"Fortunately, at least 15 local governments, in addition to four states, have passed resolutions opposing the domestic military detention provisions of the NDAA. The local coalitions that have secured these resolutions continue to gather momentum and build a national voice to restore the Bill of Rights. Find a local campaign to join today, or contact us for help starting one in your town!" Continue reading →
"A southwestern Pennsylvania hospital will stop delivering babies after March 31 because its obstetricians are either leaving or refocusing their practices, and because hospital officials believe they can't afford it based on projected reimbursements under looming federal health care reforms. Hospital officials say the population of women of child-bearing age is dropping and that the number of births the hospital would be called upon to perform isn't enough for it to provide the service in the face of lower reimbursements under the federal Affordable Care Act." Continue reading →
"In 33 states across the country, pregnant inmates, including women being held exclusively for immigration-related offenses, can be shackled to their hospital beds during the birthing process. But many advocates, including doctors and nurses, say that shackling women at any stage of their pregnancy is damaging to the health of the mothers and the health of their babies. The American Medical Association deemed the practice to be unsafe, 'medically hazardous,' and 'barbaric,' in a resolution from 2010." Continue reading →
"US breeds a Chinese-style inmate labor scheme on its own soil. Both state and some of the biggest private companies are now enjoying the fruits of a cheap and readily available work force, with tens of millions of dollars spent by private prisons to keep their jails full." Continue reading →
"The reason why I want to mention System D is because it helps me starkly illustrate that in the final analysis what is being discussed here is simply human survival. This is a discussion that, without being hyperbolic, does touch upon life-and-death issues. To make this unexceptionable point crystal clear, Robert Neuwirth, in his book The Stealth of Nations, mentions how System D has helped people survive the financial crisis. Perhaps one of the most impressive examples of the counter-economics idea in action is that of what businesspeople did in order to evade the price control laws of Nazi Germany." Continue reading →
"...Marthe Kent, OSHA's director of safety standards program and head of the ergonomics effort, couldn't be happier at her job. 'I like having a very direct and very powerful impact on worker safety and health,' she recently told The Synergist, a newsletter of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. 'If you put out a reg, it matters. I think that's really where the thrill comes from. And it is a thrill; it's a high.' Later in the article, she adds, 'I love it; I absolutely love it. I was born to regulate. I don't know why, but that's very true. So as long as I'm regulating, I'm happy.'" Continue reading →
"More than 60 percent of cigarettes smoked in New York State, which has the highest tobacco taxes in the nation, are smuggled in from out of state and consumed tax free. New York raised its excise tax by 58% from $2.75 a pack to $4.35 in 2010, but it resulted in only a 20% increase in revenue. It's is really good to know this underground network is in action. In addition to smokers being provided tax free cigarettes, the black market that is developing in NYS is creating a network of trusted suppliers and customers that can be operational against further government interventions that may take place down the road." Continue reading →
"Five months ago, the group of homemade gun enthusiasts known as Defense Distributed set out to create a lethal firearm that could be downloaded and 3D-printed entirely from scratch, circumventing all gun control laws." Continue reading →
"A New York lawmaker will introduce a bill designed to ban people from making gun magazines with 3-D printers, following a demonstration of a working model by a Texas firearms group. Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) will push to renew the Undetectable Firearms Act with an added stipulation banning the manufacturing, ownership, transport or purchase of 3-D printed firearms or high-capacity magazines. Israel said he decided to not just renew, but expand the legislation after his staff discovered footage released by the group, Defense Distributed, of a man firing 86 rounds through a semi-automatic rifle using 30-round magazines created by 3-D printers." Continue reading →
"The easiest prediction to make for 2013 is that everything we eat will once again rise sharply in price. So where will the revolutions start this year? Keep an eye on Algeria and Greece — and if you want to feel very nervous, Russia and China. And if you are smart, keep your money out of those countries as well. The link between the cost of feeding your family and political turmoil is too well-established to be ignored. We saw it most recently with the Arab Spring of 2011. The uprisings that deposed the autocracies of the Middle East had their roots in food inflation." Continue reading →