Category Archives: Politics: National

The Market [Literally] Shall Restore You

Posted on September 13, 2010 | Leave a comment

Flu shots too hard to get?

Doctor’s office run out?

Making an appointment is too hard to manage?

Actually taking time off to go to the doctor’s office inconvienient?

Check this out:

Not only can I buy groceries at this store, I can buy beer and wine.  I can buy local farm fresh produce from local growers.  I can fill a prescription.  Not only can I fill a prescription, but I can enroll in a program that will get me many medications at $9.99 for a THREE MONTH supply.  Not only that, but I can now walk up, without an appointment, bill my insurance or pay directly and get a flu shot.

At the grocery store.

Not one single vote or law was required for this advancement to occur.  Only that reasonable people, willing to trade time and property be allowed to meet in a market and trade.

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Posted in Economics, Health Care, Liberty, Politics: National, Politics: North Carolina

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More Cash For Clunkers Down the Shit Hole

Posted on September 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

Last week I talked a bit about the waste of money that we named “Cash for Clunkers”.

In short, what I said was that car purchases are elastic.  People can pull forward or push out the purchase of a new car by several months.  In this case it turns out to be 7:

The government’s “cash for clunkers” program boosted auto sales by 360,000 during the two months it was in place.  In the seven months that followed, sales were down by 360,000 compared with what they would have been without the program…

Basically, 7 months after cash for clunkers ended, the same amount of cars wound up being sold.

Wanna know the unintended consequence?

Continue reading →

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Posted in Economics, Politics: National, Transportation

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Senate Race 2010: X

Posted on September 10, 2010 | Leave a comment

Labor day-Gone.

Full on campaign season-Here.

And this is what the folks who are bettin’ are sayin’:

The money says that there is a better than 50% chance the Republicans will have 49 seats after this fall’s election.

In less than 2 years since “Yes We Can”, Obama has found himself with “Change it Back”.

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Posted in Elections 2010, Fun, Politics: National, Senate

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A Call For Tolerance

Posted on September 10, 2010 | Leave a comment

The Bible is the Holy Word of God.  Written by man but directed by God.

The Koran is the same thing, perhaps to Muslims, even more.  In some ways, it may BE Allah.

Burning it, or even threatening to burn it is an insult.

And that crazy Pastor Jones SHOULD be called out for this nonsense.  People are right to be outraged.

But where is the outcry against this?

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Posted in Liberty, Politics: International, Politics: National

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Limits

Posted on September 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

I’m pretty tolerant.  I’m willing to bear a bunch and walk away feeling pretty good that I represented myself well.

I like love. 

I like forgiveness.

I like that whole “Turn the other cheeck” thing.

But some things are just too much.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Liberty, Politics: National

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This for That

Posted on September 8, 2010 | Leave a comment

We’re human.  Subject to all the vagracies that go along with that.  We get our feelings hurt.  We get defensive and competative.  We have a born and bred desire -need in fact- to protect ourselves and our own.

It’s natural for us to react to situations where we feel threatened.  And those reactions, are not always what we would want them to be.  In many cases, days or weeks after, as we look back, we wish that we would have been able to handle the situation better.

But in the heat of the moment–we just….react.

It’s natural after all.  But we should try to do better. Continue reading →

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Posted in Liberty, Politics: National, Raising Men

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Value: Creation and Destruction

Posted on September 6, 2010 | 1 comment

There are three things that you can do with money:

  1. Make more of it
  2. Trade it for something you value
  3. Piss it away

Mostly I want smaller government because I’m afraid that the government is worse at 1 and 2 than I am.  More often than not, they’re Pissing it Away.  Either for votes, or, if they really ARE trying to make things better, they just don’t know how.  [‘Cause serious, if they knew how, they’d be out doin’ it and not subjecting themselves to government].

I know there are things we need a government to do; I know that.

But there are other things that a government SHOULDN’T do; and THEY should know that as well.

And marketing cars is one of those things.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Economics, Economy, Politics: National, Uncategorized

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Government Regulation and Licensing

Posted on September 3, 2010 | 1 comment

I recently posted about my experience with plumbers and gutter guys.  I discovered that plumbers were horrible at communicating, showing up on time, being proactive and delivering.  Gutter guys, on the other hand, not only call ahead to confirm appointments, show up 5-10 minutes early and deliver quotes on time.  They also include the added benefit of bringing the beer.

Hard to beat.

Both professions are being hammered by the recession.  And you can make the argument that the gutter guy is hit harder; his is a discretionary expense.  Both need the work and as groups, should be equally motivated.  They weren’t.

My conclusion?

One is a licensed and regulated industry.  The other isn’t.

But isn’t government regulation necessary in certain industries?

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Posted in Politics: National

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Latest Oil Spill: The Good News

Posted on September 3, 2010 | Leave a comment

A sense of doom hit me in the pit of my stomach when I heard the news:

The Coast Guard is responding to a report of a rig explosion and fire “and people in the water” in the Gulf of Mexico south of Vermilion Bay, authorities said.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel said the rig is around 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay and that a helicopter earlier today reported that it was in fire “and that there was smoke and there were people in the water.”

A very tangible sense of “here we go again” washed over me.

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Posted in Energy, Fun, Politics: National

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Iraq: Looking Back

Posted on September 2, 2010 | 2 comments

The war is over, the Dragon is slain.

And what do we have to show for it?

Just shootin’ from the hip and not really digging into numbers?  I’d say, “Not much”.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Economy, Politics: National, War

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