New York Times - Charity begins in Washington

The Times is wringing its socialist hands over the fact that individuals are actually deciding which charities should get their money. Government you see allocates money "democratically" whereas we don't give enough to social services as the Times thinks we should. If democratic means 50 cents of every dollar being sucked up by Washington and then spent on the Woodstock museum, then we have different definitions of the term. Inefficient and corrupt would be more like it.

At least charities have to answer and respond directly to their donors or see their funds dry up. No such luck when you are forced by government to give to whatever squeaky wheel is getting the grease.

Finland is used as the country we should emulate because they take 48.8% of GDP (Yikes!!) in taxes as opposed to our mere 25.5%. Never mind that Finland's social spending is completely unsustainable especially since its population is expected to decrease in the future.

The Times also thinks that charities should allow government to have a say in their spending in exchange for their tax free status. They take spending dollars from Gov't ya know.

Call The Times socialist, fascist, statist, whatever. This editorial alone reveals their contempt for individual liberty. We can be thankful their circulation continues to dwindle.

Hillary to freeze interest rates, foreclosures

At last night's Dem debate, Mrs. Clinton proposed a breathtakingly irresponsible 90 day moratorium on foreclosures and a five year freeze on interest rates. Putting aside for the moment her dictatorial belief that government has a right to modify private contracts, her proposal would essentially kill the mortgage and housing markets. What does she think will happen to the value of mortgage instruments as a result? Instruments that are held by pension funds, banks and foreign investors? They'll drop like a rock and ordinary people will ultimately suffer. Investment in these securities will stop if markets believe these agreements won't be honored. Ask Chavez what happens when you confiscate capital. It finds a friendlier and safer place to go.

Hillary is saying that any private agreement can and should be modified by government fiat for the purpose of political expediency by pandering to the economic ignorance of the Democrat base. Ironically those folks will be the most hurt when they find mortgages impossible to obtain and the value of their pension and retirement funds tank. When you control the price of anything, you have less of it. When you add the possibility of government negating investment contracts, those investment dollars will run for the hills.

I don't think any mildly intellegent person believes she can actually do this, but the mere fact that someone in her position would even suggest it is dangerous and reveals her contempt for free markets and free people, especially when they don't behave the way she'd like.

NY pharmacies could be banned from selling cigs

NY assembly member Sam Hoyt is the latest government hack to propose anti-smoking legislation, this time aimed at private sales of this legal product. His proposed fascistic legislation is rationalized on the basis that pharmacies are "health and wellness centers" and that tobacco is contrary to that purpose. Why he thinks it's his right to decide the purpose of a private business he never says other than the shopworn rationale of public health costs. That's what happens when you allow Government to take responsibility for your personal life; you end up with another parent and a power drunk one at that. Your life belongs to the state.

The majority that doesn't smoke will no doubt support this bill, thinking it's about smoking and not individual liberty. In the words of that famous anti-smoker Adolph Hitler: "What luck for rulers, that men do not think."

My local Walgreens also sells Potato Chips, Coke and other villainous substances. I guess they're next on his list. Maybe he gets lobbying cash from 7/11 or the supermarket chains who will benefit from his megalomania. At least until he gets around to them.

The last thing New York and especially Mr. Hoyt's Buffalo district needs is another totalitarian regulation to drive more people and businesses from that state.

Voter ID Stupidity

Cynthia Tucker, the editorial editor(?!) page editor of the Atlanta Journal Constitution has embarrassed herself and her paper with an astonishingly moronic column yesterday. My Email to her:



"Dear Ms. Tucker:



Had you bothered to do even some cursory research, like typing "state ID Indiana" into Google, you would have realized that an ID card is available to all residents regardless of whether or not they drive. Is it possible for your poor Ms. Criswell to do that? Or maybe its the big $10.00 it would cost her. Well she could have gotten it for free if she could show she couldn't afford it, what with the cell phone and cable TV bills I'm sure she has.



Additionally, please show me where in The Bill of Rights a right to vote is mentioned. Your childish and ignorant rant has further reduced what little respect I had for main stream "journalists" such as yourself. What's really amazing is that you're the editorial page editor. Do you have Little League players on the Braves beat too? Wait, you'd probably be all for that. Bad example. At any rate, keep it up. I can always use the laughs."

Albright: Bush 'One of the Worst Presidencies' in History

Clinton fossil and ex SoS Albright spouts off with the usual moonbat criticisms of GW. She of course, gives the obligatory promotion of the Global Warming hoax and Oscar Winner and lunatic Al Gore. What is most striking and unintentionally honest is this:

"There are people who come to my office and say, ‘we have to stop
globalization,’” Albright said. “You can’t stop globalization, but I
think we
have to figure out how to mitigate the worst aspects of it and the
problems that
have been created and I think one of the worst is that there
is a growing gap
between the rich and the poor.”

Albright’s
message
centered on the need for equality – not just domestically, but also on a
global scale.

“If we were all rich, that
would be very nice,” Albright said.There
are people who come to my office and say, ‘we have to stop globalization,’” Albright said. “You
can’t stop globalization, but I think we have to figure out how to mitigate the
worst aspects of it and the problems that have been created and I think one of
the worst is that there is a growing gap between the rich and the poor.”

Albright’s
message centered on the need for equality – not just domestically, but also on a
global scale.

“If we were all rich, that would be very nice,” Albright said. “If we were
all poor, it would be too bad, but we would be the same. What the
problem is now is the poor know what the rich have as a result of information
technology and the spread, generally, of knowledge. And, it creates a whole new
host of problems in terms of disquiet and anger.”

And there it is. The Left would rather have equality in poverty than inequality in prosperity. They will do this while exempting themselves from the rules they will require everyone else to follow. Albright also blames the success of some as the source of "disquiet and anger" among others. Very telling. Success and achievement isn't inspirational, it's disquieting. Successful people don't get there by producing goods and services that benefit their fellow man. No, they anger people.

What causes disquiet and anger is statists and fascists like Albright, Clinton, Chavez, Edwards et al. They're the ones fostering resentment, dependency and blame of the private sector for the problems they cause.