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Short Thursday roundup

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

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Wednesday roundup

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

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Thursday roundup

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

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Comments

Oversized Monday roundup

Report: 3,000 SNAP Retailers Used Social Security Numbers of Dead People During Obama Administration



China Targets Control Over Internet of Things for Spying, Business



Once Again, NBC Sits On Story Related to Sexual Misconduct Until After It Matters



Corporate Speech Police Are Not the Answer to Online Hate



'#WalkAway' movement renouncing liberalism marches through nation's capital



One of the Best Arguments Against Blocking Speech on Social Media....

“...is so we become aware of who might be dangerous.”

Defensible Space

““Megafires” are now a staple of life in the Pacific Northwest, but how we talk about them illustrates the tension at the heart of the western myth itself.”

Deficits Do Matter: Debt Payments Will Consume Trillions of Dollars in Coming Years



U.S.-bound migrants enter Guatemala, others clash at border

Another 3000 strong caravan

Is Orwell’s Big Brother Here? Bezos & Amazon Team up With Defense, CIA & ICE



Murder in Pittsburgh and the Targeting of Alternative Social Media



Voters in Oregon Have the Opportunity to Create 10 “Gun Sanctuary” Counties



New Hampshire Privacy Amendment on the Ballot



Google’s smart city dream is turning into a privacy nightmare



Mexico offers caravan migrants benefits to stay; thousands refuse



Virtue-signaling and derangement in the wake of a massacre


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NeoNote — Economics and Trump

One flawed legacy of Keynesian economics is that government can control individual action by government. Taxes and budgeting are not the same thing and shouldn't be treated as such. Taxes on the revenue side of the ledger are calculated in terms of their cost (expense side of the ledger) to government. This is probably the most fucked up part of modern government accounting. It's not about how much money government has, it's about how much money government takes from people. Money is power and choice, the more government takes the less people have. Government can't create value, it can only divert it.

There hasn't been a real government budget in years. What there has been is a series of continuing resolutions, essentially a short term agreement to spend at least the same amount as before unless specifically changed by Congress. There hasn't been a balanced budget in even longer. There's no cost to Congresscritters for not passing a balanced budget. If it were up to me, I'd say that Congress and it's staff only gets paid in years that a budget is passed and the budget is balanced. In years that the budget isn’t balanced, a Congresscritter should pay it’s salary to the government with interest.

In the case of the tax cut, the original CBO scoring said that the cost to government would not be offset by the revenue it generated. The new CBO report says that the cost to government was offset. Since people like having more money, Trump's popularity went up. People don’t care about the deficit. People do care about money in their pocket.

I’m not “you guys.” I’m not cheering for massive deficits (which happen with Democrat presidents too). I specifically said that he gave the economy a (mythical) boot into growth and that the tax cuts have paid for themselves and boosted his popularity. This is not the action of a drooling idiot. It’s not smart enough and it’s only short term, but it makes Trump look good and gives people more power today.

What I am doing is pointing out that Trump plays the populist better than any recent president, possibly any President since Jackson. The reason he can do this is because government has become more and more oppressive, no matter what party is “in control.”
NeoNotes are the selected comments that I made on other boards, in email, or in response to articles where I could not respond directly.

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Wednesday roundup

U.S. not granting loan relief to defrauded students: inspector general

A good move I think

Treasury's Tax Reform Analysis Confirms Republicans Don't Give a Damn About the Deficit

Both major parties want to spend more than the government actually has. Not more than it should have, but more than it has.

You Won’t Be Surprised To Hear Who’s Behind Today’s Press Conference By Trump’s Accusers

If you go after Trump with anything less than the absolute truth, expect to fail.

Georgia Lawmaker Introduces Bill To Require Conviction for Asset Forfeiture

A major step. There are 14 other states that already require this.

It's Official: Bitcoin Surpasses "Tulip Mania", Is Now The Biggest Bubble In World History

I don't understand bitcoin. Either this is a really big bubble, or there is a desperate need for an unregulated currency.

So I Just Had An Interesting Email Exchange With The Special Counsel’s Press Office:

Glen Reynolds tries to find out if Lisa Page was involved in approving Peter Strzok’s warrant requests.

America's malls are rotting away

Another sign of the commercial real estate collapse

Alabama election: Democrats defeat Roy Moore, dealing huge blow to Donald Trump

Theocratic Republican defeated

Uber Price-Gouges Millennial Passenger $14,000 For 5-Mile Ride

Uber is a good idea with lousy execution

The FBI’s Perjury Trap of the Century

There was no collusion. The Obama administration spied on the Trump campaign..

Starving polar bears are the fake news face of climate change

Don't fall for it

TSA To Stop Taking Driver’s Licenses from 9 U.S. States

The Real ID legacy

Global Conflicts to Watch in 2018

“The U.S. is now the most unpredictable actor in the world today.”

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