Should Government be Run Like a Business?

March 29, 2017 at 2:08 pm

This video has been making the rounds on social media – namely Facebook.  A few Facebook friends have shared it and expressed positive opinions on it.  Today I’m going to offer you the counter-argument.  Below is the video.  Following that, I’ll make my case.   So let’s take this point-by-point. Points listed within quotation marks are direct quotations from the video, those listed without them are paraphrased. Premise: “Having a CEO run the country like a business is one of those things that sounds good in theory, but when you actually stop and think about it for 5 seconds, you realize it’s a really terrible idea.” A CEO is supposed to run a business, but the government is not a business. This is correct. Government is not a business.  Government is its own monstrosity armed with a monopoly on violence that it wields against its citizens to acquire “revenue” via taxation (theft), tariffs, and other means.  It would be far better if it were a business, or even a charitable organization.  As a business, government would be bound to the will of the market (consumers) and would be forced to follow their demands, and discontinue “services” that were not wanted […]

The First Political Dog and Pony Show

September 27, 2016 at 2:45 pm

Last night, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton took the stage for their first head-to-head “debate”.  Absent was Gary Johnson – evidently because the Commission on Presidential Debates believed an adult in the room was unnecessary. As expected, there was a lot of interrupting, speaking over one another and generally ignoring the existence of the moderator as he ineffectually attempted to keep the topics on track.  Clinton sounded well rehearsed and as such came off more polished.  What little policy she did articulate though was almost complete incorrect.  I found it to be no surprise that her most glaringly erroneous statements involved economic matters.  From her support for higher taxes on companies and the “rich” to an increased minimum wage, “debt-free” college, and paid family leave, she demonstrated either complete ignorance of economic forces or an unbelievable level of hubris that she could overcome such natural law by sheer government fiat. Trump started off the debate strongly, all things considered.  He stuck to his message that politicians were the problem… for the first 30 minutes or so.  Beyond that, he started taking every bit of bait Clinton put out for him.  At times, he ran off into the weeds, losing sight […]

Fitzpatrick for Congress?

April 21, 2016 at 10:07 pm

Local Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick is leaving office at the end of his current term.  As usual, a few candidates lined up for the chance to take his place.  At the moment, one of them in particular seems sure to win the primary race next week.  That would be… Fitzpatrick?!?  Yes… but not Mike.  His brother Brian Fitzpatrick is running to take the office. Now, to the part I find interesting, and perhaps even a touch devious.  Brian’s campaign signs are colored and stylized just like Mike’s signs were in previous elections.  They boldly proclaim the last name, “Fitzpatrick”, listing the first name in much smaller text.  Brian has also been keeping a very low profile.  He has had limited interactions with the press and is generally trying to stay out of the limelight.  This is by design. The strategy is clever – hope no one notices that you’re not actually your brother, and gain the advantage of being the incumbent, without actually, well, you know… being the incumbent.  Based on the little bit of poking around I did on Brian Fitzpatrick’s website, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between him and his brother.  So even though I find the […]

The Grand Old Circus Made a Stop in Ohio Last Night

August 7, 2015 at 7:19 pm

Last night the top 10 GOP candidates for president faced off at the first official Republican primary debate.  More or less they all said exactly what you’d expect – universal condemnation of Obamacare, illegal immigration, Hilary Clinton, President Obama, and his lack of even more intervention in the Middle East.  Here is a brief rundown of the candidates and their notable moments: Donald Trump – “The Donald” is a pompous, arrogant, combed-over clown.  I do have to give him points for his entertainment value, and his non-PC remarks.  He has no filter, which is likely why so many like him.  The debate opened with a question to all candidates, requesting a show of hands.  Any candidate who would not commit to supporting the eventual nominee and who would not rule out a third-party run was asked to raise their hand.  Only one hand went up. It was Trump’s.  As a result, I’m not sure how his poll numbers will fair.  That was an unpopular move with typical Republicans. Jeb Bush – He doesn’t speak particularly well. He was the only candidate on the stage who supports Common Core education standards.  When questioned about it, he attempted to dodge the question […]

Violence Begets Violence

December 22, 2014 at 3:27 pm

Violence is everywhere.  We see it in the news daily, it’s in our TV shows, our movies, our video games and sometimes a part of our lives.  Recently we’ve read multiple news stories about police violence against unarmed individuals.  In some of these stories the innocence of the alleged victim is dubious.  In others, video seems to prove beyond doubt that the police used unnecessary lethal force. As Issac Newton’s Third Law observed in physics, so we are seeing in society; an equal and opposite reaction to ever increasing levels of police violence and brutality.  Most recently, two members of the NYPD were shot to death while they sat in a patrol car.  Anti-police sentiments and protests are on the rise everywhere.  Some of the outcry is the result of perceived racism.  Some stems from a recognition that the police – once known as “peace officers”, have become something quite different. This isn’t Mayberry.  Today your average hometown police squad has a cache of automatic weapons, body armor, tear gas, grenade launchers, armored military vehicles and perhaps even a weaponized drone. I have yet to meet someone who expressed a feeling of comfort, safety or peace upon seeing one of […]

Should Government Restrict Travel to West Africa?

