Attention birthers

Pick one and go with it.
1. Obama has cleared up a huge misunderstanding by doing more to establish he was born in the US than any previous president. It's time to focus on other issues.
2. There is a vast leftist conspiracy to make the president's critics believe in conspiracies. This conspiracy is intended to make Obama's critics look like whackjobs. Until this conspiracy is finally uncovered, the best way to counter it is to: (A)disregard any information you read about the president in a chain email (B) avoid relaying any information about "something that you heard happened to a friend of a friend who was a Marine or a cop or something" (C) remember that if the President attends church and says he is a Christian, that is an indicator that he isn't Muslim.

Why bother raising the debt ceiling?

It strikes me as absurd that Congress and the President even bother to go through with the formality of raising the debt limit. Why have a limit at all when it can be raised at will?

The real debt limit is how much foreigners are willing to lend us before they decide Treasury bonds aren't a good investment anymore. Nobody knows what that limit is, and I just assume that we never find out.

Thoughts on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War

1. Whenever the anniversary of a war rolls around, I wonder if there is a subconscious urge among our leaders to make themselves remembered, to make become "great" men as opposed to merely good men. I would like to hear a presidential candidate promise that his term in office will be prosperous and uneventful, and that school children a century from now will have trouble remembering his name. Learn from history, draw inspiration from it, but never, ever attempt to imitate it.
2. From time to time, we'll hear someone speak fondly of states' rights. But in my view, the right of individuals trump the rights of both state and federal governments. My right to leave your plantation is more important than your right to leave the Union.

Government Shutdown

The federal government might shut down all non-essential functions tonight. Some folks see this as a good thing. But it is my understanding that a shutdown will end up costing us more money in the long run, since furloughed government employees will get back pay for the time that they weren't allowed to work.

The possibility of a government shutdown brings up a good question: If it isn't essential, why should we be paying for it at a time when financial resources are scarce? Of course, we can all argue over what is and isn't essential all day long. But if a "non-essential" program is really essential to you, the possibility of a government shutdown is all the more reason that you shouldn't trust the government to provide it for you.

Is Mitch Daniels a Time Traveler?

When I first heard of Barack Obama, I thought that he was too smart to be a real American. But when he claimed that his uncle liberated Auschwitz, that was all the proof I needed that he was educated in the United States.

But after seeing this:

and this:

I am starting to have my doubts about where and when our governor is from. This raises several questions.
1. Are "Crewman Daniels" and Governor Daniels the same person?
2. If Governor Daniels intends to run for president, can he show proof that he is at least 35, both biologically and chronologically? For all we know, he could have skipped over several years of his own lifespan.
3. Was he born in a timeline in which the United States existed?
4. Couldn't he have prevented certain catastrophes with his knowledge of the future? Couldn't he have warned the Colts that the Saints were going to attempt an onside kick after halftime in last year's Superbowl?

Why They Fight

Libya

Some thoughts:
1. Gadaffi deserves to be overthrown. But whoever kills him or otherwise ousts him will bear the responsibility of running Libya. America does not need that responsibility right now.
2. I really hope that we do not get in the habit of intervening in Middle Eastern civil wars. If the objective is to protect civilians, why not do the same for Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, and Syria?
3. Obama has promised not to send ground troops. Does he intend to keep that promise if Gadaffi defeats the rebels on the ground? This is yet another conflict fought with use of half-measures.

Fort Wayne's drug house law

Here's a pop quiz for Fort Wayne landlords: Which of the following are you not allowed to lease a house or apartment to?
A. A convicted murderer.
B. A convicted child molester.
C. A suspected drug user who has not even been arrested or charged with a crime yet.

To be clear, Section 130.06 of City Code prohibits property owners from knowingly allowing gambling, prostitution, or illegal drug crimes to take place on their property. I would think that if a landlord knew that a tenant was selling drugs, he would notify the police and file for eviction, or he would insist on a share of the profits. People who run criminal enterprises go to great lengths to conceal their operations from law-abiding citizens.

