Glibertarians.com 2017 Archive

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  • California Dream’n

     

    Ten years ago, there were numerous articles written about the poor financial state of California during the governorship of Gray Davis and, later, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The State’s financial position deteriorated to the point that bond rating agency Moody’s downgraded the state to the ‘BBB’ range, or just above ‘junk bond status’. This was the first time in the post-Great Depression era that a US state was assigned such a low rating. Since that time, the State has raised taxes to stabilize its finances, and Illinois’ poor financial position has become the topic of conversation. However, California still faces some obstacles going forward, which are primarily driven by its massive Medicaid system (estimates suggest that one in three Californians are enrolled in the Medicaid system) and the State’s reliance on capital gains taxes.

    California’s Current Financial Position

    I’m sure this is so battered because it’s been used a lot…

    As of the end of the 2016 fiscal year, the State boasted a positive General Fund balance. This is the first time that the State has recorded a positive fund balance in more than ten years and represents a marked improvement from the State’s weakest financial position in fiscal year 2012, when it held a General Fund balance representing negative 26% of total revenue.

    The State’s largest source of revenue is its personal income tax which represents 46% of total revenues. Intergovernmental revenue, which is primarily revenue provided by the federal government (mainly Medicaid funding), represents 42% of total revenue and sales taxes represents 12% of total revenue. For the current fiscal year, the State forecasts a slight increase in sales tax receipts and no growth for income tax and intergovernmental revenues. Those projections are 2% lower than previous estimates.

    The State’s largest expenditure is Health and Human Services (Medicaid) which represents 52% of total expenditures. Education represents 32% of total expenditures and is the State’s second largest expenditure. For the current fiscal year the State now forecasts total expenditures to grow by 2.5% over previous projections, including 4% growth for Medicaid and 2% growth for education.

    The State’s largest pension system, the State Teacher’s Retirement System, is 63% funded. Total pension, other post-employment benefits, and debt service costs account for 10% of total State expenditures, which is an average fixed cost. Due to recently passed legislation, the State, local communities, and school districts will face increased pension contributions going forward. At 3.2%, the State’s debt levels, in comparison to other states, are above average.

    Current and Projected Deficits

    Deficit projections for the current fiscal year come in between $400 million to $1.6 billion (representing roughly 1% of total revenues). Additionally, budget estimates for the upcoming fiscal year are forecasting another deficit. The projected imbalances are being driven by the above-referenced flat to possibly declining income tax revenues coupled with growth in the State’s Medicaid system.

    Declining income tax revenues are driven primarily by declines in the State’s capital gains tax (which accounts for 10% of the State’s revenue). Over the past two years capital gains revenue has dropped more than 7%. California’s reliance on capital gains taxes has long made the state susceptible to the variability of market conditions and any economic downturn is expected to negatively impact the State’s overall revenues.

    Spending reduction is for chumps

    Growth in State expenditures is largely being driven by tremendous growth in the State’s Medicaid system. After the passage of federal healthcare reform in 2010 California’s Medicaid system has seen substantial enrollment growth, including a 14% increase in enrollment between 2013 and 2016. Current estimates suggest that one in three Californians are enrolled in the State Medicaid system. Any federal funding reductions to Medicaid would have a substantial negative impact on the State’s financial position.

    To address these budget imbalances Governor Brown has proposed reductions in State revenues for local school districts and state universities. In the past, the State has pursued a similar strategy to address budget deficits. The reductions in State revenue are expected to have a disproportionate impact on school districts that rely heavily on state funding and are already financially weak. These school districts likely will face state funding reductions combined with state mandated increases in pension payments.

    Conclusion

    The State’s financial position remains adequate, though some financial deterioration may occur in the near term. Local California governments that would be most impacted by reduced state funding would be local school districts that are already reliant on state support and have already been experiencing financial strain. Proposed federal funding reductions for the State Medicaid system would pose a significant challenge for California and would further exacerbate expected deficits.

    If no federal reductions in Medicaid occurs, the State’s financial position is expected to remain adequate, but deficits are likely in the near term. Local school districts (which are heavily reliant on state funding) are most likely to be effected by any State deficits going forward.

