Radioactive Communist Zombies

Thursday Night Ramble

I have no one thing to blog about, so here's some thoughts about what's in the news:

The Democrat-controlled House voted and President Obama signed the extension of unemployment benefits, virtually guaranteeing higher unemployment and more calls for extending benefits (not to mention increasing an already astronomically high deficit).

Charles Rangle, the head tax-writer in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives has been charged by the House Ethics Panel with "ethics misdeeds."  At least one of those misdeeds is failure to pay taxes.  That is, violating the laws he helped write.  Ignorance of the law is no excuse so I doubt familiarity is, either.  Oh, yeah, paying taxes is for little people.

The Democrat-controlled Senate will not consider a climate-change bill that would have increased the cost of electricity for millions of American households.  They are, according to some, waiting for the lame duck session after the election.  Ah, Democrats, why do you insist on screwing up the country? 

The Left is Going Nuts

Usually when liberals are out of power is when they go nuts.  But now they control pretty much the entire Federal government and a lot of state and local governments and they are  . . . going nuts.

What's going on?  Well, they're getting almost everything they wanted and it's not working.  We have not made a paradise on Earth, we have not made New Soviet Man in their image, we don't even have a public option on health care.

So the result of leftist, liberal policies is failure.  Unemployment remains high, the American people are not liking their new president, and the stimulus did not stimulate (as some predicted, like, say, me).

So leftists are going crazy.  They are calling their political opponents "racists" for the sin of not wanting to live under their liberal aegis.  They are attacking anyone who dares question the Congress and the Administration.  And they are infighting amongst themselves to see who can be the most pure liberal.  It would be fun to watch if it weren't so scary.  Impugning political opponents with motives they do not have (racism) is the first step to trying to kick them out of polite discourse and marginalize them.  How long until they try to pass a law making it illegal to oppose liberal policies?  Because, after all, that would be racist.

The sooner we get these people out of power, the better.  The election in November is the first step.  Then comes 2012 (and no, I have no idea who I'm supporting for the Republican nomination).  We need leaders who believe in freedom, liberty, small government, low taxes, and sensible regulation.  Like Republicans used to be and libertarians still are.

It Must Be Monday

Monday after a three-day weekend.  Wow.  (What?  you didn't have a three-day weekend?)

Looks like illegal votes may have pushed Al Franken from washed up comic to U.S. Senator.  Us in Washington State have great experience with this, since it was illegal and ineligible votes that made Gregoire our governess back in . . . was it 2004 (time flies when you're having fun)?  Mantra of the Democratic Party: if it's close, we will win it, thanks to ACORN, and felons, non-citizens, and the dead voting.

Roman Polanski is safe in Switzerland (lets hope he doesn't speed).  Leaving Hollywood a place where a child rapist will be defended but a conservative is a pariah.

Fidel Castro (who figures prominently in my novel) appeared on Cuban T.V. today.  Meaning either Cuban CGI technology is improving or the old mass murderer is still alive.  We could hope when he finally kicks the bucket Cuba might make some movement toward freedom.  Or maybe Raul needs to die, too. 

Webtoon ("Netoon"?) "Day by Day" is having a fund raiser to help pay the living expenses of the author.  Maybe I should have a fund raiser.  I'd probably get 47 cents and a bottle cap.  Tell you what.  Donate $5.99 and I throw in a free Kindle copy of my novel.

On Strike

Today is a federal holiday and a lot of government services are closed.  I, personally, didn't notice this, except for the lack of snail mail (my Netflix movie didn't get back to Netflix today).

There have been in the past times when the government has shut down "non-essential services" due to budget impasses or there have been public employee union strikes.  And there has been great wailing and gnashing of teeth over the inability of some to access government services.  And yet, my life was by and large unaffected.

