A Jaded Bard: December 2006

Why I AM a Libertarian (Big L Variety)

The following is a refute to the following article  I found online as an argument against Libertarian philosophy: http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/PSEUDOSC/NoLibert.HTM

Immediately I noticed that it is your intent to lump all Libertarians into one group for the discussion. As with Democrats (Damnocrats) and Republicans (Republican’ts) , we run the political spectrum and gamut as well. On the one side are those I call ‘Learyan”  as in the late Timothy Leary; this sort advocates no laws or rules at all; a sort of soft anarchy. On the other side would be an Authoritarian Libertarian, whose governance would be no different then any Rightwing dictator. Do I attempt to lump all liberals into a single category, like thinking that all of them espouse Hillary Clinton’s views. No I do not.  Do I also lump all Republicans into the category of the polar opposites of Hillary. No I do not. And rather then only refute the position Libertarians supposedly take on drug legalization, I decided to address your whole article, segment by segment.

Government and Mental Health

Government equals force…..period. The concept of Constitutional Rights has to be weighed against the unseemliness of the homeless. The care is available, but when you start “forcing” people into a care capacity, who will pay for this? The least amount of force to affect a result of a positive nature is always the best course. Efforts need to be made to streamline the process and make it so it is closer to home; in other words end the federal government mandates issued to states using extortion. At the state level, let the states deal with the issue as best they can. MORE government will not help in this instance at all. All it will do is provide even more opportunities for politicians to steal even more funds for themselves.

Freedom of Communication

The Federal Communications Commission is a needed governmental oversight agency. A lot of freedom could be created though by striking antiquated or archaic laws in place regarding communications. Communications companies are corporations, and as such some regulation of them is needed. Over-Regulation is what most Libertarians despise.

Protection of Privacy

Such screening does not violate the rights of employees, provided it is used in a uniform fashion. If you are applying for such a position that requires such testing as a pre-requisite, then it falls to you, and NO ONE else to toe the line to make the grade. It is a rapidly fading concept called personal responsibility. The onus is upon the employee to present the best foot forward. If you have illicit drugs in your system or something to hide, that is not a prospective employers fault; despite the fact I think many employers have unrealistic expectations, they have a right to protect their bottom line.

Immigration

I posted a solution to the illegal emigration issue on my blog: http://thejadedbard.blogspot.com/  This is a critical problem that needs to be resolved. In short, any amnesty bill passed without sealing the border first will only bring more illegal aliens into the country. As it goes, we have no idea who is in this country at this time.  Employers who contribute millions of dollars to purchase politicians will never really be fined for the reason I just mentioned. The border between the US and Mexico needs to be sealed like I stated in my blog; the Canadian border also needs to be watched. If you reduce the flow of illegals by 96%, then it sort of takes care of the problem of hiring them as well as rounding them up.  Then, an amnesty will truly be the final one. It gets better then that, though. Ellis Island served as a point of entry processing station for a long time; we can construct similar facilities as I stated in my blog entry. This would take away the incentive to illegally enter the USA and put the people smugglers out of business.  The US gets the workers we need, we know who is here to work, and you clean up several other problems at once. I know there will be issues regarding the harshness of the solution, but a country has the right to protect its borders after all.

Freedom of Association and Government Discrimination

There was a time when Jim Crow rode on high in US society. That time is no longer here; the very anti-discrimination laws that purported to protect the rights of minorities are themselves discriminatory. Once more, it is a matter of that trait called taking responsibility for ones actions. What you put into an effort is what you will get out of it. The NAACP advances nothing but its own agenda while the ACLU seems to be rather selective in what liberties it supports. The California University system discarded its Affirmative Action policies and it seems they are doing just fine with it. As for returning to the Jim Crow days of yore, it will not happen. The continued success of the USA depends on co-operation, not territorialism and cultural intolerance.