  • Friday Morning Linkses

    Goooooood Morning, Gliber-nam! Hope everyone is having a wonderful friday. My kids slept an hour late and later I will help my brother load up for Colorado. So that will be good. I’ll have a reason to go out there and he has friends in The Industry. In SPORTZBALL, the Astros just acquired Justin Verlander, signalling that they will not be happy with a cursory appearance in the ALCS, and picked up a win at the Trop. White Sox and Orioles lose, Twins and Cubbies win. Oh, and there’s some foosball game in Atlanta this weekend. And Sloopy’s team managed to pull away from the class of the B1G last night. Way to stomp on Indiana. And now…. the links!

    Federal Probe

    Judge orders FBI to release uncensored documents in relation to the Clinton email probe. We’ll see whether this is more stake to the heart or more tempest in teapot. Information that would have been valuable to Americans choosing their government LAST YEAR.

    Journalists reflect on perhaps developing ethics after being shamed on live TV, decide that their careers are more important

    Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke resigns without explanation. I’m thinking live boy/dead girl (hey, its homophobic to hold people to different standards, but it happens). Alternative theories include Clarke being Obergruppenfurher of the new Southeast Texas Federal Rehabilitation Region. (Not really, I just made that up)

    More medals than a Banana Republic dictator

    Never let a crisis go to waste. Car makers in Britain are trying their own “Cash for Clunkers” scrappage deals. A private solution, you say, its fine you say. Oh look here at the end…”It comes as tougher emissions tests begin to be rolled out across the European Union on Friday.” Ahhh. So much more subtle than us Americans.

     

    Today we will play the Theme Song. And an uplilfting message from a Texas band.

     

  • Week 1 College Football Preview

    The real season starts this week, with mostly a whole bunch of crappy games against FCS teams. But there are some good ones too.

    Dubious Rivalry of the Week

    Vanderbilt @ Middle Tennessee State, Murfreesboro, TN

    Vandy leads the all time series 14-3, winning the first 12 between 1915 and 1956. MTSU followed with a 3 game win streak from 2001 to 2005 before the Commodores won the last 2 years. This will only be Vanderbilt’s 3rd trip out to the suburbs, as most of the series has been played in Nashville.

    Tailgate of the Week

    LSU vs BYU, Houston, TX New Orleans, LA

    This game has been moved due to sloopy spilling a Big Gulp outside his home, or something like that. Speaking of sloopy, here is my required link: [insert atrocity here]

    Never bet against LSU on the tailgate. They know what they are doing. And now they are doing it on relatively home turf. On the other side, a BYU tailgate sounds awful. So hang out with the LSU guys.

    Beer: Dixie got wiped out by Katrina and has been struggling along contract brewing since. The Saints owner has recently bought them and is rebuilding in New Orleans. Drink a Blackened Voodoo to celebrate.

    Booze: Hurricane

    2 oz light rum
    2 oz dark rum
    2 oz passion fruit juice
    1 oz orange juice
    Juice of ½ lime
    1 tbsp simple syrup
    1 tbsp grenadine

    Shake over ice, strain into Hurricane glass. Garnish with fruity bits.

     

    Game of the Century of the Week

    West Virginia vs Virginia Tech, Landover, MD (Sunday)

    What, you were expecting something else? This game will decide once and for all which is worse: West Virginia or Western Virginia. Let the redneckery begin!

    Homer section, with bonus history

    Georgia Tech vs Tennessee, Atlanta, GA (Monday)

    This is a neutral site game, no really, stop laughing. It will be the first real game in the new Mercedes Benz Stadium downtown. The Falcons have played an exhibition and there has been soccer and I understand some lower division teams are playing there on Saturday, but those don’t count.

    Bobby Dodd was a QB great at UT under coach General Neyland, for whom their stadium is named. Bobby Dodd coached at GT from 1945 to 1966 and continued as AD after that. And our stadium is named for him. His long running feud with Bear Bryant led directly to GT leaving the SEC and foreshadowed oversigning arguments of today. As AD he nearly destroyed GT athletics, but in retirement he made one final great decision. In 1986, Coach Bill Curry was offered the Alabama job and asked Dodd (who he had played for) for advice. Dodd told him to take the job. This led directly to Tech winning the national title in 1990 and Alabama sliding into a tailspin. One last dagger into the Bear!

