Mad Statists

Eric Holder: Drone strikes against Americans on U.S. soil are legal

"Attorney General Eric Holder can imagine a scenario in which it would be constitutional to carry out a drone strike against an American on American soil, he wrote in a letter to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. 'It is possible, I suppose, to imagine an extraordinary circumstance in which it would be necessary and appropriate under the Constitution and applicable laws of the United States for the President to authorize the military to use lethal force within the territory of the United States,' Holder replied to Paul’s question about whether Obama 'has the power to authorize lethal force, such as a drone strike, against a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil, and without trial.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEric Holder: Drone strikes against Americans on U.S. soil are legal

Whence the Housing Bubble?

"The chart below shows the ratio of the average existing home sales price to average household income. The long term average (LTA) of this ratio has been slightly above 3.0. At the beginning of 2001, however, it began to rise rapidly, reaching a peak 33 percent higher than the LTA during 2005, and then declining precipitously back to its LTA during 2008. Peshut’s chart also shows that, as of the beginning of 2012, Fed monetary policy had been unable to restart a bubble in the housing market unlike it had done in financial asset, farmland, and commodities markets. In fact housing prices were still falling both absolutely and in relation to household income." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhence the Housing Bubble?

United Nations report: ‘Designer drug’ use, abuse and production surging

"Designer drugs are multiplying at a worrying rate and increasingly sending users to hospital, a UN-affiliated report said Tuesday, calling for international efforts to stem the spread of these substances. Aggravating the problem further was the fact that these drugs were not subject to international control regimes and were readily available on the Internet, requiring states and international institutions to find new ways to identify the drugs and stop their distribution. Another problem was the rise in prescription drug abuse, including painkillers, sedatives and others used to treat epilepsy, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and mental illnesses." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUnited Nations report: ‘Designer drug’ use, abuse and production surging

China “fully prepared” for currency war: central banker

"Yi Gang, deputy governor of China’s central bank, issued the call after G20 finance ministers last month moved to calm fears of a looming war on the currency markets at a meeting in Moscow. Those fears have largely been fuelled by the recent steep decline in the Japanese yen, which critics have accused Tokyo of manipulating to give its manufacturers a competitive edge in key export markets over Asian rivals. South Korea’s incoming president Park Geun-Hye has also signalled her willingness to step in to stabilise the won and protect exporters battling a stronger Korean currency and a weaker yen." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChina “fully prepared” for currency war: central banker

7-Year-Old Suspended, Teacher Says He Shaped Pastry Into Gun

"Academics are hard for Josh, who suffers from ADHD, but he excels in art class. It is Josh's own creativity that may have gotten him into trouble. At Park Elementary school, Josh was enjoying his breakfast pastry when he decided to try and shape it into a mountain. Josh's dad received a phone call from the school saying that Josh has been suspended for two days because he took his breakfast pastry and fashioned it into a gun. Josh's dad was astounded to learn the school chose such a harsh punishment, even after no one was hurt. Late Friday afternoon a letter went home with students explaining the incident saying, 'A student used food to make an inappropriate gesture.'" Continue reading →

Continue Reading7-Year-Old Suspended, Teacher Says He Shaped Pastry Into Gun

Cash airlift helped avert Greek bank run during debt crisis

"Greece's central bank had billions of euros of banknotes shipped in from other central banks to avert a bank run during the country's debt crisis as depositors withdrew their money. Fears the debt-laden country might ditch the euro and return to the drachma led Greeks to pull out billions of euros of savings in the last three years, stashing their cash under mattresses or in safe deposit boxes. To meet the high demand for cash, the Bank of Greece had loads of banknotes secretly airshipped from abroad, feeding it to banks throughout the country to avoid shortages that could have intensified worries and set off a bank run." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCash airlift helped avert Greek bank run during debt crisis

Four States Advance Legislation To Block NDAA Indefinite Detention

"In a stunning move last week, four states, Indiana, Colorado, Montana and Arizona, successfully advanced anti-NDAA legislation. The goal for each bill is to protect the people of that state from indefinite detention under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012. The 2012 NDAA applies broad detention power to U.S. soil, allowing the federal government to detain and even execute any person, including an American citizen, on U.S. soil. There has not been such backlash against a federal law since Congress attempted to enforce a mandatory national speed limit, as over 21 states have introduced legislation to counter the law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFour States Advance Legislation To Block NDAA Indefinite Detention

Let’s Shed a Tear for those Under-Appreciated Bureaucrats Who Get Lavish Pensions and Live in $700K Homes

"When I first read this story in the Washington Post about supposedly under-appreciated federal bureaucrats, I was tempted to focus on the sentence referring to 'the sledgehammer of budget cuts scheduled to hit today.' Instead I want to focus on the part of the story featuring self-pitying remarks of federal bureaucrats. Excuse me while I wipe away the tears and compose myself. There are so many stories of unbearable hardship. Perhaps we can create a civilian version of the Medal of Honor, given to the bureaucrat who suffers the most because of the 'sledgehammer' cuts and those mean people on 'web sites.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLet’s Shed a Tear for those Under-Appreciated Bureaucrats Who Get Lavish Pensions and Live in $700K Homes

The 1970′s Global Cooling Compilation – looks much like today

"Does the bullet point list for solutions to global cooling at right look familiar? It reads almost like some of the manifestos we get from warmists today, including the suspension of Democracy. During the 1970s the media promoted global cooling alarmism with dire threats of a new ice age. Extreme weather events were hyped as signs of the coming apocalypse and man-made pollution was blamed as the cause. Environmental extremists called for everything from outlawing the internal combustion engine to communist style population controls. This media hype was found in newspapers, magazines, books and on television." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe 1970′s Global Cooling Compilation – looks much like today