The only legitimate right to govern is an express grant of power from the governed.
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President John Tyler
Patronage is the sword and cannon by which war may be made on the liberty of the human race.
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Can Do America
Canning was revolutionary, in its heyday, soon after the process was perfected. Canned foods became an integral part of everyday American life. And still are: Canned soup, vegetables and beans, for instance — along with thousands of other items — still line the supermarket aisles, contributing to the quality of life in most American homes.
Home canning, on the other hand, became an even bigger deal early on, and during the Great Depression was the prime way many folks survived. At harvest time, housewives, grandmothers, and children — and even a few men — spent hours and hours canning enough fruits and meats and vegetables to carry the rest of the year.
But home canning went under a popularity eclipse with the rise of frozen foods and the improvements in mass production canning.
Now it’s back. Home canning is almost a craze, and has been since . . . the mortgage crisis implosion of 2008. It rocketed up 30 percent in the year immediately following. This is not exactly news. What’s news is that the trend continued, growing 10 percent the following year.
Hey, canning easy-to-prepare foods serves as insurance. Lose your income? Still have food. Lose the power grid in a possible future debacle? You still have food — and can heat something up with firewood or propane or . . . burning trash.
Or don’t heat it at all. Canned food is even good without re-cooking. I’ve had some exquisite home-canned foods, right out of the jar . . .
Tough times coming? We can meet them head on and survive. A “can” do attitude helps.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
When I heard that Mitt Romney had chosen Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan to be his vice-presidential running mate, I thought, “Wow. It could have been worse.”
I like Paul Ryan. You know, for a politician.
Rep. Ryan, at least, appears to be serious about our country’s 16 trillion debt and the fact that yearly we’re still credit-carding a trillion more onto that tab. Ryan has crunched the numbers and written a budget blueprint that offers a more-or-less responsible way to restructure in-the-red programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security that drive the government’s debt.
The “professional left” will argue that Paul Ryan wants to throw grandma off a cliff by slashing Medicare, but I think the problem is that his budget doesn’t go far enough. Under Ryan’s own optimistic predictions of economic growth, his balanced budget is still a decade away. According to analyses by the Congressional Budget Office and others, the Ryan “Path to Prosperity” won’t bring the federal budget into balance for many decades – 30 to 50 years.
Which, the way Washington works, means never.
And that’s even before the plan goes through Congress, where far too few share Ryan’s hawkishness on budgetary matters.
Paul Ryan is a breath of fresh air compared to mealy-mouthed politicians such as Obama and Biden . . . and Romney. But even if the Romney-Ryan ticket wins, Ryan will only occupy what John Adams called “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.”
Sounds like we’re still somewhere short of salvation.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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Francis Hutcheson
Wisdom denotes the pursuing of the best ends by the best means.
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Don’t French-Fry Les Riches
French voters were in a mood to eject the incumbent, often a good idea. But, alas, the president they picked to replace Nicolas Sarkozy is an ardent socialist. And socialism, sanctified or not by centuries-old fealty to notions of French Revolutionary egalité, is always a très mauvaise idée.
President François Hollande has vowed to impose a 75 percent tax on all income over a million euros, or about 1.25 million dollars. Such a steep levy is supposed to be moral because making lots of money is per se morally suspect — at least according to the egalitarianism in which Hollande is steeped.
The tax gouge is also supposed to be practical in that it will supposedly help cure France’s debt crisis. Sure, looting les riches will cover but a smidgen of France’s debt pileup. But because even not-rich Frenchmen are also likely to pay higher taxes to appease the EU, it’s best to pave the way by first flogging the envious not-rich man’s favorite target.
Meanwhile, more sensible measures — like freeing up the French economy and slashing the government’s social welfare programs — don’t seem to rank very high on Hollande’s to-do list.
In response to the danger, many of the wealthiest and most productive Frenchmen are doing the only moral and practical thing. They’re packing their bags, just in case their new leader fulfills his vow. If so, they’ll flee to lower-taxing places like Belgium and Switzerland, where jobseekers will be delighted to have them.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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Vannevar Bush
Mendel’s concept of the laws of genetics was lost to the world for a generation because his publication did not reach the few who were capable of grasping and extending it; and this sort of catastrophe is undoubtedly being repeated all about us, as truly significant attainments become lost in the mass of the inconsequential.
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Vannevar Bush
The pioneer spirit is still vigorous within this nation. Science offers a largely unexplored hinterland for the pioneer who has the tools for his task.
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Video: Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity”
“Washington has not been telling you the truth,” says Rep. Paul Ryan — Mitt Romney’s selection for his running mate:
Consider what he offers, following up with the rest of the video in its second and third installments.
But take caution. Rep. Ryan’s plan is very slow to take effect, if what you are aiming for is balanced budgets. And as David Boaz has argued, it’s a good example of Republican “me-tooism,” of offering Democratic policy at an allegedly discounted price.
Contrary to what we are often told, there’s nothing radical about Ryan’s plan. Indeed, it’s so non-radical, it makes him a perfect fit with Mitt Romney’s presidential bid. Of course, scuttlebutt has it that Romney will put forth his own, distinct plan, no doubt building on Ryan’s — and we will see what that is, whether it strengthens or weakens Ryan’s approach.
Republican candidate for the U.S. Presidency Mitt Romney has received some flak for keeping some of his vast hoard of wealth in foreign accounts. Though I have a few problems with Mr. Romney, this isn’t one of them. Folks with savings and investments should diversify. Anyone with large amounts of money should consider diversifying beyond our borderlines.
And not just for “tax avoidance” reasons, either.
For one thing, as nice and generous as our politicians are, the U.S. isn’t exactly stable and business-friendly. That used to be the U.S. It may not be, any longer.
Take Peter Schiff’s new endeavor. The redoubtable Schiff, an investment expert perhaps best known for having predicted the 2008 mortgage crisis and the severity of the current recession, has started a gold bank, Euro Pacific Bank Ltd., which will back deposits with gold. The actual yellow stuff.
Its most interesting innovation will be its offer of a “gold debit card,” for use worldwide. Peter Wenzel calls this idea “awesome,” but then notes the downside:
U.S. security laws have become so intrusive, burdensome, and expensive to comply with, that it made it difficult for Schiff to offer the services in the U.S. So, Schiff opened his bank offshore, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It operates outside the jurisdiction of U.S. security regulations, and does not accept accounts from American citizens or residents.
America’s place in the world is changing. And not for the better.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.