electric cars charged by electricity produced from coal, generate more CO2 emissions over their lifetime than gas-powered cars.

Does California Need Rain, Rationing, Or Prices, by Daniel Bier, at fee.org. Water is a scarce resource and has to be rationed in one of two ways. 1) By prices in a free market system. 2) By bureaucrats in a centrally planned system. Price controls and subsidies lead to water being used in activities that wouldn’t be cost-effective if market prices prevailed. Agriculture accounts for 80% of water usage but only 2% of economic activity. Market prices would get rid of inefficient agricultural activities, as well as curb industrial and residential usage. There is no chance that prices will be allowed to work their magic in California.

Stop Policing For Profit In New Mexico, at santafenewmexican.com. A house bill would get rid of civil asset forfeiture in New Mexico. The fifth amendment is back in vogue. Lets hope other states will follow New Mexico’s lead.

Cop Federally Charged For Paralyzing Indian Grandfather Visiting America, by Cassius Mythel, at theantimedia.org. Click on the article and watch the video of this incident. Excessive force? You decide.

Methods Police Use On Mentally Ill Are Madness, by Conor Friedersdorf, at theatlantic.com. Watch the first three minutes of the video. A mother called police and said her son was off his meds, and needed help to get him to the hospital. She probably wishes she would have called an ambulance instead of the cops, because her son would still be alive today. The cops immediately escalate the situation and the rest is history. Read the whole article it has some excellent points.

Kshama Sawant’s Next Planned Attempt To Destroy Free Markets, at economicpolicyjournal.com. The Seattle council woman who lead the passage of a job and business killing 15 dollar minimum wage law, now has her sights set on destroying the housing market by pushing rent controls. This central planner is hurting the very people she is claiming to help. Is she ignorant about the results of her policies, or is she doing this on purpose? It doesn’t matter, the result is the same either way.

Parents Must Sign Permission Slip Before Kids Can Eat Oreos, by Lenore Skenazy, at reason.com. This is on the permission slip, “the ingredients of the oreo is on the back of this sheet and on my e-board....”. We are going to raise a generation who are not curious, will never take a risk, and are easily manipulated.

North Dakota Vote Puts The U.S. One Step Closer To A Convention Of States, by Pete Kasperowicz, at theblaze.com. Cutting back big government is going to happen from the bottom up.

Cal State U. Deactivates Christian Group…For Seeking Christian Leaders, at tammybruce.com. When you try to micromanage every decision with excessive rules, there is no sphere of freedom left for individuals to make decisions. The result is this illogical, or insane, decision by some bureaucrat at Cal State U. Or is it anti Christian bias.

Local Indiana Station Ambushes Memories Pizza To Gin Up A Religious Freedom Restoration Act Story, by Tom Blumer, at newsbusters.org. Why would anyone think people in the media don’t have an agenda? Journalists got it wrong about hands up don’t shoot in Ferguson, the gang rape at University of Virginia, the Duke lacrosse rape case, Harry Reid Lying about Romney not paying taxes, the RFRA story in Indiana. Hard core progressive’s on the left and right, will lie, cheat, break laws, and destroy individuals in order to advance government power, and journalists play the role of the get away driver.

How To Win An Election? It’s About The Ice Cream, Not The Cow, by Steve Straub, at thefederalistpapers.org. Politicians understand that man is a self interested being.

 

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Must Reads For The Week 3/28/15

March 28, 2015

The Grand Canyon Filling Up With Fog – And Why – In 60 Seconds.

 

California Raisin Farmers Get Another Day In Court, by Bonner Cohen, at cfact.org. The Government through the USDA has the authority to confiscate half of farmer’s raisin crop and sell it abroad at a discounted price in order to keep prices in the US high. The fifth amendment of the Constitution states, “…nor shall any person’s private property be taken for public use without just compensation.” As Joseph Sobran stated, “The constitution is no threat to our current form of government”.

Guiding The Blind Through London’s Subway With Estimote Beacons, at wired.com. Blind people are navigated through the subway via spoken instructions through their mobile device. Where is the seeing eye dog lobby complaining about putting these dogs out of work?

Don’t Call An Ambulance, Call Uber, at medium.com. The median response time for an ambulance in NY City is 6.1 minutes. The median response time for an Uber is 2.42 minutes. It is much cheaper to be transported by Uber than an ambulance. Does this outweigh the medical expertise of the EMT’s? People have another choice when deciding how to get to a hospital. I saw this at Carpe Diem Blog.

