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Playing around

Why are taxpayer dollars collected by force being spent on a playground? Any playground?

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“Trump's Deregulation”

“President Trump both cut and increased regulation.”

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“Stossel: Enough Crony Capitalism!”

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No to the American's Creed

I believe in the United States of America as a Government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a Republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. I therefore believe it is my duty to my Country to love it; to support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag; and to defend it against all enemies.
— The American's Creed as quoted in Embracing the American's Creed


Regarding the creed.

No.

So here is this marvelous piece of 1917 poetry, and I said no. Why?

It's the difference between the Dream and the actuality.

One topic I've been debating recently is the emergency powers of the President. If you accept that the President has the power to declare emergencies, it's not exactly “of the people, by the people, for the people.” It's literally what one man said, not subject to debate or dissent. Theoretically it can be revised by Congress, but in practice it never is.

It doesn't stop there. Some agencies have power to regulate the people and the states. While sometimes these powers are subject to Congressional review, usually these regulations have the power of law without actually being law. What's worse is that the agencies often have administrative courts with different requirements. It's outside the normal court system and not subject to the rules of law. These regulations do not come from the "consent of the governed."

America has not been “a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States” since at least the Civil War. Everything from education to Prohibition to the EPA has been forced on the states, often in direct violation of the wishes of the citizens of the states. There's very little way to opt out.

America was never meant to be a “a perfect Union, one and inseparable;”. The phrase comes from the preamble of the U.S. Constitution, but somehow the creed left out one word that changes the meaning. We're not meant to have a perfect union, we're supposed to have a more perfect union. As in we haven't done it yet, it's a work in progress. We're still arguing over what that means and how we can do it.

And yes, that means that if people don't like it, they can leave it. Even whole states.

Those ideals of “freedom, equality, justice, and humanity” are mutually incompatible. Specifically, freedom and justice aren't about equality or humanity. For most of the 20th Century, the idea of equality was used to rein in exceptional and unusual people. They couldn't be allowed to challenge the status quo. I don't know what the ideals of humanity are, but I am pretty sure we don't agree.

Speaking of justice, there are unjust American laws. Mandatory minimum sentencing, civil forfeiture, eminent domain, vice laws, laws and regulations preventing the use of precious metals as legal tender, mandatory union dues, "free speech" zones, zoning laws, the list goes on and on.

Nobody, no person, no institution, and certainly no nation deserves love without reservation. If you do not question what your nation does, you have failed as a citizen. The Constitution is not perfect and certainly the law is not perfect. And lest we forget, this nation was founded on the biggest and most polite "screw you" in human history. You can't choose liberty unless you embrace the right to walk away.

That's it. That's why my response is a simple word.

No.

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Friday roundup

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

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Monday mini-roundup

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

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Monday roundup

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

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Monday supersized roundup

CDC Admits Rx Opioid Deaths ‘Significantly Inflated’

Imagine that, government lying to create a crisis

House passes controversial legislation giving the US more access to overseas data

Secretly going after your privacy

Ex-Nobel Secretary Admits Obama’s Prize Was A Mistake

It was all for show

Think you know Mary Magdalene? Think again

This could be an amazing film. I hope it finds and American distributer

What Are Zombie Retail Stores Really Worth: Answers Emerge

When the commercial real estate bubble bursts, it's going to hurt

Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner Promised a Criminal Justice Revolution. He’s Exceeding Expectations.

Great news and demonstrating how to do it right

Rivals and consumers will rein in Facebook, not regulation

Don't fall for government's promise. Contrast with It’s Time to Break Up Facebook

Friended: How the Obama Campaign Connected with Young Voters

It was acceptable for Obama, not for Trump

YouTube Suspends Major Gun Manufacturer, Bans Instructional Gun Videos

It is a private platform after all. But what do you think will be off limits tommorrow?

Scott Walker Is Making It Harder to Receive Welfare in Wisconsin. Will This Become a Nationwide Blueprint?

I do not believe government should do welfare.

Jann Wenner says MeToo suffers from absence of due process

He's right

HOGG WILD! David Hogg Rallies Democrats in DC: “If You Listen Real Close You Can Hear the People in Power Shaking” (VIDEO)

This is manufactured.

Reforming Dodd-Frank, for Real

“Rather than adopting a recent Senate bill, Congress should reconsider last year’s House measure, which is much more supportive of free-market discipline.”

Lawsuits Pile Up As #DeleteFacebook Movement Spreads

Facebook is a data-mining company

Rural hospital shutdowns force communities to take care of their own

A real healthcare crisis

The Cambridge Analytica Scandal: An Elitist Delusion

They want to control you, and not just the Republicans

Hillary fundraiser causes a stink with the DNC

Hillary Clinton wants the 2020 nomination

Will the Democrats Blow It in 2020?

