I experienced this personally on the last day of my last term as a Budget Committee member in my town so this ISN’T just a problem at the county, State, or National levels.
Articles tagged as
rent-seeking
Bootleggers and Baptists … Making Sausage
Bootleggers and Baptists (B&B) is useful as a concept for explaining how political coalitions lower the cost of lobbying and raise lobbying effectiveness. It often happens different pressure groups, apparently having little in common, may join forces. Together they pursue targets they share. Each acts for its own reasons.
“Why does it take 220% longer to become a cosmetologist than a police officer??
by Op-Ed
The spoiler about regulation: “Either the required training period for police officers is low, or that of many other licensed occupations is far too high. Or both.” Reformatted, emphasis mine:
Notable Quote – a Twofer
by Skip
The market has never tried to change human nature, and guardians of the market have never considered using the market to change human nature. Instead, precisely because human nature cannot be changed, the market economy exists, which is also the reason the market economy is necessary: It causes human actions to better conform to the … Read more
Notable Quote – George Will
by Skip
And the more things government touches, the more people will have interests in touching, and wheedling, government. Progressives purport to be scandalized by modern Washington, which is indeed an unlovely maelstrom of interest groups maneuvering to maximize their rent-seeking. This is, however, the Washington that progressives should have known they were making. But they only … Read more
Tales from the BudComm – Righting a Wrong on Food Truck Licensure
by Skip
“The people who pay taxes here.”
Or better, Tales from the Selectmen, as last night was a Public Hearing about Chapter 27, “An ordinance regulating outdoor vendors and transient sales,” which covers licensing/permitting fees for food trucks working in Gilford. I originally wrote:
Tales from the BudComm: Free Marketplace Part 3
by Skip
Previous posts on the tale of the WinniWagon here and here – the saga(s) of why my hamlet’s “transient food vendor” licenses are, to plaigerize Jimmy McMillan, are “too damn high”. Well, it seems that in looking into the costs of a food truck made more than a few people rather uncomfortable – there’s been … Read more
Inequality is a Good Thing
Justice is an important concept. In all societies it is good from time to time to make an assessment of the justice system. To do that a determination of what has worked and what has not with respect to justice is required. A consensus must be reached on two points before beginning an assessment: The … Read more
Tales from the BudComm: where either the Selectmen or the Town Administrator aren’t hep with a Free Marketplace
by Skip
“Actually, the town has MADE it their issue.“ Tonite was the organizational meeting for the Budget Committee – and the last year of my last term per my promise to TMEW (The Most Esteemed Wife). Pretty much a time to quickly review the minutes of the last meeting, vote for Chair and Vice-Chair, and sign … Read more
Another datum supporting the idea that Climate Change is all about the $$ and not “degrees”
by Skip
Who knew that there was a Bangkok climate change conference, not to talk about climate change, but to talk about our Benjamins? It seems this whole thing is about “your money becoming our money, you greedy developed nations!”. So who is really surprised at this….at all?
Meet fails to agree climate change rules
…Espinosa [UNFCCC Executive Secretary] said there was “limited progress” on the issue of contributions from developed nations to developing countries, adding that she is “hopeful” that future discussions will be productive because of the importance of the issue.
“On the core issues of forward-looking climate finance and the degree of flexibility developing countries should be given on the information and reporting requirements for national commitments under the Paris Agreement, negotiators were stalemated in Bangkok,” said a statement from Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists, a US-based activist group.
So it really wasn’t all about emissions (if you’ve been keeping up with this clap-trap, you already knew all this. After all, the US has been lowering its emissions for years WITHOUT Govt or pseudo-treaties that international groups have been using like Lilliputians. And here’s the main “gimme, gimme, gimme”:
New Hampshire’s New Era – Send Us Your Corporate Rent-Seekers!
On May 31st, Gov. Sununu signed into law (along with 41 other bills) SB 564, an act introducing corporate rent seeking for special tax favors in the Granite State.
No, that’s not the actual title, but that’s what it does. It opens a new door to a new era into which lobbyists may stick their foot and their deep pockets to promote special tax treatment for their benefactors.
Concord is now no better than Washington, DC.
Larry Major, Pike Industries Governmental Rent-Seeker, is at it again.
by Skip
Well, I already put up a post where Pike paid rent-seeker Larry Major, with the title of “Government Relations”, (would that be an incestuous one?) was flogging the independent truckers that haul for Pike to go roust their NH State Reps and Senators to urge passage of HB617 which would enrich Pike Industries’s coffers but would most likely deflate their wallets, along with the rest of non-truckers, via a huge uplift in NH’s gas tax. At least there he made clear he was an employee. Now he’s got Letters to the Editor out doing the same thing – but without letting people know that his company directly benefits from it and flogging them to support it is part of his job (after all, money grubbing from government generally takes a PAID hack to be successful). My response that has been submitted to my local papers:
To the Editor,
Larry Major in his Letter submitted to you attempts to make the case that passage of HB617, that raises the gas tax ere in NH, is a thing of beauty. After all, we here in NH have supposedly let our roads go to ruin from neglect. Er, anyone else remember thinking “hey, didn’t they JUST repave Rt 106 by the track a couple of years ago when Obama’s Porkulus money did it again? So, Larry, was that stretch in “ruinous shape” then? As opposed to repairing truly needy roads? Was that such a good use of “free money from the Feds”?
