Economics

Mussolini on democracy

Dave — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:35:35 -0400

I decided to participate in Voxiversity III^*, which is a study of Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg. In the comments after the first "class" (for lack of a better word), someone posted pieces of an essay written by Benito Mussolini containing his (Mussolini's) definition of fascism. Part of this essay contained some rather acute observations of democracy:

Fascism denies that the majority, by the simple fact that it is a majority, can direct human society; it denies that numbers alone can govern by means of a periodical consultation, and it affirms the immutable, beneficial, and fruitful inequality of mankind, which can never be permanently leveled through the mere operation of a mechanical process such as universal suffrage....

...Fascism denies, in democracy, the absur[d] conventional untruth of political equality dressed out in the garb of collective irresponsibility, and the myth of "happiness" and indefinite progress....

I am in no way endorsing fascism, but I find it fascinating that an individual could be so wrong about the ideas he supports yet so right about the system of democracy. "Collective irresponsibility," indeed.

^*If anyone is interested, I highly recommend participating in Voxiversity III. I have read Liberal Fascism already, and I can attest that it is well worth the money and effort. The Voxiversity format provides motivation to stay current with one's reading as well as a forum in which to participate in discussions and get questions answered. It still early in the sequence, so it is not too late to begin.

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Gas Prices Again!

Juliana — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:45:24 -0400

In case you haven't noticed, gas prices have been climbing again. Because the federal government forces us to use a special kind of gas (which we don't need to use), the prices are higher. That special gas costs more to make, so it costs more to buy. There isn't any real reason to use the "green" gas, and there isn't any reason at all for the government to make the taxes so high on it. This could truthfully be called theft.

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They still don't get it

Dave — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:29:43 -0400

In a pair of columns (here and here), Ashley Herzog describes a very interesting test that was presented to college students by the Young America's Foundation (yaf.org). They asked students what they thought of a policy that would distribute grades more evenly, taking points earned by strong students and giving them to other students that hadn't done as well. The response from the college students was near-universal opposition, even to the point of disbelief.

Herzog, herself a college student, then points out that while professors may expound on the virtues of socialism, that's not how they run their classrooms. Most, in fact, are rather pointed about the necessity to work and produce results in order to earn a good grade. Herzog challenges them to announce a grade redistribution scheme on the first day of class:

See how many students continue to show up to your pompously boring lectures about how America is a colonialist oppressor. See how many complete the assigned readings or study for tests. You’ll either have to force students to do those things—just as the Soviets had to force people to work on disastrously inefficient “collective farms”—or you’ll have to watch as your class deteriorates due to lack of productivity.

But, as the students themselves say, "Earning money is not the same as earning grades." Really? How? I'd like to ask a few questions of those who took YAF's test: Why bother to get good grades if the money you earn at your high-paying job is just going to someone who didn't do as well in college, or who didn't go to college at all? Are you working hard in college for yourself, or for the privilege of working later on for someone else? If the latter, what's the problem with giving up part of your grades now? Anybody? Come on, hands in the air, people!

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The objective press

Dave — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:09:13 -0400

The newspaper industry is in trouble. Circulation has dropped, followed by advertising revenue, and there just aren't enough fish or bird cages to replace the lost demand. Many newspapers have ceased daily publication, filed for bankruptcy, or shut their doors entirely. Now, those of us who don't work for a newspaper understand that the lack of interest in their product is due in part to the fact that the bulk of their content come straight from the Reuters and AP wires (I can get those for free on the internet), effectively crushing any meaningful local reporting; and in part to the shameless uniformly leftward slant of the content that does appear.

Given the easy access to news content on the internet, I don't believe that there is anything that newspapers can do to regain their former relevance. However, I am quite certain that their current ploy to do so will fail, and fail magnificently. This article (which comes from the Reuters wire, which we no longer need a local newspaper to read) describes legislation that will grant newspapers tax-exempt status as non-profit, "educational" institutions. The only restriction that would accompany their newfound status is that they would be prohibited from making political endorsements.

I'm going to decline comment on the practice of the government granting tax-exempt status to a group of for-profit corporations. What I would like to point out is that these newspapers, which still proclaim their objectivity, would be in a position of accepting a handout from the very entity they are supposed to be overseeing. You don't have to be Edward R. Murrow to see the conflict of interest here. In his commentary on this issue, Vox is absolutely correct to use the term, "Pravda." I have to wonder who would pay good money for such a rag (sellers of birds and fish excepted, of course), but then subscriptions to Pravda were mandatory for certain organizations. Of course, that could never happen in America, could it?

