From ‘Grok friend Chan at WeekendPundit: Use the backup site!

WeekendPundit is in a slow fail.  He uses Moveable Type (newer than what failed us, but still MT).  No new posts possible, so go to his backup site at WeekendPundit.blogspot.com.  As a favor to an old blogging friend, this will stay at the top of the front page for a few days.

“Mostly Free” and “Here to shut you down”: Scott & Mike have an economic point to make….but it really isn’t about economics!

It’s about Freedom, plain and simple. Scott has the simple example – a childhood lemonade stand; Mike has the ramifications – do we have Economic Freedom anymore?  If a child can’t even open a side-walk-side homemade drink stand that almost ALL of us have tried at one time or another (or if not personally, someone who has, or has bought such from the same), ask yourself – have we gone overboard?  Have we the type of society that has become all that insistent that every tittle and jot of a bureaucratic rule making insane asylum?

We have prided ourselves, as a country, as being the Land of Opportunity.  What does is say when our children are denied that opportunity at the get-go?  What does it say when adults masquerading has “our protectors” can’t see the difference between a commercial venture and a kiddy stand (who most often, get shamed into backing down)?

Even worse, that these “inspectors” have the chutzpah to believe that they NEED to be there in that child’s face saying “YOU didn’t follow the rules!”.  And lots of rules are being generated quickly, ruthlessly, and without a view to the cost (reformated, emphasis mine):

Last week, 1,571 new pages of regulations were published in the 2012 Federal Register, bringing the total for this year to more than 55,300 pages, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute.  In those pages, 76 new final rules were approved, up from 51 final rules during the shortened Labor Day holiday week. That figure is equivalent to a new regulation being published every two hours and 13 minutes, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.  Those new rules bring the total number of pages of regulation to 55,324, with the government set to have 79,463 pages of regulations at its current pace.  Thirty-six economically significant rules published this year have combined compliance costs of more than $17.4 billion, though CEI estimates the true costs are actually higher.

And then we wonder why the US is now only 18th in the world for Economic Freedom.  Those of us who believe in entrepreneurial activities, and that it starts early.  No, it doesn’t mean that the lemonade stand then goes to to something bigger (although a boyhood friend of mine turned his into a little hut that then began to sell candy, then added hot dogs and soda, then ice cream treats….you get the idea.  He now owns several restaurants).

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We need to get them relocated to NH……….

In his first Annual Message to Congress in 1790, George Washington said:

”A free people ought not only to be armed but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well digested plan is requisite: And their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories, as tend to render them independent on others, for essential, particularly for military supplies.”

Another example of Economic Freedom as measured by the crush of regulation without regard to cost – the story from  Hot Air:

Gun microstamping could close American factories

I understand that gun owners’ rights and the Second Amendment haven’t really been a touchstone in this year’s elections, but that doesn’t mean that the battle isn’t still being waged. One story out this month hits pretty close to home for me, both figuratively and literally. It involves the Remington Arms plant located in Ilion, a village in upstate New York. They are currently battling a pending move by the state government which would force them to put laser etched microstamps on the firing pins of all their weapons, driving costs through the roof.

Microstamping, or ballistic imprinting, is a patented process that uses laser technology to engrave a tiny marking of the make, model and serial number on the tip of a gun’s firing pin to allow an imprint of that information on spent cartridge cases. Supporters of the technology say it will be a “game changer,” allowing authorities to quickly identify the registered guns used in crimes. Opponents claim the process is costly, unreliable and may ultimately impact the local economies that heavily depend on the gun industry, including Ilion, N.Y., where Remington Arms maintains a factory, and Hartford, Conn., where Colt’s manufacturing is headquartered.

“Mandatory microstamping would have an immediate impact of a loss of 50 jobs,” New York State Sen. James Seward, a Republican whose district includes Ilion, said, adding that Remington employs 1,100 workers in the town. “You’re talking about a company that has options in other states. Why should they be in a state that’s hostile to legal gun manufacturing? There could be serious negative economic impact with the passage of microstamping and other gun-control laws.”

