Links of August 9th, 2011: The Prophet Ron; S&P Debt Downgrade; Fashion Police; a Liter of Light; others.....

1. Revolution PAC | How to Market the Greatest Congressman in History

   

   Ron Paul predicted the fall of the housing market as early as 2003.

   I think I’m leaning toward Gary Johnson this time around because I like him better on social issues, but I will gladly pass this on, as I would be just about as satisfied with a Ron Paul win in 2012.

2. CBS News | S & P statement on U.S. debt downgrade

   Who are “Standard & Poor’s” and why do they hate America? Either they are with us or they are with the terrorists.

3. Why DEA is Against Legalizing Smoked Marijuana

   If the DEA wishes to gain adherents, it really should renounce such a weak representation of its anti-marijuana stance. Long story short, anyone who advocates for the criminalization of medical marijuana patients primarily on the grounds that smoking it is harmful must also address vaporization as an alternative means of delivery. If they do not, then they are either too ignorant to have a valid opinion on the subject or they are deliberately engaging in sophistry. This past January, the DEA put out a position paper of their own, which I’ll have to address next time. 

4. DEA Agents Raid Wrong House in Sterling Heights

   A friend of mine posted this to his facebook page described it as an “accident”. I see it differently. This was the house they were looking for, and those were the people inside. This was quite on purpose, and it is a direct cost of drug prohibition. Proponents take heed.

5. The Barr Code | Sagging Pants Turn Georgia Towns Into Fashion Police

   

   Local government nannies will deliver us from this form of obscenity.

   The City of Hampton, a small town in South Metro Atlanta, recently received attention after passing a ban on “sagging pants.” The reason is behind their action, according the Henry Daily Herald, is the number of complaints coming from citizens. Hampton Police Chief Rad Porter says, “I felt we needed to do something about this conduct.”

   Any citizen who would summon the force of government to “do something” about sagging pants needs to find another country to be a part of. And then, the government needs to stop listening to these sad people.

6. Mother Jones | When is a Regulation Not a Regulation?

   Follow Kevin Drum’s logic with me: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) “has long had rules that defined most grain haulage as interstate commerce and designated farmers hauling shared crops as commercial operators.” This was “never a big deal” because “they had never enforced those rules and neither had anyone else.” The State of Illinois arbitrarily and capriciously began to enforce this heretofore unenforced federal rule. What gives? Then, in a mass fit of hysteria, brought on by the “Obama Derangement Syndrome”, a bunch of red-state farmers illegitimately express outrage at the Obama Administration’s FMCSA. Their misdirected outrage should obviously be levied at the state of Illinois—the only ones foolish enough to actually enforce this bumbleheaded federal regulation. Because the FMCSA then hears comment on whether its own useless, unenforced rule was ever necessary in the first place, Illinoisans should throw palm leaves at its feet and welcome it as The Great Liberator. Do I have that about right?

   Now, I’d have to do a bit of research to figure out for sure who is really to blame for this mix up. My hunch, though, is that it is the government. Tip: Whenever a regulatory agency, federal or state, puts a regulation on the books, enforced or unenforced, it is a big deal. Even if it is not being enforced, you never know how some other agency is going to come along and interpret it. It is a set trap waiting to snap. Get it off of the books. Period.

7. Mother Jones | Free Birth Control! Hells. Yeah.

   Although some are concerned insurance companies will pass on the cost of the services to subscribers, even though some plans already cover things like STD testing and annual pelvic exams, in the long run the preventative services covered are expected to reduce health care costs by preventing unplanned pregnancies and diagnosing cancers earlier.

   Anyone who is not concerned that insurance companies will pass the cost of the services on to subscribers is likely experiencing a regrettable disconnect from reality. I have difficulty believing that a second-coming-of-Christ DHHS, with the stroke of a pen, regulated manna-from-heaven birth control into existence “at no cost to the consumer”. The cost of doing business has just gone up, folks, and your premiums will follow shortly. Even if this regulation did manage to reduce costs on average, it can only be for the benefit of the careless and at the expense of the careful.

8. Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light)

   

   Those who compare rich to poor using $$ alone can easily miss these simple yet effective improvements to the poor’s standard of living. Many thanks to CaffiNation Paul for sharing this.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Image credits:  Gaywash (Sagging Pants)