Last night kicked off the first ever event to discuss monetary and fiscal policy at the same time as the Central Bankers are discussing policy. Annually central bankers and others who influence monetary policy gather in Jackson Hole to discuss conditions and what if any possible changes should be made to policy. The Jackson Hole Summit, sponsored by American Principles Project; co-sponsored by Atlas Society, Young America’s Foundation, and the Cobden Center, has come together for the same reason only they discuss policy from a more realistic view and one that concerns a free market.
Tomorrow on GrokTALK! August 29th, 2015
Tomorrow on GrokTALK! – August, 29th, 2015, (9:00 am to 11 am EDT) This months Education Segment with Jorge Mesa-Tejada NRA stickers and Hoplophobes with Richard Olson The Veto override vote on HB603 with Max Abramson Kimberly Morin may join us from the Summit at Jackson Hole, WY & senior Writer at the Federalist Stella Morabito may call as … Read more
Data Point – Driving vs Mass Transit
“Transit advocates will be quick to point out that transit ridership has grown faster than driving. But actually, it depends entirely on which years you pick. Preliminary information suggests that urban driving grew faster than transit in 2014. Since 2004, transit grew faster than driving in about half the years, and overall transit ridership … Read more
Notable Quote – Gerry O’Driscoll
The principle of spontaneous order – or of “undesigned order,” as it might more properly be called – can be viewed as the first principle of economics. Indeed, James Buchanan has recently gone so far as to suggest that it is the only principle of economics. The principle is, in any case, a cornerstone of modern economics, whether we trace modern (i.e., post-mercantilist) economics back to Adam Smith and the other Scottish moral philosophers, or to the Physiocrats. With this principle, scholars for the first time could see economic phenomena as interdependent events. Indeed, this principle made it possible to reason systematically and coherently about economic phenomena. Much of nineteenth century economics can be seen as consisting of developments of this principle (along with minority criticisms of the principle and the systems of thought deduced therefrom).
Progressives like the word “sustainable”; with increases like this…
…the deliberately politically misnamed Affordable Care Act is anything but affordable. A few examples (abtracted, abridged, reformatted):
- Alaska -state regulators approved a 39.6% rate increase for Moda Health
- Alaska – state regulators approved a 38.7% hike for Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Tennessee – BlueCross BlueShield asked for and got a 36.3% boost in premiums.
- Oregon – approved a 25.6% increase for Moda, the biggest insurer on its ObamaCare exchange.
- Oregon – commissioner told Health Net to raise its premiums by 34.8% instead of the 9% the company had in mind.
- Kansas – ObamaCare enrollees will face increases of up to 25.4%.
- New Mexico – refused Blue Cross Blue Shield raising premiums enough to cover its costs; Blue Cross decided to pull out.
But then, it was NEVER to be affordable – it was always about control (as well as using an offshoot of the Cloward-Piven strategy to crash capitalism and replace it with a Socialist one). I laugh (and then cry) hysterically any time the feminists and Democrat politicians say “nothing should get between a woman and her doctor!”. For starters, Obamacare defines EVERYTHING that goes on between those two, and with increasing costs of healthcare, these folks have made sure, over time, that nothing will get between the two for the woman will not be able afford to even enter a doctor’s office.
Could Life Seem A Lot Longer…When You’re Busted for Being a Dirt-bag?
The hacking of Ashley Madison, the cheat on your spouse “dating” site, was a badge of honor for whomever “cheated” the system and shared the data on millions of registered users. I think it’s a frikkin riot, myself, since the site tag line is, ‘Life is Short. Have an Affair.’
For more than a few of them, “Life just got a lot longer,” and sadly for some, a lot shorter if suspicions are correct.
Palate Cleanser – Pop goes the Propane!
