January 18, 2006

Government Demands

Public colleges, including community colleges, are being asked to educate more students in nursing.

What?

Yes, the government is demanding that schools educate more nurses. Of course, what is missing is the actual bodies.

This really illustrates how completely and utterly devoid of reality government bureaucrats have become -- they believe they are so powerful that they can simply create whatever they need. Need some nurses? Just buy them -- they've got an unlimited supply of money, right?

Morons.

Hey government -- get the heck out of the way, and there will be PLENTY of nurses!

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January 17, 2006

Carnival, carnival!

Two excellent carnivals for your reading pleasure, as always:

The Tarheel Tavern has been posted at Scrutiny Hooligans

The Carnival of Liberty has also been posted at Below the Beltway.

Excellent reads, both of them!

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Cause and Effect

I'm sure by now you've seen the news of the weird:

A study by an Italian sexologist has found that couples who have a TV set in their bedroom have sex half as often as those who don't.

Of course, when the journalists get ahold of studies like this, they quickly do what the researchers cannot do -- draw a conclusion that confirms a cause and effect relationship:
Thinking of buying a TV for the bedroom? Think again -- it could ruin your sex life.

Now I can't find the study anywhere online, but if the researchers are worth anything, you will not find what the journalists printed in their report. Why? Because there may be absolutely NO relationship between the TV and sex. Heck, the study only reported that HAVING a TV reduced the sex life!

What if they never turned it on?

The reason this cause-effect relationship absolutely cannot be determined is because there are simply too many variables. Perhaps the reason the TV is there is because of the reduced sex life of the couples? Just because two things are found to have a relationship, a cause-effect cannot be concluded.

But I guess that's why the people reporting the story are reporters and not researchers.

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Success measured by Tax Dollars

For those who support as large a government as possible, and those who are strong supporters of socialist ideas, North Carolina Education is #1, as The very socialist Charlotte Observer points out. When speaking about the huge dollars spent by the state and subsidys given away to college students in North Carolina, the Observer says,

That's evidence that tax dollars spent on those resources are good investments. But it's also a mandate to keep state tuition and fees from boiling out of reach of ordinary citizens.

But that's not enough. Despite the taxpayers providing a majority of the cash to pay for college educations in the state, the Observer wants even more:
But the legislature must also pay a greater share of the university's operating costs.

In other words, the taxpayers should pay for colleges, and a college education should cost nothing to those who get it. Well, that's what socialists and the left believe -- if you work, you should be punished by being forced to pay for other people who do NOT work. That's plain wrong.

And yet, even that's not enough for the Observer! Despite there being no evidence that class size has any effect on education -- and some studies in North Carolina actually show a smaller class size can REDUCE the number of students who get good grades and pass, they still want even MORE money spent on colleges:

In Chapel Hill the student/faculty ratio is 14:1; in Charlotte it's 19:1. The only way to overcome that disadvantage is by improved state funding.

Money is not the answer. It never has been. Government is ill-equipped to run the education system -- they've been doing it for decades, and the system is much worse than it was before.

Government should get completely out of the education business -- from pre-K to colleges. They have absolutely proven that they cannot educate people, so they should stop trying. The free market really does work.

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January 16, 2006

Eating Cake

What's with the saying,

You want to have your cake and eat it, too.

Well of course I do! What's the point of having a cake if you can't eat it? Does anyone know any history on this silly statement?

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Martin Luther King Day

Today is Martin Luther King Day. I know the government is not working today (as if they work any other day), but I, and I'm sure many others in private industry, are. I just want to make a feeble attempt to support the things that Martin Luther King supported.

Unfortunately, there are so very many different organizations and people who strongly OPPOSE all that he worked for, and all that he did.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

If you support quotas based on race, you are opposed to Martin Luther King.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

If you support affirmative action based on skin color, you are the opposite of what Martin Luther King desired.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

If you belong to a political organization that determines it's membership based upon race, you are an affront to what Martin Luther King worked for.

