Divemedic

Sometimes I amaze myself

I am giving myself a pat on the back. I posted about the fire department in Tennessee this morning. Uncle posts about an attack on Libertarianism at this site here. In this site, the blogger posts:

This fire is a the result of libertarian land. In libertarian land, collective action is forbidden so taxes cannot pay for fire departments. Without taxes, you must rely on the voluntary subscription to services (or after the fact fees, but for something like firefighting that requires a large and constant maintenance cost, after the fact fees aren’t going to be enough to keep a fire department active). If you must rely on a voluntary subscription service, then you must discourage free loaders. If you must discourage free loaders, then you must let the homes of the poor, or unlucky or plan stupid burn to the ground.

 To which, I posted this reply:

Of course, you have the alternative: You turn the $75 fee into a property tax, and anyone who doesn’t pay has his house foreclosed on and taken away by the taxing authority to pay the taxes.

This taxing authority also needs staffing, and so hires personnel to handle the taxes. With this new overhead, the previously voluntary $75 fee is now a mandatory $150 tax.

If you do not pay, they take your house. When they send the sheriff to your house to evict you, if you resist, he activates the SWAT team, and they gun you down. Then they raise the tax to $250 so they can cover the expenses of the SWAT team.

Isn’t that much better?

Yes, the Libertarian way is heartless and cruel, and the collectivist way at least insured that the house didn’t burn down. The owners are dead or homeless, but at least the house didn’t burn down.

Edited to add: This is an email response to this post:

No. The police in Europe will never kill you, in Europe we don`t do that any more, you Americans probably do. You Americans just don`t get it do you; You can`t run a whole country the same way as a McDonalds restaurant!

Ok, I guess Americans know best, you have the best systems and don`t need to be lectured by anyone about anything. You are simply the best, right? 

 This guy doesn’t understand that there are only two ways to conduct any sort of business: By force, or by voluntary cooperation. If I refuse to pay my taxes, how else can the government force me to pay, except through force? If I resist their force with force of my own, do you think the cops are going to give up, or will they increase the force they employ until I submit?

By Divemedic, ago

People are too greedy for libertarianism

There is a lot of buzz on the internet about the South Fulton fire department. In case you haven’t read it, this is the town fire department who provided fire services to the surrounding area, if the homeowner paid a membership fee. In this case, they allowed a house to burn down because the homeowner had not paid the fee. I am no going to discuss this particular incident, as I agree with Firefighter, who has posted an excellent analysis here.

Instead, I want to talk about a more general issue. The people commenting here say that Libertarianism will never work because it is cruel. They are wrong, the real reason why the Libertarian philosophy will never work is that people always want the power to make others give them what they want, but never want to pay for it. Everyone has their issue: the homeless, healthcare, Fire service, whatever.

There are only two ways to get people to do things for you: voluntarily, or involuntarily. Do you think that people should interact voluntarily? If so, then you must allow people to set the standard by which they will provide that care.

If the doctor says that he will only provide care for money, and the patient has no money, then there are only four options:

A. You pay the bill on the other person’s behalf (voluntary donation)
B. You force the provider to provide the service/product for free (forced compliance- slavery)
C. You allow the provider to turn the non-paying person away (voluntary noncooperation)
D. You force others to pay the bill (forced donation- legalized theft)

Libertarians believe that the only fair and proper answer is A or C.
Socialists believe that the only proper answer is B or D.

For those who believe that we have a responsibility to feed/clothe/care for people who cannot pay, just how do you think that the people providing the service will provide it?

How will the hospital pay its staff? How will the fire trucks get fuel? How will restaurants get food for the homeless? How much of your own money have you given to the cause? Do you allow a homeless man to live in your spare bedroom?

If you are not willing to use your own money and resources to provide that service or product, then why do you get to compel me to use mine? Giving away other people’s money and possessions is not charity. One post there said:

The measure of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. Libertarians demand that the US score exactly zero.