But what if business decided to go on strike.  Just a one-day-long business strike, where all businesses close their doors and refuse to do anything.  Would that affect your life?  You bet it would.  You could buy . . . nothing.  No food, no gasoline, in some cases no electricity (you'd probably still have water), no phone service (land line or cell), no Starbucks (my wife would go nuts), nothing.  There'd be no T.V. except for public television and no radio but public radio.  And if you get your T.V. through a satellite or cable company, then no T.V. at all.  There'd be no internet or email.  Oh, and a lot of you wouldn't be working.  No pay for one day.  Think what one day of no business would do to tax receipts, income taxes, payroll taxes, and business taxes.  If every business in the U.S. ceased operation for one day there'd be havoc.

Of course, it would never happen.  But it would be an exercise in letting people know exactly how much they depend on businesses everyday.  Businesses that supply you with what you need so they can make money.  It's great how that works. 

There are two principal means to acquire money and/or power: business or government.  In government you get more money and power by having a bigger bureaucracy with more regulations and higher taxes to pay for it all.  You necessarily empower government to control the lives and take the wealth of other people.  And you do it with the threat of violence.  (Stop paying taxes and see how long it takes IRS agents to show up at your door with guns.)  If you did this outside of government you'd be thrown in jail.

In business, you get more power and money through providing products or services others want or need.  You necessarily empower individuals by giving them choices and creating wealth.  And it is all voluntary.  (Don't buy Windows 7 and Bill Gates will not send armed nerds to your house.)

So next time you're enjoying the benefits of business, including quite possibly, your paycheck, give thanks for the millions of unsung heroes who are business people, providing for you your daily needs.

Independence Day

Happy Independence Day.  And happy birthday to the greatest nation on Earth.  We may have our problems, we may have our divisions.  We do have a President who doesn't believe the country he leads is the greatest there is.  But this is still America.  There's a reason people from all over the world want to come here.  There's a reason the Islamists hate us.  And it's because we are (still) the most free country on the planet.

So Happy Fourth of July.

First Principles: Morality of Government

When you wake up on a Saturday thinking about politics, you know you need a life.

I've been thinking about the morality of being a libertarian/conservative (or as I put it "conservatarian").   Is it "good" (in the moral sense) to be for smaller government, more personal responsibility, lower taxes, and other tenets of libertarianism.

And the answer is . . . a resounding "yes."  But why?  Simply this: all government power comes from violence or the threat of violence.  In dealing with criminals, terrorists, and other hostile governments this is appropriate and necessary (and ironically, this is where the left least wants the government to use its power).

But all government power comes from violence or the threat of it.  The power to tax, the power to regulate, the power to take money from you and give it to others, all comes from the end of a gun.  The government will--eventually--threaten you with violence if you refuse to accede to its smallest demands.  Take jaywalking for example.  If you think you should be responsible for deciding when and where you cross the street, and an agent of the government catches you, and you refuse to submit to government's authority, you will have a gun pointed at you.

How's that?  Well, you'll get a ticket.  You refuse to pay it.  Eventually there'll be a warrant for your arrest.  You're now labeled a "criminal" (for jaywalking).  The cops will come to get you, and if you "resist arrest" and they will use force on you.  You will have to use force to resist.  And it will escalate to guns being drawn and if you fight against that, they will shoot and possibly kill you.  For jaywalking.  Or not paying taxes.  Or driving faster than some number a politician or bureaucrat pulled out of their ear.

Now the left likes to claim they are moral because they take your money (through threats of violence) and give it to others.  This is about as moral as giving an alcoholic another drink.  They hook people on the drug of dependency, making them almost less than human as they look to government, to violence, to feed, clothe, and house them.  And with health care deform, the left wants to extend that dependency to everyone.

And of course the left is for gun control: only allowing the government to have guns.  This only enhances the power of their violence and the inability of people to fight the excesses of government.

So the question is: is it moral to use violence to control people?  The answer is: by and large, no.

For my thoughts on capitalism, see here.

Tuesday Night

Sometimes it's feast, sometimes it famine.  Yesterday I had three things I wanted to blog about, today, I have none.