I am appalled at how many people and groups use Martin Luther King's name to advance their causes while opposing and working against everything that he stood for.

Some other great quotes from a man who truly worked for justice -- unlike the majority that use his name today:

We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany.

First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

And in the extended entry, one of my favorite descriptions of laws:
more...

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Guard Our Borders!

The following is a portion of the Guard Our Borders weekly blog burst that helps illustrate some of the various problems that are generated by completely open borders (beyond the obvious terrorism implications):

***

How can the small business that provides physical services to customers compete with illegal laborers that cut corners by using extended family labor? On a radio program a few weeks ago, I heard countless American workers recount how they lost contracts because illegal aliens agreed to do the work for far less and much quicker - and no wonder, because they had their entire family working, including the kids! One man who couldn't find work as a sheetrocker saw his jobs going to a man whose wife and children worked on the site. How are American workers supposed to compete with illegal (but free!) child labor?!

My husband supervises multiple construction subcontractors who ALL use illegal Mexican laborers. He is aggravated beyond belief because his inspectors find fatal flaws in each and every phase of construction - without exception. The sub ends up having to demolish and remove all the faulty construction and replace it, sometimes more than twice! Costs skyrocket and schedule delays cost so much more than budgeted, and it all comes down to this bottom line: the illegal aliens do not have the proper know-how or expertise or capability to do the job right the first time. I cannot fathom how many millions of dollars the subs will have to squander before they reach the conclusion that they'd be better off hiring skilled American laborers who understand their instructions and produce a more professional product than cutting corners by hiring illegals who don't know what they're doing and produce a shoddy product.
more...

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How bad do you want Freedom?

The Free State Project is

an agreement among 20,000 pro-liberty activists to move to New Hampshire, where they will exert the fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society in which the maximum role of government is the protection of life, liberty, and property. The success of the Project would likely entail reductions in taxation and regulation, reforms at all levels of government to expand individual rights and free markets, and a restoration of constitutional federalism, demonstrating the benefits of liberty to the rest of the nation and the world.

I often view this project as the last great hope for freedom and liberty in this country as I observe all the destructions of freedom in states and the federal government today.

This is not a Republican project. It is not an anti-Democrat project. It's not even a Libertarian project. It's about freedom, plain and simple. And it's working.

A number of people associated with this project have already move to NH. Some have run for and won seats in elected offices. Others are chairs of Democrat and Republican caucuses. Over 100 people have already moved, and they're already having an effect. Imagine what would happen if 1,000 moved.

The current drive is to get 1,000 people to commit to moving in the next 2 years. It's called The First 1000. I think it's a great idea. Go read about the project and make the decision.

The biggest argument I've heard against it is that New Hampshire is cold. That's where the title of this post came from. How much do you really want freedom?

The truth is, I was not sure I would be able to make it to NH by 2008. However, after learning about all of the great stuff that is going on in NH, I am not sure if I can make it if I am not in NH by 2008

-- Keith

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Charlotte Observer Hates Free Speech

You might think that a newspaper would be on the front lines of supporting the clear right to freedom of speech in North Carolina. If you did, you would be wrong. The Charlotte Observer last week clearly outlined their position: free speech is bad.

lawmakers ... should toughen it [the law] by prohibiting all gifts and solicitations. They should prohibit registered lobbyists from making political contributions and raising cash to help fund election campaigns, and make it illegal to for politicians to pocket campaign contributions for personal use.

That's right, the Charlotte Observer says that YOU should not be able to give any money to lawmakers for any reason. You should not be able to give money to help someone with an election. And if somehow a legislator manages to get some money for an election, they should not be able to spend it without asking the Observer for permission first.

So, why the hatred for freedom? Well, that's the Observer's position. One of the workings of communism is that there is a class of people that are "above" the rest of the people -- there to tell everyone else what to do because they won't do it themselves. That's the position that the Observer takes. Remember that, when you read a Knight-Ridder paper -- they honestly believe they know better than you, and you should not have freedom of any kind.

