statism

Indian central bank has debased the rupee 99% vs the dollar; no hope in next Guv too

"The rupee has lost almost 99 percent of its value against the US dollar since 1947 when the rupee was at parity with the dollar. The dollar itself has been no great paragon of virtue and has lost 98 percent of its value against gold in the same period ($35/ounce in 1947 to around $1,330 today). So to state the the RBI has decimated the value of the rupee would actually be an understatement of sorts. But it continues to amaze me when I see the RBI Governors being extolled to the realm of divinity by the media. 'Headless Chicken' would be a much more appropriate description of how they have performed over the last few decades." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIndian central bank has debased the rupee 99% vs the dollar; no hope in next Guv too

India Pledges Rupee Action as Currency Nears Fresh Low

"On Tuesday, traders were rattled after Subbarao said the central bank would return to a pro-growth monetary stance only once the currency stabilised. Separately, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said the government was looking into liberalising foreign direct investment rules, attracting funds from non-resident Indians and clamping down on the import of non-essential items such as electronics. 'There's no rocket science in manufacturing basic electronic hardware ... So we can manufacture electronic hardware goods here,' he told a news conference in New Delhi." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIndia Pledges Rupee Action as Currency Nears Fresh Low

Courts Quietly Move From “May” Convict to “Must” Convict Jury Instructions Over 40 Years

"The Dougherty case began in 1969 when nine pacifist Catholic priests and nuns broke into the D.C. offices of Dow Chemical Corporation to protest the company’s production of Napalm for the Vietnam War. There were similar antiwar protests being staged elsewhere during the period, including the cases of 'the Catonsville Nine' (who burned draft board files), the 'Baltimore Four' (ditto), the 'Harrisburg Seven' (tried for mentioning the possible kidnapping of Henry Kissinger in intercepted letters), the 'Milwaukee 14' (tried for burning draft records), and the 'Harrisburg Seven' (tried for planning to arrest Henry Kissinger for waging an illegal war [..])." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCourts Quietly Move From “May” Convict to “Must” Convict Jury Instructions Over 40 Years

Father of foster child who died after being seized by state over marijuana speaks out

"Alex was living with foster parents after DFPS removed her from her parents' home last November for 'neglectful supervision.' Hill admits they were smoking pot when their daughter was asleep. 'We never hurt our daughter. She was never sick, she was never in the hospital, and she never had any issues until she went into state care.' For two months, Alex was placed in a home that Hill says was dangerous. 'She would come to visitation with bruises on her, and mold and mildew in her bag. It got to a point where I actually told CPS that they would have to have me arrested because I wouldn't let her go back.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFather of foster child who died after being seized by state over marijuana speaks out

Bootleggers and Baptists

"We all know bootleggers and Baptists rarely see eye to eye. Ask one group and its members will probably tell you they despise the other group. Yet, when it comes to government regulation, both bootleggers and Baptists work together. Prof. Bruce Yandle explains that this happens because both groups actually desire the same outcome. Groups who would never meet together but both desire the same outcome can often be found upon closer examination of many government regulations. What are some other 'bootleggers' and 'Baptists' who benefit from government regulations?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBootleggers and Baptists

Free State Project Demands Apology For “Domestic Terrorism” Claims In Tank Grant Application

"As president of the Free State Project ('FSP'), a NH-based non-profit organization with the sole mission of attracting 20,000 pro-freedom people to the Granite State, I am alarmed and appalled at the cleverly worded insinuation that the FSP is a domestic terrorist threat, or that 'Free Staters' are 'active and present daily challenges' to the Concord Police Department. Individuals who sign up for the FSP generally subscribe to an ethical stance which asserts that 'aggression' is inherently illegitimate. Sadly, the DHS grant application only came to light through an ACLU public records request, and not as a result of transparent governance." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFree State Project Demands Apology For “Domestic Terrorism” Claims In Tank Grant Application

Mayor Bloomberg blames Virginia for many of New York’s gun crimes

"New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg blames Virginia and several other southern state’s for the Big Apple’s gun crimes — so now he’s set his Mayors Against Illegal Guns’ sights on the Deep South for a Second Amendment crackdown. His chief of staff, John Feinblatt, said if states like Virginia only implemented common-sense provisions, then violent crime rates would fall. Other states faulted by Mr. Feinblatt: South Carolina, for contributing 251 'crime guns' in 2011, he said. And Georgia, Alabama and Texas – all states that allow for online gun sales absent background checks." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMayor Bloomberg blames Virginia for many of New York’s gun crimes

Escape From the Grasp of Congress

"With 11.5 million illegal aliens in the country, it’s hard to understand how a relatively small number of departing U.S. emigrants is threatening to U.S. lawmakers. Maybe it’s because those numbers are rising and the federal government fears an increasing number of U.S. citizens moving beyond its control. The only other national regimes to have adopted similar punitive tax laws were Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union under Stalin and apartheid South Africa. I admit expatriation is certainly a drastic plan. However, as we see in the statistics, more and more U.S. citizens are choosing that option as the America we knew and loved fades farther from memory." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEscape From the Grasp of Congress

Zimmerman prosecution staffer files whistleblower suit over testimony on unreleased evidence

"A former employee of Florida State Attorney Angela Corey’s office is suing the prosecutor, claiming he was illegally fired after he testified on behalf of George Zimmerman, who was acquitted in the death of black teenager Trayvon Martin. Kruidbos was fired after testifying at a pre-trial hearing on June 6 that he believed prosecutors had failed to turn over to the defense, as required by evidence-sharing laws, potentially embarrassing evidence extracted from Martin’s cell phone." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingZimmerman prosecution staffer files whistleblower suit over testimony on unreleased evidence

Inventing Pretexts to Ignore the Fourth Amendment

"Describing these factors as a threat to 'officer safety,' the agents demanded access to the home to conduct a 'protective sweep,' during which ammunition and drugs were found. A district court denied Mongold’s motion to suppress the evidence. The US. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the district court and suppressed the evidence, noting that the ATF agents 'could most easily have protected the officers’ safety by leaving [the] home, not by entering it.' The Tenth Circuit quite sensibly slapped down this cynical argument for a warrantless search, but it was careful to specify that its sensible ruling is not to be used as a precedent." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInventing Pretexts to Ignore the Fourth Amendment