Zawahiri Christmas Greeting

by Mr. Bob | 1:48 pm, December 10, 2010

Xcel Energy, the cost of going green, and the Progressive’s war on the p…

by David K. Williams, Jr. | 1:09 pm, December 10, 2010

BlueCarp

Most Voters Still Lowball the Amount of Money Funding K-12 Public Schools

by Eddie | 12:13 pm, December 10, 2010

Interesting results from a survey by the Foundation for Educational Choice came out recently, gauging opinions and understanding of education issues of voters in six different states: Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, New Jersey and New York.
Taking a look at the full results (PDF) is fascinating. A few items about school choice jump out. Respondents in [...]

Colorado’s Ali Hasan, ‘Muslims For Bush’ Leader Shows True Colors: Blue Blood

by Laura Victoria | 9:43 am, December 10, 2010

Former RINO GOP candidate for Colorado Treasurer,  who was trounced at the assembly and eliminated from the primary,  Muhammed Ali Hasan, has reportedly been wooed big time by hottie Nancy Pelosi, and has now reverted to being a Dem.  As … Continue reading →

The FCC’s attempt to get Net Neutrality of any sort, through any method

by Rossputin | 8:47 am, December 10, 2010

Last Tuesday evening, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski released his agenda for the FCC’s upcoming December 21st meeting, with the primary order of business being discussion of – and presumably a vote on &#821…

Questions for Ali Hasan

by Elliot | 7:30 am, December 10, 2010

Ali – you have indicated that your switch is based on opposition to Republican social rhetoric and that you will be the same old Ali.  To verify that, I have a bunch of questions for you.  Answer at your leisure. 1) As a democrat, will you publicly oppose Obamacare? 2) As a democrat, will you [...]

College Students Convince Environmentalists to Sign Petition to Ban Water

by PerlStalker | 12:12 am, December 10, 2010

This is just priceless. A group called CFACT decided to have some fun at the Climate Change conference in Mexico this week by circulating a petition to ban dihydrogen monoxide. From the CFACT site:

The second project was as successful as the first. …

Commies alive and well

by Mr. Bob | 5:22 pm, December 9, 2010

#commie #che #tcot #teapartyIf you think the soul of communism died when the walls fell, think again. Just try and write something on your blog that is critial of Che’ Guevera or Fidel Castro and see what comes out of the woodwork to berate and threate…

Maureen O’Dowd on Sarah Palin

by David K. Williams, Jr. | 4:11 pm, December 9, 2010

I am not a fan of Sarah Palin. I do not believe she is all that smart, and she endorsed Big Government Republican John McCain for Senator over a smaller government Republican J.D. Hayworth in the Arizona primary. (I don’t care that she “owed” McCain fo…

Regis student, PPC contributor spurs campus controversy with ‘diversity’ article, to discuss it at 6pm TONIGHT

by Jimmy Sengenberger | 4:00 pm, December 9, 2010

Seng Center Host Jimmy Sengenberger to discuss controversy and ‘anger’ brewing over school newspaper article Tonight at krcx.org ————————— Only on a left-leaning college campus! Tonight at 6pm online at krcx.org, host Jimmy Sengenberger of the Regis University Seng Center radio show will first address the brewing campus-wide controversy and outrage over a recent article he [...]

Rep. Polis: Illegal aliens are “de facto Americans”

by Michael Sandoval | 3:15 pm, December 9, 2010

The urgency of the Dream Act vote for Democrats was apparent not only in the wording from U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., but in the recognition that the party must shore up the support from one of its critical constituencies ahead of the 2012 Presidential election.

Federal debt as cancer, social security as ponzi scheme, and we get what…

by David K. Williams, Jr. | 2:56 pm, December 9, 2010

BlueCarp

Welcome to Colorado. Here’s Some Money

by Jon Caldara | 1:18 pm, December 9, 2010

Hi. Welcome to Colorado Mr. and Mrs. Senior Citizen. Here’s your entitlement.
Yes, that actually happens. Bet you didn’t know it though. You see, Colorado is behind the times. Not only do we get the latest fashion trends coming from NYC a year or two late (faux furs were soooo last year…), we’re also the LAST [...]

Congrats to Colo. School Districts with Distinction, School Centers of Excellence

by Eddie | 12:42 pm, December 9, 2010

This morning, Colorado’s outgoing governor Bill Ritter formally recognized some schools and school districts for outstanding academic performance.
A couple observations, first about the school districts. As Ed News Colorado’s Nancy Mitchell explains and breaks down, there are five levels of rating districts can earn from the state’s Department of Education. Only 14 of 178 [...]

