Tag Archives: bailout

Weird stuff happening today in Republicanville

This one isn’t too much of a shocker.  SC Governor Mark Sanford, who is often pretty good on most things (except for that little evolution thing, McCain endorsement, etc.), is taking Republicans in his own state to court.  Here’s the scoop:

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is suing his own attorney general and accusing state legislators of breaking the law as he continues to block his state from receiving federal bailout cash aimed at struggling schools.

The Republican’s federal lawsuit, posted online Thursday, says requiring him to take the money would violate the state and federal constitutions.

It “would require his agreement to these onerous federal educational mandates and unsustainable spending commitments, would further burden South Carolina’s economy and substantially increase the state’s debt in the future and therefore is contrary to the welfare of the people of South Carolina,” the governor said in his court filing, which also asks the court to block the money from heading to the state until it rules.

The lawsuit says the governor is the highest executive authority in the state and asks the federal court to declare the Legislature violated the South Carolina Constitution by requiring him to request the money.

“This is about balance of power,” Sanford, also chairman of the Republican Governors Association, said during a morning news conference.

Now Cato reports that former Representative and prez wannabe Tom “The Mexican Slayer” Tancredo wants to legalize drugs.  You may think you’ve just dropped a few hits of acid after reading this one:

Admitting that it may be “political suicide” former Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo said its time to consider legalizing drugs.

He spoke Wednesday to the Lincoln Club of Colorado, a Republican group that’s been active in the state for 90 years. It’s the first time Tancredo has spoken on the drug issue. He ran for president in 2008 on an anti-illegal immigration platform that has brought him passionate support and criticism.

Tancredo noted that he has never used drugs, but said the war has failed.

“I am convinced that what we are doing is not working,” he said.

Tancredo told the group that the country has spent billions of dollars capturing, prosecuting and jailing drug dealers and users, but has little to show for it.

“It is now easier for a kid to get drugs at most schools in America that it is booze,” he said.

What’s next?  Are Dick Cheney and John Yoo going to hit the public speaking circuit to rail against torture?

UPDATE: Here’s some Tancredo video on the topic, courtesy of Stoner Jesus.

Why Nationalization Damages Liberty and Prosperity

Many progressives are looking forward to increased government oversight over the auto industry. They see this as a chance to influence the types of vehicles that are produced and to dictate that production be turned to socially beneficial uses, including the manufacture of green cars that auto manufacturers are not manufacturing. These vehicles are not manufactured presently because car manufacturers see bigger profits in continuing to produce SUV’s and more cheaply built sedans. Viewing this judgment as short-sighted, progressives are overjoyed at the prospect of including non-monetary considerations such as ecology or social needs in deciding what to produce. We who oppose the nationalization are viewed either as being too stupid to recognize the benefits of introducing considerations other than profits to production decisions, or as being wed to outdated economic theories or to be apologists for fat-cat capitalists.

This is incorrect. Rather, the progressives who support nationalization are being very short-sighted and are threatening to return society back to feudalism and are threatening to destroy the development of new technologies, technologies that will be vital to improving our standard of living while reducing the amount of pollution and natural resources needed to maintain such comfort. This not hyperbole but rather simple fact.

The problem, which has plagued all fascist and socialist economies throughout history, is that nationalization destroys the ability of the economy to rationally allocate capital goods and invest in the future. It is this incapability that is behind the phenomenon where communist countries seem to become mired in the past with stagnant technology, bare shelves in shops and factories that routinely fail to meet production quotas. » Read more

I am an anarcho-capitalist living just west of Boston Massachussetts. I am married, have two children, and am trying to start my own computer consulting company.