Dangerous Uses of Power

In Mexico, the state of Veracruz’s Assembly recently passed a provision making it a crime to use Twitter and other social networks to undermine public order. It boggles the mind to think of the possible oppressive interpretations of such a law.

Fun Things To Do With Knives

When the deputy chancellor of the Texas A & M System (a former chief of staff of Rick Perry) was fired from his job, he pulled out a knife and refused to turn over his keys and work badge. And then he later said it was a joke. You just can't make this stuff up.

Caring vs. Insuring

Everybody is talking about health insurance. But whatever happened to focusing on health CARE? All that seems to have happened is that we get mined on a monthly basis to be shaken down for a payment to a large corporation. If you dare to stop that payment, it possibly becomes much harder and more expensive to re-start it in the future. Many of us wouldn't even mind making that payment, and even making it larger, if it seemed like it was leading to getting health care covered for ourselves and our families. But those of us who are "insured" can (and probably will) go bankrupt if a major medical event were to happen, despite having "insurance."

"Everyone should have health insurance? I say everyone should have health care. I'm not selling insurance."--Dennis Kucinich

It's All Your Fault

It is amusing (yet sad) to hear about people who shrug their shoulders and say that it is someone's choice to take on some extreme hardship created by external constraints. Like, "It's their choice if they die because they didn't want to have health insurance."

What does that lead to? "It was your choice to get hit by that bus; you chose to cross the street at that moment. It was your choice to not have any food. It was your choice to contract that disease."

It seems to many of us that a lot of people really don't care if there are opportunities afforded to people, as long as they have some. We would probably like to be wrong about that.

They Are Going To Fight Her Tooth And Nail

‎"I hear all this, you know, 'Well, this is class warfare, this is whatever,'" Warren said. "No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own -- nobody.

"You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police-forces and fire-forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory -- and hire someone to protect against this -- because of the work the rest of us did.

"Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea. God bless -- keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is, you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along."--Elizabeth Warren

Lies And Profits

Commercials and ads always talk how people can "save money" by buying whatever is being advertised. But you don't save money. There is no savings account with that money in it for you. You MIGHT spend less (assuming the offer is not just a trick or gimmick, which is entirely possible). You could spend even less (and maybe even save money) by not buying the vaunted product. They really should say in the commercials, "Buy this, and you'll save ME money."

And what about those commercials that advertise "no interest until..."? Let that happen. Have absolutely no interest in that stuff they are advertising.

Free To Be...

The biggest problem with libertarians wanting to get us out of the drug war is that there appears to be no interest from the libertarians in creating the infrastructure necessary to transform a criminal justice response into a public health response. All they espouse is a desire to legalize drugs and fill our streets with junkies in the alleys free to be deathly ill and to do whatever they want. If anyone thinks we will not be paying for that, they are deluding themselves.