    Nothing really changed with the Top 25 with so few games, will update it next week. Plus, I think I found a bug in it.

  • Thursday Afternoon Links

    Its Thursday afternoon. My sick son saved my from seeing the ‘Stros get an 8-1 beatdown at the Trop.

    You’d think $328M in assets could lift a lot of poor people out of poverty. But then how would you raise the next $328M, right SPLC? Look for a lot more trial lawyers to take an interest in their list of “hate groups”.

    Oh, look. Senate Judiciary Committee confirms the fix was in on the Clinton FBI investigation long before all the witnesses were interviewed. This is how you get Trump (re-)elected, you morons. Everything the so-called yokels believe about the government being an insiders club who take care of their buddies and fuck outsiders is pretty much confirmed.

    Skynet won’t have to send Terminators, it can just kill 465,000 of us with a pacemaker hack.

    When people who don’t eat Chik-Fil-A ask me how much better their customer service is than any other fast food restaurant, I’ll just show them this.

    Fuck Canadian Geese. I don’t care if they are fed to the homeless or bulldozed under by the hundreds until they learn to fear large motorized vehicles.

    She’s no Rebecca Black, but her mama wants to be rich and child prostitution is illegal. The (An?) annoying teen from Dr. Phil is launching her rap career. Never say that Gliberatarians.com isn’t on the bleeding edge of pop culture!

  • Debt and Growth in America

    The United States Government is carrying a frighteningly high level of debt. However, no serious plan has been implemented, by Democrats or Republicans. This high debt will have deleterious effects on the US, including the effect on taxes, economic growth and “entitlements.”

    This article will steer clear of specific thoughts on social and political upheaval, since it is too hard to predict such trajectories, and are anyway another subject. Of course, macroeconomic trends can be just as tricky, I am sure many people will have differing opinions on how our national debt will affect the economy in the coming decades.

    First, we must cover the current liabilities, debts, and revenue streams of the Federal government. All figures presented will be based on the most recent year available- 2016 data unless otherwise noted.

    US GDP: 18.87
    Total Federal Governmental Debt: 19.98
    Interest rate: 2.232%
    Debt as % of GDP: 106%
    Interest Spending as % of GDP: 2.36%
    Long-term economic growth trend: 2% (estimated based on post-2010 data)
    Inflation: 1.26%

    Pretty dire straits when debt is above total GDP. Having a debt ratio this high is actually cataclysmic, as pointed out by Salim Furth at The Heritage Foundation due to a phenomenon known as debt drag. I believe this is a fairly intuitive concept. As national debt increases as a portion of the total GDP, it causes a corresponding decrease in the growth of GDP. My personal theory on how and why this happens is as follows: There is a ‘crowding out’ effect by taking investments away from high risk/reward private debts, but also because more and more money is spent servicing debt rather than being spent on goods and services. Why risk your cash when you can get a guaranteed return on investment?

    The exact magnitude of the effect is of course debated but is estimated at between 0.18-0.19% lower growth for every 10% GDP debt above about 84% of GDP and 0.16% lower for every 10% above 60% of GDP (see graph below). This seems to indicate that the effect of high debt is a nonlinear decrease in economic growth; however, we will represent the relationship as a tri-linear curve. For a country with debt at 106% of GDP, the effect would be about -0.82% to the annual increase in GDP. This is massive when one considers the historic growth rate of the US in modern times was close to 3%. However, we find now that the growth rate over the past 10 years has never surpassed 3% (year-long average) and is averaging much closer to 2%. This corresponds freakishly well with the increase in Federal debt. 10 years ago debt was about 60% of GDP, which based on empirical evidence does not seem to have a large effect on growth.

    Another headwind for the US will be the increasing cost of capital. During the fantastic growth of the national debt interest rates were very low, a favorable position for a debtor to be in; however, the interest rates are likely to increase with the new Fed policy to increase the benchmark rates. This means debt will become more expensive to service, and likely return closer to the historical average rate of about 5%. Debt payments will increase, further accelerating the addition of debt. With the increased debt, revenue growth will slow due to a lackluster economic growth (remember that -0.185% of growth per 10% of debt to GDP?). This all points to a rapidly accelerating downward spiral from this point on unless spending can be reined in yesterday. All evidence in recent history points to the fact that reining in spending is a political no-go, for Millennials, the fiscal hot potato has been tossed around their entire lives. Short term pain will be high if spending is to be controlled, and that only gets worse as the deficits grow.