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Well, it’s about time somebody warns Karzai

Heck, it’s about time that a high ranking US official tell this two-bit Stone Age nation head this:

101st In AfghanistanLIMA, Peru (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lashed back at Afghan President Hamid Karzai Friday, saying the Afghan leader should say thank you now and then to the allied forces who are fighting and dying there, rather than criticizing them.

Panetta was responding to Karzai’s complaints Thursday that the U.S. is failing to go after militants based in Pakistan, and instead is concentrating on the insurgents in Afghanistan.

“We have made progress in Afghanistan because there are men and women in uniform who have been willing to fight and die for Afghanistan’s sovereignty,” Panetta snapped, as he spoke with reporters traveling with him to South America. “Those lives were lost fighting the right enemy not the wrong enemy and I think it would be helpful if the president, every once in a while, expressed his thanks for the sacrifices that have been made by those who have fought and died for Afghanistan, rather than criticizing them.”

There are have a number of occasions that the Afghans, including Karzai, have criticized US / NATO (ok, let’s be real here, the brunt is being borne by the US) when thinks have not gone well – Afghans have done the double-cross, turn turncoat, and within the fog of war, innocents have suffered and died and collateral damage has occurred.  I oft think that Karzai fogets that if the US had not gone after the Taliban that had given safe quarters to Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden, Karzai would not be sitting there with that peculiar hat and mantle.  Yet, he has been quick to beat up on the US and Nato, demanding apologies and money and enhancing the anti-American rhetoric that serves us poorly.

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Anti-Semitism rearing its head in the Lakes Region?

Road side signs of the plastic type on short wire frames are popping up all over the place – a fair number during the Primary last month but exploding in number as the election draw neigh.  Being a news / political junkie, I pay attention to them: whose signs are placed where, are they Democrat, … Read more

Skip, Freedom Is The Symptom, The People The Cause

Skip, true. It is about freedom, but there’s more to it than that. I would suggest that state encroachment on individual liberties is a symptom of the problem and not the problem itself.  It’s about the people. It’s about people willing to cede their liberty and freedom to a faceless bureaucrat in exchange for the illusion of safety, for a handout, or both. It’s the values that people hold that they place themselves as a pet of the state; they willingly devolve themselves into the Burkean “flies of a summer”.

We’ve raised generations steeped in state dependency, and now we see the result of this societal mistake when there’s a problem. When there’s a problem or a challenge, the first reaction of too many people is to call in the Department of Personal Responsibility Absolution to handle it. They believe that they themselves are uncapable of handling the problem, that it’s somebody else’s responsibility.  If there are poor people, the government should handle it.  If there are sick people, government should handle it. Elderly, the government should care for them.

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Ask New Hampshire Democrats About Fines For The Most Vulnerable

Effective October 1st, 2012 (that means it started last week folks)… Hospitals who re-admit patients within 30 days after they were discharged will now have to, under an Obamacare provision, pay fines as of October 1, 2012, which could force hospitals to slash programs that help the elderly, the poor, and the chronically ill. According … Read more

“Obama couldn’t run a lemonade stand”, No Kidding, Who Can?

A fellow Granite Stater said, “Obama couldn’t run a lemonade stand“.  Good for him, I say.  I take his point:  the bumbler in chief is so over his head that he can’t even muster the intellectual skill it takes to even perform a simple grade school task.  But this guy should have used another example like, “Obama can’t fill out the forms that his type’s are forcing us to fill out when we want to brave opening a lemonade stand”.

“Obama couldn’t run a lemonade stand”, yeah, no kidding. Who can?  Well no one can save the most artfully diligent bureaucracy seeking masochist and the well connected.

That statement used to mean something.  It used to impart a negative meaning on subject of the claim.  But it no longer has such a meaning.  No one can run a lemonade stand any more without the proper registration, licenses, fees, permits, and Department of Lemonade Stand approval to ensure that you’re in compliance with registration, licenses, fees, and permits.

