Category: Politics

There Are No Bounds For Government Avarice

March 13, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Two stories to prove that revenue starved governments will stoop to remarkable levels to squeeze every last dollar.

First, comes a story of New York taxmen chasing people leaving the state to wring whatever they can. The story says New York is examining not only public records, but private records as well, such as airplane and hotel costs. The kicker is the auditors conducting “in-home” audits. I would have a dim view of anyone trying to look inside my home to see if they can tax me more.

Before you think they’re just going after the rich who aren’t “paying their fair share” (another time, another post), we find Chicago is seizing and quickly selling people’s vehicles. At least with civil asset forfeiture, there’s the pretense of a trial. This is quickly ticket, boot, impound, and sell. A scheme that is aimed at the lower income folks who can’t afford the time and money to fight city authorities.

Friday Quote – Ron Paul

March 8, 2019 / / 0 Comments

The use of government force to stop adults from putting certain substances into their bodies – whether marijuana, saturated fats, or raw milk – violates the nonaggression principle that is the bedrock of a free society.

Tab Clearing

March 4, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Bunch of odds and ends I’m not going to have time to make full posts on, but you should RTWT.

A column from the New York Post on why people distrust journalists. Letting your political bias and disdain for fully half the country ain’t helping.

Surviving Your 15 Minutes of Hate I’m not going to lie and say that this does not worry me. It’s one reason I write under a pseudonym.

From Volokh Conspiracy, 3 Rules About Hate Speech This is one thing I dread is having to explain this to my niece and nephew.

From USCarry, 5 Types of People You Should Avoid While Concealed Carry A lot of don’t go stupid places with stupid people doing stupid things.

And for something completely different, how to cook perfect rice in an Instant Pot. Which is the main thing the Wife To Be and I use ours for these days.

SCOTUS Smack Down

February 21, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Civil asset forfeiture is a pernicious practice that allows the cops to steal property on the grounds it might have been used in the commission of a crime. Doesn’t matter if the property owner is charged (often not) or the property owner was even aware of illegal activities on or using his/her property.

Fortunately, the Supreme Court said that civil asset forfeiture can be considered excessive fines under the Eighth Amendment. While not a death knell to the practice, this ruling gives a strong weapon to those fighting not only civil asset forfeiture, but jurisdictions that use fines as revenue generators.

Best of all, it was 9-0. When your actions are so egregious that the entire SCOTUS signs on, you done fucked up good.

I’m hoping this is the first step to the courts ruling the whole practice of seizing property without a criminal conviction of the owner unconstitutional and demands restitution.

Emergency Declarations

February 18, 2019 / / 0 Comments

President Trump decides to declare a national emergency over the border wall. Partisans on both sides have spewed their normal rhetoric defending the views of their tribes. In one of those tribal rhetorics, Speaker Pelosi said this would make it easier for the next president to declare a national emergency on guns. I’ve heard derision of the comment from the RKBA crowd, but I think she’s right.

There are issues on the border with smuggling and the cartels, but not the kind that pose a direct and immediate threat to the nation as a whole or a segment of the nation. That’s kind of like saying the bad parts of Chicago pose a direct and immediate threat to the nation or Illinois, and the president should declare a national emergency to build a wall around those neighborhoods. Please don’t bring up the terrorism bullshit. There has been no credible evidence of any terrorists coming up the southern border.

What Trump has done with this emergency declaration is add another stone to the path towards the conversion from a presidency to an emperor. Trump is not unusual in this. I’m not sure if he’s going to end up adding more stones to the path than Bush II or Obama. I don’t know if this action will end up being a large paving stone or a small cobblestone. Either way, it’s another stone.

I don’t think Trump will declare himself Donald Augustus I when his term comes to an end. I do think he’s added another accepted power to the one who will.

Operation Chokepoint – Not Just Guns

January 23, 2019 / / 0 Comments

We in the gun world know all about Operation Chokepoint and its impact. I didn’t think it would impact something like death metal. From one of those affected:

When the processors would run a check on me and my business it comes back as HIGH RISK and RERPUTATIONAL RISK some of the red flags come back as: Promoting hate speech, promoting rape, promoting violence and promoting hatred.

“An absolute atrocious characterization and a very convenient way of fusing music band names, titles to an actual call to arms. The slightly veiled assertion is one that marks me as one who is inciting these actions. The overlords now wish to control what you can sell and what you can purchase. Speaking with a few individuals within the banking system (underwriters) as well as other labels [I learned that] this started with Operation Choke Point from the DOJ to curtail predatory lending, which, like most [rulings] has now expanded its tentacles.”