government shutdown
“Stossel: Government Shutdown Shows Private Is Better”
Wednesday - 16Jan2019 Filed in: Politics&Free Markets
Oversized headline catchup
Mark Penn: FBI Trump-Russia investigation shows deep state was worse than we thought
The Shutdown Is Providing Evidence Of Private Businesses Making Government Obsolete
The shutdown’s real lesson: Government has taken hostage too much of the economy
Political Nightmares Multiply for Europe Ahead of Davos
Feds Can't Force You To Unlock Your iPhone With Finger Or Face, Judge Rules
The Game of Pseudo-Authenticity
Supreme Court to Consider Whether Police Can Order Blood Draws from Unconscious Drivers
Public Disdain For Russia Probe Intensifies, Trump Approval Climbs — IBD/TIPP Poll
Trump's Terrible Record on Property Rights
“The President's recent threat to use "the military version of eminent domain" to seize property for his border wall is just the tip of a larger iceberg of policies and legal positions inimical to constitutional property rights.”California prohibits gender-based auto insurance: report
Ladies, expect your rates to go upDemocrats Failing to Control Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green Revolution
If Republicans were smart, they'd keep quiet while the Democrats self-destructSecond Thoughts On Pot
Dems fly to Puerto Rico on chartered jet, meet with lobbyists, see 'Hamilton' as shutdown drags on
Just the Hispanic Caucus.US approved thousands of child bride requests
Oh My: Catholic Archdioceses Admit Wuerl Knew Of McCarrick Abuse Allegation In 2004
Philly residents defy the city’s controversial ‘soda tax’
Inside Facebook’s ‘cult-like’ workplace, where dissent is discouraged and employees pretend to be happy all the time
5 Things To Do About Our Culture’s Antagonism Against Men
Gab Promotes Bitcoin as 'Free Speech Money' to Over 850,000 Users
The Recession Will Be Unevenly Distributed
“Those households, enterprises and organizations that have no debt, a very low cost basis and a highly flexible, adaptable structure will survive and even prosper.”How Facebook Borrows From the NSA Playbook
5 reasons why there’s still no end to the shutdown
“They can’t end the standoff because Democrats and Republicans are trying to solve different problems”The only acceptable answer: “None of your f(ornicating) business!”
Who gave National Review the power to excommunicate?
Employee at Ford Office Fired After Disagreeing With Transgender Post
Majority Preservation Act
“The first House Democratic bill aims to hamstring opponents.”Nobel secretary regrets Obama peace prize
This Reporter Took a Deep Look Into the Science of Smoking Pot. What He Found Is Scary.
Carriers Swore They'd Stop Selling Location Data. Will They Ever?
Cory Doctorow: Disruption for Thee, But Not for Me
Thursday roundup
Thursday - 18Jan2018 Filed in: Headlines
Government shutdown
And this would be a bad thing how?
I know what CNN is saying.
But realistically, why would a government shutdown be bad?
We know what Milton Friedman said.
If your local grocery store closed because they forgot to order, you'd go somewhere else. If the plumber you called couldn't come because his truck got repossessed, you'd call another. If your favorite coffee place had no one to work and was closed, well, there are other options.
But with government services, there aren't options.
Government doesn't like competition.
Every year, statists tell you How Important Government Is and how the "other party" is about to screw up your life.
It's political theater.
There isn't even a budget.
The last time there was officially a budget was 2009. But it was pretty much a budget in name only. Even if there was a budget, it would be several thousand pages long, incredibly detailed on some things and disturbingly vague on others. It's meant to be abused. I don't want to examine the Federal budget process here but I will tell you that even if Congress makes no changes, each agency gets the same amount it had the previous year plus an automatic increase. This is the so-called discretionary spending.
That's right. It takes an act of Congress to keep spending at the same level it was in the previous year.
The default setting is more government and more spending.
Then there is the mandatory spending which isn't part of the budget process. Congress may revisit the rules every few years on mandatory spending qualifications, but it usually rolls along on it's own. Mandatory spending is about two-thirds of the budget, Social Security alone is about one-third.
And I haven't even gotten to earmarks.
Government doesn't like competition so it locks private interests out of the services it provides. It manipulates you into blaming the other party so it can tax and spend more of your money. And it expects thanks for it's hard work.
Government shutdown.
This would be a bad thing how?
I know what CNN is saying.
But realistically, why would a government shutdown be bad?
We know what Milton Friedman said.
If your local grocery store closed because they forgot to order, you'd go somewhere else. If the plumber you called couldn't come because his truck got repossessed, you'd call another. If your favorite coffee place had no one to work and was closed, well, there are other options.
But with government services, there aren't options.
Government doesn't like competition.
Every year, statists tell you How Important Government Is and how the "other party" is about to screw up your life.
It's political theater.
There isn't even a budget.
The last time there was officially a budget was 2009. But it was pretty much a budget in name only. Even if there was a budget, it would be several thousand pages long, incredibly detailed on some things and disturbingly vague on others. It's meant to be abused. I don't want to examine the Federal budget process here but I will tell you that even if Congress makes no changes, each agency gets the same amount it had the previous year plus an automatic increase. This is the so-called discretionary spending.
That's right. It takes an act of Congress to keep spending at the same level it was in the previous year.
The default setting is more government and more spending.
Then there is the mandatory spending which isn't part of the budget process. Congress may revisit the rules every few years on mandatory spending qualifications, but it usually rolls along on it's own. Mandatory spending is about two-thirds of the budget, Social Security alone is about one-third.
And I haven't even gotten to earmarks.
Government doesn't like competition so it locks private interests out of the services it provides. It manipulates you into blaming the other party so it can tax and spend more of your money. And it expects thanks for it's hard work.
Government shutdown.
This would be a bad thing how?