Free kibbles

SOCIALISM:

Police let union thugs raid warehouse.

REGULATION:

Government's monopoly grant on ISBN numbers adds a significant cost to those who self-publish and want full access to avenues of sale.

Canada succumbs to IP legislation.

GLOBAL WARMING AND ENERGY:

I remember facing crazy droughts in Texas in the 90s, but right now, they're facing the worst drought they've suffered since 1895. My best wishes to my friends and everybody else in Texas. But you can't understand this problem without acknowledging that the tragedy of the commons is destroying the major aquifer in the central US. Murray Rothbard predicted this decades ago. If you think this is an exaggeration, you're mistaken.

POLICE STATE:

When was the last time you heard an anti-terrorist professional call a search for a terrorist a "goose chase"? In other words, Obama and Biden have been screwing with us. I love it when government agents accidentally tell the truth. This is a professional smacking Biden and Obama for jerking us around. This is one of those honest comments that might cost somebody a job. Bureaucrats can fail over and over with impunity, but telling the truth is never tolerated. This also shows how easy it is for al Qaeda to use our government against us.

FOREIGN POLICY:

This article acts like the Israeli government doesn't care about its much more powerful allies. I'm skeptical. The government is working overtime to insure international support. Wake me up and tell me it doesn't care about its allies when it quits lobbying foreign governments. I won't hold my breath.

MISC:

While governments shuts down in emergencies except to hinder people, Waffle House stays open to serve needy people.

"According to Pat Warner, a member of the Waffle House crisis-management team, in the short-run, the profit motive is secondary to building customer good will.

'If you factor in all the resources we deploy, the equipment we lease, the extra supplies trucked in, the extra manpower we bring in, a place for them to stay, you can see we aren't doing it for the sales those restaurants generate.'

Customers appreciate it and depend upon it.
"I hadn't had a hot meal in two days, and I knew they'd be open," Nicole Gainey told the WSJ."

That's how businesses serve people during emergencies.

"Meanwhile, Mayor Bloomberg has no market mechanism to punish him or his city government if he overreacts. While private citizens were inconvenienced and local businesses lost revenue, the mayor frequently mugged for cameras during the storm, issuing warnings in English and Spanish. City hall didn't lose a thing and now pats itself on the back for being prepared."

That's how government harms people during emergencies.

"Government monopolies have the incentive to provide the least amount of service for the highest cost. So, the government brass suspends services and tells their constituents to go away and come back when it's more convenient. Meanwhile, Waffle House fires up the generators, eager to serve their faithful customers in the worst of conditions."

Nice summary.

1802 origin of the term libertarian. Way older than previously thought.

Here's a pretty interesting example of how the market supplies.