Oil And Gas Exports – One Policy Change Many Benefits, by Marita Noon, at cfact.org. Did you know that oil produced in the US is not allowed to be exported to foreign markets? Another example of Government interfering in the market.

Venezuela Oil Wealth Doesn’t Stop Gas Shortages, by Jeremy Morgan, at laht.com. Who would have ever thought that Government price controls, labor union disputes, and socialist distribution collectives would lead to shortages of gasoline?

Venezuela: All Day Shopping Trip For 8 Basic Items.

Prices ration scarce resources in a free market. Waiting in line is part of the rationing process in a socialist paradise. People in the former Soviet Union used to say, “if you see a line forming, get in it”. I saw this at Carpe Diem Blog.

 

EPA Wants To Monitor How Long Hotel Guests Spend In The Shower, Elizabeth Harrington, at freebeacon.com. There is no aspect of your life that Government bureaucrats and politicians won’t try to control. Do you want to bet that someday this will be mandated monitoring equipment on your shower at home? No, that could never happen here.

Michigan Tourism Agency Sees Airbnb As A Threat, at michigancapitalcomfidencial.com. Airbnb is to people looking for lodging, as Uber is to people looking for a ride. And just as the taxi monopoly doesn’t want competition from Uber, so the hotel monopoly doesn’t want competition from Airbnb. This another example of the unstoppable forces of economics catching up to crony capitalists, and helping the consumer through lower prices and more choices. I saw this at Carpe Diem Blog.

The Only Truly Compliant, Submissive Citizen In A Police State Is A Dead One, by John W. Whitehead, at targetliberty.com. Excerpt from the article: “It doesn’t matter where you live, it’s the same scenario being played out over and over again in which government agents, hyped up on their own authority and the power of their uniform, ride roughshod over the rights of the citizenry. In turn, Americans are being brainwashed into believing that anyone who wears a government uniform – soldier, police officer, prison guard – must be obeyed without question.”

 

 

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Must Reads For The Week 3/21/15

March 21, 2015
The pen is mightier than the sword...

 The pen is mightier than the sword… (Photo credit: mbshane)

Mesmerizing 3-D Printer Forms Objects Out Of Ooze, And Fast, by Tim Moynihan, at wired.com. The innovation in the field of 3D printing is amazing. Carbon3D’s Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) technology is mind-blowing. This technique is mush faster than printing an object layer by layer. The object actually grows out of a tray of resin. Watch the video below.

 

Solar Industry Fiascos Continue, at instituteforenergyresearch.org. When Governments try to bring a technology forward before it’s time through tax breaks, tax subsidies, and tax payer backed loans, fraud is ultimately the result. When politicians and bureaucrats are handing out a big pile of tax payer money, there will be no shortage of con artists trying to get their hands on it. Government officials make bad venture capitalists, because they never have to pay the cost of their failures. Tax payers do.

Forget Oil, A Water Revolution Is About To Gusher In Texas, by James Stafford, at economicpolicyjournal.com. New desalination technology has lowered the cost of purifying water from $8 per barrel, to $1.50 to $2.00 per barrel.

UNINTENDED OR INTENDED CONSEQUENCES?

Oakland’s Minimum Wage Hike Is Crushing Childcare Sector And The Domino Effect, at economicpolicyjournal.com. and Seattle’s New Minimum Wage Law Already Leading To Restaurant Closings And Job Losses, by Mark J. Perry, at aei.org. These two articles show the “unintended” consequences of intervention by politicians and bureaucratic busy bodies.

The Robot Lobby Loves A Minimum Wage Hike, atconsultingbyrpm.com. Consequences from Government intervention may actually be “intended”.

Oil Train Derailments In Canada Expose Folly Of Anti-Pipeline Movement, by Kenneth P. Green, at fraserinstitute.org. Environmentalists who have stopped the installation of oil pipelines, are responsible for more oil spills. Shutting down the pipeline doesn’t stop oil from being transported to refineries. More oil is being transported via rail and trucking which increases the chance of a spill. “Unintended” consequences?

German Court Places Nationwide Ban On Uber, at economicpolicyjournal.com. Government always tries to prop up the status quo. Government by its very nature is always tardy. It will always stand in the way of economic innovation that leads to the advancement of our standard of living. The recent passage of Net Neutrality by the FCC will eventually lead to regulations that will slow economic innovation. “Intended” or “unintended” consequences?

