It looks like two good candidates have challenged Tom in the race for school board. The other incumbents are unchallenged.
One challenger worked as a civil rights attorney and the other mentioned she was for the individual.
I would like to question these candidates before I choose between them.
Read more here: http://www.tribstar.com/local/local_story_240233835.html
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
BOOK REPORTS
Constitution in Exile: By Judge Andrew Napolitano
This book, by a Fox News guy was surprisingly Libertarian. His first book leaned a little Republican, although I must say I enjoyed his attacks on Reno.
This book must be read by all because he gives an excellent explanation of the difference between Legal Positivism and Natural Law. If nailed down, I would say that all laws are agreements between men which sounds positivist, but I believe that agreement must be on laws that do not disturb individual freedom that does no harm to others. Napolitano captures this thought of our founders. (For Libertarians, Jury Rights Day - September 5, reminds us that the jury rules on not only the facts of a case but also the law itself. If clarification is needed visit Fully Informed Jury Association - FIJA.)
My rating would be similar to the ones you can read at Amazon.com. The weakness I saw was, as in his first book, a belief that the government can demand a license for my traveling. (unless he is parsing words like the bad guys) He also seems to have missed the part in history about the founders having conventions so that the Constitution was approved not by the states but by We the People. It was the People who demanded a Bill of Rights be placed in the Constitution.
Size Matters: By Joel Miller
This book brings up all the Republican "ideas" on what is wrong with the U.S. and goes half-way in giving solutions. I will sound here like the Green guy (reviewer at amazon.com) who gave it one star when I say it points at a Social Security "problem" and the Republican solution of retirement savings accounts. Mr. Miller is young and perhaps influenced by his father Dennis Miller, who may be the "funny" guy/football commentator.
In a chapter on licensing and regulation, he writes this very true paragraph:
"By killing competition in a trade, we also remove a crucial incentive to improve quality. Once your job is safe from competitors who would happily filch your customers, it is easier to let stuff slip now and then, take it easy, stop pushing to improve and please, innovate and anticipate new customer demand. Such a lowering of quality is not inevitable, but the possibility goes up the moment competition goes down."
Four pages before that paragraph Mr. Miller ends a paragraph with this nonsense: "Given the highly specialized and technical knowledge needed to perform in some of these trades, licensing seems reasonable, even smart. License physicians? Of course!"
Mr. Miller does us one favor although by accident. He quotes Jefferson from his first inaugural:
"...[W]hat more is necessary to make us a happy and prosperous people? Still one thing more, fellow-citizens - a wise and frugal government, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities...."
This part: "and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned" means no tax on labor. As income taxes are being raised on labor in cities, counties, and states, we see a transfer from slave labor to giant international corporations. Who pays for tax abatements and incentives to land new business? The workers and small business.
Since I did not see any call for banning homosexual marriages I admit this book could have been worse. Compared to his writing on Lew against the "Drug War" I found this book a let down. It gives a snapshot in time. I have thought about regulating engineers as their calculations have life and death consequences, but now they make less than teachers. (according to Paul Harvey - summer "moonlighting" not included) I give this book two stars out of five for giving Republicans something to hope for. Though we all know Republicans say one thing and do something very different.
My obvious comment: It is time the voters demanded real action. Don't vote for anyone who approved the Patriot Act or Iraq War. Congressional and Presidential candidates must favor Roberts Rules - NO LOG ROLLING! - vote one issue at a time.
This book, by a Fox News guy was surprisingly Libertarian. His first book leaned a little Republican, although I must say I enjoyed his attacks on Reno.
This book must be read by all because he gives an excellent explanation of the difference between Legal Positivism and Natural Law. If nailed down, I would say that all laws are agreements between men which sounds positivist, but I believe that agreement must be on laws that do not disturb individual freedom that does no harm to others. Napolitano captures this thought of our founders. (For Libertarians, Jury Rights Day - September 5, reminds us that the jury rules on not only the facts of a case but also the law itself. If clarification is needed visit Fully Informed Jury Association - FIJA.)
My rating would be similar to the ones you can read at Amazon.com. The weakness I saw was, as in his first book, a belief that the government can demand a license for my traveling. (unless he is parsing words like the bad guys) He also seems to have missed the part in history about the founders having conventions so that the Constitution was approved not by the states but by We the People. It was the People who demanded a Bill of Rights be placed in the Constitution.
