Libertarian Commentary on the News, 24 August 2015, #15-34A: Fearmongering

Posted on 2015-08-26 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Fearmongering or a victory for vaping? Even while some government agencies and studies, like the Student Science News claims that vaping leads to increased rates of smoking for teens, the Adam Smith Institute reports that Public Health England “concludes there is no evidence that e-cigarettes are a gateway to lead children or non-smokers into smoking. On the contrary, they find that almost all of the 2.6 million vapers in Britain are current or ex-smokers using e-cigarettes to help them quit or to keep them from reverting. They found that increasing numbers, now nearly half the population, believe that vaping is as harmful or more harmful than are cigarettes, even though it is estimated to be only up to 5% as harmful. This could be because the anti-vapers trying to have it banned indoors or in public places have persuaded them that it is harmful.” Time Magazine chimes in, claiming that vaping is 95% more healthy and 40% cheaper than tobacco cigarettes, saving ex-smokers $1200 per year (and twice that in New York City, no doubt). Is this just a difference between Her Majesty’s subjects and “free” American teens? Or is the Student Society for Science just publishing propaganda garbage? Continue reading →

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Unemployed? Or Unemployable

Posted on 2015-08-23 by MamaLiberty

By MamaLiberty

The role of the non-voluntary government, all of the insane rules and regulations that impede and destroy business, is well known. The cost of these job destroying regulations probably exceeds that of the taxes, fees, licenses and outright bribes disguised as “fines.” Together they are strangling the economy of the entire world and unemployment is a serious problem.

The “minimum wage,” affirmative action, racial quotas and the like are well known, though seriously misunderstood by so many, and the whole insanity of confusing the incestuous relationship between government and big business with the free market is disputed everywhere. The entire fabric of business and the market is being roiled by changes and stresses our ancestors never could have imagined. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 21 August 2015, #15-33e

Posted on 2015-08-21 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Whoops! Am I missing something?  Or just stupid?  How does this work?  The UN is to let Iran inspect alleged nuke work site, reports Yahoo News.  “Iran, in an unusual arrangement, will be allowed to use its own experts to inspect a site it allegedly used to develop nuclear arms under a secret agreement with the U.N. agency that normally carries out such work, according to a document seen by The Associated Press. The revelation is sure to roil American and Israeli critics of the main Iran deal signed by the U.S., Iran and five world powers in July.” No fooling?  This is more than the fox guarding the henhouse.  We should have let the Nazis investigate Auschwitz themselves, I guess.  Or have the Mafia do the criminal investigation of murder-for-hire and the numbers racket.  But, now that I think about it, this makes perfect sense.  After all, who investigates misconduct by cops?  Other cops!  Malpractice by lawyers and judges?  Other lawyers and judges!  This is just the total degradation of government to insanity. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 20 August 2015, #15-33d: civility and abuse and more

Posted on 2015-08-20 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Islamic wars, to start with:

Scott put me on to this one before it came up in the hourly news.  The Caliphate (ISIS), those wonderful followers of that old guy in Arabia from the 600s AD, have spent a month torturing an 82-year-old archeologist, apparently a Muslim himself, as they interrogated him to get him to reveal the location where ancient artifacts from Palmyra (an ancient Roman site in modern Syria) were stored.  They gave up, beheaded him, and put his body on display on a Roman pillar in the ancient city, as reported by the Guardian. Related to this, apparently Dr. Ron Paul has “confirmed” that the US Government supported the Caliphate, in a recording now on YouTube. What a wonderful way to promote peace and culture and education. And by the way, what a bunch of pedophiles in THAT organization! Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 19 August 2015, #15-33c: Government: evil AND criminal

Posted on 2015-08-19 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

People with more time and recent knowledge of statistics have demonstrated that the widely-published claim that more cops are killed “feloniously” in states with higher private gun ownership is bogus – poor science, as reported by Fox News and JPFO. Just looking at the articles and with review of some basic data had warned me that the study was almost certainly biased and wrong. But to refute propaganda like this is the mission of people like John Lott, and I am glad we have people like him. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 18 AUG 15, #15-33b: Crime and government

Posted on 2015-08-18 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Hmmm. What is going on? Business Insider reports that the latest reason for Wal-Mart profits dropping is increased theft from the big-box retail chain. No matter what is done, more and more people are stealing more and more things. While violent crime nationally continues to be reported as dropping, theft and fraud seem to be climbing. I don’t suppose this has ANYthing to do with the example of lawlessness exhibited constantly by government politicians, appointees, and agencies.

