The dangers of FedGov largesse

Posted on 2025-03-10 by TPOL Nathan

The map below, of south-central South Dakota (the Great Plains portion of the south half of West River (1/6th of the State: 12,500 square miles) shows the Mni Wiconi Project.

The story of this project is a classic example of how government theft, spending, welfare, lust for votes and power work together to create a nightmare. It is an example of why the FedGov is 39 TRILLION dollars in debt, and why corruption and double-dealing are an essential part of human government.

Nobody is really sure how much this project cost over its 25+ year life, and how much it is costing today. Certainly a half-billion dollars between 1988 and at least 2015, and probably over a billion. And there is a strong possibility it was 2-3 billion. It provides water for an estimated population of around 40,000 to 50,000 people. Yes, an average population density of 5 people (or fewer) per square mile. And probably 3 times that many cattle. Assuming the $1 billion figure is right, that means an installed cost we can estimate conservatively at $20,000 per person: and upwards of $60,000 per household.

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The death of democracy?

Posted on 2025-03-09 by TPOL Nathan

Warning: This commentary, even by libertarian standards, may be viewed as politically incorrect.

We here at The Price of Liberty are definitely not fans of democracy. If we were facing its demise, we would certainly be on our knees thanking our God for it.

Why? Democracy is “rule by majority vote.” To engineers, to scientists, to followers of Christ Jesus, “this does not compute.” To Old Army veterans, who were taught that republics decay into democracies which in turn decay into tyrannies, we rightly object to seeing that process before our very eyes. As free-market anarchists and more, we see government (mandatory human government) as rebellion against the Creator and something that is ultimately evil. Even if it can sometimes be used for good.

So we welcome its end. Even as too many around us, and too many who are in power, decry its loss. As our correspondent Rob Morse (and so many others) has pointed out, right now, both old parties are screaming about how The Donald and his sidekick Musk are destroying the institution. To which we reply, “about time.”

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Isn’t it time to change? (Daylight savings time and more!)

Posted on 2025-03-08 by TPOL Nathan

Just as a reminder, we are being told by the powers-that-be that we must “spring forward” on our clocks at 0200 hours Sunday morning (2 AM local time). And then wake up grumpy children, deal with nervous pets and livestock, and get our bodies to adjust.

We hope that the entire idea is deep-sixed, soon.

But there are many other things that we need to change.

For 150+ years, Americans have been living with an ever-increasingly corrupt government. Actually, governments: federal, State, and local.

Is this about to change?

Not if the normal “run of the mill” judges have any sayso.

Why? The picture says it all.

Recent judicial decisions regarding the rooting out of corruption in government demonstrate this more than ever. The rotten system needs to change, and it will be in spite of the courts and judges and politicians.

We believe it was Mark Twain that once wrote, “Like babies, politicians need to be changed regularly. And for the same reason.”

What is being done now with DOGE, what is being done to separate from the tyrannical regime in Ukraine, and the parasites of Europe (and the rest of the world), is good. But it is just the beginning of the changes needed.

Work for change. And keep in mind, whether dealing with diapers or government corruption, we’re going to get our hands dirty. But that kind of dirt washes off.

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Will SCOTUS end government-run, tax-funded schooling?

Posted on 2025-03-07 by TPOL Nathan

Steve, a great correspondent, made us here at TPOL aware of a Cato Institute commentary on an interesting Oklahoma case that the Nine Nazgul have agreed to hear.

In Oklahoma, the money to pay for a child’s education (K-12) is given to the parents who then can choose where to send their child to learn. BUT State laws – implementing federal laws – do not allow parents to pay for their children’s schooling if they sent their kids to a school that teaches the “four Rs” instead of the “three Rs”: just reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmatic.

The fourth R, of course, is religion. As do many private schools – Catholic, Protestant, nondenominational, and even Jewish and Islamic. That is as much a no-no as a basketball coach leading a pre-game prayer or reading the Bible (or Torah or Koran) at your desk.

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Ukraine is trashed – let’s stop doing it to them and us

Posted on 2025-03-03 by TPOL Nathan

The warmongers in DC (Democrats and Republicans and the Deep State), New York (the establishment media), London (Starmer and Labour at a minimum), and Europe (seems to be pretty near any and everyone in the EU) want the war between Russia and Ukraine/NATO to continue. At a minimum until Russia is defeated decisively. Crushed, and with yet another NATO member directly on the Russian border. Indeed, we would not be surprised to see a demand for a post-WW1 style occupation zone along much or all of the border inside what even they recognize as “Russia.”

