Check out this article from WSJ.
Every day brings new revelations about who knew what about the IRS targeting conservative groups during President Obama’s re-election campaign, but the overall impression is of a vast federal bureaucracy run amok. While the White House continues to peddle the story of a driverless train wreck, taxpayers are being treated to a demonstration of the dangers of an unwieldy and unaccountable administrative state. Look, Ma, no hands!’;
If no single administration official can tell us who should be held accountable, then who is really in charge? These are elected officials, and they are telling us they have no power, and all the power is in the hands of some unnamed unelected official?
This is the danger of big government; there is zero accountability. Your elected official at the top appoints one unelected official, who appoints another, and another, and another.
The problem? There is no way of stopping each unelected official in the pyramid from retaining all the powers of the elected official at the top, or even more power than the elected official at the top.
Who affects you more? President Obama, who you elected? Or the unelected IRS agent looking over your taxes?
In a surprising move which resembled non-tyranny, Fidel Castro’s Cuban government approved the import of microwaves and air conditioners.
‘Cuban citizens can now bring up to two such appliances per person into the country for noncommercial purposes. The list of approved items includes air conditioners with a capacity of less than 1 ton, ovens that consume less than 1,500 watts and microwaves under 2,000 watts.’
Wow! So this means Cuba is basically a free country now!
This must make former Democratic congresswoman Diane Watson incredibly proud. After all, in 2009, Ms Watson had this to say about Cuban dictator Fidel Castro:
‘And I want you to know, now, you can think whatever you want to about Fidel Castro, but he was one of the brightest leaders I have ever met.’
Clearly, Cubans are among the most prosperous people in the world. I can’t wait until our government bans ovens over 1500 watts; can you?
Oh wait, Cubans have a per capita GDP of just $10,000? It is a poverty stricken country?
Never mind.
At least their health care system is clean, efficient, and free, right?
Maybe not. Maybe Ms Watson and the Democratic party need to find a new ‘role model’ country.
I will leave you with a wonderful example of the free health care available in Cuba. I bet more Americans would visit Cuba for health care if they saw this video…!
A couple of stories on ‘death’ and ‘taxes’ this morning, on tax day 2013.
This man blew himself up on his front lawn last night. According to neighbors, he had a ‘very strong dislike’ for government… The government can’t demand money from you once you are dead.
TurboTax’s efile system reportedly crashed temporarily… but it is back online now.
President Obama recently paid a gross tax rate of just 18.4%.
To give you an idea of how little that is, consider the fact a small business making more than $400 gross income pays at least 13.3%* in social security and medicare taxes. Obama paid just 5.1% more than the poorest business. A comparable private business** making $608,000 (Obama’s gross income) would be forced to pay 39.6% income tax + 13.3% self employment tax or 52.9% of their income in taxes. (in 2013: 39.6% + 15.5% = an even higher 55.1%)
What percentage of your income was taken this year?
(*Self employment tax will go back up to 15.5% in 2013)
(**Read: an entity generating jobs without coercing any persons)
This article in the Huffington Post outlines why conditions in teaching are getting worse and worse, and warns young people to avoid joining the profession.
However, the article seems to blame cuts and governmental intrusion. While the government’s meddling is a problem, as more federal involvement just lowers quality, the cuts themselves are not. As a counter example, many private schools deliver a superior product, with less funding.
A voucher system would allow schools to compete for the best teachers, and the teachers to compete for the best schools. We need to roll back federal involvement in education; states should manage their public schools. We also need to roll back state involvement in education; parents should manage their private schools.
Check out this funny article about a bank robber in Washington D.C. who failed to rob two separate banks.
I thought one of the comments was particularly succinct:
“Writing a robbery note should be a basic skill for all high school graduates of the D.C. School System.”
I agree. And the honor students can then go to college and learn to issue IRS tax forms.
This article, via Reason.com, is full of all kinds of excellent. It is, in the words of Bill and Ted, ‘most triumphant’.
In particular, one piece about ‘jury nullification’ stuck out to me.
Better yet, if he sits on a jury or two and stubbornly refuses to find any reason why he should convict some poor mark who was hauled in for owning a forbidden firearm or for ingesting the wrong chemicals. Jury nullification isn’t illegal (yet), but it helps others escape punishment for doing things that are, but ought not be [sic]. No harm, no foul is a good rule for a juror, no matter what lawmakers say.
It is good that those on trial are assumed innocent until proven guilty. But I also believe the laws broken or in question should be assumed unnecessary until proven necessary, regardless of precedent. Every single trial should be a possible battleground to overturn an unjust law that infringes on a person’s basic rights, before it is determined whether or not the law was broken.
