Month: July 2011

Ethics, Political EconomyLeave a comment

The Spending Crisis

Podritske

Most media coverage of the main political fight in Washington these days refers to the “debt crisis” or “debt ceiling crisis”. Debt is the result of overspending. More spending, in the absence of sufficient revenue, leads to escalating debt. With the US economy already taxed at levels that can negatively impact investment, further spending can only exacerbate the debt problem. A more precise and fundamental headline would be “The Spending Crisis”. Obama Reveals Spending Crisis Unwittingly, President Obama made some remarks on Friday that really drew attention to the spending crisis. He wanted to emphasize that the reason for the … Continue reading The Spending Crisis

Canada, Political EconomyLeave a comment

Smoking Hot

Podritske

Canadians are trapped in an immoral system in which an economic good—medical care—is supplied exclusively by government. Canadians are not permitted to participate in any domestic market for medical care, even as they are constrained by the economically predictable shortages and rationing of care that result from bureaucratic supply. It should not be surprising that under such a system there are elevated levels of stress and conflict. The politicians and bureaucrats charged with “managing” the system are constantly and futilely attempting to get their annually escalating budgets under control. They have their own ways of dealing with conflict. It usually … Continue reading Smoking Hot

Government, RightsLeave a comment

Duelling With Wolves

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Al-Qaeda is on its last legs, according to various US officials; an analysis by journalist Peter Goodspeed touches on the related issues in a National Post article. However, some officials say the main threat now comes from “home-grown” terror. “Lone-Wolves” using the internet to learn their evil craft or to organize plots with other wolves pose a greater danger to us all. The US government is preparing to handle duelling with wolves in its usual blunt-force manner. Fear-Mongering I’ve made the point before that fear-mongering by various named and “unnamed” officials contributes to further abuses of rights using such police-state … Continue reading Duelling With Wolves

Ethics, Political Economy2 Comments

Appoint a Receiver

Podritske

Five months ago I encouraged you to keep an eye on the Statutory Debt Limit in the United States. My premise is that the “debt ceiling” indicates how seriously members of the US Congress and Obama Administration take fiscal responsibility. Since then the partisan bickering has escalated while a general consensus is not whether the limit will be raised but by how much and under what conditions. It is clear that the majority of political participants cannot be entrusted further with finding a resolution. It is time to appoint a Receiver. Debt Caused By Excessive Spending First, consider why law-makers want the … Continue reading Appoint a Receiver

Political EconomyLeave a comment

Sustainability

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The vague concept of “sustainability” is spreading as a cancer around the globe. The term has entered the social lexicon and permeates politics and economics. On some level it sounds positive, but where did it come from and what does it really mean? Sustainability Equals Environmentalism Those who have marched under the banner of “environmentalism” have not given up after several decades of failure to force entire populations to “get back to nature”. The weak intellectual support for a worldwide “green” dictatorship is now taking a new tack. The environmentalists and other Statists have found a more appealing banner in … Continue reading Sustainability

Ethics, Foreign Policy, RightsLeave a comment

The Right Food

Podritske

Did you know that the United Nations employs a position entitled, “The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food”? I did not know it either. Prof. Olivier De Schutter holds that position and his job is to compile reports for the governing body. That is what a Rapporteur does routinely. Prof. Olivier De Schutter has denounced, according to an Agence France-Presse article appearing in the National Post online, a current UN report which supports the Israeli commando raid on a Turkish “aid flotilla” in May of last year. The “Gaza Freedom Flotilla” was bent on breaking the Gaza … Continue reading The Right Food

Government, Media, RightsLeave a comment

Home Grown Terror

Podritske

An unnamed official, through the assistance of mainstream media, is encouraging an atmosphere of “home grown” terror in North America. This is not news to those who understand the tactics of terror; unfortunately, it is mainly the terrorists who possess this understanding. A Reuters story dated 6 July 2011 has the aforementioned unnamed official effectively warning us that terrorists may be scheming to have undetectable explosive devices surgically implanted in their bodies. This would make it easier to smuggle them onto airplanes for later detonation. The unnamed official, according to the story, stresses that no attacks are imminent however. (Foregoing emphasis … Continue reading Home Grown Terror