More Than 52,000 Canadians Left The Country For Medical Care In 2014, Bacchus Barua, at fraserinstitute.org. Government always produces a decreased supply of a lower quality product of service. The market produces an increased supply of a higher quality product of service. Obamacare will be no different from other socialist healthcare systems. “Unintended” or “intended” consequences?

MISCELLANEOUS

Snowiest Place In America Copenhagen NY, at syracuse.com. 21 feet of snow this winter in this upstate NY town. The pictures are amazing.

Students Attack Preacher Holding Anti-Abortion Sign, Cop Says Free Speech Has Limits On Campus, by Robby Soave, at reason.com. The free speech door only swings in the direction of the progressive left.

Dear Gay Community: Your Kids Are Hurting, by Heather Barwick, at thefederalist.com. Heather Barwick’s perspective on being raised by her mom and her moms same-sex partner. This makes you think.

The Difference Between Going To High School In 1970 vs. 2015, Perfectly Expressed, by Steve Straub, at thefederalistpapers.org. Younger people read this to see how much freedom you’ve lost. Older people read this and ask: How did we let this happen?

Nagging Wife Complains About Her Husband, Gets Unexpected Response, at thechive.com. I know this might come as a shock, but men and women think differently.

 

 

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Must Reads For The Week 3/14/15

March 13, 2015
The pen is mightier than the sword...

 The pen is mightier than the sword… (Photo credit: mbshane)

Obama Wants New Regulations That Will Control And Limit How You Can You Invest Your IRA and 401(k) Money, at economicpolicyjournal.com. Does adding more rules and red tape help you, or is it just a way to increase  the power of Government?

We Take Your Class, at wetakeyourclass.com. If you decide that the cost of spending your time taking your online class of doing home work is greater than what you could be doing with your time, go to We Take Your Class. I would have gotten better grades if I would have gone to school in today’s tech world.

Next Mega-Bailout: White House Studying “New Bankruptcy Options” For Student-Loan Borrowers, at zerohedge.com. The Government turns them into student loan debt serfs and then comes to the rescue by forgiving the debt. Just another way of getting the next generation of individuals thinking that everything comes from benevolent Government. The tax payer will be on the hook for this debt.

Planet Fitness Bans Member Who Complained About Transgendered Woman In Locker Room, at wftv.com. If you have an xx sex chromosome you’re a female, and if you have an xy sex chromosome you’re a male. How you feel about your gender doesn’t change your sex.

Cultural Marxism: The Future Of Girlification, by John Derbyshire, at takimag.com. The difference between the sexes will always exist. It can’t be wished away by Cultural Marxists who are trying to create a fake world that can’t exist in reality.

ATF Shelves Controversial Bullet Ban Proposial, at foxnews.com. The people have pushed back and temporarily stopped this ban. The administration will attempt this again, stay alert.

How Much Money Do You Need To Buy A Home In Your City, at economicpolicyjournal.com. Here is the salary you need to make to afford the principle, interest, taxes, and insurance on a median priced home in certain cities across the US. Look at California, especially San Francisco.

California Dreaming Of Lower Gas Prices, by Gregg Laskoski, at usnews.com. Gas Prices In California are more than a dollar per gallon higher than the rest of the country. Why? State imposed regulations and taxes have helped boost the price. With the price of housing and gas, just to name a few, who can afford to live in California?

‘Stingray’ Lets Police Spy On Your Cell Phone, by Sam Alder Bell, at usnews.com. Another Government violation of the fourth amendment. But as Joseph Sobran stated so well, “The constitution is no threat to our current form of Government“.

How To Tell Someone’s Age When All You Know Is His Age, at economicpolicyjournal.com. There aren’t many Mabels, Gertrudes, Elmers or Clarences alive today. It’s interesting to see how the popularity of certain names has changed over the years.

Why Low Oil Prices Will Not Harm Sales Of Electric Cars, at theeconomist.com. Owners of electric cars use them as a badge of honor to show they are greener than you. Since value is subjective, and most people don’t value being green higher than the price of an electric car, electric car sales aren’t going up. The price of the car has to decrease much lower before most people would consider buying one. The lower price of oil doesn’t compare to the high cost of the electric car when it comes to purchasing one.

Economic Delusions, Political Demagoguery, and Political Deceptions, by Richard Ebeling, at epictimes.com. This is our heavy lifting for the week. Just get started and don’t stop until you finish the article, you will be glad you did.

I CAN’T HELP IT. IT’S TOO MUCH FUN.

 

 

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