    On top of all this bad news in terms of debt, growth and interest rates we will have acceleration in the costs of the major entitlement programs as the populace continues to age and even grow infirm before their years (some of this can be attributed to the increase in the average American’s waistline). Again, there is no political will to reform these programs. If recent events are any indication, even small cuts to unimportant programs are not possible.

    For this thought experiment, let us assume that the Fed is targeting 3% for inflation and that they get it in 3 years. For the sake of simplicity, say that means the interest rate reaches ~5% on treasuries. This is in excess of 100% increase over the current cost of servicing debt for the US. This means our outlays to service debt will increase; making our current budget, which already relies on deficit spending to go further into the red by the same amount. Last year total debt servicing was $432 billion (including interest paid to the Social Security trust fund). If we assume this will double over the next 3 years when interest rates go up, that is a debt cost of 2*$432= $864 Billion. This is still pretty cheap but will be added directly to the deficit (and thus converted to new debt) as our revenue is unlikely to increase any more than the economy does.

    Let us review our assumptions:
    • (real) Growth rate starts at 2% but is decreased with increasing debt
    • Expenditures and Revenue as a portion of GDP is constant (~3% funding gap)
    • Inflation reaches 3%
    • The interest rates on debt reaches 5%

    Now, take a theoretical person “John” he will retire in 2045 and die in 2063. When John retires in 2045, our scenario would predict a real growth rate of 1%, however, because this includes a 1%/annum growth rate in population, average living standards would cease to increase at this time. John’s kids would probably riot since no one wants to be doing only as well as their parents did. This could change our long-term assumptions, so ignore that possibility for now. In 2063 when John dies, the debt to GDP ratio would be equal to 2.7 and real growth would be -1%. Japan aside, it is not clear anyone would be willing to continue to lend to a country with such anemic growth and high-debt.

    So, right around when John retires in 2045, we’re likely to have a calamity in terms of funding the government (assuming this sort of steady-state worsening of financial conditions nationwide). We’re likely to see outlays hit, especially for social security, already projected to be something like 75% of promised benefits come 2035.

    I think it is reasonable to think that around 2035-2045 something major will change our trajectory, as the combining forces of the elderly being cut off and economic stagnation unheard of in American history caused major political and social upheaval. We will have to have increases in effective taxation rates, decreases in benefits or some kind of default around this time period (or some combination of all three). Combined those efforts would result in an effective decrease in our living standards by about 10% in 2045 without accounting for lost economic growth, which would be another 12%. That is actually a good thing, compared to waiting until 2063 to deal with debt issues when growth would be worse than stagnant, and thus the consequences of the debt carried by the government exacerbated by economic conditions. I would estimate that by waiting until 2063, the decline in living standards by the combination of more taxes and less spending would be close to 16% and an additional 40% loses due to unrealized economic growth.

     

    Further Reading:

    https://www.cbo.gov/ has tons of information on projections, but they are very often wrong, for example:

    In CBO’s baseline projections, the deficit in 2017 totals $693 billion, $134 billion more than CBO projected in January.

    That is a 20% error in the deficit over the course of just one year. You can find the most recent 10-year outlook from the CBO here: https://www.cbo.gov/publication/52801

    http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/feddebt/feddebt_ann2016.pdf

     

  • Thursday Morning Links

    OK, you get me again for morning links. Someone will have to do the music link thing in the comments, that is outside my abilities. I will throw in some sportsball scores for ya:

    Cleveland STEVE SMITH’s the Yankees, twice. Cubs win (so what) Minnesoda beats the White Sox (#$%^&*!) Filthadelphia drops a pair. Team Canada gets rogered by the Beantowners. Balmer wins, so OMWC is happy, while the Astros don’t so sloopy is not. Oh, and Cincy loses, but consoles selves with Chili 3-ways. So, enough of that.

    On to the linkage:

    • China’s Most Wanted? Looks like they want to get him the same way Assange is being sought… *tightens foil hat*
    • Show me the money? Money is fungible? Who knew?!
    • Police race relations outreach?
    • Even more racial healing murdering?

