statism

Bumper Stickers Could Land Michigan Drivers In Jail

"Bumper stickers often say a lot about the person driving the car — but slapping one on your car could also be considered a crime. If you have a bumper sticker from any organization, association, fraternity, lodge, group or club displayed on your car, you could be breaking the law. Michigan law currently says if you’re not a member of the group that you’re promoting, you could be found guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $100 fine. In 1979, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled the law was unconstitutional. However, despite the court’s ruling, the language remains part of Michigan Compiled Law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBumper Stickers Could Land Michigan Drivers In Jail

California becomes first state in nation to regulate ride-sharing

"Under the proposal, the PUC would have jurisdiction over ride-sharing under a new category of businesses called transportation network companies. The agency would also issue licenses to the services. The decision is expected to preempt efforts by California cities to oversee or even ban ride-sharing under their authority to license taxi cab firms. Regulators would require drivers to undergo criminal background checks, receive driver training, follow a zero-tolerance policy on drugs and alcohol and carry insurance policies with a minimum of $1 million in liability coverage." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCalifornia becomes first state in nation to regulate ride-sharing

Tufts University: Study promoting GMO ‘golden rice’ violated ethics rules

"Tufts University researchers revealed Tuesday that a member of their team violated ethics rules in a study designed to measure the nutritional efficacy of so-called 'golden rice,' genetically modified rice with the nutrient beta carotene added. No one on Tang’s team saw fit to inform the parents of the 24 children from Hunan province, ages 6 to 8, that the children were eating gene-modified food. Chinese journalists found an email to the research team from a Chinese government official urging scientists not to speak openly of genetic modification, a subject deemed 'too sensitive' to discuss with the families." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTufts University: Study promoting GMO ‘golden rice’ violated ethics rules

Terrible News: Mark Zuckerberg Does D.C.

"Mark Zuckerberg appears to have learned the lessons of his Silicon Valley predecessors — he’s not waiting to get caught in Washington’s cross hairs before trying to find friends on Capitol Hill. In a rare personal lobbying blitz, the 29-year-old Facebook CEO and billionaire is slated this week to meet with top Senate and House Republican and Democratic leaders and the chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.[...] Zuckerberg’s visit also highlights his company’s ongoing shift from a thriving tech startup in Silicon Valley to a prominent corporation with vested interests in Washington." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTerrible News: Mark Zuckerberg Does D.C.

All Government Policies Succeed in the Long Run

"Many people, for good reason, have concluded that the surest test of whether a politician or public official is lying is to ask, Are his lips moving? An equally simple test may be proposed to determine whether a seemingly failed policy is actually a success for the movers and shakers of the political class. This test requires only that we ask, Does the policy remain in effect? If it does, we can be sure that it continues to serve the interests of those who are actually decisive in determining the sorts of policy the government establishes and implements." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAll Government Policies Succeed in the Long Run

A Rare Sign of Fiscal Sanity in France

"France’s state auditor urged the government Tuesday to redouble efforts to limit spending rather than increases taxes… He said 'the spiraling welfare debt was particularly abnormal and particularly dangerous.' During his first year in power, President François Hollande relied on large tax increases to plug holes in public finances, including social programs such as pensions, unemployment benefits and health care. But economic stagnation in 2012, coupled with a mild recession at the start of 2013, has waylaid the plan, while both companies and households are crying foul over what some have called 'a tax overdose.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Rare Sign of Fiscal Sanity in France

Muslim beauty pageant challenges Miss World

"Muslim women in headscarves and elaborately embroidered dresses took to the stage Wednesday for the finale of an Islamic beauty pageant in Indonesia, a riposte to the Miss World contest that has sparked hardline anger. 'We’re just trying to show the world that Islam is beautiful,' Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola, a 21-year-old contestant from Nigeria, told AFP backstage in the capital, Jakarta, before the final got under way. 'We are free and the hijab (Muslim headscarf) is our pride,' she said, adding that the pageant was 'nothing like Miss World, where women expose their bodies'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMuslim beauty pageant challenges Miss World

No more beauty contests for kids in France

"The French senate has approved a proposal to ban beauty contests for girls under 16 to prevent what a parliamentary report called the 'hyper-sexualisation' of children. The measure follows a parliamentary report 'Against Hyper-Sexualisation: A New Fight For Equality' which called for a ban on child-size adult clothing, such as padded bras and high-heeled shoes. 'Let us not make our girls believe from a very young age that their worth is only judged by their appearance,' said the author of the report, former sports minister Chantal Jouanno. According to the proposal, organisers of such beauty pageants could face up to two years in prison and a 30,000-euro ($40,000) fine." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNo more beauty contests for kids in France

Greece axes vacation bonus for civil workers using computers

"Recession-wracked Greece plans to scrap a perk for its civil servants who enjoy an extra six days of holiday per year — if they use a computer at work. Greece’s civil service union, Adedy, said the perk stemmed from a decision in the 1990s to give employees 20 minutes off per day to protect them from eye damage from staring at a computer screen. This was then extended on an annual basis, resulting in six days off per year. Now in its sixth year of recession, Greece has been obliged to adopt austerity measures, including pay and pension cuts that have caused widespread resentment, in return for a massive EU-IMF bailout deal." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGreece axes vacation bonus for civil workers using computers