So, an "Instapundit" type list of interesting things (all out of my home state):

1) A study from Washington State University (a/k/a CowTech) shows that under Obamacare, some people may lose their insurance coverage.  Funny that (not).

2) The unemployment rate in Washington State dropped to 9.2% in April.  Unfortunately, it was mostly because of temporary Census jobs.  Guess they were "shovel ready."

3) The University of Washington (Go Dawgs!) reports that it will soon be possible to hack into cars' computers causing all sorts of havoc.  In fact, they already did it on a Ford.  Are you sure you want to have to buy virus protection for your car?

That's it.  Have a nice day.

Animals' Right to Privacy?

(Hat Tip The Corner)

Just when you thought you had enough to worry about, now we need to worry about animals' right to privacy.  Seriously:

Imagine if a film crew, without your permission, stormed into your home and filmed you in your most private moments. Makers of wildlife documentaries do just that to non-human animals, and are denying these animals their right to privacy, according to new research published in the current issue of Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies.

Yes, folks, nature film crews are denying animals their rights to privacy.  Of course, the question becomes: when did animals achieve the rights of human?  And the answer is, as soon as the animal rights wackos can get animals the rights of human.

This is just more on the slippery slope to "A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy."  Once we grant animals the rights of humans, it's a small step from there to treating people like animals.

Monday Night Ramble

Well, it's Martin Luther King Day.  Another day when most people work and the mail doesn't come.  Why isn't there a Thomas Jefferson Day?  He wrote the Declaration of Independence, was our second Vice President and third President.  I'll tell you why: 'cause he had red hair and redheads are always oppressed by the majority of non-redheads.

Okay, I'm joking about that . . . sorta.

Tomorrow's the special election in Massachusetts to elect someone to fill Ted Kennedy's seat.  And the Republican might win!  And that might kill health care deform.  If only the Democrats don't cheat a lot (you know they will cheat some) it could be a win for all Americans.

I'll admit, I'm getting a little tired of hearing about Haiti.  But do you notice who runs in the save the day: the U.S. military.  The same thing happened after the tsunami in South East Asia.  Meanwhile, the military is fighting two wars.  Why can't the rest of government be as efficient as the military? 

Also today, Hugo Chavez came out against the Playstation and violent video games.  He is going to make a law banning violent video games from being sold. 

So, hope you enjoyed the holiday.  Back to work tomorrow, you government workers.  Well, at least you have to show up. 

What to Call this Year?

Now that the "aughts" are over, the question comes, what will we call this year (and every year in the "teens")?  For some reason "twenty ten" grates on my ear.  I prefer the longer but more complete "two thousand ten."  And then comes what to call 2011, 2012, etc.  As the Economic Times says, that may depend on how they "flow" off the tongue:

[Author of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language David Crystal] explains that the way people pronounce years depends on rhythm rather than logic. Crystal predicts that the change of pronunciation to “twenty X” will occur in 2011, as “twenty eleven”. He claims that the rhythm or “flow” of “two thousand (and) ten”, beats that of “twenty ten”, but the flow of “twenty eleven” beats “two thousand (and) eleven”.

I differ, I prefer "two thousand and X" to "twenty X."  But I'm an old fuddy duddy.  Younger people may prefer something shorter, i.e., "twenty ten, twenty eleven, etc."

RC Sharma, professor and head, Department of Linguistics at Delhi University, feels a majority of people will call it two thousand ten. But he adds, “Youngsters today are digitising everything. They might use twenty ten.”  Suhel Seth of strategic brand management and marketing consultancy Counselage agrees, “20-10 has a better branding about it.” It is somewhat like using Y2K instead of 2000. We live in diet communication time, explains Seth and that reflects in the way the younger generation uses SMS, chat messages, emails.

So we'll see what wins the linguistic battle.  Maybe about the same time we decided what to call the last decade (I'm rooting for "the aughts").