We have just passed the third anniversary of the launch of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – or rather, those portions of the Ukraine where the Ukrainian government, a puppet in many ways of the West (and indeed the West’s creation), abused the majority ethnic Russian population for more than two decades. Or as the media constantly screams, the unjustified invasion of a sovereign nation.

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The human touch – of death?

Posted on 2025-02-28 by TPOL Nathan

Various sources report more and more evidence that the drumbeat of deadly and widely feared pandemics we see marching across the States and the world are not a corrupted natural world turning against us, but rather due to human actions. Some of that can be viewed as stupidity, but there is much evidence that more and more are intentional.

So-called “lab leaks” are blamed for the spread of diseases which the world has not seen before. Oddly enough, we do not hear of evolutionists proclaiming this is a “natural” situation. And when we look at the lists of 20th and especially 21st century epidemics and pandemics, the natural thing to say is, “These may be intentional, and not accidental, releases. So who benefits?”

Are there lab leaks – unintentional ones? Of course. And regardless of cause, many leaks are quite consequential. Here are a few:

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Fake laws, fake judges, but … real punishments

Posted on 2025-02-26 by TPOL Nathan

Many federal and State agencies have a shadow system of courts – we cannot call them a justice system, for they are most injust. In some States, this power is delegated down to counties and other local governments.

In our opinion, they are nothing more or less than a method of tyranny. Over the years, many of us have had to deal with these so-called “administrative law judges” and their bogus courts.

These judges do not adjudicate real laws: statutes and such legislation passed by legislatures and approved (and supposedly enforced) by the executive. Instead, they deal mostly with “administrative ‘law.” That is a euphemism for government regulations. Sometimes they deal with “codes” – a term used to describe documents of hundreds or thousands of pages filled with prohibitions and mandates. Codes usually incorporated into statutes by reference.

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Why aren’t we there yet?

Posted on 2025-02-24 by TPOL Nathan

More and more, as we see the changes in regime since the 20th of January, 2025, we hear and read people who seem to think that paradise is nearly here. (Or nirvana, or “heaven on earth.”) And of course, we hear and read people who seem to think that the new regime has doomed America, and we are all going to die, get sent to Gitmo, or some other horrible fate.

It is easy to see how people would get excited about this. Whether they are eager and hopeful for the future. Or whether they are absolutely sure that we have a convicted criminal tyrant and dictator who is leading our entire nation and world off the cliff.

A lot of people ARE eager to leave at least the past four years behind us. Even those that hate and despise the new regime and its leader. But…

Although The Donald (Trump 2.0) has clearly learned from his mistakes in 2017-2021, we know just how hard it is to break habits. Especially bad habits, and even after a four-year break. So we see him doing some of the same things he did before – and the actual or potential backfiring of those things. Trusting the wrong people. Saying mean things. Thinking that just maybe this time, more people will look beyond the terror-promoting screams of Never-Trump. So after just 30 days, the jury is still out.

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They have itching ears…

Posted on 2025-02-22 by TPOL Nathan

Really?

There have been more than a few followers of Christ Jesus (and many who follow the Law of Moses) who have objected vehemently to the actions proposed by The Donald’s DOGE and his eeevviilll henchman or alter ego Elon. Actions to cut USAID providing assistance to millions around the world. Actions to scrub Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid rolls of liars, cheats, and dead people. Actions to cut the bloated payroll of the FedGov.

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The hit dog barks

Posted on 2025-02-21 by TPOL Nathan

The German defense minister proves the old adage, the hit dog barks. That seems to be the case in Muenchen (Munich) last week, at the big “security conference.” When US VP Vance accused European nations of “destroying democracy” and feeding lies while denying truths, and taking away the liberties of their people – while expediting the invasion of those nations, Pistorius threw away his prepared speech to tell Vance “this is not acceptable.” Not the status of the European Union nations and others, but for Vance to speak out boldly against their perversions.

(To libertarians, including us here at TPOL, these are not “perversions” of course. At least not as far as the government ruilers: this is business as usual. Lies, tyranny, authoritarianism, denial of rights, and other actions are what governments do.)

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