Monthly Archives: September 2003

Do Not Call and the RIAA

This entry was posted in Constitution on by

Radley Balko questions why Julian Sanchez supports the federal Do Not Call list but opposes congress acting on behalf of the RIAA to clamp down on Peer-to-Peer applications. Balko argues that the feds should not get involved in stopping either telemarketing calls or music downloading.
I certainly agree that stuff like the Protecting Children from Peer-to-Peer Pornography Act of 2003 should not even see the light of day. This bill is as good an argument as any that the commerce clause was and still is a mistake as written and interpreted.

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Late Night Reading

This entry was posted in Late Night Reads on by

Beldar gives kudos to left-of-center blogger’s writings on the Texas redistricting ruckus.
Lisa ruminates on Big Lies.
Walter begins exploring the idea of the black republican.
Laurence Lessig finds the values of our time wanting:

So defraud Californians of $9 billion, pay $1 million. But develop a new technology to make it easier for people to get access to music that they have presumptively purchased: pay more than $54 million.
Such are the values of our time.

Good Night!

w Funds Effective Reading

This entry was posted in bush Capitalism Education Federalism on by

In today’s weekly radio address w tells us about his admin’s record in supporting the No Child Left Behind Act. Next year’s budget proposes a cool $1.1 billion for effective reading programs. That seem like a pretty large sum at first glance but then reality sets in.
In 2001 there were 46,906,607 students in public schools. So that $1.1 billion works out to a little over $23/student. Perhaps enough to buy 1/3 of a textbook each. I’ll bet, though, that the money comes with the usual federal hooks: do it this way or you will not get the money.