That is incorrect. Libertarians are not against voluntary charity. They are simply against “charity” at the point of a gun. A tax that takes money from one person and uses it purely for the benefit of another is not charity, it is theft.

By Divemedic, ago

Banks illegally entering homes

The banks have been unable to win foreclosure lawsuits, because they do not have the proper paperwork. So what do they do? Kick in your door, change the locks, throw your possessions out into the street, and lock you out- even though they have not foreclosed on the house. 

As one of the owners of a company who specializes in “securing” or “winterizing” properties was recently quoted in the Palm Beach Post said, “Lawsuits don’t phase us anymore.”

In this 911 call, JP Morgan Chase hired people to break in to this woman’s house and change her locks.

Lawsuits may not phase you, but I bet buckshot will. If you are breaking into a house that isn’t yours, I don’t care how much money I owe you, you are sill committing burglary.

By Divemedic, ago

Speaking of Deficit spending

Microsoft has announced that they will discontinue support for the software called “Money.”  This loss of support has been coupled with the reduction of the functionality of the software. This included my Money software informing me that the software was expired, and I could no longer use it unless I renewed my subscription.  I have used this software to keep track of my checkbooks for the last 8 and a half years, and these changes have forced me to transition to Quicken. Needless to say, this is causing a few issues.

One issue became apparent last month, when I found out that reconciling the software with my bank statement is not as seamless with Quicken as it was with Money. Another problem became apparent this morning, when I went to close out September by reconciling Quicken with my September bank statement. Apparently, Quicken failed to download a transaction earlier in the month, and this caused me to overdraw my checking account. Since I pay all of my bills at the beginning of the month, my checking account was overdrawn by $75.

Luckily, I have my savings account linked to my checking, and the bank thoughtfully transferred the funds to cover the overdrafts. For a fee.

By Divemedic, ago

Another trillion, down the drain

October 1, 2009. On that date, the Federal Debt was $11.9 trillion. Here we are, the beginning of the new fiscal year, and the national debt is now $13.6 trillion. This means that for FY2010, the Federal Government spent $1.7 trillion more than it took in.

For those keeping track, the Obama administration has borrowed $3 trillion in the 20 months that he has been President. The records keep being broken:

Carter borrowed $300 billion in 4 years Broken by Obama in just 2 months
Reagan borrowed $1.8 trillion in 8 years   Broken by Obama in just 13 months
GHW Bush borrowed $1.6 trillion in 4 years Broken by Obama in 11 months
Clinton borrowed $1.2 trillion in 8 years Broken by Obama in just 8 months
All presidents combined borrowed $3 trillion in 222 years. Obama did it in 20 months
GW Bush borrowed $5 trillion in 8 years  Anyone want to take bets on Obama beating this one?

I know that all of you Obama fanbois keep blaming Bush, but here we are nearing the halfway point of Obama’s presidency, and you just have to ask: At what point does he take responsibility for the mess we are in?

By Divemedic, ago

Gun control doesn’t work

Here we have a man who went on a shooting spree. He was a convicted felon, which means that he could not legally possess a firearm. He had a history of mental illness, also meaning that he could not possess a firearm. Still, he got one anyway.

There are those who say that making guns illegal would keep everyone, innocent and criminal, from obtaining firearms, and thus committing crimes. To those people, I would point out that he had also been convicted of cocaine possession. Cocaine is illegal, and has been for decades, yet no one who wants to buy cocaine has any problems getting it, as this Federal Judge who was just arrested for cocaine, marijuana, hookers, and illegal firearms possession proves.