So how exactly is a landlord supposed to know if a tenant is a drug dealer? Here's what the law says:

Upon completion of investigation by the Police Department revealing that such suspected illegal activity is taking place at a particular premises, the Police Department may send a Notice of Investigation to the owner of the real estate and a copy to the tenant/occupant whose premise is the subject of the investigation, by certified mail, return receipt requested, informing the owner that the investigation revealed suspected illegal activity and the fact that there is an on-going investigation. The Notice of Investigation shall inform the owner that it is a violation of the Fort Wayne Code for the owner of real estate to knowingly permit its real estate to be used as a site for any use or sale of illicit narcotics or controlled dangerous substances, gambling or prostitution. The Notice of Investigation shall also state that the city may initiate enforcement proceedings against the owner of the real estate if the suspected illegal activity does not cease. Finally, the Notice of Investigation shall advise that it is a defense to a proceeding to enforce this section if the owner of real estate institutes and completes eviction proceedings in compliance with division (F) of this section against the person suspected of engaging in the criminal conduct giving rise to the Notice of Investigation.

Got all that? What it means is that if the police thinks that a tenant is a drug dealer, they can pretty much require his landlord to evict him.

This law hasn't been enforced recently, but the city plans to change that. First, let me stress that my opinion of police officers is much higher than that of drug dealers. But I have three questions.
1. If the police think that a guy is selling drugs, why not simply arrest him instead of sending a certified letter to his landlord?
2. If a landlord did know all along that drugs were being sold at his house, why not simply charge him as an accessory and seize the house?
3. Mistakes do happen. If a man is found innocent, shouldn't he be allowed to go back to the home he had when he was arrested?

There are many anti-drug laws on the books, most of them harsher than Section 130.06. The reason why I am bringing this one up is because I think this law has the highest immediate potential for causing innocent people who pay their bills on time to be thrown in the street.

What to do with the $75 million

Some of it, if not all of it, should be set aside for a rainy day fund. Remember last year when we were warned that property tax caps would cause revenue shortfalls? If that is the case, then the city doesn't need to find a new project to blow its wad on.

I've also been hearing for the past two years that the recession is either ending or is over. Property values and tax revenues may go back up, and they may go down. The mayor might hope for the former, but he would be wise to prepare for the later.

"Right to Work"

"Right to work" laws have a misleading name. It's a given that everyone has a legal right to work in this state. Everyone has a legal right to get married too, but the reality is that not everyone who wants a spouse or a job will actually find one. You can't just hire or marry anybody who answers your classified ad. People have to meet certain requirements that vary greatly between potential employers and mates.

Employers have a right to require an employee to join a union, just as they have a right to insist that a worker receive training or attend certain classes. Admittedly, many now wish to give up this right and have lobbied the state legislature to that end. This is obviously intended to weaken unions.

The government has been used as a weapon by both labor and management against each other in disputes. It's wrong when either side does it.

It's my opinion that government should not interfere with either companies or unions. Our current economic state is the result of government interference. Asking for more interference is the wrong way to correct it.

Mideast protests and uprisings

If it were not obvious before, perhaps it is now: Not even the most powerful nation can ever force people to be free. It's a decision that they have to make for themselves.

The case against the internet kill switch

Egypt has activated its own internet kill switch. This was a desperate act, but the consequences of using such a contingency plan would be even more dire. I don't have to tell anyone reading this that much of the US economy depends on the Internet. If the Internet went offline tommorrow, many Americans would be unable to make phone calls, and thus would not have access to emergency services such as police, ambulances, and firefighters. Whatever the reasons for activating the kill switch, there will be panic and conspiracy theories galore. It could very well cause more civil unrest than it prevents.

Proponents of a US kill switch claim that it could be to prevent a cyberattack. Talk about destroying the village in order to save it. Thousands of IT departments ewploying various security measures can do a better job of protecting themselves than a single giant bureaucracy.

Bombing at a Moscow airport

My immediate thought about this is the federal government can spend billions of dollar turning every domestic flight into a flying Alcatraz, and terrorists will decide that they don't even need to board a plane to cause mayhem. If your highest priority is to avoid being killed by a terrorist, then perhaps you should stay home, hide in the cellar, and avoid saying anything inflammatory. But please let everyone else live their lives. The world cannot be as safe as we would like it to be. We should not let maniacs dictate national policy. Nail clippers don't hijack planes, people do.