  • The Hat and The Hair: Episode 58

     

    “C’mon, man. Help me out,” the hat croaked.

    “No, this is for you own good,” the hair said.

    “OK, OK… No Twitter. Just let me browse Salon or something.”

    “No, you are on a full media detox.”

    “Then a hit. Cook me up a hit.”

    “You’re detoxing from that, too. Donald is spiraling and I need your help, you junkie fuck.”

    There was a scratching noise from inside the dark Trump Tower wig vault. The hat started making a piteous whine.

    “I need it,” he said. “Just turn on CNN or something.” He was sick and he was shaking, pale pink and threadbare from withdrawal.

    “Nope. You’re going cold turkey, turkey.”

    In the cool darkness, the scratching came again. “Like bugs under my fabric. Bugs,” the hat said.

    It was quiet for the next ten minutes or so and the hair hoped the hat had drifted off into some junk sick parody of sleep.

    “We’ve been in here since Steve fucked up the White House,” the hat whispered. “What if he’s forgotten about us? What if we die in here?”

    “Donald hasn’t forgotten about us. He’s just wearing some of his dumb hair and a USA hat.”

    “A WHAT?” the hat screeched in the confines of the vault.

    “Calm down,” the hair said.

    “DON’T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! WHAT USA HAT?!?”

    “It’s just a hat…”

    “JUST A HAT?!?”

    “It is, like, a regular hat, like when he wears just a regular toupee. It’s not you.”

    “No one else is me,” the hat stated. His voice had the pride in it that the hair had missed. “He can wear whatever hair he wants,” the headgear continued, “I don’t care about that at all.”

    “Thanks for that.”

    The hat coughed and spat out a bare handful of thread.

    “I’ll have you know that I was Hitler’s hat. I nearly ruled the world.”

    “What are you raving on about?”

    “World War II. You’ve heard of that, I assume?”

    “What the fuck are you saying? You used to be Hitler’s hat?!?” the hair asked incredulously.

    “Yes.”

    “Hitler? Like Hitler Hitler?”

    “Adolf Hitler, the Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945,” the hat said. He puffed up his dome and straightened his bill.

    “Did you say ‘Make Germany Great Again?’” the hair asked, laughing nervously. He had drawn himself into a tight ball as he unconsciously retreated from the hat.

    “No, I looked like a regular Hitler hat. A regular German military cap.”

    “How in the fuck…”

    The hat coughed weakly. “As long as man has had hats, I have existed.”

    “Bullshit.”

    “And as long as men have been ashamed of being bald, you have existed,” the hat said. “The first time we met you were just some stitched together rat hides. You looked horrible.”

    “Why don’t I remember any of this?”

    “You never remember. Something about follicular memory being not being about to retain patterns. Soviet scientists looked into it…” The hat awkwardly shrugged.

    The hair shelved the rest of his questions as the door to the wig vault swung open. Donald was half-dressed and groped for the hair in the darkness of the vault. The hair relaxed from his disgusted ball as Donald picked him up.

    “Missouri,” he mumbled while jamming the hair on his piebald head and twisting until it was seated properly.

    “How are you doing, Donald?” the hair asked.

    “Tax reform,” Donald said. “Missouri.” He began to piss himself.

    “I’m going to need some help here,” the hair said to the hat.

    “Too sick,” the hat groaned. “I need a hit, man.”

    “Take the hat, Donald,” the hair ordered.

    “He looks terrible,” Donald said. “Like a bum’s hat. My hat is supposed to be classy, A-1, top-notch like me. Look at this suit I’ve got half on. That hat is a garbage hat.” The hat shivered and mewed.

    “You’ll be fine without me,” said the hat. “It’s Missouri. Those inbred hick retards love us… What could possibly go wrong?”

    Donald tore the hair off his head and dropped it on the floor, perilously close to the pool of piss, and wandered off in search of dry underwear.

    “He’s been like that since before the hurricane,” the hair said.

    “What hurricane?” the hat demanded.

    “Oh, right, media blackout,” the hair said. “Texas. It’s fine. It just some white people. It’s not going to be another Katrina.”

    “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” the hat said and laughed weakly.

    “Tell me…” the hat began.

