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Our government is renowned for the unintended consequences it so often brings upon us. Those smelly Chinese Lady Bugs that crawl into your home each fall were brought to the United States by the Department of Agriculture to eat aphids off of soybeans. Who knew they wouldn't care for our aphids?

FDR's Soil Conservation Service planted hundreds of acres of Kudzu, an aggressive and invasive vining plant, to control erosion,(and make work for the unemployed), in the south during the 1930's. The last estimate I saw was that the plant had taken over about 7 million acres.

Congress's Community Reinvestment Act was a well-intentioned plan to make sure that people who couldn't afford a home were still able to purchase a home. Unfortunately, it was one of the tripping stones for the housing market crisis, which was one of the tripping stones for the mess we find ourselves in today.

Not that all unintended consequences are bad.

Like those of President Obama's Cabinet nomination process.

It's been a windfall for the Internal Revenue Service.

Technorati Tags: Cabinet Appointments Chinese Lady Bugs Internal Revenue Service Politics

When I was a kid back at Millville Grade School, my old buddy Stinky Wilmont used to tell stories about his Uncle Pug. It seems he had a fondness for hard liquor, and according to Stinky, Uncle Pug knew his limit when he began to imbibe. The problem was he always passed out before he got to it.

We seem to have a similar problem with the federal debt. Anytime we get close to the limit, somebody moves it. And they move it pretty often anymore, about once a year, or there abouts. The most recent action to raise the limit is buried in last fall's bail-out bill, and puts the ceiling at $11.315 trillion. For now.

It causes all sorts of problems, too. The National Debt Clock in Times Square, that displays the ever increasing debt, ran out of spaces last year when the debt reached $10 trillion. Reports have it that its owners are working feverishly to design a clock that will register a quadrillion dollars. From the sounds of things coming out of Washington this week, they better start working a little faster.

As it stands right now, every person in the United States owes about $37,400.00 as their share of the national debt. That's if you don't count the unfunded future commitments to Social Security and Medicare. That kicks it up to about $160,000.00 per person.

I don't know about you, but I think that's about my limit.

Technorati Tags: National Debt Limit Politics

It's always nice to get a "heads up" about a potential problem. This morning, I heard on the news that people who received gift cards for Christmas should redeem them as soon as possible. Apparently, people who study such things have predicted that due to business failures, as many as one fourth of the gift cards may be rendered worthless in less than two years. Luckily for me, I didn't get any gift cards for Christmas. One less thing to worry about, I guess.

But, I also heard on the news this morning that the Federal Reserve is going to step in again to help our nation's staggering economy. Now, since 1913, when the Federal Reserve started stepping in to help out, the dollar has lost about 96% of it's purchasing power.

While I didn't get any gift cards for Christmas, I was lucky enough to get a $50.00 bill from my mother-in-law, and since the Fed is making plans to step in again, I think I'll hurry out and make a down payment on that new hammer I've had my eye on for a while.

Oh, and thanks for the "heads up"!

Technorati Tags: Federal Reserve Gift Cards Politics

Good news!!

The Indiana General Assembly's efforts to make property taxes fair and equal are about to pay off. Even if they don't agree to allow Hoosiers to vote on making the property tax caps part of the Indiana Constitution, we can still sign up, by December 31st, for an exemption to insure that our property taxes don't increase by more than 2% over the previous year's taxes.

Well, not everybody can sign up for the exemption. The gross assessed value of your homestead can't exceed $160,000.00. Other than that, you're good to go.

Unless you're under 65 years old. If you're 25, and trying to raise a family, you don't qualify. As a matter of fact, if you're any age under 65 you don't qualify. Other than that, you're good to go.

Unless you make more than $30,000. Then you don't qualify for the exemption. Other than that, you're good to go.

So really, the only people that don't qualify are the ones who are under 65, or whose home is assessed at over $160,000.00, or who make over $30,000.

I always wondered how to make property taxes fair and equal.

This must be it.

Not.

Technorati Tags: Politics Property Taxes

About 40 years ago, Arlo Guthrie blasted his draft board for questioning whether or not he was moral enough to kill people after having been accused of littering. I always thought he raised a valid point, although I still didn't think it excused his littering.

A couple of recent events remind me of Arlo's plight. Illinois Governor Blagojevich has been accused and all but convicted of planning to sell Barak Obama's Senate seat for an undetermined amount of money or favor. A despicable abuse of power, no doubt, and deserving of all of the wrath other officials are heaping on it. But I recall a couple of months ago when 58 members of the House of Representatives turned down an ill-advised bail-out of Wall Street, only to change their votes when offered $130 billion.

I wondered at the time if a Senator cost more than a Representative. Apparently we'll have to wait a little longer for an answer now.

We're also witnessing the prosecution by the government of Bernard Madoff, a con man who bilked investors out of billions of dollars in an elaborate Ponzi scheme, where Madoff used money from current investors to pay previous investors. The plan bears a striking resemblance to the government's Social Security plan, except that under Madoff's scheme, people were not forced to participate.

Still, fraud is fraud, and I hope Madoff is vigorously prosecuted. In fact, I'd be tickled if they went after everybody that commits this type of crime.

I realize that there are a few duties that we should grant to government instead of to individuals.

But there are also some actions that need to be prosecuted, regardless of who or what is guilty of instigating them.

Technorati Tags: Bernard Madoff Politics Rod Blagojevich Social Security

There is a trial going on in Richmond right now, where a young man has been accused of hitting another young man in the head and then taking his laptop computer. I won't speculate on the outcome of the trial, but I imagine if the accused is found guilty, he will probably spend some time in jail. Most civilized societies take a dim view of assault and theft.