Yup, flying quadcopters spouting fire into bags of propane – what POSSIBLY could go wrong? I will say, watching the slo-mo underwater explosions were fascinating. (H/T: Popular Mechanics)
Political Correctness gets skewered by Colin Quinn absurdly
As a national comedian, he should know – the SJW and Political Correctness crowd are about as humorless as it gets. There is a saying that conservatives like comedy and we know that being politically incorrectness HAS to be a part of it. But the Humorless People? I just don’t get it – if you … Read more
Yes, Ms. Obvious, that is EXACTLY the point
Because if it was easy, EVERYONE would be doing it. And they have been. And that is the whole purpose of the exercise -to make it UNeasy for illegal aliens that eschew our laws to cross our borders (reformatted, emphasis mine):
LIBERAL WRITER: Trump’s Border Wall Would be DANGEROUS for ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Sometimes you really have to marvel at the stupidity of progressives and now is one of those times. One of the main reasons Donald Trump is doing so well in the polls is because he’s saying what many Americans are thinking about illegal immigration and border security. National Journal columnist Clare Foran worries that if a wall is built on the border, as Trump has suggested, people who try to cross into America illegally could be injured. Her new column is truly stunning.
Remember when DWS couldn’t say the diff ‘tween Democrats and Socialists?
Remember, Progressives are just incremental Socialists and Communists believe that Socialism is just a way station to Communism. Also remember that US Congresswoman (and head of the Democrat National Committee) Debbie Wasserman-Schultz was either unable or unwilling to say on national TV (Chris Matthews, Meet The Press) what the difference was between her Party and Socialists (given self-declared Socialist Bernie Sanders is running for HER Party’s nomination for President). And I just put up how the New Left (i.e., Communists) made their march through our cultural institutions and right into taking over the Democrat Party (which, in my eyes, no longer Democratic in nature and hasn’t been for a long time with exhibit A being President Obama’s absolute disdain for both the philosophy of and nuts and bolts of the US Constitution).
So, a lesson of political history is in order in case you haven’t gotten the picture yet – Communism’s goals, 1963 and now (reformatted and emphasis mine):
Can’t Trump This?
Since its launch in June, Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign has been nothing short of a full-on, in-your-face, verbal onslaught, the shockwaves felt in the bellies of those of us who live and die by the politics of the minute. On any given day, Donald Trump can be seen on the campaign trail–almost exclusively covered live–a rarity in primary politics. The media soak it all in, confident Trump will make at least one outrageous statement that can be replayed, reacted to, or in some cases, re-formed into something he didn’t even say. It makes for entertaining television.
Contrast Trump’s campaign events to his GOP competitors’, what little is covered of all of the other sixteen of them. We mostly see recorded snippets of candidates giving a lackluster or poorly thought out response to whatever Trump was expounding upon the day before. Even worse, many of the more “experienced” politicians seem to be repeatedly caught flat-footed when asked their take on the latest Trump-ism. The defensive campaign is not a good one, and for a party that is always being attacked, the sixteen other GOP candidates aren’t getting better at defense. Trump leads, his opponents scramble.
GrokTALK! – The Seattle Stomp
If your municipality has pay-to-throw bags then you’ve got hippies cramming them to the gills. There’s a term for that. Rick also tells us about his one-on-one with Gov. Chris Christie. Get the entire podcast here! Please follow us on YouTube, USTREAM, Facebook, and Twitter listen on iTunes, iHeart Radio, Spreaker, TuneIn, Stitcher, and The Rock …and of course right … Read more
Would The Frat Have Been Suspended For Expressing a Homosexual Gender Bias?
Have you heard the one about the Old Dominion University College fraternity that got suspended for expressing their heterosexual interest in women? Apparently, it is not sexual bigotry to oppress those who “can’t help loving” college age women.
But wait! That’s not all. Could it be that this ‘policy’ does not apply equally to heterosexual women on the same campus?
