Federal Government

Just Say No

This entry was posted in Constitution Domestic Terrorism Federal Government Government Libertarianism Patriot Act War on Terrorism on by

This library gets it right:

The FBI wants to know who checked out a book from a small library about Osama Bin Laden. But the library isn’t giving out names, saying the government has no business knowing what their patrons read.
Via a puzzled Mac:
I am delighted that the library in question did fight back. But I�m still puzzled at why a margin doodler poses so much of a threat. Dude, more than half the U.S. borders and ports aren�t covered by Homeland Security and we�re out there trying to harrass people who write in library books?
Note, we would not know anything about this if the FBI had used the Patriot Act to request this information. Well, we might. But, then, whoever made it public would have been arrested and charged with illegal disclosure of information. You see, the deal is that citizens aren’t supposed to know what their government is doing.

Freeway Blogging

This entry was posted in bush Election 2004 Federal Government Federalism Libertarianism US Politics on by

Do you live in Colorado, Arizona or New Mexico?
Then take up the Freeway Blogger’s challenge!
Hmmmm, there might be something here for all of you. I know the Freeway Blogger is not a bush supporter but the challenge doesn’t say the signs have to be any special denomination.
Do remember, though, that in a land of freedom no individual should have the power that has been vested in the US presidency, no legislature the power of the the US senate or house, and no judiciary the power of the US supreme court.
Via Talkleft.

A Few Questions for the Candidates

This entry was posted in bush Capitalism Constitution Democracy Election 2004 Federal Government kerry Libertarianism on by

Here is Roxanne’s opening:

Dear John Kerry and George “W standing for Women is a lot like Putin standing for Democracy” Bush:
I no longer give a shit about your Vietnam-era exploits. It doesn’t matter to me if you were once a drunk-driving, cocaine-tooting mama’s boy or if you were an effete BMOC.
More importantly, though, go read her questions for the candidates.
You may not agree 100% with the positions implied by the questions but this is the level at which any meaningful campaign should be occurring. That it isn’t confirms more firmly my belief that the whole mess needs to be redone.

A Plan

This entry was posted in Capitalism Constitution Economics Election 2004 Federal Government Federalism Libertarianism on by

w and his administration are not well known for providing comprehensive public policy plans for public discussion and possible action. For instance, regarding the economy the bush buzzward is ownership. See here and here. There is not much depth and from a planning perspective these appear to be more like action items without any overall strategy direction. And looking deeper on the bush campaign site finds more of the same kind of thing.
Tyler Cowan proposes a somewhat expanded plan for bush (I presume he’d like kerry to adopt it as well)and does include at least a bit of overarching vision in his 12th point:

Get on TV and tell the nation that a free economy is a critical source of our strength. Tell them you mean it, and then mean it. Economic growth is the greatest long-run gift we can give to the world.
The rest of the list is incomplete but, for the most part, a great start toward implementing the proposed vision.
To all of this Ideablog says:
Big problem: it’s politically impossible.
To which I say, well, that’s ok. What is impossible today happens tomorrow but only if you start talking about it.
This is why, whether you ultimately agree point by point, you should go read Cowan’s proposal, think about it, talk about it, discuss your alternatives, refine it, and go at it again, and again, until we get it closer to right.

If They Want You….

This entry was posted in Constitution Domestic Terrorism Drug Laws Federal Government Federalism Law Law Enforcement Libertarianism US History on by

They can probabably get you!
The US Federal Government at work.
With nearly 4000 federal criminal statutes on the books the chance of you knowing when and what law you broke is probably nil.
The constitution called out three federal criminal offenses: treason, piracy and counterfeiting. As a glossy overgeneralization I suggest that any additional ones are inappropriate and relate to things that should be beyond the business of federal busybodies.
Via Freespace.