   Most civilized societies take a dim view of theft even without the assault. When the afore mentioned incident took place, apparently there were 2 people that wanted the computer the victim was carrying. I think most people would agree that just because 2 people wanted what one person had, they still didn't have the right to just take it. And if there had been a group of 3 people, or 100 people, or 1000 people that wanted that computer, they still wouldn't have the right to just take it, no matter how much they wanted it.

   I suppose there could be an instance where that same group of people could have hired another group of people to go and just take the computer, but I don't think a civilized society would have stood for that either. As a nation, we have even sometimes went to war to stop someone from just taking something that didn't belong to them, even if they wanted it really bad. (Of course, as a nation, sometimes we've went to war to take something that didn't belong to us, either, but that's for another story.)

   I wasn't surprised or disappointed that I didn't get the Palladium-Item's endorsement for the District 54 seat. I was disappointed in their reason. I have been a strong advocate of eliminating property taxes. I understand that property taxes are a stable source of income for governments. I also understand that a lot of people want parks and museums and football fields and gymnasiums and exercise rooms and fishing ponds in their lobbies. I understand that some people want these things really bad. Some people want them so bad that they elect people to go out and threaten to take other peoples property in order to get the money to pay for them.

  I don't think they have the right to do that.

  Apparently some of the people at the Palladium-Item don't agree with me.

Technorati Tags: Politics Property Taxes

There is a lot of talk this election season about the Kernan-Shepard report. Every forum and debate I have attended this fall, and every candidate questionnaire I have received (except for the single issue types) have included some reference to some portion of the report.



Most of the voters I have heard from have rejected the part of the report that calls for eliminating elected positions and replacing them with appointed positions. Neither do I find much support for a state mandate calling for the consolidation of school districts to insure at least 2000 students per district. It seems most people in the area believe, correctly I think, that consolidation of schools should remain a local matter. The call for eliminating township government and transferring the duties to the counties receives mixed reviews, with the most vocal opposition coming from township officials.



There is a lot of language in the report about transferring duties from the county to the state, shuffling election cycles, and lifting restrictions on the purchasing ability of local governments and schools that should never have been imposed in the first place.



My opponent in the District 54 House of Representatives race recently added his thoughts on reforming state government, including combining the House and Senate, eliminating state legislative districts, and giving the governor more control over spending.



I’m sure a lot of our legislators have genuine concerns about the proposed consolidation of library services, and maybe some are truly concerned about the number of campaign signs that will no longer be needed if some of the new plans are adopted. But as I read through most of the proposals, the term “red herring” comes to mind. At one time a red herring was used to confuse hunting dogs by masking the scent they were tracking. Today it is often used to divert peoples’ attention from the real issues.



The real issue is that government spends too much money, and it borrows and mortgages our children’s and grandchildren’s futures to pay for programs and promises that they have no say in. Hiring assessors instead of electing them won’t solve the problem, anymore than sending our tax dollars to Indianapolis so they can take their cut and send it back to us will.



The real issue is that government loves property taxes. It is a tax that the government can collect in the worst of times. And if you can’t come up with the funds to pay them in the worst of times, the government gets to take your home. Most officials claim they need that constant, reliable funding source to make their jobs easier.



Governments in the past have laid claim to peoples children. We wouldn’t stand still for that today. We shouldn’t stand still when they lay claim to our property.



We can do away with property taxes. We can do it by eliminating non-essential spending, distributing our sales taxes to legitimate government services, and making sure the user fees we pay, (such as gas and road use taxes) are truly spent on their intended purpose.



There are a lot of things that need to be fixed in state and local government. Finding a fairer and more equitable way to fund a smaller version of that government is a good place to start.

Technorati Tags: Kernan Shepard Politics Red Herring

I see they're having another Presidential debate between the Republican and Democratic candidates this Wednesday. I doubt if I watch it. I heard enough in the first two debates to convince me that I had made the right decision when I decided that I couldn't support either one of them.

They certainly have a difference in style, and they claim to have a difference in agendas, but I have also heard enough and seen enough to realize that whether John McCain or Barack Obama is elected, upon leaving office, either one will leave the government more costly and more intrusive than when they took office.

Apparently that doesn't bother a lot of people. But it bothers me. And it bothers Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate for President of the United States of America. Bob Barr favors a Constitutionally limited government. Those Constitutional limits will provide all of the necessary government that we need, while ending most of the outrageous spending and meddlesome interference in our private lives.

Some people contend that voting for Bob Barr amounts to a wasted vote. I'm a firm believer that voting for something you don't want is really a wasted vote.

I don't want higher taxes, or a higher federal debt, or more government in my life.

So I'm not going to vote for them.

If you would like to vote for less government in your life, check out Bob Barr at www.BobBarr2008.com

Technorati Tags: Bob Barr Politics Presidential Debates

 I'm reminded today of the story of the man who asked a woman if she would sleep with him for a million dollars. After she said yes, he asked her if she would sleep with him for a dollar. When the offended lady asked "What do you think I am?!", the man replied, "We've already decided that. Now we're just haggling on the price.

   58 representatives that voted against the taxpayer funded bailout changed their minds for $130 billion worth of pork. I guess that means that representatives cost $2,241,379,310.34 each.

   I guess that means we also know what they are. 

   P.J. O'Roarke called them "A Parliment of Whores".

   I guess he was right.

Technorati Tags: A Parliment of Whores Politics