Author: Redactor

Categories
free trade & free markets

High Tech versus Disaster

Amidst all the tragedy dealt by the earthquake in Haiti, there have also been inspiring tales of coping and survival — some occasioned by the wonders of modern technology.

Consider the cell phone and its muscular cousin, Apple’s versatile iPhone.

The iPhone was the star of Dan Woolley’s self-rescue effort. Woolley, an American filmmaker, was in Haiti when the earthquake buried him in rubble. Help would not arrive until three days later. So he consulted an iPhone application to learn how to make a tourniquet for his leg and bandage his own head wound. Without the software, Woolley might not have survived.

Few in Haiti have iPhones, but many have access to some kind of cell phone. For weeks after the earthquake, electricity was out. Landlines were dead too. But in a patchy way the cellular network was up within days. Voice calls remained iffy, but you could easily send text messages.

Without electricity, though, how to power up a drained cell phone and contact a loved one? That’s where street-corner entrepreneurs came in, hooking up power strips to car batteries and charging 40 cents or so to charge a cell.

We often take technology for granted. But the high-tech that makes life easier in normal times can also help us contend with disaster. As do the markets that make the technology and its maintenance possible.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Categories
ballot access insider corruption political challengers

Independent at the FEC?

Nowhere has President Obama lost more support than among independent voters. So, now Mr. Obama is talking up bipartisanship. But his focus is too narrow. He needs to think more about NONpartisanship — or, perhaps, “transpartisanship.”

Take for instance the Federal Election Commission. The FEC is governed by six commissioners — three Republicans and three Democrats. As Theresa Amato, an attorney and author of Grand Illusion: The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-Party Tyranny, wrote recently in the Kansas City Star, “[M]ake no mistake that the FEC is a partisan body.”

Amato — who serves on the board of Citizens in Charge Foundation, this program’s sponsor — explained that the FEC’s partisan make-up is not caused by “the demands of the law, merely the outcome of a ‘bipartisan’ rather than ‘nonpartisan’ appointment process.”

Amato suggests an easy way to break the partisan gridlock at the FEC and to reach out to the majority of Americans who identify as “independents”: Appoint the first non-Republican, non-Democrat as commissioner — someone independent, or a representative of a third party.

Months ago, leaders of IndependentVoting.org wrote to the president also urging him to shake up the FEC in exactly this manner.

It’s bad enough for a federal agency to regulate political campaigns and political speech. It’s worse to allow the two major parties to control such an agency. We need more independence — and thus independents.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Categories
education and schooling free trade & free markets too much government

Take That Money

I didn’t notice it right away, but President Obama included some strange stuff about student loans in his State of the Union address. He called the current system an “unwarranted” taxpayer subsidy to banks.

Well, yeah. His solution? Another unwarranted taxpayer subsidy.

The president seeks to give families a $10,000 tax credit for sending kids to college. He also insists that no student spend more than 10 percent of his income to pay back loans, and that the unpaid portion of loans be forgiven after 20 years.

Further, if the former student happens to work for the government, the loan would be forgiven in half that time — just ten years!

This amounts to a huge special favor to government workers, of course. It may sound nice and patriotic when the president calls it “public service,” but it seems less so when you realize that government workers now earn, on average, more than private sector workers. Perhaps the fact that public employee unions are a big spending political powerhouse for Obama and Democrats matters in some small way.

Alas, more vote buying.

The president used an interesting phrase, explaining what he’s up to. He instructs us to “take that money” now loaned by banks and “give to families.” This is pseudo-specific. It’s not the same money.

But a politician obscuring the real source of wealth is nothing new.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Categories
too much government U.S. Constitution

The Man Who Would Be Missed

A billboard went up in Wyoming, Minnesota. It features a photo of ex-prez George W. Bush, with a goofy smile and one of his off-kilter, clumsy poses, with the large caption “Miss Me Yet?”

Some dispute the intent of the message. The anonymous businessmen who paid for it aren’t talking. But it seems pretty clear to me. To ask the question is to challenge the current man in the hot seat.