“The question is whether the Democrats will lead their party on a giddy march to the left.”

Earth Hour or Human Achievement Hour: Which is the enlightened choice?

I have it on good authority that most of the people reading this are human.

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Open and free

An open and free internet is the last, best hope for humanity. That's why politicos want it regulated.
     — NeoWayland
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Wednesday roundup


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Thursday roundup

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

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Tuesday roundup

Policing Sexual Desire

Great piece.

HIDDEN CAMERA: HUNDREDS of Twitter Employees Paid to View “Everything You Post Online” Including Private “Sex Messages”

And making money doing it.

NAACP Says MLK’s Vision Can’t Be Achieved Without Fighting Global Warming

In all my studies, MLK didn't once mention global warming or climate change.

Backdoor Censorship through Libel Law

Here's something Trump is actually doing

Comic Convention Bans Christian Conservative Actor Kevin Sorbo For Friendship With Hannity

Guilty by association

How Conservatives Are Being Destroyed by Facebook, Twitter and Google Without Even Realizing It

There needs to be competition, these companies are breaking their promises

The Subtle ‘Tyranny’ of Regulatory Overlords

“Who really benefits from the 14,000 pages of Dodd-Frank?”

Collapse of Construction Giant with 43,000 Employees Globally Sparks Fear and Mayhem

Size doesn't always guarantee success

Jesse Jackson praises and thanks Donald Trump for a lifetime of service to African Americans

YouTube video - flashback

Kafkaesque campus sexual assault tribunal at Johnson & Wales alleged in lawsuit

“Female waited a year to complain, male not given copy of complaint, entire process only 5 weeks, no record of hearing”

Police Knew That Hawaii Missile Attack Report was False Within Five Minutes After Alert

I'm glad someone was on the job

FLASHBACK: The Obama Administration Called Netanyahu A ‘Chickensh**’

Funny how none of the major networks are talking about that one

Shrinks present latest plot to remove Trump from office

The unelected, unappointed, and answerable to no one believe they have the power to overturn an election. The only way to take Trump out is truth. Anything else will backfire, badly.

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Monday roundup

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

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Tuesday roundup

Israel to formally announce intent to leave UNESCO

Although I am not a blind supporter of Israel, there is no other nation that has been vilified for so little reason.

University of Minnesota Retracts Restrictions on Christmas Decorations

“In a memo sent by the University of Minnesota earlier this month, staff was told that Santa and Christmas tree decorations were “not appropriate” for campus buildings.”

Santa Calls It Quits

Parody

Cities, volunteers clash over feeding homeless in public

It's not charity unless it's Officially Approved

How Opaque Healthcare Pricing Mechanisms Rip Off Consumers

Or How Government Conspires to Keep Medical Costs High

Wrong-footing the NYPD

Going through the motions without fixing the problems

Christmas 2017: Why I'm Hopeful



Who Regulates Bitcoin Trading? No U.S. Agency Has Jurisdiction

No regulation is not necessarily a bad thing

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The free market is more free

What does it say about Bill Maer? - updated

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The AlterNet Tea Party article

Demonstrating that certain modern liberals don't understand economics

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More clearing out the stack

Older headlines that don't merit their own entry

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NeoNotes — net neutrality

As it exists right now, local, state, and Federal governments allow and protect area specific telecommunications monopolies.

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Regulating

When government starts defining, it starts regulating.
     — NeoWayland
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Another exception

Are there any type of calls that are exempt from the robocall rules issued by the FCC or the FTC?

There are several exemptions. Calls made for debt collection, charitable solicitation, political causes or campaigns and surveys are all exempt from these rules.
     — Marguerite Reardon, Why am I getting so many robocalls?

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Grow a lot faster

Memo To The Next President: We Can Grow A Lot Faster

The idea that there is some kind of inevitable decline in productivity, he says, is nonsense: "Experience and formal analysis tell us clearly that innovation and productivity happen where there is rule of law, simple and predictable regulation, property rights, reasonable taxation, an open and competitive economy, and decent public infrastructure," Cochrane wrote recently. "These politicians do have ample control over, and ample opportunity to screw up."

Presidents, working with Congress, can have an enormous impact on the things that matter.

So what matters? A kind of consensus is emerging among some economists that significant barriers to growth exist — and that they can be swept away. Doing so could push the long-term growth path back above 3% -- creating millions of new jobs and higher incomes at the same time.

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