But more importantly, Mr. Major simply signed his name to his Letter as “Larry Major, Loudon”. Just a concerned Citizen that has taken little notice that the Highway Fund, which should be solely for paying for road repair, has become a sieve of a leaky bucket. Instead of demanding that politicians do the right thing and stop thieving from it for other purposes, or that HB617 be SOLELY dedicated to the roads (it is not), he simply want more taken out of our pockets. After all, I believe Pike did the work on Route 106.
Er, that would be Mr. Major’s employer where his title is “Government Relations” (see http://granitegrok.com/blog/2013/03/troopers-are-not-the-only-rent-seekers-so-is-pike-industries where he implores Pike’s contract truckers to advocate for higher taxes on the rest of us to inflate Pike’s coffers.
Nicely done, Mr. Major, on being so “open” and “transparent”.
Kindest regards,
Skip Murphy
His Letter after the jump
Guest Post by C.dog e. dog – “a touch of Bidenitus by I. Toddius!”
by Skip
From his email: Skip – Here’s a follow-up on poor ol’ Todd, born with a government degree in his mouth, and a touch of Bidenitus.
Plagiary, Thy Name is I. Toddius!
As originally hurled downfield by Scott from the 50 yard line, then caught and carried to the end zone by Steve, this football keeps scoring more points against Team Statist. I’m sure at this juncture the Liberatti are at this very moment circling their limousines to once again protect one of their own who has strayed into the land of e-lifting words others strung together and take credit as if these mighty prose (and by inference, thoughts) were their own. What’s the big deal? The Grate Senator from MA-MA Land had someone take his test. And the bumbling V.P. gaff machine down in D.C. just can’t keep himself from laddling out another heapin’ helpin’ of unattributed verbiage onto his plate marked: “Highest I.Q. in da House!” What does it matter? Aren’t we all supposed to share our stuff? So what if someone grinding the Big Government ax over at Trip Reports or New Hamster Municipal Association wrote the stuff first?
C’mon Steve! Aren’t they just one giant wriggling mass of community organizers, so what does it matter if it comes from the mouth of one worm or another? You’re sooooo picky. Besides, it’s entirely possible I. Toddius lifted his prescient prose from Daily Dirt (which is not related to the Daily KOS, but is related to Our Road Contractor’s Daily Bread – and lot’s of it – for construction company owners and the union bosses they feed) instead of Trip Reports.
But wait Steve and Scott, there’s more on our budding HI.Q. Joe Biden wannabee from Durham, New Hamster!
Troopers are not the only rent-seekers – so is Pike Industries
by Skip
Grokster Steve’s post (“Troopers Admit – They Just Want the Money“) is a great one that demonstrates rent-seeking – enriches the few at the expense of the many by advocating for an action by Government. In the case of the State Troopers, they’re absolutely good with having Government approve a casino simply because it will mean more money for Troopers. Yes, this is also a great demonstration of Government being the Biggest Special Interest group of….wait for it….Government (want another example? Watch the Public Sector Unions drive the State of California -> and drive it into bankruptcy).
Here we have a snippet from a letter that was published by Pike Industries (you know, the road pavers) to its independent contractors – doing the same thing. They WANT this gas tax, HB617, to go through. Not so much for “civic duty” no matter what the elegant words are that come out of their PR flacks – it is because they know they will get a large, if not lion’s share of that money. Do the right thing and demand of legislators to fill the leaky bucket that is the Highway Fund?
Heck no! New tax – more money for Pike. To heck with the drivers that aren’t their employees that will have to ante up more at the pump – not Pike’s concern as they’ll play the margins: not enough contracters means a few more seasonal employee (and keep them under 30 hours a week to avoid the Obamacare nightmare of paperwork. Contractors or employees – Pike will still profit and that’s the bottom line. And you know they mean business – after all, they’ve got money tied up in paying for the Government Relations man – and businesses don’t spend money unless they are expecting to profit from it.
Complete letter after the jump – along with some well targeted and deserved snark:
NH HB 514 – NH State Reps having a “I want my free lift ticket” hissy fit bill
by Skip
HB 514 – can you say “Give us a perk that mere voters can’t have”? Whiners, they are. Talk about voting something from the Public Larder Treasury! Grant Bossie from NH Watchdog has the sordid tale of the “NH State Reps who want free skiing” (reformatted, emphasis mine):
(CONCORD) Some New Hampshire Representatives want their free lift ticket back. After getting free passes to state-owned Cannon Mountain Ski Area for years, a Legislative Ethics Committee letter last winter found that the freebies violated the Legislature’s ban on gifts over $25. But a trio of lawmakers have introduced a bill that would exempt Cannon Mountain from the gift ban.
And who are these fine, upstanding ethical NH State Reps that want us to pay for their skiing? The ones that are supposed to be leaders here in the State?
Representatives Gary Coulombe (D-Berlin), Andrew Schimdt (D-Grantham), and Herb Richardson (R-Lancaster) are sponsoring HB 514, which adds an exemption to the ethic guidelines for House and Senate members to receive passes to Cannon Mountain. The House Legislative Administration Committee takes up the bill with a public hearing Thursday morning at the Legislative Office Building in Concord.
Hey, why not? Don’t like the current definition of what true ethical behavior is? Simple – with our descent into relativism and subjective morals, all one has to do is simply redefine what ethical behavior is? Isn’t that the lesson that the Progressives have given us with post-modernism and deconstruction? Neitzsche nihilism – does anything matter? It used to: “Live Free or Die; death is not the worst of all evils” – strong words built on a strong philosophy of knowing what was right – and what was wrong.
These chuckleheads could take a lesson from that wise saying – they really should.