Extortion of the welfare state

by Rossputin | 6:59 am, December 9, 2010

I’ve been thinking about writing up a story covering news which didn’t get too much attention about a proposed settlement with black and indian (PC: “Nativ e American”) farmers regarding farm subsidies.

As I have been swamped in recent days with business meetings and other stuff, for today’s reading allow me to suggest this editorial by Investors Business Daily which has the same approach (and more information) to offer on the topic.  It’s a fascinating study in the logical conclusion of a welfare state:

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/556104/201012071900/Reparations-When-Pigford-Flies.htm

Brad Beck Pitches Liberty Toastmasters

by Ari Armstrong | 12:55 am, December 9, 2010

Toastmasters is a well-known speaking club. Liberty Toastmasters is a themed Denver club that emphasizes America’s founding ideals of liberty and free-markets. Brad Beck, a founder of Liberty Toastmasters, explains some of the goals of Toastmasters and…

Tax cuts, unemployment benefits, school vouchers, and Lindsey Vonn v Maria Sharapova

by David K. Williams, Jr. | 3:31 pm, December 8, 2010

BlueCarp

THE Holiday Event!

by redrocks | 3:13 pm, December 8, 2010

Great Food, Great Libations, Great Fun, and a GREAT CAUSE!!!

(Prepay now and save – these tickets are gonna go fast)

Come celebrate the season with all your Liberty friends, along with other legislators, politicos, and some of our past speakers (listed here), who have been invited as [...]

Fined for Not Being a Pirate?

by Jon Caldara | 2:48 pm, December 8, 2010

If the logic behind being fined for NOT engaging in commerce makes any sense, then we should all be fined for NOT engaging in piracy, says Professor Rob Natelson. Rob has a new piece out on the constitutionality of ObamaCare in the Health Policy Solutions blog titled, “Constitution’s ‘Commerce Power’ Doesn’t Allow Federal Takeover of [...]

Weld County School Board Challenged for Taking On Local Union Prerogatives

by Ben DeGrow | 1:36 pm, December 8, 2010

Colorado is an interesting place for education reform, for many reasons. Among them are issues related to teacher professional membership and representation: In Colorado, public school teachers have a right to join or not join (and not pay fees to) a union or other professional membership organization. In Colorado, elected school boards are not obligated [...]

Little Girl Tells Ms. Johnson, Colorado Teachers About Dec. 15 Refund Deadline

by Eddie | 11:47 am, December 8, 2010

It’s not often I get to tell you about a kid cuter than little ol’ me. But credit goes to Lynn Bartels at the Denver Post for noting the real star of this great video — a video which explains how the Colorado Education Association automatically collects funds from members “to help influence elections” and [...]

Being Paid to Do Nothing

by Al Maurer | 11:23 am, December 8, 2010

Paying people or land to be idle is morally wrong.

Teresi: Civic Virtue Precedes Liberty

by Ari Armstrong | 10:09 am, December 8, 2010

Amanda Teresi, founder of Liberty On the Rocks, delivered a speech December 4 at Liberty Toastmasters. Her basic theme was that liberty depends on a virtuous and knowledgeable citizenry.

“Fishy” Practices in Adams County as Superintendent Splashes Out on Hotel Upgrades, Late Fees

by Michael | 9:11 am, December 8, 2010

Cash-strapped Adams County School District–in a school year that featured salary freezes and a three percent budget reduction among other cost-cutting measures–could ill-afford to waste precious resources and yet, it appears that was the case, as CBS 4 in Denver revealed:
Adams County School District 50 squandered precious taxpayer dollars month after month by not [...]

Obama’s economic immorality

by Rossputin | 8:17 am, December 8, 2010

In my note on these pages yesterday, I discussed Obama’s economic confusion.  In the interest of re-emphasizing and more widely spreading the idea that Obama’s economic views are not just economic nonsense, but they’re also immoral, I’ve elaborated on yesterday’s note in an article for the American Spectator.

I hope you’ll read it and share it with your friends:

http://spectator.org/archives/2010/12/08/a-hollow-victory

Contrasting Sen. Udall’s fiscal rhetoric with his voting record

by Kelly Maher | 11:30 pm, December 7, 2010

U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., cited the nation’s “looming debt” as a reason to oppose President Obama’s proposal to maintain current tax rates, along with other measures, that carry a $900 billion price tag. And what is Udall’s voting record on fiscal issues over the past decade? [At left, Udall spoke recently on the earmark ban proposal.]

