Government

Mma Ramotswe on Government

This entry was posted in Government Quotes on by

“If the opposition would only stop arguing amongst themselves,” the cousin went on, “they would win the election and get rid of the government. That would be a good thing, do you not think?”
“No,” said Mma Ramotswe.
The cousin stared at her. “But it would be very different if we had a new government, “she said.
“Would it?” asked Mma Ramotswe. She was not a cynical woman, but she wondered whether one set of people who looked remarkably like another set of people would run things any differently.
Alexander McCall Smith, The Full Cupboard of Life, 2003, Page 29.

Seems a pretty good reason to eliminate 95% of what we call government.

Mafia Numbers Game Is Alive and Well

This entry was posted in Government on by

Governments show their true colors by operating lotteries to generate revenue. Dan Gilmour nails it in this 6/22 post:

At the top of Page 1 today in the SF Chronicle is a story about the “Mega Millions” lottery that Californians will soon be able to enter. It’s unfortunate governance for states to be in this rancid business, but it’s irresponsible journalism to promote it.
State-run lotteries are slimy. They run advertising that I suspect would get other people sued for deceptive practices. They convince people who can least afford it to gamble. They shift tax burdens. No one forces people to gamble, true, but gambling addiction is a very real thing.
States should not be in the business, period. But rather than honestly deal with revenue needs, they con their residents into “games of chance” that entice stupidity, or worse.
For states to promote this practice is shameful enough. I wish responsible media organizations would just refuse to join the parade.

Dan is right. States should not be in lottery business and responsible journalists should be making clear to their readers that throwing away their money on lottery tickets is not a good thing.
But, then, states shouldn’t be in the business of doing most of what they do.

Kelo Fallout….

This entry was posted in Anarchism Constitution Government Libertarianism on by

I expect we will be seeing many more reports like this one:

Unjust and un-American indeed.

Most children learn the right lesson much better than the 5 who supported theft in Keno and, in fact, better than the founders:

The most important fact in all this childhood drama was simply that I wanted something that was not mine, and without the consent of the owner, nothing I could do would make that thing morally mine, and as long as my parents were my parents, nothing I could do would make it physically mine, either.

A constitution that respects individuals will not contain a takings clause but rather it is clear that it needs to be a blocking clause something along the line of

nor shall private property be taken for public use, without the consent of the owner.

The mafia might object but not an entity intended to protect its citizens.

What’s The Dif?

This entry was posted in Government on by

Micha Ghertner notes:

The line between government and mafia grows ever smaller, if it ever existed at all.

Well, one difference might be that governments often persuade their citizens that voting for the top dog makes it all legitimate.
I’m looking forward to Micha’s Mafia paper.

Textbooks I Won’t be Buying

This entry was posted in Democrats Education Government Regulation Technology on by

Here is a good example of why legislative sessions should be reduced(Free Reg) to, say, a week if not completely eliminated:

Maybe Democrats in the state Assembly should just go ahead and write textbooks for California’s students. They’re so confident they know what constitutes a good one.
For instance, who knew that making a textbook longer than 200 pages was such a bad idea that there needs to be a law against it?

These folks have way too much time on their hands.
The bill’s sponser has been bashed a bunch but remember that 42 (mostly democrat) of the 70 representatives voted for this. That Californians elected 42 such bright people to rule their lives is a pretty good indicator that the eduction system there is broken.
Part of the alleged justification:

Textbooks are too laden with print supplemental materials, and too uninteresting in style. In the 21st century, the information age, information changes more rapidly than books can be printed. Educated, informed citizens of the 21st century will have to rely on technology and media for information. Textbooks should provide an overview of the critical questions and issues of a subject, and then become a roadmap to guide students to other means and sources of information.

To which I say, BS.
I’m long out of school and use the internet extensively to research areas in many subjects. Much, I’d expect, as a K-12 student might do once they’ve reached a certain level of competence. I also buy 2-4 high school/college survey textbooks a year (plus 20-30 volumes of more in depth material) for my own library. No 200 page textbook can cover the breadth and depth needed for any survey course even to provide the minimal requirements noted above.
Even if you reduce the range of focus 200 pages is still rediculous. For instance, if you are studying 13th-14th century world economic systems an excellent overview with references to a lot of primary material (much not available on the net) is Abu-Lughod’s Before European Hegemony: The World System A.D. 1250-1350. It has just over 450 pages. Sure, you can find this subject reduced to a paragraph, a few pages, or a chapter or two but whatever chunk you prefer will be in a volume that should take more than 200 pages to be meaningful….unless its volume N of a series.
Via The Carnival of Education: Week 17.