Women’s Rights and Abortion

In no part of the US Constitution does it say that the federal government has the power to regulate this issue. As such, Amendment #10 takes effect. Each state should come up with its own state law regarding the addressing of the abortion issue.  The same application regarding woman’s suffrage should also be dealt with at a state level, if it is not already in place. Wyoming gave women equal rights before the rest of the country did; woe be to any state candidate who would stand against such.

Families and Children

Once again, you are lumping us all in as one group. Child labor laws were and still are a needed regulation; it was one of the last vestiges of laissez faire capitalism to be erased. Education is a necessity, but the US Public Education System is in dire straits, no thanks to all of the federal governmental interference. The federal government needs to allocate this issue to the states, as per amendment #10. In addition, full audits of the various public school districts need to be conducted, so as to streamline the places of education and make them far more relevant then they are today.

Inflation and Depression

The federal government has the power to mint currency in use by the USA, but it remains to be seen just how well of a job they have done in more recent years. Fiat currency is currency whose only backing is the grace and faith of its issuer; as such, it is not tied to anything of value. Politicians love this, because they can always print more and more money as needed. All it will take is a precipitous drop in faith of the issuing government to derail the fiat currency they use. The more money that is printed, the less net value the money has in worth in regards to the whole.  Pegging the value of a currency to a precious metal controlled inflation quite well; one ounce of silver is still worth the cost of four gallons of gas, but a dollar bill will not get you even a gallon. http://www.libertydollar.org  is gaining in popularity these days, because sooner or later, all fiat currency is going to hit a wall.

Finance & Capital Investment

The SEC is necessary to regulate fiscal and securities entities to make sure they play fair. Our investment infrastructure depends on a uniform means of addressing such matters.

Monopolies

Once again, this is not a view most Libertarians take. Monopolies restrict competition and competitive pricing. Ma Bell is only one example.

Government Debt

Once again, this is not addressing the issue in proper perspective. Upon reading the Constitution, the Federal Government is graced with some specific powers, and as such needs revenues to execute them. What most, if not all, Libertarians decry to some degree is by how much the federal entity has overstepped its prerogatives. Some examples:

The inheritance tax ( A Republican obscenity)

Amendment XVI (Democrat & Republican sponsored. Never ratified by the states)

The turning over of Social Security Pay-ins to Congress (A Democrat doing)

Taxing Social Security Benefits ( A Democrat doing; essentially taxing tax)

The Current Income Tax System ( A true obscenity that hurts the economy and discourages infrastructure creation ( i.e. jobs) )

The IRS (Ten billion dollars a year to support this organization.)

The current tax system we have in place is regressive; it encourages cheating, taxes capital and labor, provides a means by which both Democrat and Republican can modify the codes as needed for their own political benefit, and collateral costs regarding compliance are enormous. Also, the higher and more ruinous the taxes are, the more money that will be secured in tax-free or low tax Offshore Financial Centers (OFCs) If I raise your taxes by 100% then cut them by 25%, did I cut your taxes by that amount or did I raise them by a net 75%? Such is how the current tax system works. Many Libertarians are in support of the FairTax http://www.fairtax.org This is only a start to rein in the federal government, whose spending is out of hand. Once again, the FairTax addresses multiple problems for the long term, something the Congress is not inclined to do.

Unions & Collective Bargaining

At one point in time, Unions were a sorely needed entity. This was at a time when laissez faire capitalism wracked the land. This time was nearly 100 years ago or so. In this modern day and age, a more dynamic worker infrastructure is needed; the unions for the most part represent statism. There are some places where the unions are needed; one example is in Las Vegas. Without the unions to counter-balance the Casino moguls, they would run roughshod over the workers. On the flip side of the coin though, the teachers union is an obscenity, whose only seeming purpose is to protect incompetent teachers from being terminated or blocking all attempts at audits or any other sort of reform. If the USA is to survive, we need to take a more modernized, dynamic approach to these issues. One aspect of this is already becoming apparent; many low level jobs are leaving the USA due to the fact they can be done more efficiently overseas. It is the onus of the up and coming working population to take this into account.

