10 Rules is a gold mine of useful information (both legal and practical) for handling police encounters. Legal books are too often impenetrable and just too time-consuming for laypersons. 10 Rules is a media-savvy vehicle that can alleviate the problem of constitutional illiteracy in America.
In less than 45 minutes, you acquire the information you need to know. Get the dvds and encourage others to show them at high schools, colleges, and other venues.
In fact, federal “reform” often hurts the public health system. Both public health and health care experts have criticized Medicare and Medicaid, enacted by Congress in 1965, for changing the focus of health care practitioners from prevention to treatment. Infectious disease mortality rates rose 22 percent in the 1980s (even after discounting for AIDS deaths), despite rising public and private spending on health insurance and medical care. In 1988, the Institute of Medicine warned of a deteriorating public health system. Inadequate vaccine supplies, such as the recent shortages of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine or influenza vaccines, are at least in part the result of federal attempts to control the production and distribution of the vaccines.
Randall Hoven at American Thinker has a piece on the dismal Kansas City school district, which is preparing to close amost half of its schools due to budget shortfalls. The AP report blames white flight and poor economic condition in the Kansas City city core for the failure of the school system. Hoven points to another explanation.
A report by the Cato Institute in 1998 highlighted the financial and performance problems of the Kansas City School District, and traced it back to 1985, when a federal judge essentially took over the school district, dictating how much money should be spent and how. The results? By 2000, the district had lost its accreditation due to its abysmal performance.
Spending does not equal performance. Nor does control by fiat of the federal government. Given the liberal demographics of Kansas City, I’m not sure how much better the district would have performed without federal control, but it’s pretty apparent from the Cato analysis that liberal policies caused more problems than they solved.
Donald Douglas at American Power presents this video from the Cato Institute on the costs involved in public education, especially those not made apparent.
Donald Douglas at American Power takes a look at an upcoming “protest” (i.e. riot) at the university he works at. Disguised as a union protest against cuts to the education budget, the movement is working with communist and anarchist groups advocating an “occupation” and seizure of private property across the state in order to acquire the resources they desire for their goals. Where come from, we call that “theft,” but apparently they call it “revolution.” Whatever. Read more…
Ian Vasquez at the Cato Institute has a brief piece on human rights violations in Venezuela and Cuba.
A report (PDF) released today by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemns in well documented form the growing violation of human rights under the regime of Hugo Chavez. The 302-page study is yet another confirmation of the multitude of ways in which individuals, NGOs, union leaders, politicians, activists, businessmen, students, judges, the media and others who disagree with Venezuelan government policies are targeted by the government and its supporters through intimidation, arbitrary use of administrative and criminal law, and sometimes violence and homicide. Read more…
According to the latest Small Business Economic Trendssurvey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, 31 percent of respondents said the single most important problem facing small businesses is “poor sales.” “Taxes” and “Government Regulations and Red Tape” came in second and third place at 22 percent and 13 percent respectively. Combining the two, the biggest problem facing small businesses according to respondents is government.
Wow. Government regulation and high taxes are bad for business. Who’d have thought? Don’t worry, though — the government is working on helping small businesses out – by increasing taxes and regulation.
Ted DeHaven at the Cato Institute highlights an effort by Utah legislators to disentangle federal funding from state-run programs. An editorial in the Washington Post written by the President of the Utah Senate and the Speaker of the Utah House delineates this plan to shift management and funding of state-run programs exclusively to the State of Utah. Read more…
A Republican and a Heretic, in multiple senses of both words. A small L libertarian conservative in the Midwest, concerned with limiting the size and power of government and halting the growth of the paternalistic progressive aristocracy. Interested in history, religion, and law, and policies dealing with the aforementioned. Will feature comments on stories or articles I find interesting, whether related to politics or anything else that catches my eye.
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