voluntaryXchange

Privileges or Immunities Resuscitation – A Two-Edged Sword

Justice Thomas’ opinion in McDonald vs. Chicago has established a new precedent for the future use of the privileges and immunities clause of the 14th amendment.

This clause guarantees that the rights granted by the Federal government can’t be undone by a state or local government. No justice argued against Thomas’ opinion as applied to this case.

I see a problem here with issues like Obamacare. The states’ argument against Obamacare is that it impinges on their freedom to govern. They might even win that case.

But, are there enough people who view healthcare as a right to push it as an amendment? Are their politicians who would vote in favor of that? I think the answer to both questions may be yes.

If this is the case, then there is now a foolproof way to armor Federal social programs: have aspects of them ensconces as Constitutional rights that can’t be infringed.

This won’t happen right away, but it will be interesting to see how this pans out over the next generation.

Technorati Tags: justice,thomas,priviliges,immunities,obamacare

With Friends Like These … Left-Wing Faithful Edition

From the woman who filed a sex complaint against Al Gore:

… She talked to friends … who advised against telling police. One asked her "to just suck it up; otherwise, the world's going to be destroyed from global warming."

WTF?

Let’s think symmetrically: if Dick Cheney had made unwanted advances on a woman who came to his room to service his gun collection, would her friends advise her to keep it quiet because otherwise the world is going to be destroyed by al Qaeda?

I don’t think so.

Let’s think about the tradeoffs implicit in that quote. At a minimum, there’s an equivalence there between an action that did take place (if you’re the alleged victim’s friend, I think you have to accept their story) with the possibility that a single person might be able to do something about a global issue whose scope is uncertain.

That’s magical thinking … and it’s rather astounding that it exists at all in this day and age.

What are the limits to the conclusions that someone who thinks this way could draw about other mundane events?

Technorati Tags: al,gore,portland,complaint,sexual

Keynesians’ Rubber Mallet

A student (BO not the BO) brought this to my attention:

What the world has now reached instead is a Keynesian dead end. We are told to … continue to spend and borrow until the precise moment when …  it is time to raise taxes to reduce the huge deficits and debt that their spending has produced.

… The good news is that voters and markets are telling politicians to stop doing what hasn't worked.

I read these things and I don't know what to think.

I believe that a lot of experts in economics, who were in positions of policy authority in 2008-9, panicked, and reverted to older Keynesian models rather than sticking with their newer models.

I don't know what to think about articles like this because I'm not sure that I would not have done the same thing.

I think what we've learned over the last 40 years is that the influence of active government policy is a lot smaller than we thought. But, the influences that are stronger are not things that we can manage with policy.

In sum, we have a tool, but not a very good one.

So, is that an argument for not relying on it when we might need it, or an argument for throwing everything into it that we can (since its effects are going to be diminished instead of amplified).

I actually ran into this in the "real world" just this morning. I was pounding something delicate with a (soft) rubber mallet and the rubber was splitting. Does that mean I should pound gently to accomplish what I can, or pound harder to get the job done before the mallet breaks for good?

There just aren't good answers to these questions. The only solid message is to not believe those who think that there are good answers.

Read the whole thing, entitled “The Keynesian Dead End” in the June 26 issue of The Wall Street Journal.

Technorati Tags: keynesian,fiscal,monetary,policy

Ooh – I’ve Always Hated That … And Now I Know What it’s Called!

Many books that you buy have rough edged pages on the side opposite the spine.

It’s called a “deckle edge”. Actually more of a faux deckle edge.

They do this on purpose to make the book look hand-crafted – like I’m supposed to think they made it out of rag paper like wedding invitations.

This is one of those really stupid things that drives me nuts. I don’t have as many of those as some people, but we’ve all got some, and that’s one of mine.

I actually read in a tech magazine last year about a guy who was taking a bandsaw to all his bound books, and then feeding them into a sheet-feed scanner to digitize them. I hate deckle edges so much my first thought was that I could use a bandsaw to cut them all off … even before thinking that this guy had way too much time on his hands.

Via Kottke.