Here is the now famous “offensive” ODU Frat-Boy banner invite…
Frat suspended over suggestive "freshman daughter dropoff" signs http://t.co/H5M2M8X6Cu (Photo: Twitter screenshot) pic.twitter.com/USHc5qiQaw
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 25, 2015
And here is something similar “reportedly” from an ODU sorority, just down the road a piece…
So, how’s Seattle’s raising the minimum wage to $15 working for those it was supposed to help?
Once again, we see the hubris of planners and those that have never signed the front of a paycheck in companies that have low profit margins in low skilled worker industries (re: restaurants)(emphasis mine):
In June of last year, the Seattle city council passed a $15 minimum wage law to be phased in over time, with the first increase to $11 an hour taking effect on April 1, 2015. What effect will the eventual 58% increase in labor costs have on small businesses, including area restaurants? It’s too soon to tell for sure, but there is already some evidence that the recent minimum wage hike to $11 an hour, along with the pending increase of an additional $4 an hour by 2017 for some businesses, has started having a negative effect on restaurant jobs in the Seattle area.
So WHY are those “living wage” pizzas not doing well?
If he’s not careful, his workers are going to end up like those in Seattle – what happened when a town in California raised it’s minimum wage (reformatted, emphasis mine):
Small businesses are already struggling to survive the spate of minimum wage increases to $15 per hour in parts of California.
Last month, the small Bay Area town of Emeryville, California, (population 10,000) decided to act as flag-bearer for raising the minimum wage in California, hiking its minimum wage to $14.44 per hour. Even though businesses with less than 56 workers are exempt from the $14.44 rate and do not have to raise their wages to $15 until 2018, Vic Gumper, who owns Lanesplitter Pizza, with outlets in Berkeley, Oakland, Albany and Emeryville, decided not only to bite the bullet but swallow it, paying his workers $15 to $25 an hour while eschewing tips or raising prices.
This MUST have been a guy who knew “his numbers” – the important stats about his business that served as his indicators of “working? not working?” as to whether he could BETTER the now mandatory minimum wage. WHY else would he have gone whole hog (er, large special) in raising his labor costs? Was he one of those mean, profit mongering, money greedy capitalists taking advantage of the help to line his own pockets? Umm….
Obama: “It’s just that it will bankrupt them”
as he was talking about coal generated electrical plant. Which means coal. He never got his Cap N Trade program FORMALLY legislated so he used his EPA to effectively do the same thing. Coal plants are shutting down because of punative GHG regulations. And with no market, coal companies are going under – not because people voted for a different energy source via the marketplace but because a few unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats (and True Believers that the US economy must be sacrificed for the betterment of the world) said so. Coal must be verboten!
Oh wait, WHO is buying up all the almost and now bankrupt coal companies? Oh, the guy who has been financing all those environmental groups! Mr.
GrokTALK! – Defending the Dream
AFP- NH State Director Greg Moore joined us from the Defending the Dream Summit in Ohio. The topic is economic freedom in America, the New Hampshire State budget (the lack there of), and the need to make the economic freedom of small business owners a priority. Get the entire podcast here! Please follow us on … Read more
Unite or Die
On Saturday October 17th, 2015, represent your county and your constitutional values by voting at the 603 Alliance GPS Caucus. Be a part of New Hampshire political history and join us to unite behind a Free Market Constitutional Candidate for the New Hampshire Republican Primary, then stay with us to continue the fight at the … Read more
GrokTALK! – The Regal Cinema Gender Bias
Regal Cinema doubled-down on their bag search policy which specifically targets women. We discuss the policy, its alienating effect, alternatives, and did you realize that every mass shooting in recent memory occurred in a gun free zone? It’s true. Get the entire podcast here! Please follow us on YouTube, USTREAM, Facebook, and Twitter listen on iTunes, iHeart … Read more
Republican Candidates Graded on Common Core
Analysis later. For now, here is the report by American Principles in Action.org and Cornerstone Policy Research Action! [su_document url=”https://www.americanprinciplesinaction.org/wp-content/uploads/Common-Core-Report.pdf” width=”540″ height=”660″] H/T Ann Marie Banfield