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NC Lawmakers want Cash

Once again, to illustrate the total uselessness and incompetency of North Carolina Democrat Party-led government:

State lawmakers this week demanded Gov. Mike Easley give more money to energy assistance programs, and a spokeswoman for Easley said the governor would work with them.

So, why do they need more money for the energy programs? Because governor Easley and Jim Black raised taxes on all forms of energy January 1, in the middle of the winter.

So the government needs more money to give away to it's subjects so those subjects can pay more taxes to the government, who doesn't have enough money to give to the peons to give to the government.

Welcome to the U.S.A. today.

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January 15, 2006

U.S.S. Clinton

USSClinton.jpg

USS William Jefferson Clinton CVSU-812

This is the first ship of its kind in the U. S. Navy designed to reflect the Clinton legacy of budget cuts. Constructed from recycled aluminum, the vessel is completely solar powered. While its speed is classified, it is rumored to be above .5 knots. Eventhough the carrier cannot launch or recover aircraft, it does present a menacing appearance.

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Just Wondering...

When Pat Robertson said that

Sharon "was dividing God's land and I would say woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the EU (European Union), the United Nations, or the United States of America,"

he was roundly attacked and told he was offensive by everyone from the President's Press Secretary to every media outlet on the planet until had to apologize --

Are people angry at him for suggesting that Sharon was wrong for giving away land or because he suggested that God might actually punish people who do wrong?

And yet when actual government officials in Saudia Arabia, when speaking of 345 people killed, say things like

This was fate destined by God

and
it cannot stop what God has preordained. It is impossible;

that no one says a word at all?

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January 14, 2006

Kyoto Treaty is Dead

Supporters of the Kyoto treaty, give up. When NPR runs a segment that shows that Kyoto is as dumb as everyone else knows it is, it's time to give it up.

The Ugly American has a post with all the details. It seems that scientists just now discovered that plants produce methane. And one of the requirements of the Kyoto treaty is to reduce your country's methane levels.

So, loony environmentalists, in order to effectively comply with Kyoto, each country needs to raze their leafy plants and trees. Nice.

Can you say, "NATURAL PROCESSES?"

I didn't think so.

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The Truth about Government Regulation

In case you're wondering who in the world supports all those moronic endless pages of government regulation, wonder no more. A varied group in New Hampshire showed up to a hearing to support stupid regulations.

So, who showed up to claim that barbers should have 1,500 hours of training before you're ALLOWED to cut someone else's hair? Why barbers, that's who.

Who showed up to demand that manicurists be required to have 300 hours of training before being permitted by the all-powerful state to clip someone's fingernails? Why the manicurists, that's who.

Do you see the pattern? Government regulations are used as a hammer to restrict competition. They are used by unions and others in the businesses to make it more difficult for other people to compete with them -- and that's completely and totally WRONG.

In this case, some Free State people tried to get the law to be more freedom-friendly. One person was actually arrested and sent to jail for cutting someone else's fingernails without a state license.

They tried to get the law fixed, but they were shouted down by people who hate freedom and competition. It's capitalism to attempt to reduce your competition so you can profit. It's totalitarianism to use the government to do it.

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What is a Right?

Blogless Steve, when commenting on my recent post about the morons scum-suckers socialists trying to crush Wal-Mart, when asked why he didn't like freedom, said:

the freedom to not be able to afford proper medical care? the freedom to have to run to emergency care even for small issues because of an inability to afford a physician?

Contagion tried to give a simple answer with
Health Insurance

Is

a

Privilege.


Steve didn't get it.

Folks, something cannot be a right if it requires something from someone else. In order for you to have medical care, SOMEONE ELSE must provide it for you. Someone else's labor MUST be used. That's taking. When government forces it upon someone else, that's the same as stealing.

