The Freeway to Serfdom
"One of the annoying things about believing in free will and individual responsibility is the difficulty of finding somebody to blame your problems on. And when you do find somebody, it's remarkable how often his picture turns up on your driver's license." - P.J. O'Rourke
Friday, March 26, 2004
Outta Here
Well kids, I'm off to the Left Coast for a week or so to hang with the nuts 'n' berries crowd. Never been to Vancouver before, but if you have and think there are some "points of interest" I should be aware of, your suggestions are always welcome in the comments section. Remember: there is no such thing as too low brow. Provided I don't wind up in a shooters alley on the Lower East Side, I'll try and squeeze in some remote-blogging for y'all while I'm out there.
In the interim, consider the following:
1) LibertarianJackass.com
What I wish I had named this blog. Most of you use the two descriptors synonymously anyway.
2) Turning the Tide
Noam Chomsky pops his head out from the gopher-hole of academia only to have his comments section swarmed by some of Charles Johnson's little green zionistas. Ok, so I laughed the first two or three times "Hugo Chavez" or "Pol Pot" left their "comments" for Noam, but as you can imagine, things circled the toilet rapidly from then on, with people intentionally clogging the section with porn links and asinine jew-baiting remarks. The comments are now gone and Noam is free to prattle on unchallenged, secure in the knowledge that his ideological opponents are exactly the cabal of mouth-breathing right-wing tards he assumed them to be. Thanks a bunch, tools for cancelling the fun we might have had seeing an open, unmoderated back-and-forth between Chomsky and some of his more formidable critics.
3) Always nice to see a City with its priorities in order. Why do I not weep with Police Chief Bevan over the proposed $2.1 million cut to the force? Because his fellow praetorians have robbed motorists of a (projected) $1.5 million dollars in the past month. Projected, because if those on the receiving end of this thuggery use their brains and fight the tickets in court, they can ultimately bleed the revenue right back out of the corrupt system that depends on it.
Well kids, I'm off to the Left Coast for a week or so to hang with the nuts 'n' berries crowd. Never been to Vancouver before, but if you have and think there are some "points of interest" I should be aware of, your suggestions are always welcome in the comments section. Remember: there is no such thing as too low brow. Provided I don't wind up in a shooters alley on the Lower East Side, I'll try and squeeze in some remote-blogging for y'all while I'm out there.
In the interim, consider the following:
1) LibertarianJackass.com
What I wish I had named this blog. Most of you use the two descriptors synonymously anyway.
2) Turning the Tide
Noam Chomsky pops his head out from the gopher-hole of academia only to have his comments section swarmed by some of Charles Johnson's little green zionistas. Ok, so I laughed the first two or three times "Hugo Chavez" or "Pol Pot" left their "comments" for Noam, but as you can imagine, things circled the toilet rapidly from then on, with people intentionally clogging the section with porn links and asinine jew-baiting remarks. The comments are now gone and Noam is free to prattle on unchallenged, secure in the knowledge that his ideological opponents are exactly the cabal of mouth-breathing right-wing tards he assumed them to be. Thanks a bunch, tools for cancelling the fun we might have had seeing an open, unmoderated back-and-forth between Chomsky and some of his more formidable critics.
3) Always nice to see a City with its priorities in order. Why do I not weep with Police Chief Bevan over the proposed $2.1 million cut to the force? Because his fellow praetorians have robbed motorists of a (projected) $1.5 million dollars in the past month. Projected, because if those on the receiving end of this thuggery use their brains and fight the tickets in court, they can ultimately bleed the revenue right back out of the corrupt system that depends on it.
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
A Grinder
Having spent some time at the BlogsCanada Federal Election Watch recently, I think if the right-of-centre bloggers were to award a captain's "C" it should go to Don at All Things Canadian. Don is doing yeomen's work amidst a sometimes hostile crowd and although he's handling himself superbly, I'm sure he wouldn't mind a few more wing-men to help him out.
Of course, I am not a Conservative, so I'm not necessarily a dependable source of assistance, but I think all you card-carrying Conservatives should make it a habit of dropping by over there, if only in the interest of "diversity". Go on and help a brotha out!
Having spent some time at the BlogsCanada Federal Election Watch recently, I think if the right-of-centre bloggers were to award a captain's "C" it should go to Don at All Things Canadian. Don is doing yeomen's work amidst a sometimes hostile crowd and although he's handling himself superbly, I'm sure he wouldn't mind a few more wing-men to help him out.
Of course, I am not a Conservative, so I'm not necessarily a dependable source of assistance, but I think all you card-carrying Conservatives should make it a habit of dropping by over there, if only in the interest of "diversity". Go on and help a brotha out!
Blogger Basics
Via Gary Cruse, The Commisar offers up some advice for new bloggers:
The Politburo Diktat: Unified Theory of Blogging
You should also check out Gary's comments on media saturation in the blogosphere:
The Owner's Manual: Counting bloggers on the wall
My humble advice, for what it's worth: stick to what you know best. Local issues and commentary add unique flavour to the site, without losing the transferability of the broader point you're trying to make. And as I pointed out in Gary's comment section, Ricardo's law of comparative advantage is just as applicable to blogging as it is to trading wheat and wine. If Glenn Reynolds is ten times the warblogger I am and twice as good at transportation analysis, we're all better off if he follows the spread of democracy in the Middle East and I keep on raving about toll roads.
Via Gary Cruse, The Commisar offers up some advice for new bloggers:
The Politburo Diktat: Unified Theory of Blogging
You should also check out Gary's comments on media saturation in the blogosphere:
The Owner's Manual: Counting bloggers on the wall
My humble advice, for what it's worth: stick to what you know best. Local issues and commentary add unique flavour to the site, without losing the transferability of the broader point you're trying to make. And as I pointed out in Gary's comment section, Ricardo's law of comparative advantage is just as applicable to blogging as it is to trading wheat and wine. If Glenn Reynolds is ten times the warblogger I am and twice as good at transportation analysis, we're all better off if he follows the spread of democracy in the Middle East and I keep on raving about toll roads.
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Island Speak-Easys Under Fire
Via CBC Watch (of all places) a link to a full-on Nanny-state rebellion in (again, of all places) the overtaxed, hyper-regulated land of Anne of Green Gables:
The Guardian: Crowd Backs City Bootleggers
The crowd overflowed to adjacent rooms, down the stairs and out onto the front steps for the event that posed the question: should bootleggers be shut down?
The answer was a resounding, heartily shouted “no” from an estimated 80 per cent of those attending.
No, you haven't been sucked into a time warp back to the prohibition era. This is progressive-minded, 21st century nanny-statism working its magic. CBC's Prince Edward Island regional bureau has been filing an in depth series of reports on the issue. The sound bites from municipal leaders and activists are quite telling:
[councillor] Brown brought his idea to city council on Monday night. He told his colleagues that the bans on smoking in bars and restaurants has driven smokers to the illegal bars.
"The concern that I received from a couple of bar owners that have similar clientele was that they were being penalized for following the laws. Where as these unlicensed establishments were doing whatever they wished and not respecting any laws of the province."
And why the fuck should they? When the province decides it has the authority to tell people what substances they can and cannot ingest within the confines of their own property and threaten those who fail to comply with (presumably) lethal force, why obey any of the province's so-called laws? If playing ball with the government's onerous liquor licensing laws only serves to reward me with further constraints imposed on my business by self-serving politicians, why bother?
What's really loathesome is how the state, acting just like any other organized gang of thugs, serves to uphold the monopoly on its turf, by harassing those who dare to enter into voluntary contractual arrangements outside of their blessed sanction:
CBC - Prince Edward Island: Police Raid Super Bowl Parties
"Charlottetown City Police raided five city residences," says Constable Shane Dowling of the Charlottetown Police. "Five charges were laid under the Liquor Control Act. There's also a large quantity of liquor seized."
