Saturday News Bytes
I wish only the best to DownsizeDC.com. The help they are currently asking for at their site should be rendered, especially help in repealing the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2004. I was uneasy about this act from the first.
As with many another law, the problem with the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act is the precedent it sets. It is the nose of the fox in the door.
Someone in future is bound to say, “This law is okay as far as it goes, but there is too much that it doesn’t cover! We have to do something about that!”
So-called “hate speech” for example (translation: Any speech by anyone you don’t like and want suppressed).
Let us suppose that the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act is broadened to include so-called “hate speech,” or whatever else it happens to be called.
The next thing you know, there will be court decisions driving advocacy programming off the air--except, of course, for the sort of advocacy programming that could be safely entrusted to that paladin of purulent pissery over at Air America, or someone of his ilk. Otherwise, goodbye Christian programming, goodbye talk radio, and the MSM have their monopoly of the airwaves back again.
As for Social Security reform, I fear that too many on Capitol Hill regard Social Security only as an excuse to stick us up on April 15, as they please, and as much as they please.
Thus, they will fight tooth and nail to avoid altering the status quo. I am by no means optimistic that any worthwhile reform can be effected at this time, or in the immediate future. I only hope that I am proved wrong.
As for misleading and/or skewed polls, these are only illustrations of the necessity to resort to lies when the truth will not serve.
And now, a word on codifying our system of law.
The basic trouble with law is this. Very few laws can include so much as they exclude.
Therefore, laws almost always have (or can be said to have) shortcomings that must be addressed with further laws, and so on ad infinitum!
The controversy over the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2004, by the way, is a good illustration of this.
Thus the egregious mushrooming of laws that we have witnessed in our time, a monstrous muddle long overdue for codification and streamlining.
And the job is ours to do, unless we want a First Consul like Napoleon to do it for us, and I doubt that anyone here would go for that. Nor should we go for it. The trouble with a First Consul is, after all, that he is First Consul.
A good day to one and all.
Good Post, Skipper and good response Tannenberg (although “paladin of purulent pissery” makes one tongue tied)
The list of potential downsizable agencies, departments, offices, and the like is long. Probably longer than Allen would tolerate. But let me continue this discussion with my philosophical agrument that the only legitimate role of the Federal Government is to provide for a common defense of the states.
You are so right about the need to protect the status quo. As it stands, congress is a bunch of lapdogs to special interests, namely itself.
If I were King, gone would be the departments of educational, energy, and agriculture. And that would be on the first day. Libertarians have a concept which I admire greatly and that is that goverence should be at the lowest level possible.
Posted by yatalli
04/30/2005 at 11:37 AM
Democrats Are Crippled
Social Security Reform expanding into Retirement Reform and Democrats have NO IDEAS.
“Big Liberal Media” suggests Personal Savings Accounts (PSA) are polling poorly, ha ha. The election is over asswipes. The Republicans control both Houses of Congress and the White House. A storm is coming, REFORM is coming.
Dear President Bush,
Allan needs a Tax-Free PSA too, even though some say he is too old to go tax free. If Allan could put 10% of income, tax free in a PSA, never to be taxed again, he will be encouraged to remain in the work force instead of letting his mind go completely crusty.
Anything short of 100% of the Social Security tax going to the PSA, after the age of 65, is discriminatory to old farts.
And Allan doesn’t want to be limited in only 5 stinkin’ investment options either. Allan wants total investment freedom even though some really stupid people will looose everything, sorry.
Allan says, “The best tax cut is NO TAXES.”
Thanks in advance,
Z Woof
Copy to: Bill Thomas (R-CA)
House Big ShotCharles Grassley (R-IA)
Senate Big ShotOf course AARP is against Allan being able to use a Tax Free PSA as one hell of a tax dodge. AARP would prefer old farts pay taxes on 100% of earned income, it’s sick.
Asked whether he needed the support of the AARP Thomas said he needed a House majority, and “AARP doesn’t have a vote.”
Let old farts, over the age of 65, get Tax-Free PSAs too.
Let all Americans go Tax Free.
“By June you will be amazed at how wrong some of those sharp, harpy critics were,” Thomas boldly predicted.
Posted by Z Woof
05/01/2005 at 11:06 AM
When they pass Tax Free PSAs, people over the age of 65 should not be excluded.
Americans can save with Tax-Free HSAs now, as long as they are under the age of 65, and there was no so-called ANARCHY.
It is discrimnatory against old farts not to let them go tax free too.
If you choose not to work, then you have no PSA deposits. If you choose to work, after 65 years of age, your Social Security tax could fund your Tax Free PSA. Give Allan that choice OCM.
This isn’t rocket science. A simple option of the Tax Free PSA, for those over 65 years of age, will not topple the government, geeesh.
Posted by Z Woof
05/01/2005 at 01:34 PM
OCM raises a good point. Obselete military bases are abundant but only if they are in someone elses congressional district. The next round of base closures is scheduled to begin this month with the announcement by the BRAC Commission (another case of cowardly congressitis). Rumsfeldt is pushing for at least a 25% reduction in the number of facilities. Good on him. It will be interesting to watch the gnashing of teeth and new found interest national defense when left leaning legislooters start loosing bases that were previously a part of the Evil-American-War Machine.
I suspect that the Germans and the other Euro Peons that are collecting cash from the US will be none too happy.
But why single out the DOD for having “dumbass” installations? Why single them out for not changing with the times? Social Security hasn’t changed with the times? There are still Interior Department programs that harken back to the reign of that great
socialist bastardpresident FDR. The war on poverty, with tools of the neo-socialist icon J.F. Kennedy. They haven’t changed except to add moredeadwoodfederal employees to ensure that more money gets thrown more quickly into the pit. It is status quo. It is governing from the top.Posted by yatalli
05/01/2005 at 01:43 PM
George W., OCM and I Agree
Means test the hell out of Social Security.
And, let citizens have some accounts that are never taxed for retirement.
Money that is never taxed will last longer in retirement.
Currently, 401Ks and IRAs are old taxed accounts.
The easiest way to accumulate wealth is in accounts that are never taxed.
Taxing EVERY dollar saved for retirement is wrong.
Like President Ronald Reagan would say today if he were alive, ”TRICKLE DOWN saved by citizens in Tax Free accounts is the conclusion, or the beginning, of Reagonomics.”
So, W., The Gipper, OCM and I all agree. Let the REFORM begin.
Posted by Z Woof
05/01/2005 at 04:16 PM