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A trip to the woodshed

Dave — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:08:13 -0400

Recently, a British gentleman named Daniel Hannan, a member of the European Parliament, took the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to task to his face over the worrisome state of the British economy. His speech can be viewed below. It is well worth the three and a half minutes required to view it.

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Chinese stimulus

Dave — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:31:00 -0400

The Chinese economy is headed down the same path as the U.S. economy. They are even using similar rhetoric, speaking of "new measures to stimulate the economy" and taking "measures to ensure government funding is used efficiently for stimulating economic growth." Specifically,

China plans to amend the its tax code to boost consumption, spur exports and generate more transactions in the equity market by reducing the 0.1 percent stamp tax on share trading, [Li Zhaoxing, spokesman] said.

Boost consumption? Generate more transactions in the equity market? Sound just like what they're trying to do over here. And just like over here, their failure to adhere to sound Austrian principles will deepen and extend their economic woes.

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One World Currency

Wayne — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:27:37 -0400

Never in my life did I think I'd live to see a single currency used the world over. I just didn't think it could happen so fast or that all the disparate peoples would acquiesce so easily. Many believers taking the Bible seriously as God's Word have predicted that a globally common currency may be a prelude to the mark of the beast.

The Bible says the beast will control all commerce via this mark, and that those who don't take it will be cut off economically (and hunted and killed, but that's another matter). It has been long believed by many that a prelude to this mark would be a single form of currency. Admittedly, without central banking on a global scale (IMF?), directly controlling global currencies would be nigh impossible. This present crisis, though, provides a great excuse for the one-worlders to sacrifice all kinds of national sovereignty, to say nothing of individual liberties, in favor of a single, global currency. Once this is in place—central banking is assumed, as I don't see the world's kings giving up that power—the mark of the beast should follow easily.

You believers out there, will you be willing to embrace the difficulty of forgoing the beast's mark, assuming there's no a pretrib. rapture? Will you be willing to go underground? Your life as you've known it would end. You'll have to be in hiding. Perhaps an underground economy of bartering can be built, but it would need to be hidden from the countless who will take the mark (and surely be rewarded for turning you in). Are you willing to die for the Lord's sake? Are you willing to kill, too, to protect your loved ones from evil? Are you ready?

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Obama is saving money...

Dave — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:33:28 -0400

... by forcing private insurance companies to pay for health care stemming from service-related injuries, rather than having the government foot the bill as it has always done.

A few quotes from the article:

Veterans organization leaders earlier had written to Obama to raise their concerns.

"There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veteran's personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide. While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable," the letter said.

and:

The proposed requirement for these companies to reimburse the VA would not only be unfair, said the Legion, but would have an adverse impact on service-connected disabled veterans and their families.

For example, depending on the severity of the medical conditions involved, maximum insurance coverage limits could be reached through treatment of the veteran's condition alone, leaving the rest of the family without benefits.

The Legion also said many health insurance companies require deductibles to be paid before any benefits are covered and further, private insurance premiums could be elevated to cover service-connected disabled veterans and their families, especially if the veterans are self-employed or employed in small businesses unable to negotiate more favorable across-the-board insurance policy pricing.

Some employers, especially small businesses, also would be reluctant to hire veterans with such disabilities, the organizations said.

Rachel Lucas discusses this issue on her blog. The language gets a bit rough, but she is definitely on point.

As for myself, I am aghast but not surprised. Obama has demonstrated all along that his values are, for the most part, 180 degrees removed from where they should be. This is just another example of that. I do not expect that this idea will gain any traction, as the groundswell it generates will be more than sufficient to cause Obama to do an about-face (as it were), just as he did with the ammo supply issue. The guy is not only wrong, he is clueless. And he has access to the Button.

Sleep well, everybody.

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Election analysis

Dave — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:47:36 -0500

The only thing I don't like about this blog post is that I didn't write it (not that I could). Enjoy.

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Money and strings

Dave — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:44:56 -0500

Citigroup took bailout money from the federal government. Now the feds are telling them how to spend it, specifically that they should not take delivery on a corporate jet that they had planned to purchase. The administration apparently told Citigroup that "such jets aren't 'the best use of money at this point,' and are 'an outrageous use of funds' for a company getting taxpayer dollars."

The point of my commentary has nothing to do with whether I think Citigroup should or should not buy the jet. I'm also refraining from commenting on whether the government has the right, even under these bizarre circumstances, to tell a private company how its money should be spent. My point is, as a pragmatic matter, if you accept government money then you submit to a certain degree of control by the government regarding what you can do with that money. This is one reason it is never a good idea to accept government money, especially if you are in a situation where you actually need the money.

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