For my part, I never hated George W. Bush the way some did — but I never admired him as did many others. In my mind, Bush didn’t do much for limited government and the rule of law. He mostly moved things in the other direction.

Sadly, that “other direction” is not exactly a new direction. It’s old hat. More government. More regulation. More spending. More debt.

And, even sadder, the current president likes George W. Bush’s direction. He’s taken Bush’s Keynesian stimulus ideas, and upped the ante. He took the bailouts, and bailed out more businesses. And he took Bush’s two wars, and he’s put more money and men and women into them.

Miss Mr. Bush? There are days when it looks like we’re experiencing his third term. And enough was enough already, long ago.

How long ago?

Picture good ol’ Grover Cleveland, and picture that picture with the caption, “Miss Me Yet?”

Well, yes.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Categories
national politics & policies

Ice Is Also Great

We all like talking about the weather, and one reason “global warming” theory caught on was not because of the science, but because it gives us a “just-so”-type scenario to spice up any conversation.

Here on the East Coast, we’ve endured one of the snowiest winters in years. Elsewhere, the winter’s been moderate.

Must be global warming!

The tendency to make every kind of weather a paradigm-case instance of global warming has become something of a joke. We all know that “weather is not climate,” but we’ve also heard a lot of silliness about how this or that weather proves a coming global warming catastrophe.

Al Gore almost invented the technique.

Last week a quip — a “tweet” — from Senator Jim DeMint made the rounds. He wrote that “It’s going to keep snowing in DC until Al Gore cries ‘uncle.’”

Droll. But the truth remains that one cold snap does not a climate make. What counts for global climate depends on averages, highs, lows, medians, means, and all that.

Knowing this — and knowing that world climate has been much cooler than now as well as much warmer — still leaves me something of a skeptic about the notion that human civilization is the major factor.

Or that warming is altogether bad. An Ice Age, which scientists have been saying we’re overdue for, would be worse.

Brrr. Do I know!

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Categories
media and media people national politics & policies tax policy too much government

Smart Reaction?

If you balk at having more and more of your life run from the nation’s capital, you’re stupid.

Or, so blares Joe Klein in a Time magazine online article, “Too dumb to thrive.”

See, “smart” Americans understand that a trillion in federal “stimulus” spending can only do “good.” Apparently dumb Americans are the ones telling pollsters that the “stimulus” money is being wasted.

Klein says the biggest part of the stimulus is a tax cut for most, meaning more money in their paychecks. But ignorant Americans focus on the huge debts we’ll have to pay back . . . in higher taxes.

Klein says that the second biggest portion of stimulus money went to state governments to keep our kids’ teachers from being laid off and state taxes from being raised. The notion that without the stimulus all the public school teachers would have been pink-slipped is a bit much.

As for higher state taxes, couldn’t state spending actually be cut? And not just on police, teachers and firemen?

Klein’s blithering blathering reminds me of Chris Matthews, and other MSNBC geniuses, who contend that politicians are in deep doo-doo because “people are angry and scared” and want to take their frustrations out on someone.

People are angry and scared, sure. But taking out our anger out on those responsible for destroying our wealth and freedom seems . . . well .  .  . smart.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Categories
free trade & free markets national politics & policies too much government

Do As I Don’t

Many American politicians decry any attempt to liberalize the market for grade school education. They insist that the public school system must be protected from competition. They hate charter schools, vouchers, tax credits, anything like that.

Yet many of these same politicians send their own kids to private schools.

But simultaneously promoting government-run industry, while choosing private alternatives, isn’t just an education pathology. Consider medicine.

Canadian politicians eager for medical care that really works have made it a habit to travel to the United States to get it. The latest is Danny Williams, premier of the Canadian providence of Newfoundland and Labradour. Williams recently trekked stateside for heart surgery. His office wasn’t releasing many details, but indicated that the surgery isn’t routine.

That explains it. If there’s any chance a life-saving procedure will be tricky, quality is really important.

