He plowed his field; now he faces a $2.8 million fine
"A farmer faces trial in federal court this summer and a $2.8 million fine for failing to get a permit to plow his field and plant wheat in Tehama County." Continue reading →
“Green Banks” Will Drown in the Red
"A state solvency report released by the Mercatus Center has each of these five states ranked in the bottom third of the country, with their solvency described as either 'low' or 'poor.' This all raises the question of whether these governments are able to find sound investment opportunities in the first place. Recently, though, there have been calls to extend the struggling green banking system to the federal level. Mark Muro and Reed Hundt at the Brookings Institute assert that demand for green banking institutions and the types of companies they finance is so strong that the existing state-based green banks cannot muster enough capital to meet demand." Continue reading →
Felony Friday: Man Charged For Killing Deer That Ate His Weed Plants
"Felony charges were filed against one poor soul, which highlights the State’s refusal to recognize property rights and the idiocy of the drug war. A Glasco, N.Y. man had his world come crashing down after a neighbor snitched on him for killing the deer that were eating his marijuana plants. Barry J. Brice learned a hard lesson from his run-in with the law. Not only does the State own the deer that destroy your garden, they also dictate what plants are allowed to be grown. Statists would claim that Mr. Brice got what he deserved for growing an illegal plant and killing deer without a license. They would rejoice at the prospect of Mr. Brice being locked in a cage for committing 'crimes' without victims." Continue reading →
The true raw material footprint of nations
"The amount of raw materials needed to sustain the economies of developed countries is significantly greater than present indicators suggest, a new Australian study has revealed. Using a new modelling tool and more comprehensive indicators, researchers were able to map the flow of raw materials across the world economy with unprecedented accuracy to determine the true 'material footprint' of 186 countries over a two-decade period (from 1990 to 2008). The study was published today in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It reveals that the decoupling of natural resources from economic growth has been exaggerated." Continue reading →
California poised to become first state to impose full ban on lead bullets
"California is on the verge of becoming the first state to impose a full ban on hunting with lead bullets -- with environmentalists and gun-rights advocates squaring off as Gov. Jerry Brown decides whether to sign the legislation. The state already has a ban on lead-bullet hunting in eight counties with an endangered condor population. But the new proposal, overwhelmingly approved this month by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly, would impose a statewide ban on all hunting. Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown has until Oct. 12 to decide whether to sign the legislation, which would not be fully implemented for at least several years." Continue reading →
Armed EPA raid in Alaska sheds light on 70 fed agencies with armed divisions
"The recent uproar over armed EPA agents descending on a tiny Alaska mining town is shedding light on the fact that 40 federal agencies – including nearly a dozen typically not associated with law enforcement -- have armed divisions. The agencies employ about 120,000 full-time officers authorized to carry guns and make arrests, according to a June 2012 Justice Department report. Though most Americans know agents within the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Federal Bureau of Prisons carry guns, agencies such as the Library of Congress and Federal Reserve Board employing armed officers might come as a surprise." Continue reading →
Now That Hybrids Have Become Popular…
"First, egg-on the production of hybrids and electrics via artificial inducements and special perks (such as being able to drive in those High Occupancy Vehicle lanes, even if it’s just you in the car). Wait for these unconventional cars to become pretty got-damned conventional. Then whine about the 'lost revenue' which must be recovered. Meanwhile, pass laws that double (and soon, will triple) the fuel economy of the average non-hybrid car – knowing that will provide even more excuse to whine about all the 'revenue' lost. Then hit them up with the notion of a tax-per-mile. It will not even be necessary to discuss the means by which it’ll be implemented. That will follow almost automatically." Continue reading →
Huge Solar Drone Could Fly, Conduct Surveillance For Five Years
"A solar-powered high-altitude drone made by Titan Aerospace is intended to be able to remain in flight for about five years. When manufactured, it would have 3,000 solar panels producing about 7 kW of electricity and would be above the clouds, so it would be exposed to sunlight constantly during daylight hours. One is scheduled for completion next year. The point of having such a plane would be to keep a payload in flight long-term, presumably in a manner similar to communications satellites. They could be used for surveillance applications such as environmental monitoring, fire monitoring and disaster response, among other things." Continue reading →
Australia liberated from their long national green nightmare
"Tony Abbott has won the Australian election in a landslide, and vows to abolish the carbon tax as a first order of business. Abbott has declared Australia is 'once more open for business' in claiming victory in Saturday’s election. It is a huge blow to the Rudd-Gillard labor party and their green goals, which were built on a lie foisted on the Australian people. In 2010 when Gillard said 'no carbon tax' in a videotaped speech that has been seen as the key moment Australians lost trust. Then, shortly after she was elected prime minister, she acted as if those words were never spoken, and implemented a carbon tax anyway." Continue reading →
Nigel Farage offers Barroso some cooling news on euro and climate change
"The euro which you believed would give us monetary stability has done the very opposite, it was a misconstruction from the start, and it's pretty clear that youth unemployment, at nearly 50% across the Mediterranean, is probably nearly double what it would have been as a direct result of the misconstruction that is the euro. They're in the wrong currency, but I know that you'll never ever admit to that, and the euro I think will die a very slow and painful death. But it's the green agenda that I find really more interesting. You keep telling us that climate change is an absolute top priority, and you've been greeted with almost hysteria in this place over the last ten years." Continue reading →