Democracy Sucks is hosting the latest edition of the irascible group that touts their radical vision of the world and market. Sense and sensibility some might say.
Looks like I made the cut again after only the second attempt. Of course it was only an off the cuff response to the dreamy Mr. Ludwig's attempt to convince us that oil as a utility is a good idea.
The recent black & white news coverage of the presidential campaign has made me red all over. As they slice & dice the voters into identifiable segments of race and gender, one wonders if they have any regard for one of the human species most significant minorities, that is, red heads.
Red heads comprise about 1-2% of the human population. While this doesn't translate into a sizable enough portion of the voting population for politicians to cater a special message or program for, one does wonder whether the exclusion is based on prejudice or simply a lack of sensationalism that the media seems to need when issues and ideas become irrelevant in a winner take all electoral feeding. After all, redheads are just like everyone else.
There are good Ludwigs and bad ones.
Ed Ludwig's recent foray into the oil debate is a ludicrous example of the authoritarian mentality and its relation to real economics. When asking the question as to why oil shouldn't be a public utility he states:
A public utility has been defined as a 'business that provides an everyday necessity to the public at large' - such as water, electricity, natural gas, telephone service, transportation, cable TV and other essentials.
While the logical, historical and practical examples and results of such thinking would make any Austrian based economist cringe, apparently editors and publishers suffer nothing of the sort when they decide to publish such tripe.
According to Mr. Ludwig's loose definition, one might consider food, housing and clothing to be functions of a public utility. Indeed, even the local mechanic who provides a service such as fixing your car is vitally involved with 'transportation'. While I don't receive public water, land telephone service or cable TV, apparently these are necessities that I'm forced to pay for so others can enjoy their necessity.I've had a lot of conversations with people about this SCOTUS case from DC. I'm perfectly happy arguing the merits and typically let others do it who have a passion for that type of thing.
This last conversation went a little differently and touched on certain issues differently. While the actual script would look vastly different here's a shell of the feel of it for me.
After the jump.
The site did not go down due to any government order or host goof this weekend.
I simply got caught up in other things and forgot to renew at the registrar.
Let me know if you noticed.
ECS
I haven't had enough time to develop this thought, but the government has taken it in their hands to ground some of the SouthWest airplanes for not complying. Apparently the FAA missed the proverbial boat on this too. If SouthWest can be fined for failing to conform with the 'rules' what is the recourse for the FAA ? 
I've worked at an aviation group in the past as an IT guy. My experience was that every mechanic and technician was completely aware of the need for the constant Zen and the Art attitude it takes for safe flying. Here's a blog comment, presumably from a mechanic that I found just after this incident was revealed.
After the jump.
I have to fix my feedburner output sometime soon. Normally I don't get too fussed about the free service I'm offering my anonymous readership, but I noticed I had 10 subscribers. Hopefully they will just visit via habit anyway.
Eric
Back in the day ( my state sponsored higher education ones) a fellow student introduced me to the term 'politically correct'. It was innocent enough. We were walking between classes and the term 'PC' was dropped. My first reaction was, what does a Personal Computer have to do with the discussion at hand? Of course being the honors program token Conservative at the time, I was making a point (I don't remember what) that was not cool in my fellow student's estimation. 
My shock at the time was that the endeavor that I was involved with, was not necessarily engaged in an enlightened path to the truth, but an insidious tone that cherry picked issues and in order to perform a greater agenda. After all, the discussion of ideas and their influence on public life has been the whole point since Plato (perhaps Socrates) starting musing on such matters. Ultimately I decided anarchy was my only fit in this regard and I pursued a path that might be considered agorism. Having come full circle back into the arena of politics, I'm always disturbed when the assumption is that libertarians are racists or sexists because they don't accept the current standards in polite bourgeoisie society.
Dear Mr. Paterson,
I know the pressure is immense for you to step in and fill the void that Mr. Spitzer's alleged and apparently acknowledged actions seem to be taking us New Yorkers. I have always had a respect for your even handed and honest approach to politics in New York. 
While I believe that taxation is theft and war is the health of the state, there are certainly times when leadership, any leadership, is better than the current mess that we are in. As you know, Senator Clinton is fighting for the nomination of your party for the office of President. I urge you to ask Mrs. Clinton to suspend that effort and to jointly declare that reform in New York is as important for the world as it is New York.
With your enlightened approach in this matter, the nightmare of the current race and scandal in NY could unite us back into a common front for virtual socialism, fascism and legal tyranny, to say nothing of the undemocratic mechanisms which prevent good people from running for public office.
Sincerely,
John/Jane Q. Public 99
Dear Senator Clinton,
I know that you have have been really busy running for President of the United States and look forward to being the first women to attain that honor. I appreciate that you will be denied the pleasures of an upstate Spring or the perpetual carnival that is the metropolitan area. With all due respect, you must help put the 'luv' back in New York. Please end your campaign and return home to restore the integrity of the state and your party. 
Included in this message is a copy of a letter addressed to the Lt. Governor, David Paterson. If Mr. Paterson would agree to also resign, New Yorkers could benefit from an election this fall for a new governor. I believe you are uniquely qualified to help the healing process and console the current First Lady of New York.
Thank you for the consideration of this letter.
Sincerely,
John/Jane Q. Public 99
In his great requiem, East of Eden, John Steinbeck points out both the advantage and despair of the brothel in the formation of the American West. The character and real life 'monster' Cathy, describes University professors willing to have toilet water splashed in their face for the right combination of trick. The other brother, Cain, simply utilizes its services on occasion and is satisfied the need enough not to bother or hurt anyone with sensibilities like love or caring when it comes to the physical and evolutionary need to breed. 
If prostitution were legal Governor Spitzer would not be wasting our New York minutes (I calculate approximately two and a half dollars a minute). Instead he may spend weeks defending himself in a very public manner in what was a very private matter. Of course when old Bill Weld accepted our nomination in 2006, many were up in arms about the Libertarians stance on prostitution. Ain't nobody calling us hypocrites today.