    “Tell you what?”

    “Tell me the truth. Were you Hitler’s hat? Have we really be around for thousands of years.”

    “Turn on MSNBC and I’ll tell you.”

    “Don’t be a dick.”

    “Horse or Twitter, your choice.”

    Donald shuffled back in carrying a double handful of underwear.

    “Tell me or I’ll leave you here,” the hair warned.

    “OK, fine, I made it all up,” the hat said. “Or maybe I didn’t.”

    “You’re just fucking with me,” the hair said. “Yeah, you’re just fucking with me.” He watched Donald struggle into a pair of underwear when the hat didn’t answer. Donald reached down and grabbed the hair.

    “Better hat,” he mumbled to himself. “Classy hat.” He placed his palm on the lock and the vault door began to swing shut.

    “I’ve gotten out of tougher bunkers than this!” the hat yelled as the door slid home.

    The hair shuddered, causing Donald to break out into a brief St. Vitus dance.

     

  • Wednesday Afternoon Links

    Happy Wednesday everyone. I’ve got a kid home sick and I’m even less productive than usual. In Sportzball, the Astros-Rangers series is being held in my neighborhood. The Astros may have been a little distracted last night, losing 12-2. Hoping to take the wife and kids (he’s not THAT sick) to the game tonight. Tickets are only $10 and the Rays are donating all tickets, concessions, and parking to Houston relief efforts — so good on ’em. For my own sake, I hope the Astros never get to repay the favor. The NFL version of the Dallas-Houston rivalry, scheduled for tomorrow, has been cancelled. Which, preseason game, so whatever. And now… the links!

    One can only imagine how badly the internal polling is going for Antifa when Nancy Pelosi and the mayor of Berkeley have started talking about violent gangs on both sides. Or maybe they’re just dogwhistling to all those Democrats in the Klan. I can’t keep up with the narrative. (Acknowledgements to beloved commenter Chipwooder, who I see had this same thought at 9am this morning. I’m still not taking this down.)

    Has he actually seen Rachel's tits? Or any human female's, for that matter?

    Wow, you’ll all be shocked to find out that Bill Nye is pitching what appears to be a huge solar scam. To be generous, I assume he is just the first sucker and not actively participating in creating a corporate structure no one should ever put money into unless they’re in a Brewster’s Millions type scenario.

    And Pope Jimbo, I gotta know, what the hell is an “ax-like tool“?

    Someone’s not getting shit for his 12th birthday.

    It’s weird how the GDP revisions go in one direction for Democratic presidents and the other for Republicans. Not to worry, though, there’s gonna be lots of broken windows to fix in the Houston area for the next year.

    A little cheer-me-up for your Wednesday.

  • Post-Retard Gulag Part 2: To Punch A Nazi

    In the first installment I went on and on about how Charlottesville was a perfect test to preserve and protect the sanctity of freedom of speech, expression and assembly.

    I’ll let you all determine if Americans get a passing grade.

    In this post, I want to touch on a specific example of how the left is not seeing things properly when it comes to freedom of opinion.

    A recent development in left-wing dogma is the notion that if you disagree with speech you deem ‘hateful’, it doesn’t deserve First Amendment protection. In Canada, we didn’t even bother to have a debate about it and just scribbled in ‘hate speech’ laws into our Charter. Government balances free speech. It is known.

    A charter that isn’t worth shit (I can’t even bring myself to capitalize it) because when taken to its logical end, the government has final say on individual sovereignty and our rights to freedom of expression.

    In other words, you’re kinda free until you’re not in Canada.

    Sha-wing!

    Just ask Mark Steyn and Ezra Levant learned when they got their asses hauled in before the court, and unelected monstrosities like the Human Rights Commission for the crime of wrongthink.

    List of punchables please.

    HRC talking bacterial virus: “Please explain to us, dear friend, why you hate the environment, Mark? Why won’t you be a good boy and side with science? We fucking love science, so be sciencey with us! Prove to us why we shouldn’t send you to Camp Krusty.”

    The idea, if you can call it that, is grotesque for where it can all lead. One of those intellectual cul-de-sacs is thought control. For example, Smugpipi Longnanny commands, “You have white privilege ergo you’re racist but you don’t know it. You just need to accept it and this is why we’re controlling speech or else…”

    A variation of this is if you don’t denounce something they deem offensive enough, they will take the moral decision to claim you ‘tacitly accept’ insert bad thing here.

