The Daily Rations: March 14, 2009
Posted Under: Daily Rations
In a time of government ascendancy and dependence on the state, these are your Daily Rations for March 14, 2009.
Recent, original articles from the pages of Rational Liberty:
Thoughts on United States Citizenship
Revolution? It Can’t Happen Here
Fallacies of the Green Movement
News & Opinions:
‘Enemy Combatant’ Label Is Dropped for Detainees (The Wall Street Journal) – The Obama administration has taken another step backwards in the fight against Islamic terrorism. The new policy on “enemy combatants” is to make those engaged in fighting U.S. forces harder to detain and prosecute because of stricter guidelines from the administration. Apparently, prosecuting these people in civilian courts is the “new” old course of action. As I have said before: Didn’t we try this with little to no success during the Clinton years? We all saw what happened because of those failed policies.
Pakistan Military Chief Tries to Mediate Standoff (The Wall Street Journal) – The Pakistani military is getting more involved in the disputes with the President and the opposition party. With the history of military rule in Pakistan and the increasing problems with the Taliban and elements of Al-Qaeda, it’s not looking good at all for our prospects of a stabilized Afghanistan, which are heavily reliant on Pakistani support.
Obama adviser Summers touts case for stocks (The Washington Times) – The Obama administration has made a full-scale reversal of tactics this week. Instead of talking down the economy and warning of dire circumstances in the near future, they have been claiming that things aren’t as bad as they seem. Either they have been lying and exaggerating for the last few months or they are lying and exaggerating now. There is no sign that anything in the markets has changed since just last week when the Dow hit 12-year lows, the economy was still in contraction, and the unemployed increased by over 650,000. If I was a betting man, I would put everything I own on the markets hitting new lows in the weeks and months ahead. Let’s not forget that Obama is still trying to push many new agendas that will kill job growth and further expand the federal government.
Japan warns N. Korea about rocket (The Washington Times) – Japan joined in the chorus against North Korea’s upcoming missile launch. Japan’s Prime Minister and Chief Cabinet Secretary say they protest the launch and will consider shooting down the missile if it poses a threat to their country. Top U.S. Navy commanders have already stated that they are capable and ready to shoot down the rocket if they receive the orders to do so. North Korea claims that the launch is intended to merely send a satellite into orbit. Barack Obama may be the only person who actually believes that.
Napolitano Targets Border Violence (The Wall Street Journal) – The same woman who could not get her own state border under control is now claiming that her Department of Homeland Security will begin efforts to combat drug cartel violence across the Southern border of the United States. But her stated solution to date involves stopping the flow of money and guns to Mexico from this country. It sounds nice, but it doesn’t sound practical. We’ll just have to wait and see when the plan is unveiled in two weeks. This seems to be a recurring theme with the Obama administration – talk about a grand new plan, but give no details until much later down the road.
Obama’s futile search for ‘moderate radicals’ (American Thinker) – Finding a “moderate” radical in the Taliban is like trying to find a “moderate” liberal…it’s not going to happen. The absurdity of this plan is beyond colossal. And since when do we negotiate with radicals who have been uprooted and forced to live on the run?
Does Obama Know What He Is Doing? (Townhall) – Is Obama an incompetent or just cold-hearted? Would it be worse to be a radical leftist or an indifferent bungler? Or is he both?
The Myth of Relativism and the Cult of Tolerance (American Thinker) – Here’s a good essay for some Saturday thinking. One of the ponderings mentioned: Is relativism relative?
Is Rand Relevant? (The Wall Street Journal) – This is a very concise analysis on why Ayn Rand’s philosophy is increasingly popular today – and why her most famous work, Atlas Shrugged, is flying off the bookshelves.
Research & Analysis:
The Political Chances of Genuine Liberalism (Ludwig von Mises Institute) – Fifty-eight years ago the Austrian economic theorists had it right. A great string of consistency and truth is what keeps this model of economic thought alive. This excerpt from 1951 is still very true today.
Time for a Real Change: Repeal the Corporate Income Tax (The Heritage Foundation) – We all know, or at least we should know, that corporations do not pay income taxes. Any tax liabilities they have are passed off to consumers or stakeholders. By repealing the corporate income tax, we can attract new business and investment into the United States economy. We can actually go much further and repeal income taxes altogether – and adopt the FairTax – but getting rid of the corporate income tax would be an excellent start.
From the annals of world history:
The Doctrine of Fascism (Liberty Library of Constitutional Classics) – This doctrine from Benito Mussolini in 1932 sounds very much like the “liberal” Democrat principles of today. Pay special attention to the way Mussolini mentions the state and its superiority over the individual, how he derides natural law theory, and how he alludes to the state being the true religion of man. Totalitarian leaders may die, but free individuals will always need to defend themselves from the perpetual threat of tyrannical movements.
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