CLibertyC

The Truth Behind the Decline in Somali Piracy

"[P]rivate security forces thwarted Somalian piracy and not the mighty navies. It is interesting to note that while everyone from navies of different countries to 'the transitional administration in Somalia' becoming more successful are cited as causes of this, it notes that 'For many in the shipping industry, the fall in attacks is a vindication of the decision to massively ramp up the use of armed guards'. It also notes that 'So far, not a single ship with armed guards has been taken by pirates'. Looks like the risk/reward of being a pirate is not economical anymore. All due to private security. Walter Block would be happy." Continue reading →

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Private Schools in India Serve the Poor, but Can They Survive Attacks by Government?

"I despise policies such as corporate subsidies, bailouts and minimum wage laws. So you’ll understand why I’m particularly upset that the government of India is now trying to undermine opportunity for the poor by shutting down private schools. Because the government schools do a terrible job, there are millions of poor families who are sacrificing to send their kids to private schools. Apparently embarrassed by the fact that so many millions of poor families would rather pay for good private schools than go to free state institutions, the government is trying to regulate the private schools out of existence." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPrivate Schools in India Serve the Poor, but Can They Survive Attacks by Government?

US DOT Blasts Mississippi For Diverting DUI Funds To Speeding Tickets

"Mississippi police agencies have been diverting federal grant funds intended to combat drunk driving into an expansion of the use of speed traps. The US Department of Transportation's inspector general chided the NHTSA for its lax administration of the 'Section 154' grant program that failed to prevent the misuse of taxpayer money. 2926 citations were issued by 127 state and local police officers using the DUI grant money. The analysis found 73 percent of the officers issued no drunk-driving related citations at all. There were only 147 DUI arrests or citations, and the rest were for speeding, seat belt use or other minor infractions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS DOT Blasts Mississippi For Diverting DUI Funds To Speeding Tickets

Indian starving children’s fund used to fix buses

"A fund of millions of dollars raised to help malnourished children in western India has been diverted to maintain public buses, a report said on Friday. The 'Child Nutrition Surcharge' was set up 16 years ago to collect a small percentage of each bus ticket fare in major cities in Maharashtra state, where thousands of children die from malnutrition each year. But public transport officials say that millions raised have yet to be transferred to the state treasury because they allegedly need the funds to maintain buses and keep them on the road, the NDTV news channel reported." Continue reading →

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Shanghai Introduction

"Shanghai is the world's largest city, when considering population size living within city limits -- not counting suburbs. With 18 million people, it if filled with action and ideal people-watching conditions, with its densely-packed population. Shanghai is one of the world's most modern cities, which might surprise those who think that China is not yet a developed nation. Glistening new skyscrapers make this the largest collection of tall buildings on Earth. It is a great place to discover on foot." Continue reading →

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Did #StandWithRand Change the World?

The reaction to Sen. Rand Paul’s 13 hour filibuster on Wednesday elicited positive reactions from across the political spectrum. Many noted that Paul’s example carried revolutionary implications, for libertarianism, conservatism, transpartisanism, the Republican Party and American politics at large. Let’s start with the libertarians. Brian Doherty, Senior Editor at Reason told Business Insider: “This was a [...]

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US drugs prosecutors switch sides to defend accused Colombian traffickers

"US prosecutors and other senior officials who spearheaded the war against drug cartels have quit their jobs to defend Colombian cocaine traffickers, saying their clients are not bad people and that United States drug policy is wrong. Senior former assistant US attorneys and Drug Enforcement Administration agents are turning years of experience in investigating, indicting and extraditing narcos to the advantage of the alleged traffickers they now represent. Feitel and Klapper spoke of recognising the humanity of their clients and called for alternatives to a four-decade-old 'war on drugs' which costs billions of dollars and incarcerates thousands." Continue reading →

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Texas proposes one of nation’s “most sweeping” mobile privacy laws

"Privacy experts say that a pair of new mobile privacy bills recently introduced in Texas are among the 'most sweeping' ever seen. If passed, the new bills would establish a well-defined, probable-cause-driven warrant requirement for all location information. That's not just data from GPS, but potentially pen register, tap and trace, and tower location data as well. Such data would be disclosed to law enforcement 'if there is probable cause to believe the records disclosing location information will provide evidence in a criminal investigation.' Further, the bills would require an annual transparency report from mobile carriers to the public and to the state government." Continue reading →

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2 Miami police officers arrested on ID- theft, tax-refund charges

"Malinsky Bazile, a young Miami police officer, pocketed about $140,000 over the past two years — but not in salary for his patrol duties, authorities say. While on duty, Bazile ran the names of more than 1,000 people in the state driver’s license database, according to a criminal complaint. Then he took their personal information and filed bogus federal income-tax returns, all to score stolen refunds. Bazile and fellow officer Vital Frederick, separately accused of tapping into the same database, were both arrested Thursday." Continue reading →

Continue Reading2 Miami police officers arrested on ID- theft, tax-refund charges