Two New Reports: Colorado Lawmakers Can Make K-12 Education More Productive

by Eddie | 12:14 pm, December 7, 2010

So you just got elected (or re-elected) to the Colorado state legislature. But it’s not as much fun as you thought, because they say there’s this big budget deficit that has to be made up. And that means some spending cuts, which won’t make you the most popular person with a lot of the interest [...]

Replace Road Signs. Really?

by Al Maurer | 11:03 am, December 7, 2010

The latest in big government is a federally-mandated road sign requirement.

Kelly Maher Reviews WhoSaidYouSaid.com

by Ari Armstrong | 9:19 am, December 7, 2010

I interviewed Kelly Maher, cofounder of WhoSaidYouSaid.com, on the organization’s first birthday.Maher said that her video-based web page seeks the “revelatory moments” of politicians addressing the issues. She said her organization’s goal is to educat…

Obama’s economic confusion

by Rossputin | 9:13 am, December 7, 2010

Yesterday, as Barack Obama offered his usual leftist pablum regarding his desire to raise taxes on those earning over $250,000 but his willingness to give that up in return for Republican agreement on extending unemployment benefits, he betrayed a world-turned-upside-down misunderstanding of the source of wealth and the proper role of government.

I have to say I can barely watch our president any more.  I think that he either lies or misunderstands absolutely everything, at least everything relating to economics. So I won’t burden you with including a video of The One in this note.  You’ve seen the movie before, with his now-boring and less believable than ever preachy style of a man who knows he has to cover his utter lack of substance with at least an appearance of style and “caring”.

First, Obama says that continuing the current rates for the upper tax bracket is something the government “can’t afford right now”.  Amazingly, some large percentage of Americans including nearly all Democrats take that statement at face value without thinking about what he’s really saying: that money which high-earners earn is first the property of the government and only secondarily, and only if government feels generous, to be allowed to be kept by those who earned it.

Second, Obama implores Congress to extend unemployment benefits for people who have lost their jobs “through no fault of their own.”  Again, many or most Americans will simply accept this statement at face value.  And again, learning the lesson from Bastiat that we must consider “that which is unseen”, what do Obama’s words mean?  They mean that because someone is suffering a hardship which is not “their own fault”, it is everyone else’s responsibility to give our money, or more precisely our children’s and grandchildren’s money, to that person.

The “no fault of their own” argument is the 21st century analogue of “to each according to his need”; and 99-week unemployment benefits paid for by deficits and the 1% of taxpayers who pay 40% of income taxes is the analogue of “from each according to his ability.”  Obama’s argument is naked socialism.

It’s one thing for Republicans to take political victories where available. To be sure, even with Republicans agreeing to Obama’s desired unemployment insurance extension, getting all the Bush tax cuts extended, not to mention the other tax cuts and extensions in the deal, will be a stunning victory during a lame duck session in which Democrats retain huge majorities in both houses of Congress.

But this is a short-term purely political victory.  The Republicans have done precious little to explain WHY the tax cut extensions are not just good economics but are more moral, or at least less immoral, than making our income tax system even more “progressive”.  They have done nothing to explain WHY “through no fault of their own” is an immoral argument.

I’ll have more on this later, but at least want to get you thinking about these issues – and thinking about talking about them with others as this debate progresses.  The forces of liberty cannot win without creating among the public a strong understanding of the immorality of the views of the left.

———

Don Boudreaux nailed it in a note to the NY Times:

Editor, The New York Times
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10018

To the Editor:

Upset at the GOP’s strategy for securing Pres. Obama’s agreement to extend all of the Bush tax cuts, Janet Kehl writes that “Holding much-needed relief for millions of desperate unemployed Americans hostage to tax cuts for multimillionaires is despicable” (Letters, Dec. 7).

What’s despicable is holding a proposal that allows some Americans to keep more of their own money hostage to a policy of giving other Americans more of other people’s money.

Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Professor of Economics
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030

« go back — keep looking »

Featured Posts

• Judge Rules Americans Can Be Forced to Testify Against Themselves

  In order to protect our rights, our security must be protected. In order to protect our security, our rights must be invaded. Nothing wrong with that, is there?

• World Economic Forum in Switzerland: Global Elites Celebrating Hypocrisy
• SCOTUS decision on warrantless GPS surveillance produces an expected friend of privacy
• You didn’t want your Fifth Amendment rights, anyway, did you?
• Keynesian Economists Finally Catch Up and Agree: China to Have Hard Landing
• The Beauty of Private Property—from China?
• Regime Uncertainty, Regulatory Surge, and Unemployment Numbers