The charges include keeping liquor for the expressed purpose of selling it and a charge of selling liquor without a licence.
Charlottetown city council's police committee chair Bruce Garrity calls the raids encouraging.
"I think it would be quite a shock for some bootlegger to sit back and say we got raided last night. I guess that's the yearly raid," says Garrity. "And the next night they get hit again, saying hey, we mean business."
Jesus, shades of Mom Boucher. And as for those who enjoy the voluntary association of the bootlegger clubs? Sorry, we're on a mission here, people. Trust us, nanny knows what's best for you.
Ray Lavandier spoke of how he feels at home, welcomed and treated well at what he calls his gentleman’s club.
Lavandier told of how he had flowers delivered to his door on the death of his wife, and then later, of his daughter by his “club.”
“They do more good than harm,” he said.
Via CBC Watch (of all places) a link to a full-on Nanny-state rebellion in (again, of all places) the overtaxed, hyper-regulated land of Anne of Green Gables:
The Guardian: Crowd Backs City Bootleggers
The crowd overflowed to adjacent rooms, down the stairs and out onto the front steps for the event that posed the question: should bootleggers be shut down?
The answer was a resounding, heartily shouted “no” from an estimated 80 per cent of those attending.
No, you haven't been sucked into a time warp back to the prohibition era. This is progressive-minded, 21st century nanny-statism working its magic. CBC's Prince Edward Island regional bureau has been filing an in depth series of reports on the issue. The sound bites from municipal leaders and activists are quite telling:
[councillor] Brown brought his idea to city council on Monday night. He told his colleagues that the bans on smoking in bars and restaurants has driven smokers to the illegal bars.
"The concern that I received from a couple of bar owners that have similar clientele was that they were being penalized for following the laws. Where as these unlicensed establishments were doing whatever they wished and not respecting any laws of the province."
And why the fuck should they? When the province decides it has the authority to tell people what substances they can and cannot ingest within the confines of their own property and threaten those who fail to comply with (presumably) lethal force, why obey any of the province's so-called laws? If playing ball with the government's onerous liquor licensing laws only serves to reward me with further constraints imposed on my business by self-serving politicians, why bother?
What's really loathesome is how the state, acting just like any other organized gang of thugs, serves to uphold the monopoly on its turf, by harassing those who dare to enter into voluntary contractual arrangements outside of their blessed sanction:
CBC - Prince Edward Island: Police Raid Super Bowl Parties
"Charlottetown City Police raided five city residences," says Constable Shane Dowling of the Charlottetown Police. "Five charges were laid under the Liquor Control Act. There's also a large quantity of liquor seized."
The charges include keeping liquor for the expressed purpose of selling it and a charge of selling liquor without a licence.
Charlottetown city council's police committee chair Bruce Garrity calls the raids encouraging.
"I think it would be quite a shock for some bootlegger to sit back and say we got raided last night. I guess that's the yearly raid," says Garrity. "And the next night they get hit again, saying hey, we mean business."
Jesus, shades of Mom Boucher. And as for those who enjoy the voluntary association of the bootlegger clubs? Sorry, we're on a mission here, people. Trust us, nanny knows what's best for you.
Ray Lavandier spoke of how he feels at home, welcomed and treated well at what he calls his gentleman’s club.
Lavandier told of how he had flowers delivered to his door on the death of his wife, and then later, of his daughter by his “club.”
“They do more good than harm,” he said.
Monday, March 22, 2004
What I've Been Up To Lately....
Putting in some long hours these days. There's nothing more beautiful than being up and out the door at 5:00 in the morning every day. Its the getting up part that blows. Fun stuff, though. I'm getting my desk clear before heading out to B.C. on a hard core traffic simulation assignment. Check it out. We first code up the basic road network links in 2D:
which we then try and mold into a zoomable, 3D model that includes signal operations, individual vehicle movements and grade-separation:
I'm just getting my feet wet with the software. Apparently, its capable of accounting for varying levels of driver aggression, the effect of tolls and random incidents such as collisions. I doubt it can model the effect of dolts who drive 80 in the fast lane, or sit at the light and pick their nose, however.
Putting in some long hours these days. There's nothing more beautiful than being up and out the door at 5:00 in the morning every day. Its the getting up part that blows. Fun stuff, though. I'm getting my desk clear before heading out to B.C. on a hard core traffic simulation assignment. Check it out. We first code up the basic road network links in 2D:
which we then try and mold into a zoomable, 3D model that includes signal operations, individual vehicle movements and grade-separation:
I'm just getting my feet wet with the software. Apparently, its capable of accounting for varying levels of driver aggression, the effect of tolls and random incidents such as collisions. I doubt it can model the effect of dolts who drive 80 in the fast lane, or sit at the light and pick their nose, however.
Thursday, March 18, 2004
Trusted. Connected.
Stomped On.
By this John Weissenberger and George Koch column posted for your enjoyment by the good people at CBC Watch. There's really too much good stuff to mince here, it needs a full read for appreciation but these jabs had me wiping the coffee spittle off my monitor:
[on the appropriate funding scheme for a scaled-down CBC]
The American PBS/NPR model seems compelling. The humiliating pledge drives alone would be worth watching. Pete Mansbridge would have to rush home from portentous Afghani anchoring sessions to flog the latest "Classic CBC" CD, featuring Juliette, the Rhythm Pals and Patsy Gallant, yours for a $100 pledge
and,
Emulating PBS might transform the CBC into a kind of journalistic red-light district. Its political biases would be exposed to all, the tiresome, laughable claims to "objectivity" finally ended. A PBS-like CBC could vacuum up much of the Canadian Left, spinning along as a self-referential vortex. Private media would remain to reflect the true Canadian political spectrum.
Stomped On.
By this John Weissenberger and George Koch column posted for your enjoyment by the good people at CBC Watch. There's really too much good stuff to mince here, it needs a full read for appreciation but these jabs had me wiping the coffee spittle off my monitor:
[on the appropriate funding scheme for a scaled-down CBC]
The American PBS/NPR model seems compelling. The humiliating pledge drives alone would be worth watching. Pete Mansbridge would have to rush home from portentous Afghani anchoring sessions to flog the latest "Classic CBC" CD, featuring Juliette, the Rhythm Pals and Patsy Gallant, yours for a $100 pledge
and,
Emulating PBS might transform the CBC into a kind of journalistic red-light district. Its political biases would be exposed to all, the tiresome, laughable claims to "objectivity" finally ended. A PBS-like CBC could vacuum up much of the Canadian Left, spinning along as a self-referential vortex. Private media would remain to reflect the true Canadian political spectrum.
Cruise Controls
A good article on "The Death of Cruising" that first appeared in this month's Car and Driver is now available online. It's the usual depressing song and dance about how a relatively harmless public activity undertaken by an easily identifiable demographic generates a few high profile negative incidents, which then in turn triggers a knee-jerk indiscriminate ban on the activity by a wound-up and idea-starved gang of law-makers.
I particularly enjoyed the article as it hit upon a number of themes dear to my heart: cars and freedom, the "tragedy of the commons" effect of public roads, the proliferation of idiotic bans and the pointless diversion of police resources to victimless crimes (the article notes the LAPD the LAfrickin'PD has between 45 and 60 officers on the Sunset Strip at any one time issuing cruising tickets). But nothing beat the stories of nutty (but lovable!) libertarian reactions to their municipal government's overreach:
In July 2000, 57-year-old Ken Larsen, a University of Utah medical research professor and well-known local libertarian, got a ticket for cruising on the very night the city's anti-cruising law went into effect.
Larsen's intent was clear—to test the law. He was cited after driving past a traffic-control point five times in a red 1979 Ford Thunderbird, yelling out the window at police and all but begging for a ticket with signs plastered all over his car reading, "End the Police State Street Brutality."
