Thursday, February 20, 2014
The Lunacy of the "Living Wage"
The problem with the concept is that the entire emphasis is all about what you are going to receive. Without any regard to the value you are providing. The emphasis always seems to be that someone owes it to you (it is very similar to the conversations about government and what they "owe" you). That seems so incredibly perverted to me.
As opposed to a more responsible paradigm: You being responsible for your own living, and being primarily concerned with what You are going to do in order to get what it is You desire. What skills you will provide, how many hours you will work, what are you willing to do to improve your skills, what you are willing to give up (in terms of your personal life, flexibility, and other comforts) in order to do it? Do you plan on working harder or smarter during the hours you do work? Can you invent something or provide a service that other people will pay for so you don't even have to work for a "wage"?
And once you answer those questions, can you come to a voluntary agreement with the parties you interact with in order to see what the fruits of your labor or ingenuity might bear? As opposed to using the political process to make demands by law or other kinds of force.
Wouldn't that be a refreshing conversation?
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Who's in control?
Here is a link to that paper, if you have never read it.
Federalist #45
Doesn't it seem as though every action today taken by our federal government assumes the exact opposite is true? Madison would be shocked.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Finding Clarity in the Health Care Debate
Link: The Case for High-Deductible Health Insurance
There is a fundamental lack of understanding of the concept of insurance. Insurance is meant to cover infrequent and unexpected occurrences and insulate the buyer from catastrophic events. Contrary to popular belief, insurance does not mean that all of your services are included, nor does it mean that someone else pays for your services.
Reform that tries to make insurance some type of all-inclusive concept that is paid for by other people obscures the issue. As Tanner points out, that leads to overconsumption of resources and add to rising costs. And it should be obvious that adding more people to this kind of system isn't going to make things any better.
It has been proven time and time again, that best decisions are made when individuals have responsibility to choose their own services and pay out of their own pocket for the services they consume. Any solutions to problems that ignore this will likely make the situation worse.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Requiem for the Dollar
WSJ Article: Requiem for the Dollar
Enjoy!!!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Smart versus Wise
The Brainy Bunch
Friday, September 11, 2009
Sound Good While Saying Nothing!!!
An Obama Speech in 13 Easy Steps
Best of luck in your career as a demagogue!!!
Monday, September 7, 2009
What is (or isn't) a Right?
But let's talk about a right: if you or someone else has to take whatever it is we're talking about (or the resources to get it) from me or someone else in order for you to have it, then what you're talking about isn't a right at all.
Can you imagine the reaction of majority of the world's people who get by on a few dollars per day, should they be forced to listen to the arrogant Americans drone on about their "right" to the things in this society which so many of us are so fortunate to be able to access?
It is both dumbfounding and disturbing to me.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
GWB - A Presidency to Forget
Baby Bush: The Worst President in History?
Contrary to all the rhetoric in the media, from his oppponents, and even from Mr. Bush himself, this president presided over one of the biggest expansions of government in history. His administration presided over massive increases in spending on social programs, subsidies, corporate bailouts, and no-win wars. There were massive new bureaucracies introduced, more regulations introduced to further burden already beleaguered financial markets , and chilling new intrusions foisted upon people's liberties and privacy.
What is curious to me is that all of this damage was accomplished in the name of such principles as "American values", "free markets", "capitalism", and "conservatism", and fooled many people into believing this is what it looks like when those words are used. Nothing could be further from the truth. After a couple of decades of incremental advances, statism took major steps forward under the G.W. Bush Administration. In the meantime, the springboard was provided for current administration to launch their brand of statist socialism, while proclaiming the failures of liberty, capitalism, and free markets. Unfortunately, that will be Bush's legacy in the end.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Cash for Clunkers Madness
1. Our stroke of genius will be to subsidize new cars to the tune of $3,500 to $4,500 which for the most part, will benefit middle to upper class citizens;
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Free, Guaranteed Health Care?
