We'll be back after this brief time out...
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Fair is Fair...
from Obama says it’s only ‘fair’ to raise taxes on the rich. He’s wrong. by Arthur Brooks
"...If opportunity in America is a sham — if the system is rigged and some people get the breaks only for reasons of luck, birth, or discrimination — then merit is fictitious and redistribution brings greater fairness. But if America is an opportunity society — if you have the chance to work harder, get more education and innovate — then rewarding merit is fair, and it is fair for some to make more money than others...
...If you descended from immigrants, ask yourself: Why did my ancestors come here? I suspect it wasn’t to find a fairer system of forced income redistribution. It was to find a place where they could get a fair shake, where they could start their own business, and where hard work and good ideas would be rewarded...
...In a 2005 study published in the American Economic Review, economists at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology studied 29 countries and showed that a belief in luck over merit was strongly linked to the level of taxation and spending on social programs. Furthermore, they showed that the more citizens believed in a merit-based system, the more their public policies produced such a system...
...There is certainly a role for government in this system. Private markets can fail due to monopolies (which eliminate competition), externalities (such as pollution), the need for public goods (such as education, which is indispensable in an opportunity society), corruption and crime. Furthermore, most economists agree that some social safety net is appropriate in a civilized society. When the government focuses on these things, it assists the free-enterprise system.
But when a government that has overspent for years turns to tax increases instead of spending cuts simply for the sake of “fairness,” it weakens free enterprise, lowers opportunity and impoverishes us in many ways.
And that is simply unfair."
"...If opportunity in America is a sham — if the system is rigged and some people get the breaks only for reasons of luck, birth, or discrimination — then merit is fictitious and redistribution brings greater fairness. But if America is an opportunity society — if you have the chance to work harder, get more education and innovate — then rewarding merit is fair, and it is fair for some to make more money than others...
...If you descended from immigrants, ask yourself: Why did my ancestors come here? I suspect it wasn’t to find a fairer system of forced income redistribution. It was to find a place where they could get a fair shake, where they could start their own business, and where hard work and good ideas would be rewarded...
...In a 2005 study published in the American Economic Review, economists at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology studied 29 countries and showed that a belief in luck over merit was strongly linked to the level of taxation and spending on social programs. Furthermore, they showed that the more citizens believed in a merit-based system, the more their public policies produced such a system...
...There is certainly a role for government in this system. Private markets can fail due to monopolies (which eliminate competition), externalities (such as pollution), the need for public goods (such as education, which is indispensable in an opportunity society), corruption and crime. Furthermore, most economists agree that some social safety net is appropriate in a civilized society. When the government focuses on these things, it assists the free-enterprise system.
But when a government that has overspent for years turns to tax increases instead of spending cuts simply for the sake of “fairness,” it weakens free enterprise, lowers opportunity and impoverishes us in many ways.
And that is simply unfair."
Friday, April 22, 2011
Kick'n it since...
The 'fro shrinks, but the brain is as big as ever...
A man like Sowell should again work for the Government, I believe he could be trusted to dismantle large portions of it...
A man like Sowell should again work for the Government, I believe he could be trusted to dismantle large portions of it...
Directive 10-289...
Did you know that elected representatives in our government are railing against technology, against innovation. Bring back the horse and buggy! Where did all the farriers go!
I can hear it now, "In this present crisis, for the good of the people, I humbly submit Directive 10-289..."
[Notice Mr. Jackson Jr's statement at 2:05..."obsession with debts and deficits"]
Thursday, April 21, 2011
They Finally Did It...
They invented a time machine, its called..."The Internet"
It wasn't so easy to hear the lyrics, especially if you had this:
(If you didn't just eat, go HERE, warning - don't look directly at his shirt, it may cause harm to the eyes)
It wasn't so easy to hear the lyrics, especially if you had this:
(If you didn't just eat, go HERE, warning - don't look directly at his shirt, it may cause harm to the eyes)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
TDY...
Temporary Duty Assignments. I came across the video below on TickeTheWire.com and recognized some faces. The FBI's role in Afghanistan has been evolving since 9/11. Last year they cancelled a program referred to in the Bureau as the "embedded" program, where FBI SWAT operators were paired with Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) members and embedded with Special Forces groups. The idea was that after the SF guys did their work, Special Agents would be there to gather evidence, assist with interviews, etc. I don't know if the program was halted due to changes in the overall U.S. role, or because of some incidents where...well...the military does what the military does, and law enforcement does what law enforcement does - and they don't always go well together (...you know, like chocolate and peanut butter). I think the troops liked it, I don't think the higher-ups did. (A law enforcement officer has to account for every round he fires - whereas in the military...its just different).
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