Friday, April 13, 2012

ObamaCare vs. The Commerce Clause

It might as well be entitled The Federal Government vs the Constitution. Richard A. Epstein of the Hoover Institution has a good column on the issue.

When you get right down to it, isn't upholding the concept of a Living Constitution an act of treason?

For nearly a century the federal courts have upheld laws which any reasonable reading of the Constitution during the late 18th and 19th centuries would have held unquestionably as beyond Congress's powers. Since the Constitution provides means for amendment, what are the arguments for not considering amending by compliant judgements acts of treason?

It seems to me that subverting the Constitution is a treasonous act. It also seems clear that subversion is exactly what Congress has engaged in and the Supreme Court has gone along with.

Ergo...

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

Maybe He IS Moderate

I guess this is the New Civility:
Rep. Chuck Kruger (D-Thomaston), the Democrat chair of the Maine legislature’s Moderate Caucus, used his Twitter account to express his view that former Vice President Dick Cheney should be executed. This comment has led some to question the validity of Kruger’s moderate credentials.
I don't know why. It seems like a moderate Democrat kinda thing to do. All he said was:
“Cheney deserves same final end he gave Saddam. Hope there are cell cams,” a reference to technology that would allow Kruger to watch the proposed execution of the former Vice President of the United States.
So he's violent AND voyeuristic: seems like a totally moderate Democrat stance. And he approves of using new technology.

The whole story is right here.

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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

News You Can Use

Meth Lab Found In Boaz Walmart Restroom
N.B.: I had some difficulty in deciding how to categorize this post, but using a WalMart restroom for illegal activities does seem like a property rights violation rather than an example of the New Civility. And the world does seem to be spinning out of control. You are welcome to use the comments section for alternative suggestions, though.

Possibly I should come up with a new category, as this isn't the first time a meth lab has been found in an apparently inappropriate place.

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That Responsible Hawaii State Government Again

According to today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the Hawaii State Government is working to inflate the housing bubble again. I guess because it worked so well the last time.
First-time homebuyers in Hawaii may be able to receive mortgage loans that will help cover part of a down payment, under a state-run program announced Monday.

The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. said $43 million in loan financing is available
Actually, not just first time homebuyers, but people who have not "owned an interest in a principal residence for the past three years."

Just to make sure that only financially responsible loans are made
Qualified buyers also must meet income and home price restrictions.

For a family of three or more, the annual gross income limit is $114,240 on Oahu..
OK, so the pols think that people with over a hundred thousand a year need subsidies. Leaving aside the question of just who gets to pay the taxes which make those subsidies possible, how much can this hypothetical family desperately in need of subsidies pay for a house?

"Home price limits are $723,417 on Oahu..." If one is bumping up against the maximum income limit, and buy a house near the maximum price limit, the price will be roughly six and a third times household income.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie said in a statement that the additional loan packages with down-payment assistance will help more people invest in their long-term future and stimulate economic activity.
So, our Noble State will be helping people borrow down payments to buy houses they cannot possibly afford without whopping down payments.

Do foreclosure actions stimulate economic activity?

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