October 18, 2014 at 3:37 pm

There, I said it.  Despite the hysterical masses who are just eating up this media hype that the human race is on the brink of Ebola-induced extinction, I hold – quite comfortably – that Ebola is not a serious threat to the US.  Talk of closing borders is sensationalist over-reaction.  Even IF we were in the midst of a true epidemic, my answer to the above posed question would remain a resolute ‘NO’.  Here is why… I recognize that everyone has a right to travel anywhere they wish so long as they are not trespassing on another persons property.  The government has no authority to curtail this basic natural right – even in the event of a catastrophe.  As it is, in the three cases of Ebola in the US, the government has messed up multiple times.  The government – as always – is an utterly worthless, blitheringly idiotic monstrosity that fails even the most basic of tasks with the possible exception of hurting and killing people. In the event of a serious Ebola outbreak, should travel restrictions exist?  Would they help to slow the spread of the disease?  Yes, I believe they should, and would slow the spread.  No […]

“Libertarian” Support for a Basic Income?

June 18, 2014 at 2:03 pm

Oh boy… Matt Zwolinski, founder of “Bleeding Heart Libertarians” (google it if you’d like – I can’t bring myself to benefit them with a link), recently wrote an article posted to libertarianism.org presenting “the libertarian case for a basic income”.  This idea is so absurdly un-libertarian that at first I wasn’t sure it even warranted the time necessary to expose what should be obvious.  I decided that it was worth the time because as someone who identifies as libertarian, I’m none too pleased to see the word used in association with this ridiculous concept. For those unfamiliar, the idea of a guaranteed basic income goes like this: each month the government writes a check to all citizens.  This check is the same amount regardless of other income, wealth, or any other conditions.  It is issued without regard to any requirements or stipulations – it is unconditional. Zwolinski argues that this is a justifiable program for libertarians to support because he claims it would, 1. be better than the current welfare system, 2. serve as approximate reparations for past injustices, and 3. it would meet the basic needs of the poor.  If you’ve read anything about the “thick vs. thin” libertarian […]

Here We Go Again: NSA Spying on Internet Data of Americans

June 8, 2013 at 11:08 pm

Coming at the heels of Wednesday’s news that the NSA was secretly obtaining hundreds of millions of phone records belonging to American citizens, we have new reports from the Washington Post of yet another Top Secret program targeting Internet data.  Operation code-name PRISM refers to a Top Secret partnership between the NSA and 9 of the top Internet firms in the United States including Facebook, Google, Yahoo! and Apple.  Since the news broke on Thursday officials from the companies involved have been coming forward with denials that they had any knowledge of the program or that the government has direct access to their servers, as alleged by the leaked information on PRISM. Slides released by the Washington Post that outline the program detail the types of data collected which include email, photos, video, chat with voice and video, Voice of IP (VoIP), stored data, file transfers, social networking details, and “special requests”.  Essentially your entire online life is available to the government.  Anything you post to Facebook (regardless of your privacy settings), your emails, your Google Drive files, your photos, and any phone calls or “Hangouts” you are involved in over the Internet are possibly being collected by the government. This is a […]

Verizon Handing Phone Records to NSA

June 6, 2013 at 11:57 pm

The Guardian just broke this gem yesterday.  It would seem that the National Security Administration (NSA) has obtained a top secret court order compelling Verizon to turn over “all call detail records” on an “ongoing, daily basis” for all calls “between the United States and abroad” or those “wholly within the United States, including local telephone calls.” There you have it.  From the issuance of this court order, which took place on April 25, 2013 until its expiration on July 19, 2013 Verizon is ordered to provide the NSA with records on every single local call and call between the US and other countries to traverse the Verizon network.  Verizon is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the United States.  We are probably talking about hundreds of millions of call records.  This is unfathomable.  By way of this order the government is obtaining just about every detail related to these calls including the telephone numbers of both call participants, the duration of the call, location information, and the time and date of the call.  Essentially the only information the government is not taking as part of this is the actual telephone conversation. This is an unprecedented level of privacy intrusion. […]

Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste

January 18, 2013 at 4:42 pm

In the words of Rahm Emanuel, “You never let a serious crisis go to waste.”  That is exactly the philosophical approach some members of our government are taking in the shadow of the horrific tragedy that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. On Wednesday President Obama held a news conference to present his plan for reducing “gun violence” in American.  Notice that it’s not “gun control” any more, instead he’s seeking to “reduce gun violence”, which sounds better.  His plan outlined a number of initiatives.  At the forefront was his call to reinstate an assault weapons ban and to limit the size of firearm magazines to ten rounds as well as a call to enforce background checks at gun shows and in private sales of firearms.  Additionally he signed 23 Executive Orders designed to address the issue ranging from clarifying the mental health services of Obamacare to requiring federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check database. Let us examine these items closer.  First off, banning ‘assault weapons’ – there was no such thing as an ‘assault weapon’ until Congress created it when they banned them the first time in the 1990s.  The definition basically boils down to cosmetic traits […]

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