California: The economics of delusion
Jobs, wealth inequality, taxes, government spending, and emigration are all creating problems California will be unlikely to keep up with absent serious structural reforms. California is likely to be America's first state to fall into a New Feudalism of extraordinary "aristocratic" wealth on one side, and destitute poverty on the other, with a tiny live in (or equivalent) servant class, and only the most rudimentary middle class, mostly excessively paid public bureaucrats. Is it time for a California Dead Pool?
Comments
The curious case of Sweden's disappearing police car
Piffle, in America police lose: More after the break. Cherry dumping photo goes viral, calls for change
The point is to keep you from getting a lower price. You the taxpayer are being screwed by the federal government. We need government reform, and we need the government out of the marketplace. Now. US Government Pays $475,000 For Illegally Searching Woman's Vagina
"It happened to a Jane Doe (the name has been withheld to protect what little remains of her dignity), a 54-year old US citizen who had recently been on a trip to Mexico. As she was returning home via the Cordova Bridge border crossing in El Paso, she was randomly selected for extra special screening and escorted to a private area. I’ve been there. It’s not fun. They don’t tell you anything, and they don’t say why. They act very aggressively and start barking orders at you as if you’re already a prison inmate. Quite frequently you can sit there wasting away for hours. Fortunately for me, nothing particularly sinister ever happened. For Ms. Doe, it was quite the opposite. According to the published case files, she was frisked, and then ordered to squat so that a drug-sniffing dog could check out her nether regions. Apparently the dog liked what he smelled, because Ms. Doe was then taken to yet another room, ordered to pull down her pants, and crouch. At that point an agent from Customs and Border Protection “inspected her anus with a flashlight.” She was then ordered to lean backwards in a crouched position, after which another agent inserted a speculum into her vagina to search for drugs. Another agent then “parted Ms. Doe’s vulva with her hand, pressed her fingers into Ms. Doe’s vagina, and visually examined her genitalia with a flashlight.” They then took her to a hospital for a further 6 hours of involuntary testing, which included forcing her to have a bowel movement as they all watched, plus X-rays, CT scans, and more. I know what you’re thinking– they probably found a treasure trove of cocaine and methamphetamine shoved deep inside Ms. Doe’s womanhood. Except they didn’t. Ms. Doe was “brutally probed against her will” for hours and hours without judicial oversight, due process, or even reasonable suspicion. And they found nothing. Here’s the really disgusting part: at the end of this ordeal, they released her without charge… with one catch. They told her that if she signed a consent form, retroactively giving her permission to be abused and violated, that the government would pay for all the tests and various medical expenses. But if she didn’t sign the consent form, she’d have to pay for them all herself. Ms. Doe refused to sign, and the United States government sent her a bill for more than $5,000, essentially demanding that she pay for her own sexual assault. Emotionally shattered she went home feeling like a rape victim. She sued. And, as the pitiful justice system in the Land of the Free is far from swift, it took over three years for the case to gain any traction. Finally, as of a few days ago, the case has been settled. And the US government agreed to pay Ms. Doe $475,000. But as you can imagine, there were strings attached, specifically that the settlement should “not be taken as an admission of liability or fault.” I guess it’s Ms. Doe’s fault. She must have been asking for it. It’s like a classic rape story from the 1950s. Absolutely appalling. But just think about what this means– Gun-toting government thugs are running around committing sexual assault on US citizens so they can continue waging a costly and utterly ridiculous war on plants. Apparently doing so is quite typical. So typical, in fact, that they have a consent form ready to be signed by their gang rape victims in the hopes of keeping it quiet." "We've been blaming America's 'new housing crisis' on the wrong thing all along"
They think the culprit is zoning, but . . . More after the break. America’s Biofuel Boondoggle rife with Fraud
It creates the ground work for crony socialism where businesses more interested in sucking at the government tit can expend a small amount of money focused at a few politicians, and reap huge rewards when those politicians grant the company largesse. More after the break. Cook County is destroying wealth one tax increase at a time
Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois more generally are bankrupt. The progressives who run these governments have run them into the ground. More below. Is NATO necessary? - The Boston Globe
Europe does not even take the simplest steps to protect itself. The various nations can barely project military power beyond their immediate borders. They needed the US involvement in Libya, for goodness sakes. More below. Computers might soon scan your bags at the airport instead of people
Nothing could be worst then people looking for contraband. The first thing we automate is Jeh Johnson, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Then just keep automating as we drop down the seating chart. TSA's 95% failure rate shows airport security is a charade This is security theatre. Adding computers, and removing people could alter the outcomes. Until then we are stuck with nitwits looking at Xray photo when they would rather be having a root canal. |
AuthorMaddog Categories
All
|