Nov 03

Government trusters occasionally criticize policing, but offer no realistic remedy

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Years ago, I authored one of the most widely read law review articles on the abuses and unconstitutionality of modern policing, “Are Cops Constitutional?”
I have received praise for years from a variety of anti-police-brutality writers and organizations.

But many movements aimed at stopping police criminality and abuses offer pointless solutions. One commonly suggested remedy is to impose so-called ‘citizen review boards’ in which groups of citizens sit in judgment of police officers accused of abuses.

The fix offers false hope, as most of these ‘citizen review boards’ quickly become political organizations which support the establishment and rarely if ever order the firing of an officer or any other substantive remedy.

See this study by the Cato Institute.

“The idea behind civilian review boards,” according to Cato’s Tim Lynch, “is to have a separate, independent entity address citizen complaints of police abuse.”

“In practice, however, civilian review boards have proven to be an ineffectual check against police misconduct.” The membership in such boards is invariably chosen by mayors, police chiefs, or other government authorities.

The real remedy–the only viable remedy–is to slash police budgets whenever police criminality surfaces; but trusters in government seem to never fathom this obvious truism.

Nov 03

New York City homeless levels are at all-time high

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Government overcriminalization, regulation and licensing requirements have taken a severe toll on America’s poor.

After years of socialistic rule, New York City finds its homeless population is at an all-time high. See here.

Nov 03

Venezuela now has single-payer medicine–rationed by the military

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Socialism is a curse that should be wished only on a hated enemy. All societies that embrace it inevitably become sick and weak.

Just a generation ago, Venezuela was a thriving, dynamic society with a robust economy.

Now, after 17 years of socialism, men die in the streets fighting over spare change. Women and children eat out of garbage cans, or hunt dogs and cats for food.

Now Venezuelans are blessed with single payer health care–distributed by the military. See here.

Nov 03

Overpaid government ‘workers’ are bankrupting major cities

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America has moved toward becoming a feudal society like the tyrannical fiefdoms of yesteryear, with private households mired in poverty, debt and hopelessness while those in government live like kings (pun intended).

The average federal ‘worker’ is paid about twice what a worker in the private sector would make doing the same type of job.

At the state and local levels, the situation is often better; but sometimes worse.

Here is a Reason Magazine story about how lavish pensions for city retirees in Dallas are now threatening to eat up one-fifth of the City’s budgets.

Nov 02

New York Times quarterly earnings fall 95 percent

America’s government-supporting newspapers are dying.

Now the New York Times–America’s premier pro-government newspaper–is reporting quarterly earnings that are 95.7 percent lower than just a year earlier. See here. comic_book_swap_qyzmsd

Nov 02

Life is improving for most people on earth; in spite of governments

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Life expectancy, world health, literacy and education, average interior living space, and the cleanliness of environments is gradually improving throughout the world.

See here.

But this progress has been IN SPITE OF, rather than because of the world’s governments, which have constantly sought to repress and control the world’s subjects. See here.

Oct 30

Fifty-seven percent of doctors ran their own practices in 2000; that figure is down to 33% as of 2015.

The immense paperwork burdens, high malpractice premiums, and overregulation of medicine has driven most doctors to large, centralized institutions.

See here.imagescb5rlc2d

Oct 27

“News” establishment begs critics to stop criticizing

The safest profession in the world is probably journalism in support of the state.

Undoubtedly, the most dangerous profession in the world is journalism in opposition to the state.

For years, America’s pro-government (“mainstream”) press has promoted an agenda of increasing government power and control. Political movements which threaten the dominance of established government have received endless criticism from “the press.”

Now, as readers and viewers abandon the government-supporting press in favor of alternative news outlets, members of the “mainstream” press are literally begging critics to stop criticizing. See here.images0HBF7F0Z

Oct 26

“Affordable Care Act” incentivizes poverty

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“If you like your current plan, you will be able to keep it,” said President Obama.

“Let me repeat that: If you like your plan, you will be able to keep it,” he said.

This week, the Kaiser Family Foundation released an analysis of the Obamacare insurance exchanges that indicates there will be five states in 2017 where only one insurance company is offering health insurance plans through the exchange.

In Birmingham, Alabama, according to the KFF analysis, the monthly premium for the second-lowest-cost silver plan for a 40-year- old nonsmoker will increase 71 percent — jumping from $288 to $492. In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, it will increase 67 percent — jumping from $295 to $493.

In Phoenix, Arizona, it will increase 145 percent — jumping from $207 to $507.

But overnment apologists are quick to note that, if you make less than 400 percent of the poverty level, the government will subsidize your insurance premiums.

The government’s lesson here: Keep your income down, so you can get other Americans to subsidize your insurance.

Or, if you do not earn enough to buy insurance even with a government subsidy, you can go directly onto government-provided health insurance.

In July, the number of people in the United States enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program exceeded the entire population of the United Kingdom. It also exceeded the population of France.

As of July 2015, 37.1 percent of Americans are insured by the government.

See here.

Oct 24

Growing numbers of poor Americans find retirement elusive; they must work till they die

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Sad story from the Associated Press. America has become a two-tiered society, with those in power pampered in luxury while those without government positions live lives of poverty.

For years, the U.S. government has punished savers, entrepreneurs and investors. Social Security, for example, takes money from people’s paychecks during periods when they most need money to build their careers, families and homes–and transfers that money to wealthier Americans.

Studies of the impacts of Social Security and Medicare show that Americans save less, invest less, and work fewer total hours in response to the program.

Some 40 % of Americans reach retirement age without any significant savings or investments.

While government “workers” have never had it so good, a growing proportion of Americans must look forward to lives of misery and poverty in their old age.