"It's silly to make something illegal the third time you do it, but perfectly legal the first two," said Larsen of the cruising ordinance.
A good article on "The Death of Cruising" that first appeared in this month's Car and Driver is now available online. It's the usual depressing song and dance about how a relatively harmless public activity undertaken by an easily identifiable demographic generates a few high profile negative incidents, which then in turn triggers a knee-jerk indiscriminate ban on the activity by a wound-up and idea-starved gang of law-makers.
I particularly enjoyed the article as it hit upon a number of themes dear to my heart: cars and freedom, the "tragedy of the commons" effect of public roads, the proliferation of idiotic bans and the pointless diversion of police resources to victimless crimes (the article notes the LAPD the LAfrickin'PD has between 45 and 60 officers on the Sunset Strip at any one time issuing cruising tickets). But nothing beat the stories of nutty (but lovable!) libertarian reactions to their municipal government's overreach:
In July 2000, 57-year-old Ken Larsen, a University of Utah medical research professor and well-known local libertarian, got a ticket for cruising on the very night the city's anti-cruising law went into effect.
Larsen's intent was clear—to test the law. He was cited after driving past a traffic-control point five times in a red 1979 Ford Thunderbird, yelling out the window at police and all but begging for a ticket with signs plastered all over his car reading, "End the Police State Street Brutality."
"It's silly to make something illegal the third time you do it, but perfectly legal the first two," said Larsen of the cruising ordinance.
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
What Would Bob the Civil Servant Drive?
Inspired by Ian's fisking, this Sun headline and my own automotive lust, I had to satisfy my curiousity. What kind of a rig could I afford on a Mint Mandarin's salary:
Brian Legris, who said in January he lived a five-minute walk from work, claimed $3,681 for gas, car repairs and parking in downtown Ottawa between February 2002 and December 2003.....As part of Legris' job, he gets an $833-a-month vehicle allowance, plus up to an additional $2,500 for other car expenses
(yes Statists, the private sector has gobs of tax-deductible perks for its executives, too, but you don't have to do business with them if you feel you're getting a raw deal). Anyhow, back to the fantasizing. $833 bones will get you into some serious equipment, particularly if you're looking at a lease (and why not, surely you want a new model every three to four years, to keep things fresh and to minimize the hassle of resale). I've rounded up the following candidates assuming zero down, taxes in:
1) A sweet Nissan 350z (performance edition only, no convertible for you)
2) A loaded Mazda RX8 with a little pocket change left over for the aftermarket performance component of your choice.
And last, but certainly not least (in my mind) the ravishing Honda s2000, which makes maximum use of the monthly stipend, at a bang-on $840 / month for 48 months when you add in the taxes (and what good public servant doesn't pay his taxes?). There's a Honda dealer just up the street from where I work with a blazing yellow model in the showroom. I went and sat in it for a good 15 minutes today, soaking up the leather cockpit, snicking through the six-speed, imagining for a moment that I was streaking along Sussex Drive, on my way to meet some lobbyist before heading home for the day at 3:00 PM.........man, I'd be swatting those Hotties of the Hill away with a stick. *sigh*
Your nifty suggestions for blowing a vehicle allowance are always welcome in the comments section. And no, I haven't forgotten the WRX STi, I just figured your prototypical middle-aged mandarin is more keen on pulling in the young tail with a sporty roadster or 2+2 than impressing them with all-wheel drive and world rally credentials:)
Inspired by Ian's fisking, this Sun headline and my own automotive lust, I had to satisfy my curiousity. What kind of a rig could I afford on a Mint Mandarin's salary:
Brian Legris, who said in January he lived a five-minute walk from work, claimed $3,681 for gas, car repairs and parking in downtown Ottawa between February 2002 and December 2003.....As part of Legris' job, he gets an $833-a-month vehicle allowance, plus up to an additional $2,500 for other car expenses
(yes Statists, the private sector has gobs of tax-deductible perks for its executives, too, but you don't have to do business with them if you feel you're getting a raw deal). Anyhow, back to the fantasizing. $833 bones will get you into some serious equipment, particularly if you're looking at a lease (and why not, surely you want a new model every three to four years, to keep things fresh and to minimize the hassle of resale). I've rounded up the following candidates assuming zero down, taxes in:
1) A sweet Nissan 350z (performance edition only, no convertible for you)
2) A loaded Mazda RX8 with a little pocket change left over for the aftermarket performance component of your choice.
And last, but certainly not least (in my mind) the ravishing Honda s2000, which makes maximum use of the monthly stipend, at a bang-on $840 / month for 48 months when you add in the taxes (and what good public servant doesn't pay his taxes?). There's a Honda dealer just up the street from where I work with a blazing yellow model in the showroom. I went and sat in it for a good 15 minutes today, soaking up the leather cockpit, snicking through the six-speed, imagining for a moment that I was streaking along Sussex Drive, on my way to meet some lobbyist before heading home for the day at 3:00 PM.........man, I'd be swatting those Hotties of the Hill away with a stick. *sigh*
Your nifty suggestions for blowing a vehicle allowance are always welcome in the comments section. And no, I haven't forgotten the WRX STi, I just figured your prototypical middle-aged mandarin is more keen on pulling in the young tail with a sporty roadster or 2+2 than impressing them with all-wheel drive and world rally credentials:)
Counterpoint
The terror attacks in Spain and the subsequent response of the electorate have been given a lot of play in the right-wing blogosphere lately. I thought Trudeapia's posts stood out with their insight, as usual, but the general message I got round the 'sphere was condemnation of Spaniards for electing to opt out of the Iraq occupation. Despite this overwhelming consensus, I do still have time for those who refuse to conflate the War in Iraq with the War on Al-Qaeda. For a contrarian, yet intellectually consistent take on the events, I strongly recommend reading Balko's latest war rant. I don't think you have to necessarily agree with all (or any) of his points to conclude that his analysis rises well above the typical anti-GWB sneer you might read in the commentary section of your morning fishwrap.
Don't get me wrong, if 200 Canadians were murdered on their way to work and the next day we found ourselves with an NDP government, it would be a double disaster and frankly, an outrage. It would also be our responsibility alone to accept the consequences of that decision. It is also impossible (speaking as a Canadian) to put ourselves in the position of average Americans who have seen 500+ of their soldiers killed fighting in Iraq, and are about to shoulder the burden of constructing a new democratic welfare state in the Middle East from the top down. We just don't know, first hand, what that's like and its one of the reasons I try to keep this blog out of U.S.-themed partisan sniping over intelligence claims, justification for the war and means/ends in the fight against terrorism. We would all do well to consider the views of a principled dissenter who doesn't have to reach for the Bush=Hitler, No Blood For Oil, It's All a Jewish Neo-Conspiracy leftist grab-bag.
UPDATE: Check out the comments section on his original post. I think you see what I'm getting at. Here, from our comfy perches north of the border we can have an opinion either way on the wisdom of the Iraq war and dismiss the other side as cranks and loons. For Americans now left holding the fort, the stakes are a helluva lot higher.
The terror attacks in Spain and the subsequent response of the electorate have been given a lot of play in the right-wing blogosphere lately. I thought Trudeapia's posts stood out with their insight, as usual, but the general message I got round the 'sphere was condemnation of Spaniards for electing to opt out of the Iraq occupation. Despite this overwhelming consensus, I do still have time for those who refuse to conflate the War in Iraq with the War on Al-Qaeda. For a contrarian, yet intellectually consistent take on the events, I strongly recommend reading Balko's latest war rant. I don't think you have to necessarily agree with all (or any) of his points to conclude that his analysis rises well above the typical anti-GWB sneer you might read in the commentary section of your morning fishwrap.