By Divemedic, ago

The 25 most dangerous neighborhoods in the US

Wallet Pop just released the list of the 25 most dangerous neighborhoods in the United States for 2010. The local press is making a big deal out of the fact that an Orlando neighborhood made the list, but there were no Los Angeles or Detroit neighborhoods on it. I am not sure why that is, but I do want to look at the demographics of the included neighborhoods:

1 Chicago, Ill. W. Lake St. 97.8% Black 1% White 1% Asian No issue
2 Cleveland, OH  Scovill Ave 98.7 % Black 0.8% White Shall Issue
3 Las Vegas, NV  Balzar Ave 89.5 % Black 6.5% White  Shall Issue
4 Las Vegas, NV  Scovill Ave 66% of the neighborhood does not speak English, 71% calls itself as “other” in the race category Shall Issue
5 Atlanta, GA  Carter St 97.1% Black 0.7% White  Shall Issue
6 Philadelphia, PA  N 13th St 93.7% Black 3.1% White Shall Issue
7  Atlanta, GA  Marietta St 69.5% Black 19.8% White Shall Issue
8 Las Vegas, NV  D St 66.7% Black 12.2% White  Shall Issue
9 Washington, DC L St SE 97% Black 2.6% White No Issue
10 Chattanooga, TN King St 75.5% Black 18% White  Shall Issue
11 Charlotte, NC  N Tryon St 81.5% Black 3.8% White   Shall Issue
12 Memphis, TN  Florida St 96.9% Black 0% White   Shall Issue
13 Charleston, SC  Echo Ave 75.8% Black 1.4% White  Shall Issue
14  Louisville, KY  E Beckinridge St 83% Black 11.2% White     Shall Issue
15 Fort Worth, TX  E Lancaster Ave 64.6% Black 11.7% White   Shall Issue
16 Winston-Salem, NC E 21st St 93.9% Black 1.3% White Shall Issue
17 Atlanta, GA Richardson St 75.4% Black 5.8% White  Shall Issue
18 Chicago, IL 4000 S Federal St 100% Black   No Issue
19 Memphis, TN N Danny Thomas Blvd 86.6% Black 11.5% White   Shall Issue
20 Cleveland, OH Chestnut Pl 98.9% Black 0% White    Shall Issue
21 Galveston, TX Church St 50.6% White 40% Black   Shall Issue
22 Atlanta, GA Humphries St 99.5% Black 0.5% White    Shall Issue
23 Kansas City, MO Independence Ave 61% Black 16.6% White    Shall Issue
24 Cincinatti, OH Moore St 89.9% Black 10.1% White Shall Issue 
25. Orlando, FL Neighborhood: Parramore 70.6% Black 16.7% White Shall Issue

Looking at the list, it immediately strikes you that there is a trend there. You would be called a racist by many if you took note of the fact that, with two exceptions, the top 25 most dangerous neighborhoods in America are at least 65% Black. Yet the same thing is done everyday by anti-gun forces who want guns made illegal, and this is seen as logical, even though the list above shows that there is less of a correlation with gun laws and crime than there is race and crime.

Take another look at the list above: every neighborhood above has a below average income and education. Ponder the cause and the remedy. It isn’t race, and  it isn’t gun control. It is a cultural problem.

Comments calling me a racist are missing the point, and will not be posted.

By Divemedic, ago

It Figures

I am currently taking a class on Administrative Law. That is, it covers the laws and regulations that govern administrative agencies like the FCC, FAA, and local ones like the Fire Department.

We were discussing a situation in class, and our assignment was to find a solution for the problem, as if we were the person in charge. I found one that accomplished the goal, and still respected the rights of the people involved. Another student’s solution was a gross violation of the law, and of the rights of the people involved.

I pointed out that his solution was a violation of the Constitutional rights of the people involved. His reply to me was “So what? Let the lawyers worry about that. The broke the rules, they need to accept whatever happens.”

Guess where he works? Homeland Security.

By Divemedic, ago

Musical interlude

This lady is one of the most talented singers I have heard in the last few years.

That is one smooth, smoky voice. This one looks graceful, since she incorporates sign language:

For something a little peppier:

I know this makes me sound like an old fart, but most singers today seem more like produced products where looks matter more than talent. That is not true of Ms. Furler. Exceptional talent, great voice, and still cute and peppy without being slutty or trashy.

By Divemedic, ago