In a civilized society, should anyone or any government ever force anyone to do anything against his or her will as long as that person does not infringe upon the life, liberty, or property of another?

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Privatize the Postal Service

The U.S. Constitution is a flawed document, with five really bad clauses that are the cause of most of our troubles. Another bad clause, though less dangerous, is the one that allows Congress to establish post offices and post roads.

It's time to override that clause with a Constitutional amendment and end government involvement of the mail. In 2008, the inefficient Postal Service lost $2.8 billion. It must be given help (a bailout) to stay in business.

Privatize the Postal Service by selling it off to UPS, DHL, Airborne, Fed Ex, and any other company that wants a piece. The private sector, with its own money at risk, will do a much better job. The competition will drive costs down and improve service.

Sorry James Madison, Ben Franklin and the rest of the framers, you got this one wrong too.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Do you need any more proof?

All presidents and congresses use Keynesian economists to "help" them guide the economy. Unfortunately for all of us, Keynesian economics, what they teach in high schools and colleges, doesn't work. How do I know? History. Take a look at the current state of California, which is going broke. After years of Keynesian economics, how well is California doing? Take a look from an article on Bloomberg today:

California, the most-populous U.S. state, forecasts it will collect about $42 billion less than it will need to pay its bills over the next 18 months because of the yearlong national recession.

If Keynesian economics was so good, why is California in dire straits? Is there anyone who needs any more proof? The U.S. is in a recession that will last a long time. Time to get rid of Keynesiansim and use free market, or Austrian, economics. Ludwig von Mises and the rest of the Austrians get it. The government and the Keynesians don't.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Is Africa next?

As the mighty U.S. empire continues to spread around the globe (the Pentagon planners have a military presence in about 130 countries now), the question is what part of the planet is next? Could it be Africa? Back in 2007, Bush and his fellow neocons created Africom to "assist" African countries with security and combat terrorism. Of course, all with the permission of those countries that need help. Just like Iraq - they gave permission, didn't they? Here's a short excerpt from the government's African command website:

The command inherits a small but meaningful U.S. military presence already existing in numerous African nations, to include Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, as well as Defense Department personnel assigned to U.S. Embassies and diplomatic missions to coordinate Defense Department programs supporting U.S. diplomacy. Any additional presence on the continent will take place only in full diplomatic consultation and agreement with potential host nations.

This setup is not authorized by the Constitution, but that doesn't seem to stop any politicians these days. Eventually, another continent will despise us. Just like the Founding Fathers and the Framers intended. Not.