Size Matters: By Joel Miller
This book brings up all the Republican "ideas" on what is wrong with the U.S. and goes half-way in giving solutions. I will sound here like the Green guy (reviewer at amazon.com) who gave it one star when I say it points at a Social Security "problem" and the Republican solution of retirement savings accounts. Mr. Miller is young and perhaps influenced by his father Dennis Miller, who may be the "funny" guy/football commentator.
In a chapter on licensing and regulation, he writes this very true paragraph:
"By killing competition in a trade, we also remove a crucial incentive to improve quality. Once your job is safe from competitors who would happily filch your customers, it is easier to let stuff slip now and then, take it easy, stop pushing to improve and please, innovate and anticipate new customer demand. Such a lowering of quality is not inevitable, but the possibility goes up the moment competition goes down."
Four pages before that paragraph Mr. Miller ends a paragraph with this nonsense: "Given the highly specialized and technical knowledge needed to perform in some of these trades, licensing seems reasonable, even smart. License physicians? Of course!"
Mr. Miller does us one favor although by accident. He quotes Jefferson from his first inaugural:
"...[W]hat more is necessary to make us a happy and prosperous people? Still one thing more, fellow-citizens - a wise and frugal government, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities...."
This part: "and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned" means no tax on labor. As income taxes are being raised on labor in cities, counties, and states, we see a transfer from slave labor to giant international corporations. Who pays for tax abatements and incentives to land new business? The workers and small business.
Since I did not see any call for banning homosexual marriages I admit this book could have been worse. Compared to his writing on Lew against the "Drug War" I found this book a let down. It gives a snapshot in time. I have thought about regulating engineers as their calculations have life and death consequences, but now they make less than teachers. (according to Paul Harvey - summer "moonlighting" not included) I give this book two stars out of five for giving Republicans something to hope for. Though we all know Republicans say one thing and do something very different.
My obvious comment: It is time the voters demanded real action. Don't vote for anyone who approved the Patriot Act or Iraq War. Congressional and Presidential candidates must favor Roberts Rules - NO LOG ROLLING! - vote one issue at a time.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Nader makes another good point
Here is an article by Ralph about Dem. LIEberman and a connection with corporate theives.
http://www.countercurrents.org/us-nader040806.htm
Once again the facists have us looking to the socialists.
http://www.countercurrents.org/us-nader040806.htm
Once again the facists have us looking to the socialists.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Watch As Nuts Bolt Away From U.S. Constitution
After reading discourse on Global Warming here, I noticed a similar type of argument put forth by Greenies and Neocons.
Neocon: WMDs are so scary and destructive we must do something. Waiting for facts is deadly. We must act NOW!
Greenie: Global Warming is so scary and destructive we must do something. Waiting for facts is deadly. We must act NOW!
How about this Boogeyman and solution:
Drug Warrior: The "Scourge of Drug Abuse" is so scary and destructive we must do something. Waiting for facts is deadly. We must act NOW!
This last example brings the right (more prisons, more cops, more courts, stricter laws limiting rights) together with the left (more government programs for addicts, more government child welfare bureaucracy, more government workers to investigate spouse and child abuse).
Are we teaching our children to listen to emotionally crippled crackpots?
What do textbooks tell our children?
Are there any School Board candidates out there with a better plan?
Neocon: WMDs are so scary and destructive we must do something. Waiting for facts is deadly. We must act NOW!
Greenie: Global Warming is so scary and destructive we must do something. Waiting for facts is deadly. We must act NOW!
How about this Boogeyman and solution:
Drug Warrior: The "Scourge of Drug Abuse" is so scary and destructive we must do something. Waiting for facts is deadly. We must act NOW!
This last example brings the right (more prisons, more cops, more courts, stricter laws limiting rights) together with the left (more government programs for addicts, more government child welfare bureaucracy, more government workers to investigate spouse and child abuse).
Are we teaching our children to listen to emotionally crippled crackpots?
What do textbooks tell our children?
Are there any School Board candidates out there with a better plan?
Are Conservatives ruining the U.S. faster than Liberals?
Once again we see liberals and libertarians coming closer on more issues. As the Republicans and so-called moderate and conservative Democrats move away from fiscal responsibility and toward stripping Citizens of God given natural rights, maybe the liberals are just looking better.