Don't get me wrong, if 200 Canadians were murdered on their way to work and the next day we found ourselves with an NDP government, it would be a double disaster and frankly, an outrage. It would also be our responsibility alone to accept the consequences of that decision. It is also impossible (speaking as a Canadian) to put ourselves in the position of average Americans who have seen 500+ of their soldiers killed fighting in Iraq, and are about to shoulder the burden of constructing a new democratic welfare state in the Middle East from the top down. We just don't know, first hand, what that's like and its one of the reasons I try to keep this blog out of U.S.-themed partisan sniping over intelligence claims, justification for the war and means/ends in the fight against terrorism. We would all do well to consider the views of a principled dissenter who doesn't have to reach for the Bush=Hitler, No Blood For Oil, It's All a Jewish Neo-Conspiracy leftist grab-bag.
UPDATE: Check out the comments section on his original post. I think you see what I'm getting at. Here, from our comfy perches north of the border we can have an opinion either way on the wisdom of the Iraq war and dismiss the other side as cranks and loons. For Americans now left holding the fort, the stakes are a helluva lot higher.
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
In Case You Missed It
The Canadian Taxpayer's Federation (bless their tiny, bean-counting hearts) posed a series of policy questions to the three Conservative leadership candidates and received replies in writing. Good stuff, encouraging stuff. More or less consistent across the board, with no one daring to touch the third rail of private health care, unsurprisingly. Harper, to me, hits all the right buttons: crank up the basic personal exemption, make deficits illegal, legislate debt repayment, fixed election dates, property rights for aboriginals, scrap gun registry and Kyoto. Only he chooses language to suggest he has the stones to terminate the alphabet soup of corporate welfare artists posing as regional economic development agencies.
All of this is a roundabout way of saying I'm ready to set aside my libertarian dogma for once and vote Conservative if Harper wins the leadership. To the extent that I've been bothered to listen and read of the debate so far, Tony is an irritating dork who seriously needs an atomic wedgie and Belinda is a shrill, blonde Chatty Cathy doll. Yeah, I know, nuanced analysis, eh? Well this ain't frickin' Macleans, people. Seriously, lets kick the tires and light the fires, here. How much more goddamn time do you need to pick a leader, any leader? The filthy kleptocrats who have been running this country into the ground for the past decade are finally reeling and we need to kick 'em to the curb once and for all. I think Harper's the man that can do it. Once he's in power, I'm fully prepared to torch him on any So-Con crap he dares put on the table. We can deal with that another day. In the meantime, stand aside and let's pin our hopes on Harper.
UPDATE: Andrew Coyne is having none of it.
The Canadian Taxpayer's Federation (bless their tiny, bean-counting hearts) posed a series of policy questions to the three Conservative leadership candidates and received replies in writing. Good stuff, encouraging stuff. More or less consistent across the board, with no one daring to touch the third rail of private health care, unsurprisingly. Harper, to me, hits all the right buttons: crank up the basic personal exemption, make deficits illegal, legislate debt repayment, fixed election dates, property rights for aboriginals, scrap gun registry and Kyoto. Only he chooses language to suggest he has the stones to terminate the alphabet soup of corporate welfare artists posing as regional economic development agencies.
All of this is a roundabout way of saying I'm ready to set aside my libertarian dogma for once and vote Conservative if Harper wins the leadership. To the extent that I've been bothered to listen and read of the debate so far, Tony is an irritating dork who seriously needs an atomic wedgie and Belinda is a shrill, blonde Chatty Cathy doll. Yeah, I know, nuanced analysis, eh? Well this ain't frickin' Macleans, people. Seriously, lets kick the tires and light the fires, here. How much more goddamn time do you need to pick a leader, any leader? The filthy kleptocrats who have been running this country into the ground for the past decade are finally reeling and we need to kick 'em to the curb once and for all. I think Harper's the man that can do it. Once he's in power, I'm fully prepared to torch him on any So-Con crap he dares put on the table. We can deal with that another day. In the meantime, stand aside and let's pin our hopes on Harper.
UPDATE: Andrew Coyne is having none of it.
Monday, March 15, 2004
Giddy With Anticipation
P.J. O'Rourke will return this spring with his first post-911 book: "Peace Kills: America's Fun New Imperialism". 'Bout goddamn time, P.J. As much as I love re-reading and quoting his stuff ad-nauseum, his liberal use of pop-culture references can lose their original potency after a few years on the shelf. This Atlantic interview gives us good preview of the book's themes, such as the 9-11 aftermath, Afganistan and the lead-up and follow-through of the Iraq war.
The isolationist libertarian crowd won't be having any of it, but P.J. is anything but a chicken-hawk, having served as an embed during the most recent conflict where his friend and editor Mike Kelly was killed. And even his "Give War A Chance" liberventionist manifesto was served up with a healthy skepticism of the ability of governments to engage in nation-building any more effectively than they run their economies.
Looks like another must have for any conservative/libertarian library collection.
P.J. O'Rourke will return this spring with his first post-911 book: "Peace Kills: America's Fun New Imperialism". 'Bout goddamn time, P.J. As much as I love re-reading and quoting his stuff ad-nauseum, his liberal use of pop-culture references can lose their original potency after a few years on the shelf. This Atlantic interview gives us good preview of the book's themes, such as the 9-11 aftermath, Afganistan and the lead-up and follow-through of the Iraq war.
The isolationist libertarian crowd won't be having any of it, but P.J. is anything but a chicken-hawk, having served as an embed during the most recent conflict where his friend and editor Mike Kelly was killed. And even his "Give War A Chance" liberventionist manifesto was served up with a healthy skepticism of the ability of governments to engage in nation-building any more effectively than they run their economies.
Looks like another must have for any conservative/libertarian library collection.
Sunday, March 14, 2004
The Nanny State Goes Online
National Post: Website Focuses on Ontarians Health
The Ontario government, like other Canadian provinces, are the current stewards of a rotting socialist health care system. As it is considered morally objectionable in this country to permit price signals to operate, the state has decided that you, the ignorant serf, are the problem for demanding so much health care.
Enter HealthyOntario.com apparently the "world-leading health information desination". Of course this site is completely different from WebMD.com, the Medical Library Association or a gazillion other free sources of health information:
[Health Minister] Smitherman acknowledged that there are many health-related sites in cyberspace.
"What we're trying to develop here is a website that is government-sanctioned, which has medical experts verifying the information," Smitherman said.
--consuming your taxes, while being diverted from more productive uses of their time, such as, oh I don't know actually helping sick people.
Predictably, the website is loaded with sections targeted at those who need the State's help the most: Dumb Parents (a key Liberal demographic, I suspect)
Check out this alarming statistic:
“Most adults realize that children need to be kept safe from fire or hot objects like the stove, but they do not realize that hot liquids are just as dangerous,”
Not to be heartless, but if you make this jarring discovery through a government-run website, you probably should drop everything and immediately proceed to learn more about the procedure known as vasectomy.
There's also the token nagging on smoking and obesity, the former in the process of being banned throughout Ontario, the latter, well let's just say its a work in progress. Why else does the section title unapologetically declare Fat: The New Tobacco? I also detect baby steps toward unfettered Diet Fascism being taken in the "Pizza Savvy" column.
Peter Fonseca, a former Olympic athlete and Smitherman's parliamentary assistant, said Saturday that taking care of one's health is "not rocket science."
Which is why we have the Nanny State in top form in this insightful post:
"Under normal circumstances, a pain or itch in your urethra is a reminder or a warning, that your bladder is full. That’s when you need to let it out. Urinating is a natural way for your body to cleanse itself of waste....
Here’s how it works:"
Thanks to the Nanny State, I am now aware of my body's limitations and will no longer suffer the indignity of soiling myself after drinking several gallons of caffeinated beverage every morning. Thank God we voted ourselves a Liberal government, you just can't put a price on the value of good health care!