Technorati Tags: deckle,edge,paper,book

What Can We Infer from What Al Gore Paid?

It’s reported that Gore’s massage cost $540.

I don’t know how much massages cost in Portland, but many seconds of searching on Google showed that you could get a massage for two people in your hotel room for $175.

If he willingly paid that, what did he think he would get for the extra $400?

Technorati Tags: al,gore,massage,portland

Value of a Life: North Korean Edition

Of course, the value of a North Korean life to King Jong-Il appears to be zero.

But, that doesn’t mean he can’t spin a mean value for a North Korean life if it’s being paid for in U.S. dollars.

KCNA said the figure includes $US26.1 trillion arising from US "atrocities" which left more than 5 million North Koreans dead, wounded, kidnapped or missing.

KCNA said the figure includes $US26.1 trillion arising from US "atrocities" which left more than 5 million North Koreans dead, wounded, kidnapped or missing.

Do the math – that works out to about $5.2 million per life, and that’s in the ballpark range used by forensic economists in the U.S.

Technorati Tags: north,korea,value,life

The 4th Biggest Oil State

The medal winners are, of course, Texas, Alaska and California?

But … who comes next? Louisiana? Oklahoma? Pennsylvania?

There’s a new kid on the block: North Dakota!

It’s shale oil, which isn’t cheap to get out of the ground. But, there’s always technological improvements:

… Made wells profitable at prices as low as $50 a barrel, down from $80 three years ago …

Oh … and the reserves there are proven for over 50 more years.

Technorati Tags: north,dakota,oil. well,shale

Impeachable Offense?

Nixonian – there’s no other word for it.

Today’s testimony in the Blagojevich case is that the President knew about a deal to trade his Senate seat for political favors.

Let’s review: what got Nixon was not the break-in, or the visceral dislike he engendered, but rather the use of one agency of government to interfere with the lawful actions of another agency. His most ardent supporters couldn’t stomach this – even though both agencies reported to Nixon.

Obama, Emanuel and Blagojevich have doubled-down on that one.

• They’ve used the Executive branch to interfere with the Legislative branch.
• They’ve used the Federal government to interfere with a state government decision.

Let me be clear: I voted for Obama because he was the better candidate. I continue to support him. I like Rahm Emanuel – I think the Democrats have needed someone like him for a generation.

But make no mistake, if this testimony holds, Obama should be toast.

We’ll see if the Democrats have the guts for this. It won’t happen without them.

FWIW: I don’t really think this is going to amount to a hill of beans. The lawyers knew this testimony would come up. I think they have a Plan B we haven’t seen yet.

Technorati Tags: obama,emanuel,blagojevich,impeach,senate,quid pro quo

No Way: Mike Lee Wins In Utah – Doubling Down On Throwing the Bums Out

FOXNews is reporting that Mike Lee has won the Republican primary for U.S. senator in Utah.

This is a huge deal if you are interested in the national throw the bums out movement.

It’s well-known that both Utah candidates were outsiders – after incumbent senator Bob Bennett was bounced in the caucuses.

What’s interesting about Mike Lee is that – at least in my local area – he has no mainstream Republican support.

Every person I know who is involved in Republican politics wanted Tim Bridgewater. He even had the support of Bob Bennett.

Every house that I know regularly posts political signs had a Tim Bridgewater sign. There’s a few Lee signs around town, but not many.

And … Bridgewater had the most money … as evidenced by his TV ads and mass mailings.

Now … both guys stand for the same things … if anything I think Lee is the more conservative of the two.

So, this really wasn’t about issues at all – as a matter of fact I’ve heard precisely zero people actually explain why they like one candidate over the other.

In sum, I think this was a case of doubling-down on throwing the bums out. Bennett lost to Bridgewater and Lee because he was too D.C., Bridgewater adopted that mantle, and he lost.

Technorati Tags: utah,senator,bennett,lee,bridgewater,tea,party

Shelby Steele Quote About the Moslem World

Shelby Steele:

… Recalcitrance in the Muslim world, this attraction to the consolations of hatred, is one of the world's great problems today …

Technorati Tags: shelby,steele,quote,moslem