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The media fantasy-world built around Obama

This from Andrew Klavan in City Journal, observing on the entirely predictable outcome of the recent televised debate: “Obama’s hapless fumbling, bad temper, and inarticulate inability to defend his record were actually thoroughly predictable. They were simply facets of the man as he truly is, unfiltered by the imagination of his media supporters: a man who … Read more

Good Call, Maggie – Higher Electric Rates for NH

Maggie -The Red- Hassan

From inception, Maggie “The Red” Hassan has been a strong proponent of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the “Cap and Trade” program that New Hampshire participates in with other northeastern states.  She was instrumental in its 2008 passing and continues to advocate strongly for this nonsensical government swindle.

Maggie -The Red- Hassan

On her campaign website, Maggie declares that RGGI is “good for the economy and the environment” and that it can “help our families and businesses save money on their energy costs“.

Aside from the fact that the RGGI revenue stream has been a severe disappointment (which should only disappoint the beneficiaries of it : enviro-tyrants, the Green industry, and big-government types looking to fill deficits), PSNH recently made a statement that effectively nullifies the argument that RGGI will reduce rates for consumers and businesses.

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How to start a Fight – Part 10

Saturday morning I got up early, quietly dressed, made my lunch, and slipped quietly into the garage. I hooked up the boat up to the van and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour. The wind was blowing 50mph, so I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the … Read more

How About Those Jobs Numbers?

The Bureau of Laboring Statistics announced that the economy created 114,000 jobs last month.  If we ignore the fact that this is not even enough to address population growth (so the lower unemployment percent of 7.8% actually means bad things), and just look at job growth averages, Democrats might want to ignore this report and … Read more

Ask A NH Democrat: About Having “A Conversation About Taxes”

Back in 2010 Barack Obama’s excuse for not allowing taxes to rise (by letting inherited tax cuts expire) was that despite Democrats four year grip on congress and their parties complete control of government for two years, it wasn’t time to let that happen.   But not to worry.  He’d let taxes go back up at … Read more

Nothing says real volunteer grassroots like “pay is $12.00 an hour”, eh Mark Fernald?

From a reader comes this missive from Mark “I WANT AN INCOME TAX on NH workers!!” Fernald.  I guess it is a NH Democrat Value that “Grassroots” doesn’t mean what it does to Conservative activists – not just the passion about an issue or candidate, nor for the feeling of banding together voluntarily to get something done.  That’s all that most Conservatives want.  It seems, however, that not enough Progressive activists have the will – I guess “being passionate” comes with a price tag (emphasis mine, reformatted to be more bloggish):

From: <mark@markfernald.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 4, 2012 at 3:37 PM
Subject: PAID canvassing!
To: <redacted>

Dear Readers:

Here’s an opportunity to do some paid canvassing in the next five weeks.

Mark Fernald

Grassroots Solutions ((www.grassrootssolutions.com), a national political field organization, is looking for dedicated individuals to join its New Hampshire Democratic Canvass Team 2012 and go door-to-door to talk with New Hampshire voters in Manchester and other areas in New Hampshire about the upcoming election.  Maybe you are a student with no afternoon classes, a parent whose children are off to college, or someone who works the night shift in your current job but would like to earn extra money. If you are at least 18 years old and enjoy talking with people about important issues that affect their lives and the lives of their families and community, then we are interested in hearing from you.  This is a fantastic opportunity for someone looking to gain experience in the world of politics. It is a fast paced and dynamic job in a Presidential election year.  The pay is $12.00 an hour and you have the potential to gross over $2,500 between now and the November election. You will be paid either by check or direct deposit every two weeks.

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Here’s a “Thank’em” for Papa Smurf for playing with Andrea Mitchell’s head

Also known around these parts as TGOTN (“The Gnome Of The North“).  Well, our official motto IS “Thank’em when they’re right and spank’em when their wrong”.  We’ve been hard on him since the manuver to install Julianne Bergeron as his handpicked success as Chair of the NH GOP (hey, how’s that Wayne MacDonald doing, eh, since the second Act of this tragedy – we’ll see what the final tally is come November; but I digress).

Anyways, in the light of the absolutely disaster of a performance by Obama in last night’s debate John Sununu was on with the uber-sour puss Andrea Mitchell.  She did not take well to to what he called Obama in a quite uppity way:

He earned this “Thank’em”.

(H/T: Hot Air, who also has the transcript)

And of course, all the other Democrat Operatives With Bylines have their panties in a wad:

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