If we're going to have a conversation, these facts must be a part of that.

Tags: clipping ∙ guest content ∙ Reason Online ∙ Ronald Bailey ∙ GDP ∙ Journal of Economic Growth ∙ regulations ∙ income ∙ John Dawson ∙ Appalachian State University ∙ John Seater ∙ North Carolina State ∙ Federal government

❝❝American medical costs started outpacing inflation right after Medicare and Medicaid become law. If that doesn’t convince you, remember those costs rose drastically every time the Federal government tried to “fix” the problem.❞❞

— NeoWayland

Tags: maxims ∙ Medicaid ∙ Medicare ∙ medical costs ∙ Federal government ∙ fix

Two criticisms of my libertarian ideas is that they are juvenile and too simple.

I'm frequently told by conservatives, “I used to be libertarian but I grew out of it.”

Let's not forget “The world doesn't work like that. We have to live in the real world.”

Is this really how the World works? Or is this how the self-appointed “experts” want you to think how the World works?

Let's take the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Remember that the Constitution limits government, not people.

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

So is there anything there about barrel length, how big the magazine is, or if it's a scary black color or not?

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that every Federal gun law violates the Second Amendment.

Yes, that reading is subject to interpretation. By experts determined to prove that their expertise should trump your common sense.

Don't you believe me? Toss in the Tenth.

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Taken together, it's hard to dispute that every Federal gun law is invalid. Nothing about using guns only for hunting. Nothing about gun registries or background checks. Nothing about which guns can be sold to what people.

And that raises some interesting questions. Because if the experts are overcomplicating gun laws and regulations to get around the Constitution, what else might they be doing?

Except for the much abused interstate commerce clause, there is nothing in the Constitution that grants the Federal government power and authority over medications or intoxicants.

There is nothing that gives the Federal government power and authority over education.

There is nothing that gives the Federal government power and authority over banking, stock markets, and commodity markets.

Chances are if the Federal government claims authority over speech, elections, commerce, it doesn't have it.

So why do we think it does?

Because that's what the politicos, the technocrats, and the experts have told us.

The people don't benefit from complications. The experts do.

Let's make this basic. You know what a car should do. You know that the more extras you throw in, the more expensive the car is to own and operate. You know that a more expensive car is harder to design and is full of trade-offs. That last boost in performance is the most expensive. So you have to make a choice. Do you want something reliable that you can afford, or do you want to impress people?

Make it legislation instead of a car and that is the choice of the average Congress critter.

Do you want something that can do the job, or do you want to make yourself look important?

Experts complicate things that should be simple.

Tags: libertarian ∙ juvenile ∙ simple ∙ experts ∙ Federal government ∙ Constitution ∙ politicos ∙ technocrats ∙ legislation ∙ 2nd Amendment ∙ 10th Amendment

❝❝I'm not going to talk about Trump and his failings or if he is substantially worse than the other presidents.

What I am going to talk about (again) is that all these efforts to nail Trump show that the Federal government has too much power and that rogue elements and actors are not held accountable.

Yes, Trump's office was bugged. But that is just part of a surveillance state that has been in turbo boost since 9-11. And 9-11 isn't a good excuse, it just codified and focused secret plans that had been drifting around since the 1970s.

The issue is not Trump. The issue is not the Republicans. The issue is not the Democrats. These ongoing struggles over which party is on the side of the angels and public perception over crimes and misdeeds, that's just the distraction. While we're arguing over who did what, there are unelected and unaccountable elements in government and high finance who are taking power and freedom away from you.

No, you didn't win. The game hasn't stopped. We are still being screwed. And the next bit will make this look like robbing a kid's lemonade stand.❞❞

Tags: maxims ∙ Donald Trump ∙ Federal government ∙ Republicans ∙ Democrats ∙ distraction ∙ tweeted

““The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.””