Energy

I am opposed to government subsidies due to the fact they restrict free trade. The high cost of fuel and the associated profits also spur alternative energy resources. There is only one power source that could eventually replace oil on a global basis: Nuclear energy. In addition to the N.I.M.B.Y.’s, the environmental extremists also need to be shut down so that alternative energy can be produced on a local and global scale. I also have proposed that an X-prize ( http://www.xprize.org) be awarded to those who can arrive at a nuclear fusion solution. Until that time arrives though, be advised that oil is a needed world commodity.

Pollution

The EPA also needs to be in place. It was created shortly after corporate negligence set Lake Erie on fire. Some regulation of corporations will need to be effected; the morass of laws that now are the standard hurt the economy. Said laws need to be reviewed and streamlined. (Once again, government = force; the least amount of force is the best policy)

Consumer Protection

Standards have to still be set (See the above), but Corporations should not be the victims of litigation due to consumer stupidity either. The litigious state of affairs today is partly due to people abandoning the concept of personal responsibility for their actions and abandonment of parents imparting this concept to their children. The FAA also needs to remain as well; the potential catastrophe that could result without uniform regulations can not be denied. Once again though, regulation streamlining would be of use as well. The same would apply to the FDA and FTC; it was one of the aforementioned organizations that prevented Thalidomide from coming into the USA.

Transportation

Amtrak and Conrail need to be privatized. They are government boondoggles that are a shining example of government efficiency. Perhaps a private concern would close down some unprofitable routes. Well, if the route has enough users, be assured the free market would step in. Federal control over the Freeways has ensured a uniformity of administration, but there is the problem of the federal government using extortionate mandates to co-opt powers not reserved to it in the Constitution.

Poverty & Unemployment

I oppose ALL subsidies, whether they are corporate or welfare. The welfare reform bill was a start in stopping the abuses of the system. The FairTax would create a lot of jobs for the people to take, shrinking the rolls even further. Once again, its choices and personal responsibility; it may sound Darwinian, but that is how it is.

Resource Use

You bet! All federal lands held not for the sole use as per the Constitution shall be given to the respective states. This also means that let the states deal with the National Parks on their soil, subject to some obviously needed regulation. The BLM is a rather useless governmental organization that holds vast chunks of land to which it has no right; Nevada is 88% owned by the federal government. It is possible that the various states may relegate the contract for National Park upkeep to a private outfit, but now said park is a profit vehicle to attract visitors; want to bet the facilities will rapidly improve? As for the land to be given back to the states, let them sell it off at auction.

Civil Service

I see no patronage in this system; just a leveling of the playing field.

OSHA

Once again, corporations need some regulation, but legal review and streamlining are in order.

Controlled Substances

The end to the War on Drugs would be for the people, not the Democrats or Republicans. Those two groups are too busy gorging on illegal seizures and increasing taxes to fund more collateral seizures. Nicotine and Alcohol are as dangerous as any controlled substance, but they are taxed, regulated and controlled. Either one causes 400,000 deaths a year, more then all the controlled substances combined. I personally think marijuana and crack and meth are boring, but as an adult, you should have the right to choose. It’s the very War on Drugs that fuels a lot of the violence that we see; once the non-violent drug offenders are booted out of prison ( where they do not belong), we will then have room for the real criminal elements. Hard drugs will never have the appeal as alcohol and cigarettes enjoy; combine that with drug testing at the workplace, you have another personal choice issue, not a government one.

Firearms

You bet I am for less firearms regulation. As it goes, the laws passed serve only to enable the criminal element. It is interesting to note the higher crime rates in the cities that have the most restrictive firearms laws. Registration also should not be required, even for a machine gun. I do not see the criminals registering their weapons before they use them. Until someone shows that they are incapable of dealing responsibly with a firearm, they are capable of doing so. I am not a NRA member, but statistics show that a criminals worst fear is not the police as much as a armed homeowner.

The Bottom Line

Government is by the people and for the people, not the opposite.

The government should be run as per stated in The Constitution

Only enough government to govern, no more

Unless said action poses a direct danger to society, it should be a responsible adults own choice.