National Post: Website Focuses on Ontarians Health
The Ontario government, like other Canadian provinces, are the current stewards of a rotting socialist health care system. As it is considered morally objectionable in this country to permit price signals to operate, the state has decided that you, the ignorant serf, are the problem for demanding so much health care.
Enter HealthyOntario.com apparently the "world-leading health information desination". Of course this site is completely different from WebMD.com, the Medical Library Association or a gazillion other free sources of health information:
[Health Minister] Smitherman acknowledged that there are many health-related sites in cyberspace.
"What we're trying to develop here is a website that is government-sanctioned, which has medical experts verifying the information," Smitherman said.
--consuming your taxes, while being diverted from more productive uses of their time, such as, oh I don't know actually helping sick people.
Predictably, the website is loaded with sections targeted at those who need the State's help the most: Dumb Parents (a key Liberal demographic, I suspect)
Check out this alarming statistic:
“Most adults realize that children need to be kept safe from fire or hot objects like the stove, but they do not realize that hot liquids are just as dangerous,”
Not to be heartless, but if you make this jarring discovery through a government-run website, you probably should drop everything and immediately proceed to learn more about the procedure known as vasectomy.
There's also the token nagging on smoking and obesity, the former in the process of being banned throughout Ontario, the latter, well let's just say its a work in progress. Why else does the section title unapologetically declare Fat: The New Tobacco? I also detect baby steps toward unfettered Diet Fascism being taken in the "Pizza Savvy" column.
Peter Fonseca, a former Olympic athlete and Smitherman's parliamentary assistant, said Saturday that taking care of one's health is "not rocket science."
Which is why we have the Nanny State in top form in this insightful post:
"Under normal circumstances, a pain or itch in your urethra is a reminder or a warning, that your bladder is full. That’s when you need to let it out. Urinating is a natural way for your body to cleanse itself of waste....
Here’s how it works:"
Thanks to the Nanny State, I am now aware of my body's limitations and will no longer suffer the indignity of soiling myself after drinking several gallons of caffeinated beverage every morning. Thank God we voted ourselves a Liberal government, you just can't put a price on the value of good health care!
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Dalton Puts a Finger to the Breeze
Ottawa - canada.com network: More toll roads coming to Ontario, premier says
Your humble serf predicted this was on the way, along with the upcoming reintroduction of photo radar (well, its not official yet, but once the summer 'street racing' carnage peaks the issue-attention cycle, the state will have pro forma legislation ready to roll out). As I also pointed out at the time, McGuinty's botched approach could set the concept of road pricing back decades. Let me parse the premier's remarks from last night:
-The tolling will be "regulated": Forget about private-sector involvement and innovative, consumer-oriented management, its the same shitty government roads with a toll added.
-The tolling will be "reasonable": Therefore, no variable market pricing to relieve congestion or to signal where and when investment is needed. Flat rate tolling will encourage overuse and crowding, leading joe motorist to wonder what kind of value he's getting for his money.
-The tolls will be removed once the highway is "paid for": This ridiculous and irresponsible, but it will have a lot of traction amongst the electorate. As Peter Samuel rightly points out in his manifesto:
In fact a road is never paid for. From the very day it opens the pavement begins deteriorating from the stresses of the weather and the pounding of vehicles. Cracks need filling, surfaces painted, signs and lighting maintained, debris removed, grass mowed, drains unclogged, policing conducted - all the time. Long before bonds are retired bridge decks need to be replaced, and often major pavement rebuilds done, under traffic, which can cost more than the original construction.
Add these looming policy misapplications to the current abuse of gasoline excise taxes by all governments (at best these funds will be used to bail out perpetually bankrupt urban transit companies or promote the latest 'eat your vegetables' smart growth/sustainable transport fad) and you've served up a juicy target for populist Conservatives desperate for another crack at governing.
Ottawa - canada.com network: More toll roads coming to Ontario, premier says
Your humble serf predicted this was on the way, along with the upcoming reintroduction of photo radar (well, its not official yet, but once the summer 'street racing' carnage peaks the issue-attention cycle, the state will have pro forma legislation ready to roll out). As I also pointed out at the time, McGuinty's botched approach could set the concept of road pricing back decades. Let me parse the premier's remarks from last night:
-The tolling will be "regulated": Forget about private-sector involvement and innovative, consumer-oriented management, its the same shitty government roads with a toll added.
-The tolling will be "reasonable": Therefore, no variable market pricing to relieve congestion or to signal where and when investment is needed. Flat rate tolling will encourage overuse and crowding, leading joe motorist to wonder what kind of value he's getting for his money.
-The tolls will be removed once the highway is "paid for": This ridiculous and irresponsible, but it will have a lot of traction amongst the electorate. As Peter Samuel rightly points out in his manifesto:
In fact a road is never paid for. From the very day it opens the pavement begins deteriorating from the stresses of the weather and the pounding of vehicles. Cracks need filling, surfaces painted, signs and lighting maintained, debris removed, grass mowed, drains unclogged, policing conducted - all the time. Long before bonds are retired bridge decks need to be replaced, and often major pavement rebuilds done, under traffic, which can cost more than the original construction.
Add these looming policy misapplications to the current abuse of gasoline excise taxes by all governments (at best these funds will be used to bail out perpetually bankrupt urban transit companies or promote the latest 'eat your vegetables' smart growth/sustainable transport fad) and you've served up a juicy target for populist Conservatives desperate for another crack at governing.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
In The Spirit of Lexington and Concord.....
580 CFRA - News Talk Radio - BREAKING: Angry Mob Storms City Hall
The crowd called for the Mayor, but Councillor Alex Cullen was the first to come to the door. Cullen was mobbed as he left the chamber and made his way back to his office.
Several hundred people gathered in front of City Hall Wednesday afternoon to demand a zero tax increase.
This is outstanding. I didn't think the good citizens of Ottawa had it in them. I suspect much of the crowd was made up of the rural folk who have been sucked into the amalgamated mega-kleptocracy (created, I might add, by none other than small "c" conservative icon Mike Harris).
UPDATE: Looks like last year's mayoral challenger Terry Kilrea was one of the key agitators on hand, offering some advice for the arts/heritage community:
"Protesters aren't opposed to the arts, but artists' financial support shouldn't be coming from taxpayers, Kilrea said.
"Hockey parents, they sell, they fundraise. If there's 10,000 arts people that are upset, why don't you fund yourself? Why don't you make yourself self-supportive?"
Sue Sherring has more on "The Alex" and his ill-advised foray into the pitchfork-wielding protestors:
"I did not step out to antagonize anyone. I've a right to walk through Ottawa City Hall and I exercised that right," Cullen insisted.
Didn't he sense they would reveal more than a little ugliness at his presence?
"Well, that's dumb on their part, but I didn't make them do it," Cullen said.
Now, Cullen might be media savvy, but apparently, still not savvy enough.
Dumb?
Cullen, the man of the people, is calling a group of concerned citizens dumb?
Immediately after saying it, Cullen, who knows much better, asked to retract the quote.
"I'd like to take that quote back," Cullen said, getting somewhat red in the face. "I shouldn't have said they were dumb."
No, Coun. Cullen, you shouldn't have.
And no, you can't take the quote back.
580 CFRA - News Talk Radio - BREAKING: Angry Mob Storms City Hall
The crowd called for the Mayor, but Councillor Alex Cullen was the first to come to the door. Cullen was mobbed as he left the chamber and made his way back to his office.
Several hundred people gathered in front of City Hall Wednesday afternoon to demand a zero tax increase.
This is outstanding. I didn't think the good citizens of Ottawa had it in them. I suspect much of the crowd was made up of the rural folk who have been sucked into the amalgamated mega-kleptocracy (created, I might add, by none other than small "c" conservative icon Mike Harris).