Mama’s Note: Increasing theft and vandalism is part of the problem, especially in some larger metro areas. But it’s only a small part overall, I’m sure. The entire economy is changing, shrinking, more and more distorted by the political things too. One positive change is the growing electronic market, such as Amazon.com. The advantages of lower overhead is a big one, and while employees can and do steal, the potential is much less in a warehouse environment.

I expect this market to expand to ever more products and people as time goes by and technology improves. If we can just get government out of the way, the sky is truly the limit. I can’t wait for the first delivery drone to land in my yard. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 17 AUG 15, #15-33a: Killing and other political acts

Posted on 2015-08-17 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

I’ve not touched on the continuing Islamic wars recently. The death toll last week continued to climb, as a blast in a busy Baghdad market killed at least 60. According to the WaPo, the deadliest blast to strike Baghdad in nearly two years tore through a busy market Thursday, killing at least 60 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State as efforts to turn back the militants on the battlefield stagnate. Funny, wasn’t the WaPo and other media claiming just last week that ISIS (the Caliphate) was on the run, and the crisis was over?

Of course, it is not just the Ummah that is suffering attacks: this Monday morning, reports come from Bangkok of 27 or more dead in a bombing, according to Russia Today News, with the motorcycle blast at a religious shrine in a tourist and commercial area of the capital of Thailand. Of course, this may be related to Islamic wars, as Thailand is battling a Muslim insurgency in the south, among Malay Thai people. Like the Moro insurgency in the Philippines, this has been going on for centuries. Continue reading →

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The Gold King Mine Spill and EPA – Warning and Doom

Posted on 2015-08-17 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

(This article is being written, and published (in slightly different versions) for both Laissez Faire Today and The Price of Liberty by a “friend.”)  It is a follow-up to several earlier commentary items, and as I pointed out, we are directly and indirectly involved in the matter, here in Southwestern Colorado.)

It has been about ten days now, since the EPA had a contractor, “cleaning up” the abandoned Gold King Mine in the La Plata Mountains near Silverton, Colorado, break through a cofferdam and release what turned out to be three million gallons of highly polluted water, both acidic and containing a witch’s brew of metals: arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead, aluminum, iron, and possibly others. The contaminated, sediment-laden water, looking like orange juice, rushed down Cement Creek and into the Animas River which flows through Silverton and Durango, and on into New Mexico to join the San Juan River and ultimately into the Colorado Continue reading →

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Baker’s Dozen (TM) Signs you might be a terrorist

Posted on 2015-08-15 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

You might be a “terrorist” if:

  1. Excessive complaints about the travel screening process.
  2. Excessive throat clearing.
  3. Exaggerated or repeated grooming gestures.
  4. Exaggerated yawning.
  5. Gazing down at the floor.
  6. Having a rigid posture.
  7. Wide open, staring eyes “wild-eyed.”
  8. Wearing improper attire for location or activity.
  9. Whistling as you approach the travel screening station.
  10. Face pale (from recent shaving of a beard).
  11. Rubbing or wringing of hands.
  12. Arriving late for a flight or other travel.
  13. Exhibiting arrogance or a cold penetrating stare. Continue reading →
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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 14 August 2015, #15-32f: Cops and guns

Posted on 2015-08-14 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

I find that the constant drumbeat about how dangerous it is to be a cop, especially in states with high gun ownership, and high levels of “domestic violence” is getting really tedious. A lot of news items about violence, cops, and guns came across the news desk this week.

Thank a cop for his willingness to face danger on the job? Please, give me a break. The WaPo, far from a libertarian or even conservative journal, points out in a “wonkblog” article that data indicates that cops (sheriff’s officers and police officers) don’t even rank in the top ten deadly occupations in the Fifty States; indeed, they rank FIFTEENTH in fatalities (in 2013), just ahead of construction and commercial painters and just behind grounds maintenance workers; neither recognized as exactly “dangerous” jobs. The civilian profession with the most job-related fatalities per year? Logging workers, followed by fishing and aircrews. Even trash haulers and recycling workers face a greater risk of being killed on the job than cops do. Yes, Virginia, cops ARE civilians. Legally and should be morally. And yeah, I know that a cop faces a risk of being wounded or killed on every traffic stop they make, but a logger faces that on every tree they cut, and the average logger probably cuts down a lot more trees than a cop makes stops. But this ties in with two other news items this week. Continue reading →

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