The War on Drugs is only one example of governmental abuse of authority; said war fuels the very violence it is trying to stop. The only winners are the government (illegal seizures) and the drug dealers ( obscene profits)

Somehow, the concept of taking responsibility for ones actions needs to be re-introduced.

Until the above is addressed, I suspect it will be business as usual in our society; in fits and starts, we learn to grow….

The Jaded Bard

The Old Russia, a New USSR, or is there any Difference?

The death of a former KGB agent in a most esoteric way started me thinking about what the real sort of political climate exists in Russia these days. His death is not the only one that should have raised some red flags either. This former KGB agent was investigating another suspicious death of a anti-Putin Journalist. She was not the only one to die in recent times either. A second anti-Putin journalist was also murdered. Russia is denying responsibility for the action, but the substance used, Polonium 210, is an esoteric radioactive isotope. It must be deliberately created for any serious useable amount ; it is a very rare natural element. This shrinks the list of countries that would have it to a very small amount,5 at most; Russia is the only one out of the 5 that would have had a good reason to silence this critic of their regime. The following link verifies this information as to the scarcity of this compound. http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele084.html

I think the red flags should have been raised around the time the results of the Duma election of 2004 were made public. In one fell swoop, all of the reformist factions were swept out of power, replaced by people loyal to Putin, old line pre-1991 communists, and at least 2 particularly virulent groups of Nationalists. I find it somewhat amazing that most people I talk to that are under 30 or so see nothing dangerous about Russia, while most who are over that age see something chilling in similarity to what happened in 1917. Consider the following analogies:

In November 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power using a front group( The Petrograd Revolutionary Military Council (PRMC)) to do so. It was not in essence a coup, since the Czar abdicated earlier in the year, but it served as a means to an end.

In December 2004, the Duma election resembled something more like Germany in 1933 then an actual free election. Reformist candidates were attacked, beaten and threatened during the electoral process and even during the election itself. When all was done, the Duma was dominated by only the four groups mentioned above.

Shortly after seizing control of the government of Russia, the Bolsheviks began exterminating every royalist, republican, and anyone else they foresaw as a threat. It was about in May of 1918 that the Bolsheviks stepped forward from the shadows and declared they were in charge. The Civil war that erupted lasted almost 5 years.

With the Duma cleaned of anyone who would have possibly opposed him, Putin went after the Oligarchs who funded the opposition candidates. The one who had Soviet Oil interests locked up was stripped of their holdings and they were forced to flee to exile. Two reporters who were against Putin and an ex-KGB Spy have been murdered since that time as well. All that remains is for Putin and Russia to reveal their true intentions to the world, and if Russian history has anything to say, it will not be a pretty sight to see.

There was so much optimism around in 1991 that it gave one a heady feeling. That soon faded as the world came to realize that Russia had not really changed that much. Replacing the Communists were former Communists who set themselves up as Oligarchs; 90% of Russia’s GDP was in the hands of a very few people. The Russian Crime Syndicate, under the communists only a minor annoyance, grew to full flower in an alarmingly short period of time. Rather then do anything to remove the corruption, Yeltsin and later Putin thrived on it. There is nothing even slightly democratic in Russia now that serves as a government; it is only a thin shell for what lays underneath:
An angry and wounded bear relegated to third world nation status, a Gross Domestic Product less then that of the UK, and an arsenal of thermonuclear devices rivaled only by what the USA has. That is on top of its other domestic problems, such as a low relative life expectancy for its male population and a total failure to improve the welfare of most of its citizens.

The optimism of 1991 has long faded away, leaving a Russia that is only a faded replica of the USSR of yore. I know there are many who say Russia will yet find its own path and eventually do right by its citizens and cease to be the dire threat it is now, but I still remain cynical: A wounded animal is always dangerous, and bears especially so.

The Jaded Bard

A Jaded Bard

Sunday, December 31, 2006

Predictions for 2007 and Happy New Years!

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Why I am a BIG L Libertarian

Friday, December 01, 2006

New Russia or Newer USSR?

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