UPDATE: Looks like last year's mayoral challenger Terry Kilrea was one of the key agitators on hand, offering some advice for the arts/heritage community:
"Protesters aren't opposed to the arts, but artists' financial support shouldn't be coming from taxpayers, Kilrea said.
"Hockey parents, they sell, they fundraise. If there's 10,000 arts people that are upset, why don't you fund yourself? Why don't you make yourself self-supportive?"
Sue Sherring has more on "The Alex" and his ill-advised foray into the pitchfork-wielding protestors:
"I did not step out to antagonize anyone. I've a right to walk through Ottawa City Hall and I exercised that right," Cullen insisted.
Didn't he sense they would reveal more than a little ugliness at his presence?
"Well, that's dumb on their part, but I didn't make them do it," Cullen said.
Now, Cullen might be media savvy, but apparently, still not savvy enough.
Dumb?
Cullen, the man of the people, is calling a group of concerned citizens dumb?
Immediately after saying it, Cullen, who knows much better, asked to retract the quote.
"I'd like to take that quote back," Cullen said, getting somewhat red in the face. "I shouldn't have said they were dumb."
No, Coun. Cullen, you shouldn't have.
And no, you can't take the quote back.
The Onion Hits A Little Too Close to Home......
The Onion | Urban Planner Stuck In Traffic Of Own Design
The Onion | Urban Planner Stuck In Traffic Of Own Design
No Thanks, Bernie
Ottawa Citizen - canada.com network: New Brunswickers, Come Home
Premier Bernard Lord is apparently touring the country looking for a few good ex-patriates. I've noted before how much I'd love to one day return to a New Brunswick that operates more like New Hampshire, but I'm not holding my breath. Lord, who was allegedly the perfect candidate for the Conservative leadership is having a rough go of it as of late, with ongoing battles over auto insurance and centralizing health care services showing their strain, with pressure being applied to socialize the former and further socialize the latter. (Lord won power by socializing an expensive, but badly needed toll-financed highway project, note the disturbing trend here?)
For a confirmation of the state of bold, innovative policy prescriptions currently blooming in my childhood home, I dropped in on the Miramichi Leader Online, whose front page headline reads (sigh): "More Money Needed: Report". Executive Summary: Handouts are good, our region needs more of them. Look, I know I'm not one to talk living at ground zero of our national welfare state, but you're fooling yourself if you think you can lure me back to this kind of environment with promises of a ten-minute commute and pleasant ocean breezes. Let the invisible hand do its thing by clawing back your very visible and utterly obscene 18% income tax rates. Go cold turkey on the handouts if you have to. Trust me, the kids who are currently busting their asses out in the Alberta oilfields will be glad to stick around if they can find something productive to do closer to home. The very few hard core parasites can easily find neighboring governments in PEI, NS or northern Quebec willing to be mulcted indefinitely.
Ottawa Citizen - canada.com network: New Brunswickers, Come Home
Premier Bernard Lord is apparently touring the country looking for a few good ex-patriates. I've noted before how much I'd love to one day return to a New Brunswick that operates more like New Hampshire, but I'm not holding my breath. Lord, who was allegedly the perfect candidate for the Conservative leadership is having a rough go of it as of late, with ongoing battles over auto insurance and centralizing health care services showing their strain, with pressure being applied to socialize the former and further socialize the latter. (Lord won power by socializing an expensive, but badly needed toll-financed highway project, note the disturbing trend here?)
For a confirmation of the state of bold, innovative policy prescriptions currently blooming in my childhood home, I dropped in on the Miramichi Leader Online, whose front page headline reads (sigh): "More Money Needed: Report". Executive Summary: Handouts are good, our region needs more of them. Look, I know I'm not one to talk living at ground zero of our national welfare state, but you're fooling yourself if you think you can lure me back to this kind of environment with promises of a ten-minute commute and pleasant ocean breezes. Let the invisible hand do its thing by clawing back your very visible and utterly obscene 18% income tax rates. Go cold turkey on the handouts if you have to. Trust me, the kids who are currently busting their asses out in the Alberta oilfields will be glad to stick around if they can find something productive to do closer to home. The very few hard core parasites can easily find neighboring governments in PEI, NS or northern Quebec willing to be mulcted indefinitely.
Why Not Just Use A Black Helicopter?
580 CFRA - News Talk Radio
Beginning later this month, Police will use a small airplane to keep watch over motorists across the Capital.
The plane will patrol Highway 174, looking for speeders, tailgaters and improper lane changes
Brrrrr.
580 CFRA - News Talk Radio
Beginning later this month, Police will use a small airplane to keep watch over motorists across the Capital.
The plane will patrol Highway 174, looking for speeders, tailgaters and improper lane changes
Brrrrr.
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
Definition of a 'Target-Rich' Environment
Ottawa Citizen - canada.com network: Annan praises Canada as 'invaluable' to UN
"Mr. Annan described Canada as a "kind of United Nations" unto itself because it is such a diverse and multilingual society of aboriginals, francophones, anglophones and immigrants. 'You are a born multilateralist, naturally adept at the give and take of international co-operation.'"
"Mr. Annan is to deliver an address to a joint session of Parliament this morning. MPs and senators will crowd into the House of Commons to hear the speech -- only the third time that a UN secretary general has spoken to the Canadian Parliament."
Where the hell is this guy when you need a little 'Death From Above'?:
KILGORE
(to Willard)
We'll come in low out of the rising
sun -- We'll put on the music about
a mile out.
WILLARD
Music?
KILGORE
Yeah. Classical stuff -- scares
the hell out of the diplomats -- the
boys love it.
Ottawa Citizen - canada.com network: Annan praises Canada as 'invaluable' to UN
"Mr. Annan described Canada as a "kind of United Nations" unto itself because it is such a diverse and multilingual society of aboriginals, francophones, anglophones and immigrants. 'You are a born multilateralist, naturally adept at the give and take of international co-operation.'"
"Mr. Annan is to deliver an address to a joint session of Parliament this morning. MPs and senators will crowd into the House of Commons to hear the speech -- only the third time that a UN secretary general has spoken to the Canadian Parliament."
Where the hell is this guy when you need a little 'Death From Above'?:
KILGORE
(to Willard)
We'll come in low out of the rising
sun -- We'll put on the music about
a mile out.
WILLARD
Music?
KILGORE
Yeah. Classical stuff -- scares
the hell out of the diplomats -- the
boys love it.
Monday, March 08, 2004
Liberal Party Of Canada Introduces New Party Logo
C'mon photoshoppers, this took me five minutes. I know you can do better.
C'mon photoshoppers, this took me five minutes. I know you can do better.
Libertarianism Most Pure....
Go on. I dare you. Take the Libertarian Purity Test.
The questions progress from the softer, free-market conservative litmus (Uncle Milty) to the more self-absorbed, rugged individualist (Ayn Rand) to abolish-the-state-anarcho-capitalism (Rothbard).
I got an 89 / 160 (note the test is skewed towards a US audience, so there's got to be some sort of a Canadian-public-school education adjustment factor)
National Review's Jonah Goldberg got 41, Agitator Balko 98, and flaming paleo-lib Lew Rockwell got 151.
Confess Your Sins, Statists!
Go on. I dare you. Take the Libertarian Purity Test.
The questions progress from the softer, free-market conservative litmus (Uncle Milty) to the more self-absorbed, rugged individualist (Ayn Rand) to abolish-the-state-anarcho-capitalism (Rothbard).
I got an 89 / 160 (note the test is skewed towards a US audience, so there's got to be some sort of a Canadian-public-school education adjustment factor)
National Review's Jonah Goldberg got 41, Agitator Balko 98, and flaming paleo-lib Lew Rockwell got 151.
Confess Your Sins, Statists!