— James Madison

Tags: James Madison ∙ states rights ∙ Constitution ∙ Federal government ∙ state government

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

Tags: facts ∙ narrative ∙ Donald Trump ∙ sociaism ∙ hotels ∙ surveillance culture ∙ sex trafficking ∙ Federal government ∙ Nancy Pelosi ∙ health care ∙ insurance companies ∙ Medicare ∙ budget ∙ deficit ∙ debt ∙ politicos ∙ Mick Mulvaney ∙ Larry Summers

Washington Forced Segregation on the Nation

Tags: clipping ∙ guest content ∙ Richard Rothstein ∙ segregation ∙ 1940 ∙ Federal government ∙ African-Americans ∙ FHA ∙ civil rights

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

Tags: e-books ∙ Independent bookstores ∙ AT&T ∙ deception ∙ fraud ∙ measles ∙ Europe ∙ TSA ∙ security theater ∙ Ruth Bader Ginsburg ∙ Federal government ∙ Federal Reserve

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

Tags: vaccine ∙ Federal government ∙ auto bailouts ∙ General Motors ∙ Maine ∙ food sovereignty ∙ Jerome Corsi ∙ Joshua Browde ∙ robot lawyer ∙ opioid crisis ∙ Robert Mueller ∙ home sales ∙ economy ∙ solar activity ∙ global cooling ∙ Veteran Affairs Department ∙ GI Bill benefits ∙ fuel tax ∙ Paris ∙ riots ∙ archive ∙ Wayback Machine ∙ Oregon ∙ solar equipment ∙ corporatism

❝❝While Leary definitely complicated things, let's not forget that it was the Federal government who seized the power to decide what people could put into their bodies and under what circumstances.

Of course that never would have withstood a constitutional challenge. So initially it wasn't about outlawing, it was about taxing. And then about crossing state lines so it fell under "interstate commerce."

This reminds me of the fuss over the Native American Church and peyote use. Yes, some use it as an excuse to get high. But more use it as part of a spiritual path. Government should not have the power to control either.❞❞
     — NeoWayland, comments from New books explore entheogens

Tags: maxims ∙ Timothy Leary ∙ Federal government ∙ Constitutional ∙ outlawing ∙ taxing ∙ interstate commerce ∙ Native American Church ∙ peyote ∙ government control

As an Arizona resident who worked against his re-election the last four times, I wish he had retired years ago.

Tags: taxes ∙ government ∙ local government ∙ state government ∙ Federal government

An argument against gun control has much wider application than I realized

Tags: maxims ∙ tax reform ∙ taxes ∙ national sales tax ∙ ten percent ∙ state and local taxes ∙ Federal government

❝❝There's at least one blogger who says that Jordan Peterson's advice is banal and obvious. I haven't been able to get through Peterson's book, but I think Greenfield (the blogger) has a point. We need more men acting like men do, especially with kids and VERY ESPECIALLY with boys. I still worry about the American inner cities, where the Federal government in their Official Incompetence decided that families could work without fathers.

---

Scott Greenfield, different blogger. I think I got the article link from Claire Wolfe.

Honestly there are many libertarians and a fair number of conservatives who just don't get why Jordan Peterson is such a big deal. It's like "yeah, we knew that, it's obvious."

---

There's a lot to be said for standing up for what you believe.

---

See, I think it's way too early to compare him to Rush. I also think it's giving Peterson too much credit.

I haven't gotten through his book yet, so maybe there's something there I haven't seen.❞❞

Tags: Jordan Peterson ∙ Scott Greenfield ∙ Rush Limbaugh ∙ Sultan Knish ∙ men ∙ kids ∙ role model ∙ Inner city ∙ Federal government ∙ stand and fight

❝❝You can't trust what the politicos and historians tell you. They each have their separate agendas. They need you to believe the Great Man on a White Horse myth. If ever there was a time when the ordinary person made a profound, undeniable, and fundamental change in society, it was in the 20^th Century civil rights movement. It didn't happen in the Capital building. It happened when a woman refused to give up her seat on a bus. It happened when a group of well dressed and well disciplined men faced down a mob and armed police officers. It took place at the Lincoln Memorial in front of a huge crowd. It happened when one man stood in front of a police squad and said "No." Congress and the Federal government had nothing to do with these acts. These actions and thousands more along with the faith of all those people, that's what changed the world.❞❞
     — NeoWayland

