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?

Monday, May 25, 2009

More government tampering

Instead of letting the market work, the government has yet another new law that will stifle the economy. As you can read here, renters are now "protected" from getting kicked out of their apartments if the landlord is foreclosed on. Never mind that the bank wants to deal with the property in their own way, which many mean sprucing it up. The bank may also want to sell the land to an investor, who may want to raze the complex and build something else. It seems the government wants to protect us from every little hazard and risk in the world. Maybe I need a bureaucrat to drive me around to make sure I'm safe and I don't get into an accident. Got one, Barack?

Friday, May 22, 2009

Baby Boomers vs. Millenials?

CNN.com interviewed a young man named Matthew Segal today; he's the head of a new organization name 80millionstrong.org. The "80 million" are the Generation Y Americans, otherwise known as "millenials."

During the short interview, the young Mr. Segal never once mentions capitalism, private property, personal responsibility, hard work, or any other valuable attribute that built this country. Instead, he states that his group wants to convene in Washington D. C. with similar groups to "propose solutions . . . to create legislation." So the government is the solution once again! Instead of reading How Capitalism Saved America by Thomas DiLorenzo and then embracing the most moral economic system yet devised, he does what a typical big-government loving American always does - looks to the government to solve his economic problems.

He also wants special treatment for the millenials. He states that the government should be "freeing the flow of credit," while providing "tax breaks and lower interest rates." Never mind that I may need a loan (I'm a baby-boomer) - this program is for "young companies with young ideas" according to Mr. Segal.

Segal is also upset that "young people are targeted by credit card companies." He admits that many college students use the cards for textbooks, food, shelter, etc., but it doesn't sit well with him. He wants yet another government solution. (I think many of his fellow millenials will be upset if the government starts restricting their credit cards).

He's also upset that kids whose parents have money seem to have an advantage - "parents help subsidize their living, their food, and their transportation costs." Hmm, maybe I should let my two young daughters know now that Matthew disapproves of what I plan to do (help my kids) and maybe I shouldn't do it.

In summary, we have a young man who probably has no training at all in life, liberty, and private property. He's probably been brainwashed by both parents and schools that the market doesn't work, capitalism stinks, and that we need more government. Poor kid. Even if introduced to great sites like mises.org, fee.org, or fff.org, he probably wouldn't get it.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Austrian Business Cycle Theory

Unlike the cranky economics of the Keynesian school, which is taught in government schools, the Austrian school is key to understanding what happens in the economy. This school of thought gets it and predicted the current downturn.

The core of Austrian economics is the Austrian Business Cycle Theory, briefly explained in this article. By studying this theory, people can come to an understanding of the booms and busts of the economy; they will also realize we must get rid of the inflating central bank (the Fed).

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Soak the rich? Not!

Politicians love to play the "the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer" song. They never tire of it, even though the top 3% wage earners pay 48% of the nation's taxes. So Maryland went after the affluent and started a "millionaire tax" to get more revenue into the state's coffers. The result? The rich went to less-tax states (there was a 33% decline in Maryland's millionaires), and $100 million less flowed into the government. This story appearead on Fox Business News today.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Government programs are disasters

The biggest Ponzi scheme in American history, Social Security, is in bad shape. Another cranky program is also failing - Medicare. Disaster ensues when the government gets involved in health care and retirement, both which should be handled by the private sector.

Read the article and you'll realize why both your taxes and payments into social security are going to increase greatly.

Friday, May 8, 2009

The private sector does it better

For the last 115 years, a private company has been testing many of the items we use at home and work. Shouldn't that be enough? Well, politics is the dirtiest game in town, and it was politics that gave us the inefficient behemoth called OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Somehow, America survived 363 years without the wasteful agency signed into law by the criminal Richard Nixon, the only president ever to resign.

Read this nice article by Mark Thornton on Underwriter Labs, and thanks to the Mises Institute for posting it on their website.