Friday, March 05, 2004
Not What NAFTA's Framers Had In Mind
Newsday.com - AP National News: U.S. Parents Angry With Canada Pot Laws
"It's so easy and entirely cheap to get marijuana in Canada that this problem isn't going to stop," said resident Gary Kunze.
Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo agreed.
"Canada's lax drug laws contribute to the situation," he said. "I think that's a decision that the Canadian government is going to have to address."
Pulse24 - Toronto's News: Miller Attacks U.S. Over Guns
“There's a flood of guns coming across the border from the United States into Toronto, and they're killing people on our streets,” he complains.
Whatever, and whatever. Think real hard about this, Mensas, see if you can wrap your minds around it. There's a pretty good reason Labatts and Molson aren't forced to shoot it out on the streets or distill their intoxicants in mouldy basements, choosing instead to one up themselves with megabuck superbowl ads of chicks making out with each other.
Christ, make pizza illegal on one side of the world's longest undefended border and watch the bullets fly. If you're left scratching your head wondering why your local police force is chronically understaffed, you might notice how terribly busy they seem to be kicking down the doors of suburban grow-ops.
Newsday.com - AP National News: U.S. Parents Angry With Canada Pot Laws
"It's so easy and entirely cheap to get marijuana in Canada that this problem isn't going to stop," said resident Gary Kunze.
Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo agreed.
"Canada's lax drug laws contribute to the situation," he said. "I think that's a decision that the Canadian government is going to have to address."
Pulse24 - Toronto's News: Miller Attacks U.S. Over Guns
“There's a flood of guns coming across the border from the United States into Toronto, and they're killing people on our streets,” he complains.
Whatever, and whatever. Think real hard about this, Mensas, see if you can wrap your minds around it. There's a pretty good reason Labatts and Molson aren't forced to shoot it out on the streets or distill their intoxicants in mouldy basements, choosing instead to one up themselves with megabuck superbowl ads of chicks making out with each other.
Christ, make pizza illegal on one side of the world's longest undefended border and watch the bullets fly. If you're left scratching your head wondering why your local police force is chronically understaffed, you might notice how terribly busy they seem to be kicking down the doors of suburban grow-ops.
Blair on Holden
Any post that begins like this is worth a full read:
"Who doesn’t like big V8s? Only commies, probably."
Oz's Tim Blair gives his driving impressions of the Holden Calais, the southern hemisphere uncle of the new Pontiac GTO.
Any post that begins like this is worth a full read:
"Who doesn’t like big V8s? Only commies, probably."
Oz's Tim Blair gives his driving impressions of the Holden Calais, the southern hemisphere uncle of the new Pontiac GTO.
Thursday, March 04, 2004
Another Boondoggle in its Embryonic Stage
Loyal reader and occasional high-speed co-pilot Henry came across this MERX Request For Proposal from the Federal Government (scary bold emphasis mine):
Environment Canada - Canada's National Registry Under the Kyoto Protocol
Preamble
.......the objective is to determine the best technical approach for Canada to implement the National registry in order to meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol......
The Protocol....invoked four types of units associated with these mechanisms, namely:
* Assigned Amount Units (AAUs):Allowances each Annex 1 Party is initially allocated;
* Removal Units (RMUs): Allowances from enhancements to carbon sinks in Annex 1 Parties;
* Emission Reduction Units (ERUs): Credits from JI Projects; and,
* Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs): Credits from CDM projects.
In order to comply with a Kyoto target, each Annex 1 Party's total holdings of the
above units must equal its total emissions for the 2008-2012 period.
To facilitate this assessment of compliance and to facilitate the operation of the
Kyoto Mechanisms, the Protocol requires that each Annex I Party establish a National
Registry to account for its transactions of all four Kyoto units. It is further
stipulated that the National Registry must be in the form of a standardized electronic
database......
Canada is currently examining technical options related to implementing its National
Registry, which must be established no later than January 1, 2007......
Henry ponders: "I wonder what my AAU (Assigned Amount Unit) is after eating 230 g of Doritos?"
To paraphrase the great Mark Steyn; boondoggle-wise think of the gun registry as a National Film Board Short and Kyoto as Waterworld.
Loyal reader and occasional high-speed co-pilot Henry came across this MERX Request For Proposal from the Federal Government (scary bold emphasis mine):
Environment Canada - Canada's National Registry Under the Kyoto Protocol
Preamble
.......the objective is to determine the best technical approach for Canada to implement the National registry in order to meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol......
The Protocol....invoked four types of units associated with these mechanisms, namely:
* Assigned Amount Units (AAUs):Allowances each Annex 1 Party is initially allocated;
* Removal Units (RMUs): Allowances from enhancements to carbon sinks in Annex 1 Parties;
* Emission Reduction Units (ERUs): Credits from JI Projects; and,
* Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs): Credits from CDM projects.
In order to comply with a Kyoto target, each Annex 1 Party's total holdings of the
above units must equal its total emissions for the 2008-2012 period.
To facilitate this assessment of compliance and to facilitate the operation of the
Kyoto Mechanisms, the Protocol requires that each Annex I Party establish a National
Registry to account for its transactions of all four Kyoto units. It is further
stipulated that the National Registry must be in the form of a standardized electronic
database......
Canada is currently examining technical options related to implementing its National
Registry, which must be established no later than January 1, 2007......
Henry ponders: "I wonder what my AAU (Assigned Amount Unit) is after eating 230 g of Doritos?"
To paraphrase the great Mark Steyn; boondoggle-wise think of the gun registry as a National Film Board Short and Kyoto as Waterworld.
Now This Is Scandalous
So it turns out that our heroic Olympian whistleblower Meriam Bedard got a free Mercedes thanks to a 25% subsidy from Groupaction, who as you well know, is one of numerous Quebec-based Liberal money laundering organizations.
Look, if you're going to buy yourself a new sled with my stolen money, at least have the decency to spend it on a worthwhile piece of equipment. An SLK 230? How fucking weak is that? Surely you could have worked them for an E55. Why not open the tender to competitive bidding? I'm sure BMW's M3 or Audi's S4 could have done a satisfactory job of ferrying your supple tush between Groupaction and Via HQ. What kind of a banana republic treats its deadbeat former athletes turned payrolled Fedgov hacks to the indignity of a four cylinder Mercedes? This is the glorious People's Democratic Republic of Canuckistan, not some flyblown third world ghetto. What Would Bobby Mugabe Drive?
So it turns out that our heroic Olympian whistleblower Meriam Bedard got a free Mercedes thanks to a 25% subsidy from Groupaction, who as you well know, is one of numerous Quebec-based Liberal money laundering organizations.
Look, if you're going to buy yourself a new sled with my stolen money, at least have the decency to spend it on a worthwhile piece of equipment. An SLK 230? How fucking weak is that? Surely you could have worked them for an E55. Why not open the tender to competitive bidding? I'm sure BMW's M3 or Audi's S4 could have done a satisfactory job of ferrying your supple tush between Groupaction and Via HQ. What kind of a banana republic treats its deadbeat former athletes turned payrolled Fedgov hacks to the indignity of a four cylinder Mercedes? This is the glorious People's Democratic Republic of Canuckistan, not some flyblown third world ghetto. What Would Bobby Mugabe Drive?
Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Keep On Truckin'
Truckers are used to getting no respect. Their rigs are too noisy, they rip up the pavement, they hog the road, no one wants them anywhere near their street. People rarely stop to appreciate the fact that these guys shuttle the goods that enable our pampered urban lifestyles.
