Sudden Outbreak of Common Sense

Ex-BlackRock MD: US raid on Bitcoin exchange is ‘hysterical’ reaction

"Warwick Business School’s professor Jon Rushman, a former BlackRock managing director, says: 'It is a little bit of a hysterical reaction from the US authorities. There are concerns of Bitcoin being used in illegal ways, but unless there is more substantial evidence of this I don’t think there is any reason to shut down the main Bitcoin exchange. US dollars, Russian rubles and euros have all been used by criminals, but nobody is suggesting their central banks should be closed down and their governors imprisoned.' Rushman calls for more 'intelligent debate about Bitcoin and its future'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-BlackRock MD: US raid on Bitcoin exchange is ‘hysterical’ reaction

CEO of World’s Biggest Bond Fund: Government Has Rigged the Game Against Investors

"Investors are being haircutted by at least 200 basis points judged by historical standards, which in the past offered no QE and priced Fed Funds close to the level of inflation. Large holders of U.S. government bonds, including China and Japan, will be repaid, but in the interim they will be implicitly defaulted on or haircutted via negative real interest rates. . . . Future haircuts might even include a wealth tax. Are gold and/or AA+ sovereign bonds good as money? Usually, but capital controls can clip you if you’re not careful." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCEO of World’s Biggest Bond Fund: Government Has Rigged the Game Against Investors

Vermont Becomes the 17th State to Decriminalize Marijuana

"State lawmakers gave final approval Monday to a measure that will decriminalize possession of limited amounts of marijuana in Vermont. The bill will now be transmitted to Gov. Peter Shumlin, who is expected to sign it into law in coming weeks, at which time Vermont will become the 17th state in the nation to decriminalize or legalize marijuana. House Bill 200, introduced by Rep. Christopher Pearson (P-Burlington) with a tripartisan group of 38 co-sponsors, will remove criminal penalties for possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and replace them with a civil fine, similar to a traffic ticket." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVermont Becomes the 17th State to Decriminalize Marijuana

Kucinich defends tea party groups against IRS on ‘Fox News Sunday’

"After years spent as one of the nation’s most ardently liberal members of Congress, former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) became a paid Fox News contributor at the start of this year, and on Sunday his new role cast him as a defender of the tea party, accusing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of engaging in 'political targeting' ahead of a presidential election. 'I am a liberal Democrat,' he said. 'I’m not someone who’s celebrated tea party politics. But we cannot — this is not tolerable — we cannot have a condition in America where people’s politics are the basis for IRS attacks.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKucinich defends tea party groups against IRS on ‘Fox News Sunday’

Rasmussen Poll: Nullification Goes Mainstream

"Day after day, the media pounds out a relentless drumbeat against nullification. Pundits, commentators and so-called legal experts demonize it as unconstitutional, villainize it as racist and trivialize it with slurs like 'wacky' and 'kookie.' But while the political class continues to arrogantly ridicule Madison and Jefferson’s principles, everyday Americans embrace them in increasing numbers. A Rasmussen poll released Monday indicates that nullification is growing more and more popular in mainstream America. More people than not approve of nullification in general." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRasmussen Poll: Nullification Goes Mainstream

Missouri Legislature Nullifies All Federal Gun Control Measures by a Veto-Proof Majority

"All federal acts, laws, orders, rules, and regulations, whether past, present, or future, which infringe on the people’s right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 23 of the Missouri Constitution shall be invalid in this state, shall not be recognized by this state, shall be specifically rejected by this state, and shall be considered null and void and of no effect in this state." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMissouri Legislature Nullifies All Federal Gun Control Measures by a Veto-Proof Majority

New Zealand Government Announces That Software Will No Longer Be Patentable

"In a bill passed earlier today, the Government of New Zealand announced that software in the country will no longer be patentable. New Zealand’s largest IT representative body, the Institute of IT Professionals, expressed relief and said the decision removed a major barrier to software-led innovation. The policy was passed in a Supplementary Order Paper, which sets out proposed amendments to the existing Patents Bill." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Zealand Government Announces That Software Will No Longer Be Patentable

German Euro-Skeptic Party Gaining Ground

"The anti-euro party 'Alternative for Germany' (AfD) was officially founded just a few weeks ago, but it has clearly struck a nerve: It already numbers 10,476 members, SPIEGEL has learned -- some 2,800 of which have switched allegiance from Germany's established parties. As elections loom later this year, Alternative for Germany is making waves with an agenda that includes dissolving the euro currency zone and returning powers from Brussels to EU member-states. Although a survey released on Tuesday showed the party's support is currently barely nudging 4 percent, its rapidly swelling ranks could end up significantly altering the country's political landscape." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGerman Euro-Skeptic Party Gaining Ground

Colorado passes laws for the legal sale of marijuana beginning Jan. 1

"Lawmakers in Colorado voted Wednesday night to approve a historic, first-ever regulatory framework for the production, taxation and sales of marijuana. Four bills awaiting the governor’s signature Thursday morning — SB 283, HB 1317, HB 1318 and HB 1325 — will convert the state’s medical marijuana regulatory agency into a body governing all marijuana sales and establish legal limits for driving while under the influence of marijuana. Voters will also be given the chance to approve a series of taxes on marijuana in November, starting at 10 percent sales tax at retail and 15 percent excise tax at wholesale, with additional local taxes to be set by each municipality." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingColorado passes laws for the legal sale of marijuana beginning Jan. 1

Federal Over-Criminalization Task Force Formed

"Ten House Judiciary Committee members joined together to pass a resolution to form the Over-Criminalization Task Force of 2013 to examine and make recommendations for paring down the federal criminal code, which has expanded rapidly in recent years. The Task Force will conduct hearings and investigations on over-criminalization issues within the Committee on the Judiciary’s jurisdiction, and has the opportunity to issue reports to the Committee on its findings and provide policy reform recommendations. This is the first review of the expansive federal criminal code since a Department of Justice review in the 1980s." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal Over-Criminalization Task Force Formed