Or a product you are required to pay for, that is available, of reasonable quality, with a variety of choices, run by companies who are competing and trying to attract customers, and continuously improving and innovating their product with new and emerging technologies, and where the providers make a profit so you have some comfort they will be around for a while?
I know my answer to the question.
Is this not the essence of the health care debate?
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Bad Economists vs. Good Economists
--Frédéric Bastiat
As the ridiculous Cash for Clunkers program comes to its end, fraught with all its unintended and unforeseen consequences -- it is obvious that this administration only listens to the bad economists. I can only imagine what Bastiat's reaction would have been.....
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Death by Bureaucrats?
Wall Street Journal opinion page what death by bureaucratic fiat might look like.
Link to WSJ editorial page: The Panel
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Health Care Plan Invokes the Postal Service as Example?
So, I wanted to attempt to put this perspective. The United States Postal Service has a state-enforced monopoly in what is a very simple core business -- delivering first class mail. The organization has run at loss since its existence, has substandard service at best, and obviously has been heavily subsidized by the taxpayer. As a matter of fact, it is on track to lose $7 billion this year.
In the USPS's non-core business (overnight deliveries, packages, etc.), companies like FedEx, UPS, and private messengers do compete (albeit at a disadvantage versus their subsidized competitor), provide better service, and manage to turn a profit to their shareholders. Now the Post Office could decide to undercut them on price and lose additional billions and gain more market share even with their level of service, but as you might imagine there would be little to no political stomach for it.
In today's healthcare environment, profit and not-for-profit businesses compete with each other in the face of creeping government interference -- in many cases telling them where they can compete, what products they can offer, and what they can charge. Those who operate at a loss go out of business. Many still make a profit -- with an edge going to the larger companies obviously, because of the barriers to entry put up.
Now the federal government has decided it wants to come in and "compete", by entering the business with a plan that effectively forces their customers (small businesses in particular) to buy from them at artifically set low rates. Now does this competitor care whether or not they run at a loss? Of course not, why should they care -- the taxpayers are in this for over a trillion dollars and much more in future liabilities as no one will admit they've understated the cost of the a government run system.
Who thinks this won't change the rules of the game? Will the result be fair for the companies that are competing against them, their shareholders, and their employees when they are forced out of business?
And as to quality of service going forward: if you have a package to be delivered the next day that is a matter of life or death, who are you going to choose, a private service or the post office? (If you said the post office, you are either being disingenuous or you just don't have a clue....).
Your health care is argued by many as being a matter of life or death - do you want these decisions to go the way of the post office by forcing out private enterprise? I'm just asking....
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Whole Foods vs. Obamacare
I applaud the right of these customers to exercise their freedom of choice and buy groceries wherever they please, but does anyone other than I find it ironic that if Obamacare passes, there is no choice about whether or not to participate and that I have no choice whether or not my tax dollars go to support it?
Friday, August 14, 2009
John Stossel reason.tv Interviews
Here is one media member who is able to think objectively, often in the face of ridicule and scorn by his peers. In an age where the media seem to be so smitten by those who promote a larger role for government in our lives, it gives me some optimism to see some voices of reason in the crowd. Take a look...
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Eliminating Competition is a Bad Idea
Link: OBAMACARE KILLS HEALTH COMPETITION
Well said, Michael. Tear down the barriers to competition, don't erect new ones!!!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Scare Tactics?
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Other People's Money
Monday, August 10, 2009
Obama-Care Sticker Shock
We hear the trillion-dollar figure all the time, but how much would ObamaCare really end up costing? If we've learned anything from previous government programs, it's that the actual price almost always shoots far beyond the advertised price. ...
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Thomas Sowell : Utopia Versus Freedom
Thomas Sowell : Utopia Versus Freedom - Townhall.com
Wise and timely words in era where people have been trained by their government to expect them to try and "do something" about any issue that comes along in their lives -- and then expect them to do more of the same when the solution doesn't work.