Williams’s deputy premier, Kathy Dunderdale, told reporters that surgery in the province was never an option. She said: “He is doing what’s best for him.” I’m sure that’s true.

Folks, we can’t, just cannot, further put the American medical industry under government bureaucratic control — that is, make our health care as bad as Canada’s. There’s got to be somewhere for our Canadian friends to go when they really need the good stuff.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Categories
initiative, referendum, and recall

Making the Grade

Americans want, need, and demand a greater voice in government.

But how?

The best way is through initiative and referendum, where citizens can vote directly on important issues, propose serious reforms, and check the power of politicians and special interests.

Wonder about the state of your state’s initiative rights? Well, Citizens in Charge Foundation — the sponsor of this program — has just released a comprehensive 50-state report card.

Most states get failing grades. Why? Most provide no way for citizens to put issues on the ballot — or their legislators have regulated the process they do have into near oblivion.

New Jersey got a D for its lack of statewide initiative. But last year’s upset winner for governor, Chris Christie, campaigned on bringing the initiative process to the Garden State. He can’t do much without a cooperative legislature, but he’s promised to use his bully pulpit to focus the public on putting pressure on their representatives.

On a recent “Ask the Governor” radio program there were 50 emails from citizens urging Christie on. Last week, I met with a large group of concerned citizens organizing the grassroots effort.

It won’t be easy to overcome the powerful political forces in New Jersey — or in any other state. But if you believe in self-government, in restoring common sense to governance, stand up: Fight for your initiative rights.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Categories
First Amendment rights U.S. Constitution

Corporations Are Made of People

After the Supreme Court torpedoed restrictions on political speech by corporations, foes of the First Amendment bitterly denounced its Citizens United v. FEC decision.

They don’t consider themselves enemies of freedom of speech, of course. Instead, they think the Court erred by assuming that corporations have First Amendment rights. They say corporations aren’t people; they can’t have rights.

But hey: Corporations — non-profit or for profit — are actually made up of people.

One corporation denouncing free speech for other corporations is The New York Times. Their angry editorial states, “The Constitution . . . mentions many things and assigns them rights and protections — the people, militias, the press, religions. But it does not mention corporations.”

First, the Constitution does not assign any rights to “press” or “religion.” It forbids Congress from abridging individuals’ freedom of the press, freedom of religion.

Second, the Constitution doesn’t exhaustively list relevant institutions. The drafters thought everybody knew that one way we exercise their rights is to organize, cooperatively, into groups — à la freedom of association.

Media corporations have been exempt from limits on campaign spending and political speech. The Times group editorial mind ignores this contradiction. They’re saying, “Our corporate speech is special and worthy of constitutional protection! We’re sincere and good! Members of other corporations, by contrast, can’t be trusted! Therefore, the First Amendment does not apply to them!”

Insist all you like, Mr. Times. You’re still wrong.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Categories
national politics & policies too much government

Do the Right Thing – Later

Late in life, St. Augustine characterized his youthful, wayward ways in a droll prayer: “Lord, make me chaste and celibate — but not yet!”

Today, politicians of both parties understand the sentiment.

On Monday of last week, President Barack Obama unveiled his budget to Congress with this nicely worded maxim: “We simply cannot continue to spend as if deficits don’t have consequences, as if waste doesn’t matter, as if the hard-earned tax money of the American people can be treated like Monopoly money.”

Obama proposed a record budget of $3.8 trillion — including a deficit of well over $1 trillion. We can’t keep deficit spending like this, but we keep deficit spending like this.

Talking to reporters, Obama admitted that he and his friends in Congress “won’t be able to bring down this deficit overnight.” He cited the need for more job creation as reason to continue to spend so much money.

Money we don’t have. So it will be borrowed. Against future taxes. Or future default.

Sure, the president is proposing a freeze. To start next fiscal year. And he’s proposing a bipartisan committee to cook up some way to balance the budget. The committee hasn’t been formed yet.

That seems like too much procrastination for the state of our nation. I think St. Augustine would agree with me: Virtue is not something you put off until next year.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.