Thursday, February 23, 2017

The Russia Ordeal

I think this hits the nail on the head regarding Russia.
1)                  Russia is neither friend nor foe.
2)                  Russia did interfere in the presidential election because they don’t want to go to war with us (which was expected to happen with Clinton.) 
3)                  The US interferes in other country’s elections, including Russia. 
4)                  We should want Russia as a friend not as a foe.  They fight better than the European’s, so if we do go to war, let’s have Russia fighting with us not against us. 
5)                  Undoubtedly, the deep state has reason to pick fights with Russia.
These are basic principles and facts.  None are really debatable.  I am not sure why this Russia thing has turned into a big hoopla.  Well actually I do know – politicians are dumb and McCain, Graham and the deep state have a continued interest in war.
This podcast is correct on what I wrote above.  It is correct on essentially. 
If you are easily offended:
1.    Get over it.
2.    If you can’t get over it (trigger warning), don’t listen.  Also, you are an ignorant baby. 
3.    If you identify as either republican or democrat, you will be offended and, if you are honest, you will also realize you are an idiot.
This is an awesome podcast.  (Note: this will only be available for the next 5 weeks or so.) (Note #2: I really love the intro music on this podcast it really just drives home the idiocy all politicians have caused.)
Great news.  The uber of healthcare.  This is why I love the free market.  Identify a need; offer a concept to fill the need.  Sounds simple. This is how the market works no matter what the policy-makers try to do to curtail human freedom and prosperity. 
Good for you Marc Cuban.
“Universal basic income (UBI) is ‘the worst possible response’ to the unemployment likely to be caused by robots and artificial intelligence.”
Finally, we have a big name with a loud voice, expressing some common sense! 
Don Boudreaux points out that central heating destroyed many jobs when it came around just as robots will in coming years.  This is precisely a benefit for everyone.
The CBO has historically underestimated future debt by a huge margin. Judging by their past optimistic errors, the real debt in 2027 will likely not be $30 trillion, but $75 trillion.”
They underestimate total debt on average 250%, overstate tax revenue 25% and in the 170 projections made in the office’s history, all 170 have underestimated debt.  This is likely somewhat due to partisanship but also it’s an impossible task. The lunacy of politicians expands at an increasing rate.
Tyler Cowen is extremely insightful.  Governments can purposely leak information to get it out to the public without answering questions.  If you prosecute leakers too much you get less leaks which leads to the only leaks being the leaks sanctioned by government at which point everyone realizes that the only leak would be a government sanctioned leak and then is no longer a leak.  Interesting thinking.
That there are benefits of central banking for certain groups is pretty obvious. Leland Yeager in his preface to the Liberty Fund edition of Smith’s book pointed out that it is reasonable to suppose that central banks are valued today, among other things, for providing prestigious and comfortable job opportunities for economists. Nothing is so bad that it couldn’t get worse.”
We need to end the Fed ASAP.   Just as the military industrial complex has an incentive to be hawkish towards other countries, economists and central bankers in general have an incentive to say we need the Fed.  In both cases, the beneficiaries are enriched at the expense of the common man.
7 Earth-Like planets discovered.  This is pretty cool.
How many of these do you fall for?
1.       Deficits are the cause of inflation; deficits have nothing to do with inflation.
2.       Deficits do not have a crowding-out effect on private investment.
3.       Tax increases are a cure for deficits.
4.       Every time the Fed tightens the money supply, interest rates rise (or fall); every time the Fed expands the money supply, interest rates rise (or fall).
5.       Economists, using charts or high speed computer models, can accurately forecast the future.
6.       There is a tradeoff between unemployment and inflation.
7.       Deflation — falling prices — is unthinkable, and would cause a catastrophic depression.
8.       The best tax is a "flat" income tax, proportionate to income across the board, with no exemptions or deductions.
9.       An income tax cut helps everyone because not only the taxpayer but also the government will benefit, since tax revenues will rise when the rate is cut.
10.   Imports from countries where labor is cheap cause unemployment in the United States.
This is a very impressive performance by Alex Nowrasteh. 
Tucker Carlson is very smart, has “home court advantage”, and is generally correct on many (most?) issues.  Carlson is stellar and knows how to debate much better than the lefty snowflakes he usually argues against, but he clearly loses this debate.
Of course, the liberal, war monger GOPer John McCain is viewed favorably by both parties ... because IMO, he is the single worst senator in Congress.
Quote of the day from FFF Daily email
Every man and woman in society has one big duty. That is, to take care of his or her own self. This is a social duty. For, fortunately, the matter stands so that the duty of making the best on one's self individually is not a separate thing from the duty of filling one's place in society, but the two are one, and the latter is accomplished when the former is done.” – William Graham Sumner.
This leads one to think of Ayn Rand and the virtue of selfishness.
I don’t know if this is true.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has appointed his wife, Mehriban Aliyeva, as the country’s first vice president. Aliyeva professed to be humbled by the appointment. ‘Mr. President, I express my deep gratitude to you for this high confidence in me,’ she said at a meeting of the Security Council. ‘Over the past years, your ideas of statehood, patriotism, your courageous protection of Azerbaijan’s national interests, and your unity with the people of Azerbaijan were an example for me.’”

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