Now, Reason's Peter Samuel and Bob Poole have outlined an innovative, free-market strategy for implementing a network of toll-financed truckways criss-crossing the lower 48 states. The pilot project would see trucks-only tollways constructed in the medians of existing heavily trafficked freeway corridors, thus providing complete separation between rigs and passenger vehicles. The plan would be contingent on a number of leglislative changes; namely, an easing of US restrictions on big-ass Long Combination Vehicles (two to three-trailer road trains) to permit more cost-effective shipping techniques and a rebate of the fuel tax that would be paid on the toll-funded facilities (to avoid the negative optics of "double taxation"). Although the data analysed are limited to US facilities, the preferred corridors have similar traffic and truck volumes as the saturated Highway 401-Autoroute 40 link between Windsor and Montreal.
Truckers would benefit by operating in a safer, more profitable environment without being pestered by the more nimble cars and motorcycles. General traffic would benefit from the increased road capacity, less disruptions in traffic flow and visibility, as well as the safety benefits of having vehicles with severe size and speed differentials physically separated from each other. Road management authorities would benefit from reduced pavement wear and tear and the flexibility of reducing design standards for the general traffic lanes. Tighter curves, steeper grades and lower clearance over/underpass structures would permit significant construction cost savings over the current "one-size-fits-all" bureaucratic mentality.
Win-friggin'-win, all around. Just one reason why you won't see this proposal championed by your local transport ministry anytime soon.
Truckers are used to getting no respect. Their rigs are too noisy, they rip up the pavement, they hog the road, no one wants them anywhere near their street. People rarely stop to appreciate the fact that these guys shuttle the goods that enable our pampered urban lifestyles.
Now, Reason's Peter Samuel and Bob Poole have outlined an innovative, free-market strategy for implementing a network of toll-financed truckways criss-crossing the lower 48 states. The pilot project would see trucks-only tollways constructed in the medians of existing heavily trafficked freeway corridors, thus providing complete separation between rigs and passenger vehicles. The plan would be contingent on a number of leglislative changes; namely, an easing of US restrictions on big-ass Long Combination Vehicles (two to three-trailer road trains) to permit more cost-effective shipping techniques and a rebate of the fuel tax that would be paid on the toll-funded facilities (to avoid the negative optics of "double taxation"). Although the data analysed are limited to US facilities, the preferred corridors have similar traffic and truck volumes as the saturated Highway 401-Autoroute 40 link between Windsor and Montreal.
Truckers would benefit by operating in a safer, more profitable environment without being pestered by the more nimble cars and motorcycles. General traffic would benefit from the increased road capacity, less disruptions in traffic flow and visibility, as well as the safety benefits of having vehicles with severe size and speed differentials physically separated from each other. Road management authorities would benefit from reduced pavement wear and tear and the flexibility of reducing design standards for the general traffic lanes. Tighter curves, steeper grades and lower clearance over/underpass structures would permit significant construction cost savings over the current "one-size-fits-all" bureaucratic mentality.
Win-friggin'-win, all around. Just one reason why you won't see this proposal championed by your local transport ministry anytime soon.
Bans, and the Banning Banners Who Ban Them
"Manhunt" for Playstation2: BANNED!
Thanks to dipshit Consumer Affairs minister (and former Ottawa mayor) Jim Watson for the subtle promo. Now there's a smart way to ensure the game never gets into the hands of impressionable youngsters; broadcast how violent and gory it is to all major media outlets. I'm sure this will sooo suppress demand for the game, Jimmy.
Wolf hunting in Algonquin Park: BANNED!
Government "management" of wild animal populations. I'm sure they'll be subject to the same level of competent management as our health care system, our power grid, our roads, etc. Remember this brilliant piece of policy the next time a minivan full of moppets gets chowed on like popcorn.
Smoking in Manitoba: BANNED!
Well, if it makes it through the legislature (which you can bet it will). The accompanying CBC story even has a quote from reliable rent-a-victim Heather Crowe. Heather's "Hey, I Got Cancer" world tour: coming soon to a public hearing near you!
"Manhunt" for Playstation2: BANNED!
Thanks to dipshit Consumer Affairs minister (and former Ottawa mayor) Jim Watson for the subtle promo. Now there's a smart way to ensure the game never gets into the hands of impressionable youngsters; broadcast how violent and gory it is to all major media outlets. I'm sure this will sooo suppress demand for the game, Jimmy.
Wolf hunting in Algonquin Park: BANNED!
Government "management" of wild animal populations. I'm sure they'll be subject to the same level of competent management as our health care system, our power grid, our roads, etc. Remember this brilliant piece of policy the next time a minivan full of moppets gets chowed on like popcorn.
Smoking in Manitoba: BANNED!
Well, if it makes it through the legislature (which you can bet it will). The accompanying CBC story even has a quote from reliable rent-a-victim Heather Crowe. Heather's "Hey, I Got Cancer" world tour: coming soon to a public hearing near you!
Monday, March 01, 2004
Your Guide to Crony Capitalism
The Ottawa Business Journal is a good place to determine, at a glance, who the wealth producers and the wealth consumers are in the National Capital. Let me first clear my throat by saying there is no question that all of us here, to varying degrees, depend on the ongoing destructive activities of the Federal Government whether we are in the consulting business, the retail business, or just the pro-bono political commentary business.
Of course, this does not excuse deliberate, targeted agitation by politically-connected parasites seeking unearned reward from our government's latest round of legalized plunder (the long anticipated 3% municipal tax hike). Last week's OBJ front page (not available online, alas) features the smiling mugs of the CEO's of the Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority, the Ottawa Life Sciences Council and the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation. Each was asked to make the case why their generous hand-outs should be spared the axe. In doing so, they take care to sprinkle their pandering with warm, fuzzy, deliberately obscure terms like "quality of life", smart growth, long-term vision, "sustainability", etc. while slipping in subtle acknowledgements of the Mayor and council's leadership (they know who their sugar daddy is) and play it safe by carefully avoiding any attacks each other's usefulness or on other budget whipping boys like the arts/culture lobby. Do any of these groups realize they are being taxed at the point of a gun to sustain the others? No matter, it's all good. Dive right in and wallow around in the trough. Just keep those cheques coming, Mr. Mayor.
Contrast this all-too-predictable approach with that of local CEO Larry O'Brien, who in the same pages, is somewhat less enthusiastic about government picking winners:
While it's easy for Ottawa to say it will support early stage development, consequent programs get "so screwed up in execution that it never works that way and you're better off not doing it", says O'Brien.
"Less government is better government."
Attaboy, Larry.
The Ottawa Business Journal is a good place to determine, at a glance, who the wealth producers and the wealth consumers are in the National Capital. Let me first clear my throat by saying there is no question that all of us here, to varying degrees, depend on the ongoing destructive activities of the Federal Government whether we are in the consulting business, the retail business, or just the pro-bono political commentary business.
Of course, this does not excuse deliberate, targeted agitation by politically-connected parasites seeking unearned reward from our government's latest round of legalized plunder (the long anticipated 3% municipal tax hike). Last week's OBJ front page (not available online, alas) features the smiling mugs of the CEO's of the Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority, the Ottawa Life Sciences Council and the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation. Each was asked to make the case why their generous hand-outs should be spared the axe. In doing so, they take care to sprinkle their pandering with warm, fuzzy, deliberately obscure terms like "quality of life", smart growth, long-term vision, "sustainability", etc. while slipping in subtle acknowledgements of the Mayor and council's leadership (they know who their sugar daddy is) and play it safe by carefully avoiding any attacks each other's usefulness or on other budget whipping boys like the arts/culture lobby. Do any of these groups realize they are being taxed at the point of a gun to sustain the others? No matter, it's all good. Dive right in and wallow around in the trough. Just keep those cheques coming, Mr. Mayor.
Contrast this all-too-predictable approach with that of local CEO Larry O'Brien, who in the same pages, is somewhat less enthusiastic about government picking winners:
While it's easy for Ottawa to say it will support early stage development, consequent programs get "so screwed up in execution that it never works that way and you're better off not doing it", says O'Brien.
"Less government is better government."
Attaboy, Larry.