Tags: maxims ∙ civil rights ∙ Great Man on a White Horse myth ∙ ordinary people ∙ change ∙ society ∙ Capital building ∙ Lincoln Memorial ∙ man ∙ woman ∙ Congress ∙ Federal government

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

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Demonstrating that certain modern liberals don't understand economics

Tags: Original Vigil ∙ AlterNet ∙ classic ∙ retirement income ∙ cyberwarfare ∙ public schools ∙ reform ∙ control ∙ private sector ∙ distrust ∙ promises ∙ contract law ∙ net neutrality ∙ wasting cash ∙ corporate accountability ∙ spends too much money ∙ class distinctions ∙ spending cuts ∙ taxes ∙ health care providers ∙ Federal government ∙ insurance companies ∙ pharmaceutical companies ∙ Medicare ∙ Inferior Golden Rule ∙ single payer system ∙ FedGovs ∙ George Soros ∙ DNC ∙ Barack Obama ∙ race card ∙ Social Security ∙ Robert Murdoch ∙ Tea Party agenda ∙ David Koch ∙ decentralized ∙ Glen Beck ∙ Tea Party ∙ LewRockwell.com ∙ bias ∙ usefulness ∙ mutual ∙ voluntary ∙ exchange ∙ consenting activities ∙ consenting adults ∙ regulation ∙ license ∙ legislature ∙ economic disparity ∙ KYFHO ∙ individual citizens

❝❝OK, taxes. According the the OMB, the top 20% of taxpayers pay 95% of income taxes. In 2015, the WSJ reported that the top 20% paid 84% of income taxes. In 2015, the top .1% (yes, that's one-tenth of one percent) of families paid 39.2% of income taxes. In 2015, all but the top 20% of taxpayers paid more in payroll taxes than they owed in Federal income tax, effectively giving the Federal government an interest free loan. Meanwhile, the bottom 20% of taxpayers have the Earned Income Tax Credit, a negative income tax. The government pays them. The thing is, smart rich people don't stuff their money in mattresses. They put it to work. If their money doesn't earn more than the rate of inflation, they've lost money. So they look for ways to maximize returns. Stocks, bonds, and mutual funds are the most common methods. This pumps money back into the economy. Lower prices, more companies hiring, and better distribution of goods and services are direct results. In other words, cutting taxes at any level gives people more choices and more economic power. It's not cutting taxes for the rich, it's cutting taxes. If you like, I can show how a progressive tax system locks people into income tiers and suppresses the natural movement up in income.❞❞

Tags: OMB ∙ Wall Street Journal ∙ income tax ∙ Federal government ∙ inflation ∙ competition ∙ progressive tax systems

❝❝The goal is not the institution of the Federal government.

The goal is freedom.❞❞
     — NeoWayland

Tags: Federal government ∙ freedom ∙ maxims

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

Tags: net neutrality ∙ Jeff Sessions ∙ asset forfeiture ∙ states ∙ Federal government ∙ Senate ∙ healthcare ∙ Mitch McConnell ∙ repeal then replace ∙ South Carolina ∙ 2016 election

“How Many Federal Agencies Exist? We Can't Drain The Swamp Until We Know”

Read More...

Tags: clipping ∙ Federal government ∙ Clyde Wayne Crews

Comments

We could do more for addiction and to stop violence and corruption by stopping the war on drugs.

Tags: War on Drugs ∙ Prohibition ∙ armed distribution networks ∙ cost of production ∙ U.S. drug policy ∙ drug gangs ∙ narco-state ∙ corruption ∙ addiction ∙ purity controls ∙ portion controls ∙ free market ∙ competition ∙ Peter McWilliams ∙ Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do ∙ author ∙ photographer ∙ non-Hodgkin's lymphoma ∙ medical marijuana ∙ disabling nausea ∙ Federal government ∙ cannabis ∙ independent research ∙ consensual crimes ∙ society's morality