Libertarians are against NAFTA in that it is not free trade. This "highway for corporations" paid with local and federal money is not something Libertarians support. (See Major Moves at: http://lpin.blogspot.com/)
This is from Count Us at: http://www.i69tour.org/
COUNT US! QUESTIONS: Was building the NAFTA free trade corridor interstate really a 'CORE GOAL' for hoosiers? That is what the tier 1 record of decision allowed INDOT to claim. Is the 'NAFTA Free Trade Interstate' really more important than preserving our farms, forests, drinking water, air parklands, Amish communities and listening to the comments of 94% of hoosiers who bothered to answer the call for our stated opinion? Is it more important than existing Hoosier roads everywhere in the state? Will Martinsville and Bloomington quality of life be improved with a larger than I-465 highway infrastructure dividing their east from west? Does anyone, even Evansville, want a Toll Road? One owned by foreign owners? Does Evansville want Bloomington and Martinville residents to pay a toll every day for the rest of their and their children's and their grand children's lives so that Evansville can get the Interstate that they deserve? Follow this link to learn a little more about our Mexican boarder crossing point at Nuevo Laredo that some in our state are so interested in connecting to our communities! It is now considered the illegal drug capital of the world.http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=nuevolaredo
Libertarians are against NAFTA in that it is not free trade. This "highway for corporations" paid with local and federal money is not something Libertarians support. (See Major Moves at: http://lpin.blogspot.com/)
This is from Count Us at: http://www.i69tour.org/
COUNT US! QUESTIONS: Was building the NAFTA free trade corridor interstate really a 'CORE GOAL' for hoosiers? That is what the tier 1 record of decision allowed INDOT to claim. Is the 'NAFTA Free Trade Interstate' really more important than preserving our farms, forests, drinking water, air parklands, Amish communities and listening to the comments of 94% of hoosiers who bothered to answer the call for our stated opinion? Is it more important than existing Hoosier roads everywhere in the state? Will Martinsville and Bloomington quality of life be improved with a larger than I-465 highway infrastructure dividing their east from west? Does anyone, even Evansville, want a Toll Road? One owned by foreign owners? Does Evansville want Bloomington and Martinville residents to pay a toll every day for the rest of their and their children's and their grand children's lives so that Evansville can get the Interstate that they deserve? Follow this link to learn a little more about our Mexican boarder crossing point at Nuevo Laredo that some in our state are so interested in connecting to our communities! It is now considered the illegal drug capital of the world.http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=nuevolaredo
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
JBS rates Congress
The John Birch Society came out again with ratings of the U.S. Congress.
Ron Paul of Texas scored 100.
Dems scored higher than Republicans.
Senator Lugar scored 0. If you don't understand that how about zero, zilch, nothing.
And this guy runs for President of the U.S.? Hey, if we change the Constitution to let Arnold run for Prez, how about Gorby or Putin.
Hostettler scored 60 or 67. Feingold scored 50 or thirty-something. I would tend to give more weight to the quesitons of Patriot Act and NSA and Feingold would actually score better. The difference between Hostettler and Ron Paul? Ron Paul represents Citizens under the U.S. Constitution. Hostettler thinks he can vote away our rights and Constitution. This blogger will not cast a vote for this sell out. (Sorry John but when your tyrant state comes about you may see me placing my flag in what you might consider an uncomfortable position.)
This is covered a bit more fully by Laurence M. Vance in this article.
My take: "Houston, we have problems." (Although Ron Paul represents Houston and he is not the problem.)
Ron Paul of Texas scored 100.
Dems scored higher than Republicans.
Senator Lugar scored 0. If you don't understand that how about zero, zilch, nothing.
And this guy runs for President of the U.S.? Hey, if we change the Constitution to let Arnold run for Prez, how about Gorby or Putin.
Hostettler scored 60 or 67. Feingold scored 50 or thirty-something. I would tend to give more weight to the quesitons of Patriot Act and NSA and Feingold would actually score better. The difference between Hostettler and Ron Paul? Ron Paul represents Citizens under the U.S. Constitution. Hostettler thinks he can vote away our rights and Constitution. This blogger will not cast a vote for this sell out. (Sorry John but when your tyrant state comes about you may see me placing my flag in what you might consider an uncomfortable position.)
This is covered a bit more fully by Laurence M. Vance in this article.
My take: "Houston, we have problems." (Although Ron Paul represents Houston and he is not the problem.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
