Category: links

For our Townhall readers, an expansion on a theme from last week: the nature of interventionism.

Click on  over, then come back here for more reading. Or, perhaps, discussion. And caution: concentration and “too big to fail” are not the only problems that are emerging in the wake of Dodd-Frank. As suggested in the Whac-A-Mole game, problems keep on coming.

• “Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act” (Wikipedia)
• “The State and Fate of Community Banking,” by Marshall Lux and Robert Greene (Harvard Kennedy School)
• “New study finds that Dodd-Frank has promoted industry consolidation and killed community banks,” by Todd Zywicki (Washington Post)
• Critique of Interventionism, by Ludwig von Mises
• Whac-A-Mole (Wikipedia)
• “Dodd-Frank Law: Regulations Won’t Fix What’s Wrong,” by Frank Calabria (The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 6, 2011)
• “The Big Flaws in Dodd-Frank,” by Gene Epstein (Barron’s)
• “Dodd-Frank: What It Does and Why It’s Flawed,” (Mercatus report, PDF, edited by Hester Peirce and James Broughel)
• “Four Years of Dodd-Frank Damage,” by Peter J. Wallisson (Wall Street Journal)

Expanding on thoughts from Thursday for Townhall‘s readership, the politics of vaccination.

Your Common Sense purveyor happens to be suffering from some bug, as if to echo the subject of the column. Not sure this lends any credence or bestows any excuse, though.

Click on over, then come back for further reading:

• “Disney Measles Outbreak Came From Overseas, CDC Says,” by Maggie Fox (NBC)
• “Dr. Obama and Dr. McCain,” by Michael Dobbs
• “Hillary Clinton Wanted To Investigate Link Between Autism And Vaccinations,” by Chuck Ross (Daily Caller)
• “Howard Dean: Rand Paul’s Anti-Vaxxer Remarks Disqualify Him From Becoming President,” by Heather (Crooks and Liars)
• “Shame and shun anti-vaccine parents,” by Ronald Bailey (New York Daily News)
• “Herd Immunity” (Wikipedia)
• “Public Goods,” by Tyler Cowen (Concise Encyclopedia of Economics) — on the concept of a “free rider”

It is one thing to be alert to possible catastrophe. Quite another to yearn for it. Yes, it’s time again for the end of the world! Read all about it at Townhall. Click on over, then come back here for further reading. If you have time.

• “Blizzard Juno: Incredible time-lapse footage shows terrifying storm cover Boston in inches of snow,” by Kara O’Neill (Mirror)
• “Repeating News Story: Global Warming To Make Blizzards Worse,” by Paul C. “Chip” Knappenberger and Patrick J. Michaels (Cato at Liberty)
• “2014 as the Mildest Year: Why You are Being Misled on Global Temperatures,” by Dr. Roy Spencer, Ph.D.
• “2014 a Record Warm Year? Probably Not,” by Dr. Roy Spencer, Ph.D.

Sometimes it is easy to help — help an important cause. Dr. Annette Bosworth‘s is such a cause.

Here is contact information for Attorney General Marty Jackley:

Ask him to do the right thing.

PLEASE DISMISS ALL FELONY CHARGES AGAINST DR. ANNETTE BOSWORTH.

Phone: (605) 773-3215

Email: atghelp@state.sd.us

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MartyJackley

Background on the case:

• Townhall: An Egyptian Crackdown in South Dakota
• The Right Side Blog: That Evil Annette Bosworth
• Lee Stranahan with Brought to Light: Two Nightmares
• Common Sense: Time to Drop the Charges
• South Dakota Is Scared: Part One — “Two Nightmares” (MP3)

To contribute to the doctor’s legal defense:

Annette Bosworth Legal Support Fund

P.O. Box 130

Tea, SD 57064

For information: bosworthlegalfund@gmail.com

The DC Metro story is going through its predictable stages of decline and folly. The irrational fanaticism of its supporters is the latest stage.

Click on over to Townhall for an expansion of the story covered here earlier this week. Come back here for the usual extra credit.

