Free kibbles

TAX AND SPEND:

You might be surprised, but sometimes I'm at a loss for words. Take this story for instance.

"California’s State Parks Department has millions of dollars in surplus that they did not report to the state, even as budget cuts threatened park closures."

Sometimes the level of depravity exhibited by bureaucrats overwhelms even me.

Bankruptcy filings by California's cities are just the tip of the gigantic bankruptcy spear to follow.

FEDERAL RESERVE:

The government versions of the money supply may surprise you. The countries with the worst problems are suffering a reduction in money supply. But hat makes perfect sense. If they weren't their economies would still be foolishly growing. The PIIGS are the countries that will rebound first because the market cut off their debt expansion, and therefore their inflation, first. Note that China and Germany, generally considered strong economies, continue to inflate. But that inflation can't continue.

GLOBAL WARMING AND ENERGY:

Fracking responsible for lower US CO2 emissions. Who cares? CO2 emissions have no effect on climate or my life. Is it lowering my energy prices? That's what I care about.

POLICE STATE:

Are you surprised that the TSA is acting illegally? Hello? They molest people for a living. That's illegal. Why would they obey any other law?

I've said a million times that if we had a free market in information sharing technology, market actors would offer privacy at a price. Even though we don't have anything approaching a free market, Google is offering privacy on Youtube videos. Now if only they'd do the same for everything else.  It's a start.

WAR:

Obama builds Osama bin Laden doll house and puts it on display. I have no problem with the government building this model for training purposes. I have a tremendous problem with them displaying it in a testosterone, chest-beating display of barbarity. You know, the same kind of disgusting celebration of barbarity Obama enjoyed after OBL was killed before he lied about his burial at sea.

"One email by Fred Burton, the firms’ vice president of intelligence, said the body was “bound for Dover, [Delaware] on [a] CIA plane” and then “onward to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Bethesda [Maryland].”"

I believe the smart people, not the dumb one.

Cato supplies a fine commentary on the precarious relations between the US and Pakistan.

POLITICS:

This story about June financing contradicts previous reports that Romney is outraising Obama. Apparently Obama is still out-raising Romney by a large amount. Frankly, I don't believe it. Just as the big money went to Obama four years ago, I think the big, Bilderberg money is going to Romney now. Don't get me wrong. Obama is undoubtedly better at raising money from small donations, especially on the internet. But the last I reported, Romney had raised $100 million in June. Obama had raised only 70-some million. So these numbers don't make sense with those. But the Bilderbergers have chosen Romney, and they have all the money.

I think this election is the last of its kind. For god knows how long, every election has been funded by more money. Between increases in government spending and the Fed printing money, more and more money has gone into elections. But I believe we've reached a saturation point. Granted, Ohio is the battle-ground of all battle-ground states, but it seems two out of every three commercials are political commercials. People are getting pissed. I hear about it every time I go out. People are angry that politicians have taken over their TVs. I think the push-back is going to be profound. When you couple that anger with the soon-to-be next economic collapse, I think elections will never be the same.

I guess I should weigh in on Obama's claim that nobody got rich on their own.  Obama is half right on this. Nobody got rich on their own. But he's all wrong about who helped people get rich. The government didn't help anybody get rich except the oligarchs and the plutocrats. But plenty of people acting in our system of voluntary exchange did. A business owner must cooperate with suppliers, employees and customers. It takes cooperation with all those people to get rich. Government is an obstacle in that process because it steals your money and it restricts your interactions with those people you cooperate with. So, Obama is right that nobody got rich on their own. That's like saying no newborn child was dumped in the jungle and became a millionaire. It's a worthless statement. The reason he's wrong is he attributes all cooperation to government coercion when in fact government coercion is the enemy of cooperation.

MISC:

The latest Colorado shooter is being called the Batman shooter.

"New York City’s police commissioner claims Holmes had painted his hair red and called himself “Joker.” Joker’s hair is obviously green, but this unconfirmed report didn’t stop Fox News from running with the whole tired “Does violent entertainment make people violent?” hand-wringing."

My girlfriend reminded me tonight that Reagan's would-be assassin wanted to impress Jodie Foster, so should we ask if Jodie Foster makes people violent? Should we ban Jodie Foster? This shooter is nuts, but we don't have to respond in an equally insane fashion.

"It’s all cosplayers’ fault!: AMC at their theaters."

Like that. Really. We can call this spade a spade. We'd don't have to respond as insanely as he did.