The Price of Liberty

Libertarian Commentary #16-21A, by Nathan Barton

If India can do it, why can’t we? Canadian Broadcasting reports that India has developed and successfully flown an unmanned 9-meter-long reusable surface-to-orbit shuttle (although “successfully flown” does NOT mean that they actually landed it and recovered it: instead they dropped the first one into the ocean). And they did it for $19.5 million (a billion rupees); in FedGov terms, a minor accounting error, or a throw-away grant for some “renewable energy” scam. Or the budget for six months’ worth of vacations by the squatter in 1600 PA. Yes, I know that Indian telecommunications workers get 10 cents an hour (and worth EVERY penny of it in dealing with American customers) but still… Is our FedGov stupid or not? For that matter, it strikes me that a bunch of the private companies developing SSO shuttles aren’t that much smarter.

Dropping the little spacecraft into the sea does show that even the Indian government is stupid: they’d probably have been able to do it for even less if they’d let their own private sector do it.

Just goes to show that government stupidity is NOT limited just to the FedGov.

On to some other news:

Supposedly, this is the year that the LP “breaks loose” in elections to select a new massa for the FedGov. “Everyone” hates Trump and Clinton and Sanders, so the light must be green for McAfee, Peterson, and Johnson, right? So, as reported by Freedom’s Phoenix, where you can view/listen to the whole thing, comes the three-way debate for an hour and twenty minutes, with no less a household name than Penn Jillette as the moderator! (Haven’t watched it or listened to it myself, yet – tell me what you think.)

Of course, the three (or two) “major” (old) party candidates continue to find ways to take away our liberty, even while claiming to want to protect our freedom. They are not alone, since the Fifty States suffer the same problems as many other nations. The demand for “security,” which the government(s) cannot provide, is an excuse to give up liberty. And people take it for granted.

But… Why not try… freedom? In Greece, the Regime is about to adopt more cuts in spending, and more tax hikes for the purpose of obtaining bailout cash. According to the Financial Express [India], “Greece today was set to adopt fresh cuts and tax hikes ahead of a Eurogroup meeting that is expected to unlock desperately-needed bailout funds for the debt-ridden nation. After waves of protests over a string of unpopular reforms, lawmakers from the ruling leftist party are to approve (Tuesday) night a bill of over 7,000 pages that raises the sales tax cap and introduces a mechanism to slash spending further in case of budget overruns.” 7,000 pages: sounds like DC, huh? Want to bet there are a LOT of zinger in that one?

Of course, we are assuming that most Greek lawmakers are able to read. Just as we assume that most high school students in the Fifty States are able to read as well. But why should they bother? In Oregon, the government-ruined, theft-funded Portland “public” schools have banned textbooks “doubting” climate change. Fox News reports, “The Portland Public Schools board voted last week to ban any materials that cast doubt on climate change, the Portland Tribune reported. According to the resolution passed May 17, the school district must remove any textbooks and other materials that suggest climate change is not occurring or that says human beings are not responsible for it. … One commenter to the Portland Tribune story responded to the news, saying, ‘I have never seen a case for homeschooling more clearly put forward. This is further proof that public schools are not interested in education, only political indoctrination.'”

Excuse me, but why did they need MORE proof? Of course, think of all the time this saves teachers and students: time that they can use to get more indoctrination into the values of, oh, Islam (that “religion of peace”) and homosexuality and its dominant place in culture, and the wonderful idea of a flexible view of not just sexuality but what sex you want to be this week, and of course, more emphasis on the essential and loving nature of the State and government.