• Aaron Wiener in The Washington Post: “Metro’s a mess. All the more reason to ride it”
• Aaron Wiener in The City Paper: “In Deadly Metro Incidents, Lessons Learned (and Not Learned)”
• ABCNews.com: “Smoke-Filled Subway Train Leaves 1 Dead, 84 Hospitalized in Washington”
• Washington Post: “1 dead, dozens hurt after Metro car fills with smoke”
• Washington Post: “Radio communication was nonexistent in smoke-filled Metro tunnel”
• WeLoveDC.com: “NTSB Finds Systemic WMATA Safety Issues From Red Line Crash Investigations”
• Paul Jacob at Townhall: “Profits: A Matter of Life and Death”

This week over at Townhall, your Common Sense columnist offers a perspective on what has been called the biggest mass protest in human history.

Click on over, then come back here for more reading.

• AP: France Arrests 54 For Defending Terrorism, Announces Crack Down
• Independent Business Times: Who Is Dieudonné? Controversial French Comic Arrested For Charlie Hebdo Facebook Post
• The New Yorker: Why French Law Treats Dieudonné and Charlie Hebdo Differently
• Huffington Post: “Limiting Hate Speech Is Important, Even After Charlie Hebdo” by Erik Bleich, Professor of Political Science, Middlebury College
• The Independent: French police arrest 54 people for ‘defending or glorifying terrorism’
• Common Dreams: Days After Free Speech Rally, France Arrests 54 People for Offensive Speech

What does a South Dakota physician have in common with an Egyptian political activist? Persecution by their respective governments.

Yes, it can happen here, folks.

Click on over to Townhall, and come back here for a little extra medicine.

• Wikipedia: Ayman Nour
• YouTube: Dr. Bosworth “I can decide to stand up and run for the US Senate or watch healthcare dissolve” [6 min]
• YouTube: Dr. Annette Bosworth on Career Politicians [5 min]
• RT: SD Senate candidate loses primary, arrested for election fraud the next day
• KSFY: US Senate candidate addresses charges [2 min]
• YouTube: Annette Bosworth Speaks to Supporters re: Indictment [1 min]
• Right Side Blog: That Evil Annette Bosworth
• Lee Stranahan: Annette Bosworth and Campaign Attorney Joel Arends [17 min]
• SD Attorney General Marty J. Jackley: bio

Ah, Connecticut! The state in which eminent domain became eminently crazy, in the infamous Kelo case. In that case they targeted private homes to put in . . . a vacant lot? Now bus routes are target.

Click on over to Townhall, for the meat of the story. Come back here for some background, why don’t you?

• Hartford Courant: “A New Legal Weapon For State DOT: Condemnation of ‘Intangible Property’”
• CT News Junkie: “Malloy Believes Busway Will Be A Success”
• “Mobilizing the Region: Connecticut Breaks Ground on Busway”
• CT fastrak [official website]
• National Review: “Nine Years after Kelo, the Seized Land Is Empty”
• Common Sense: “Apologies to Ms. Kelo,” by Paul Jacob
• Wikipedia: Kelo v. City of New London
• Wikipedia: Fifth Amendment (text)
• Connecticut Nicknames

It is one thing to get dunning letters for a debt that you did not take on yourself. It is another thing to have the collectors come and just take.

Yes, over at Townhall.com, it is time to take on the takers . . . in the SSA. Click on over, then come back here. You know, for good company, and some hints on further reading.

• Washington Post: “Social Security, Treasury target taxpayers for their parents’ decades-old debts”
• Washington Post: “Social Security stops trying to collect on old debts by seizing tax refunds”
• Washington Post: “Social Security continuing to pursue claims against family members for old debts”
• Social Security Administration (SSA.gov)

This weekend at Townhall, a look at a “favorite son,” the latest “leader” to dip his toe into presidential waters. America doesn’t need that kind of leadership.

Click on over, give it a read, then come back here to make sure you’ve got a grasp on the extent of our mutual “insider” problem in these United States.

• “Another Insider,” by Paul Jacob (Thursday on This is Common Sense)
• “The Emerging Battle Between Political Outsiders and Insiders,” by Peter Suderman (Reason‘s Hit & Run)
• “A Dy-nasty Business,” by Wirkman Virkkala
• “Not quite ready for Jeb Bush – not ready for Clinton Vs Bush either,” by Jennifer Harper (Washington Times)

And did you see yesterday’s selected video? This is the kind of speech I’d like to hear from a newly elected president. On Thursday, “Another Insider?” covered some of the material in this weekend’s Townhall.com column.