Rights are things YOU have. Rights are things YOU can do. I have the right to freedom of speech -- and that requires nothing, not even listening, from anyone else. I have the right of freedom of assembly. You do not have to provide me a place to assemble -- you need do nothing for me to have and exercise that right.

I have a right to life -- it requires you to do nothing for me to be alive.

When people try claiming things as housing and medical care as "rights," it shows that they have no concept of rights. If something that requires someone else is a "right," then rights are determined by government, exercised only by force, and quite literally anything can be determined to be a right.

Remember folks, government CANNOT grant rights. Rights are granted by a power much higher than government will ever be. Government is only capable of taking AWAY rights -- and that's almost never for good.

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Another Blow to Freedom

Good Hope Hospital's appeal has been denied by North Carolina's appellate court. It was a split decision, so the case will go to the state supreme court automatically, but the hospital is just running out of time.

You see, Good Hope Hospital, 3 years ago, decided they wanted to make some changes. The hospital was a little run down with some old equipment -- the building is 93 years old. So they wanted to renovate and build a larger building.

The state said No. The state decided that they didn't want the hospital to update their equipment because the hospital "hadn't shown need."

In 2004, a law judge (whose decision is not binding on the state) ruled in favor of the hospital. The state ignored him and ruled against the hospital. They appealed to the appeals court that just denied them.

Oh, and at the same time, the federal government has warned the hospital that if they do not upgrade and update their equipment, they will not be able to provide any services for Medicare or Medicaid patients -- and if the supreme court does not hear the case very soon, the hospital will go bankrupt -- which is apparently the goal of the state.

So yes, the federal government says that the hospital's facilities are outdated -- so outdated as to be unsafe. But the state says the hospital hasn't shown proper "need" to renovate and expand.

What a crock. This is just another example of the total pile of crap that appears when government gets involved in something. The state shouldn't have ANY say in who renovates their own property. The feds shouldn't be paying billions for health care. It's all wrong.

Anyone know where I can find a free country?

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January 13, 2006

mmMMmm...Chicken

bucket.jpgThis evening, I'm going to Kentucky Fried Chicken to buy a big bucket of chicken. I don't usually get chicken from KFC -- in the south, Bojangles usually does much better. But all the morons bringing KFC to my attention has just made me hungry. I suggest you help KFC and go buy a bucket today.

Maybe we should have a blogospheric-wide "Buy a KFC Bucket" day...

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The Impaler for Governor?

Oh boy. The President Bush haters have a new champion. Jonathon Sharkey wants to become president and violently murder President Bush. Oh, but first he wants to be the governor of Minnesota so he can practice brutally murdering criminals in public.

His socialist policies on taxation (tax the rich, give to the poor, no refund checks) and health care (pay more if you earn more) should make him popular in that state. The ACLU might also like his stance on religion ("I despise and hate the Christian God the Father. He is my enemy.") and Democrats are sure to love his giveaways ("helping Minnesota farmers with state grants and tax-breaks, so they can keep their farms, and make a significant profit.").

Well, I do try and make Friday posts more entertaining than the rest of the week...

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Senator Edward M. Kennedy

If you would like to read a stunning, accurate, detailed, well-done tribute to the current sitting senior senator from Massachusetts, Edward M. Kennedy, please be sure to head on over to Social Sense. Mustang has an excellent tribute to the man who has been in the U.S. Senate for 30 years.

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Government Employment

Government continues to grow, no matter what you might see or hear. It is way beyond control and likely cannot be stopped. And I can back up those statements with hard numbers.

Did you know the average salary of a government worker is $36 per hour, while the poor slob that actually works for a living in the private sector's average is only $24 per hour?

Can someone please explain to me why the number of government employees in education has increased by 22% over the last 10 years (to over 8.5 million), but the actual population of schools has only increased by 9%? And yet, the students with "high school diplomas" are dumber than ever?

And does anyone else see a problem with the idea that the number of people receiving welfare benefits has fallen 66% since 1994, but the number of government employees to administer that system has INCREASED?

(Numbers from The Cato Institute).

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