statism

Cuba’s Past Could Be Your Future

"If the reader lives in a country where laws are being written to limit his ability to expatriate a portion of his wealth, or, worse, to repatriate it if it has already been internationalised, he would do well to examine which of his freedoms will be the next to be lost. There is little discussion at present over whether it may soon be necessary in some counties that are part of what was once called the 'free' world, to apply for an exit visa in order to travel outside that country.Yet, historically, declining countries commonly impose such restrictions to assure that their citizens do not seek greener pastures." Continue reading →

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Anger over East German medical ‘human guinea pigs’

"Germany is confronting another chapter from its past — allegations that Western drug companies used more than 50,000 people in the former communist East as 'human guinea pigs' in 1980s medical trials. Several people were known to have died during trials, and some tests involved infants and delirious alcoholics, said the report on the agreements with the police state that collapsed with the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. Calls have grown for full transparency into the agreements overseen by the State Security (Stasi) secret police to earn the communist state tens of millions in hard-currency Deutschmarks." Continue reading →

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Merkel Admits She Was “Responsible for Brainwashing in the Favour of Marxism”

"A new book is out that claims current German Chancellor Angela Merkel, while living in the 1980's in then East Germany, was a physicist and also member of the communist youth organisation 'Freie Deutsche Jugend' at the Academy of Sciences in Eastern Berlin and was in charge of 'agitation and propaganda', the journalists Ralf Georg Reuth and Günther Lachmann claim in their book. 'I never concealed anything', she said at a Berlin cinema on Sunday night. Ms Merkel admitted that she was not only a member of the FDJ but also of the workers’ union and the German-Soviet friendship society, both organisations with strong ties to the ruling Communist party." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMerkel Admits She Was “Responsible for Brainwashing in the Favour of Marxism”

Venezuela running out of toilet paper

"Venezuela’s socialist government is scrambling to find new sources for toilet paper as consumer supplies run out nationwide. Shortages of key supplies like milk, sugar, coffee, butter and cooking oil have grown much worse in just the last month, amid a decade-long trend of rising inflation and increasing consumer prices. Venezuelan Minister of Commerce Alejandro Fleming told state-run AVN News that the government would respond by 'saturating the market' with 50 million rolls of imported toilet paper, in hopes of calming the populace. However, CNN noted that he also said Venezuelans go through about 150 million rolls of toilet paper every month." Continue reading →

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Maryland: Another City Forced To Refund Illegal Photo Tickets

"Hagerstown, Maryland announced Wednesday that it would refund 808 illegally issued speed camera tickets. Brekford Corporation mailed the citations between the end of December and January using three automated ticketing machines that failed to meet the certification requirements of state law. A motorist who intended to fight a photo ticket requested the calibration certificate for use at trial in January, but the city responded with a March 5 letter denying the request, despite the law's requiring calibration documents be kept on file." Continue reading →

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Hundreds of inmates released early in Colorado prison sentencing mess

"Colorado Department of Corrections officials are contacting state judges alerting them that an audit of the state’s prison system has revealed errors in the sentencing of more than 8,000 inmates, including hundreds who were released from prison early. According to the Denver Post, judges are currently reviewing the case files in an attempt to determine what individuals need to be returned to jail, and who among the individuals facing imminent release needs to have their sentence extended. The audit is still in its early stages. Some 8,415 people’s sentences need to be reviewed in all with an estimated 2,500 requiring intensive study and revision." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHundreds of inmates released early in Colorado prison sentencing mess

Prohibition Caused the Greatness of Gatsby

"Gatsby comes from a dirt-poor family and is a big dreamer, as well as a big risk taker. He keeps his past shrouded in a web of lies and half-truths as he sets out to remake himself into a person of wealth and prominence. This is the ideal personality for making it big in black markets. The mysterious Jay Gatsby indeed does become 'filthy' rich by selling illegal booze. During Prohibition doctors could prescribe 'medicinal liquor' for their patients for literally dozens of ailments, including alcoholism. Gatsby sees this as an opportunity and establishes a chain of drugstores with the help of organized crime and corrupt politicians." Continue reading →

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Cops Bust Prostitution Ring … at Senior Citizen Home

"The suspects are accused of running a prostitution ring out of their apartments, using cocaine, and ultimately causing drunks and drug addicts to bother others living in the building, pass out in the halls, and leave used condoms in the rec room. Oh, the building in question? It's a senior citizen housing complex in New Jersey, and the two main suspects who were arrested after a drug and prostitution sting last month are 75 and 66 years old, the Record reports. James Parham and neighbor Cheryl Chaney are suspected of being behind the recent increase in crime; a third suspect, 54, was also arrested on drug charges." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCops Bust Prostitution Ring … at Senior Citizen Home

Is Underwear a Legitimate Function of the Federal Government?

"Why is Uncle Sam wasting $400,000-plus on ugly and clunky underwear? The excuse for this boondoggle is that it will help monitor whether people smoke. I fail to see how this would promote smoking cessation. I assume 99.99 percent of smokers are aware that they smoke. Or are we going to have some sort of nanny-state program with the government forcing people to wear the underwear so the snoops in DC can monitor our private lives. But even if that type of intrusive system would work, why is smoking any business of the federal government? It’s certainly not one of the enumerated powers in Article I, Section VIII." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs Underwear a Legitimate Function of the Federal Government?

Oklahoma ABLE Commission agents bust south Tulsa brewpub for making too-strong beer

"The Oklahoma ABLE Commission cracked down on a south Tulsa brewery Tuesday afternoon. Agents say Pi Pizzeria and Craft Beer House is only licensed to make and sell low-point beer, but some customers complained it's too strong. 'Through the sampling process, we sent those samples to the lab and did determine they were making an alcoholic beverage, not low-point beer,' said Erik Smoot, ABLE Commission agent. The agents seized everything Pi used to make and brew its product. They say the manager is being charged with making and selling strong beer without a license." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOklahoma ABLE Commission agents bust south Tulsa brewpub for making too-strong beer