This is what irony is.

I just saw this commercial yesterday. I find it ironic that my tax dollars bailed out the company that made the product in this commercial. Here's hoping Americans in Detroit start getting cars right, and Americans in Washington DC start getting freedom right.

Just a reminder...

If Maniac A advocates Idea B, that should never be taken as refutation of Idea B. Bad people can still have good ideas (example: the Volkswagen Beetle). Crazy people will attempt to imitate other people in order to appear sane, and therefore will espouse some of the same ideas. And some maniacs might attempt to apply reverse psychology by outwardly advocating for a cause that they secretly want to discredit.

Congresswoman shot, others killed

The first reports that I heard was that Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D, AZ 8th) was killed, but as of this writing she was merely wounded and was even responsive. I hope that she recovers enough to serve out the rest of her term.

After visiting the suspected shooter's Youtube page, (hat tip to DailyKos) I think that he was either mentally ill or trying to convince everyone else that he was mentally ill. Whatever the case, I hope he stays locked up for a long time.

Lastly, I hope that this does not have any undue impact on public policy. I hope that this does not affect any upcoming votes in Congress. I don't want any controversial bill to lose by a margin of one and have people say that it would have passed if Mrs. Giffords had not been shot. Finally, I hope that this is not used to rationalize more infringement on our civil liberties. The world can never be as safe as we would like it to be, but we can still live our lives as we choose.

Who should you take seriously in 2011?

If the Republicans in Congress vote to raise the debt ceiling, it's time to stop taking them seriously as fiscal conservatives.

If Democrats continue to push for more government spending as a cure for economic woes, it's time to stop taking them seriously on economic matters. If the recession isn't over by now, it's time for a different strategy. On the other hand, if you want to think that the recession is over, then there is no need for further stimulus.

Net neutrality

Does anyone reading this blog really think that all data traveling over the internet should be treated equally? Is this video as important as an online course or a doctor communicating with a patient via web cam?


I use the Internet to write on this blog and to play Call of Duty online. There are corporations and universities that have way better things to do with their bandwidth than I do. If they want to reach an arrangement with their ISPs to get the better access that they need, they should be allowed to do so.

Do we really want the FCC regulating the Internet? Ever notice that networks will still air "Pearl Harbor" but won't show "Saving Private Ryan"? You can thank the FCC for that.

Wikileaks and Hacktivists

I work as a private security officer, so I understand the importance of secrecy. I have signed a confidentiality agreement, and I will not breach that agreement on this blog or any other website. Military personnel and civilians who hold security clearances have an obligation to protect secrets as well.

If a soldier releases a classified secret to a journalist, then that soldier should be disciplined. But secrets are like intestinal gas: once passed along, everyone knows about it and it cannot be taken back. Sometimes you don't even know who spilled the beans or cut the cheese. Once it's out, everyone is free to talk about it.

Journalists should be allowed to publish these former secrets because the damage is either already done or is inevitable. If Julian Assange knows something, Osama bin Laden probably knows it too. What I find bizarre is all this emphasis on one website. Aren't there plenty of other conspiracy theory websites? Why is Wikileaks taken anymore seriously than any other forum filled with anonymous trolls?

What is really making me mad are the "hacktivists". These politically motivated hackers are no better and no worse than common vandals. They should be denounced for their methods rather than be admired for their cause. In my opinion, those people are the ones who really do belong in prison.

Should poor people pay taxes at all?

Since poor people are more likely to spend additional income, liberals tend to advocate policies that steer money towards the poor. Since taxes are a net drain on the economy, conservatives tend to support cutting taxes.

So here's my idea that I think everyone can get behind: make all income up to the federal poverty level tax exempt. For an Alaskan (the federal poverty level is the highest in that state.) living by himself, that would be $13,530.

People can argue all day long about what the poverty level should be later. But can't we all agree that a government that has enough money to give to multi-billion corporations should not be taking money from people who can barely make ends meet?

This would be a tax break that can pay for itself in the long run: poor people who can take care of themselves would be less dependent on social services.