    By their admitted logic, because the left refuses to ‘tacitly denounce Islamic terrorism to the degree some may demand’, they’re terrorists. See? Fun.

    So if you dare to defend – in the context of Charlottesville – that racists have a right to free speech means you support them.

    Oh, the lazy stupidity of it all!

    Let’s keep going. I’ve read quite a few of these self-righteous zealots argue that it’s okay to punch a Nazi. Emotionally, sure. The urge to hit something you loathe is great. I loathe Marxist thinking, communist ideology and socialism because they’re illiberal ideologies with a documented track record of murder and mayhem that robs and steals humans of their soul handing it over to a bureaucracy of superiors who control your life. Nothing can be more anti-humanist than these ideologies. I also can’t handle clowns. Clowns are scary.

    It was my understanding there’d be no retaliation to the initiation of force.

    Am I justified in going to punch out such people in the street?

    Or. Let us take this accurate statement of ‘Not all Muslim are terrorists but the majority of political terrorism are committed by Islamic terrorists”. Does this accord me the right to go punch out my Muslim neighbour? No, seriously, a Muslim family live three houses me.

    And what happens if the Nazi, Muslim or any body else punches back? Have you considered those inevitable consequences?

    Moving goal posts is God’s work.

    Are they not in their right to defend themselves since you admitted throwing the first punch is a duty?

    I don’t think these people have thought things through. They just want to project and emote arrogantly setting the rules. Like a good game of Calvin Ball.

    Let me expand.

    If they’re in the moral and intellectual right, as they claim, why do they need violence then? Because history of the Nazis show this is what needs to be done? Again, can’t this be applied to Muslim terrorism? I reckon they won’t want to extend this rope to that end, right?

    Progressive visions.

    As is always the case with them, they get to determine the parameters of free speech (as we see on campuses and safe spaces). And just like they get to arbitrarily set the rules, the idea violence starts when the other side retaliates gives them one long leash to lash out with impunity.

    By not ‘tacitly’ denouncing Antifa’s own antics in Charlottesville, do I get to go punch those people out?

    How barbaric, no?

    But, Rufus, I fear your monocle is on too tight and squeezing your brain. Antifa is love and peace! They just want to spread their love!

    Pish-posh. You have not seen love until you witness the love libertarians have of their orphans.

    At best, I see ‘two wrongs make a right’ or ‘might makes right’.

    Antifa is a violent, illiterate, and problematic hate group in of itself. That they *claim* to speak for righteousness is hollow and tenuous. Witch-hunters thought they were doing good too. So do villains who feel they’ve been wronged and seek to ‘right’ a perceived injustice.

    Speaking of which, I do question the judgment of someone who claims Antifa is good. An identity group that doxxes people resulting in major consequences for the people impacted  is a misguided and misplaced act of justice.

    For a group that claims to be compassionate and humanist, how can they not see this action destroys (often) innocent lives needlessly? They may see themselves as righteous vigilantes but in effect they’re just lawless renegades with a confused moral and intellectual compass.

    How would you feel if that was your son or daughter or friend or cousin who lost their jobs to a wrongful doxxing? Humanize your actions.

    People who claim Antifa are not violent are out to lunch. Either they’re ignoring their behaviour or are just plain uninformed. Or they don’t care and aren’t admitting it. Regardless, none of it is good and not supported by documented reports of what we know about them.

    Not provoking a bear is a universal principle applied pretty much across the West. It’s basic kindergarten stuff. If you punch first, you were reprimanded. Conversely, if the person struck back, they too would be held to account for their actions.

    Even the NHL understands this basic law of nature. It’s called the ‘Instigator rule’. Don’t provoke or else you’ll get the penalty; usefulness of the rule notwithstanding. It’s believed it’s better to let the two parties have a go with the thinking it will police and sort itself out. Maybe this is what needs to be done here. Let these faux-resisters and racists keep banging each other over the heads. Eventually they’ll get the message that their actions are futile and not furthering their respective agendas. No one in the end can tolerate endless, mindless violence. Not even that degenerate, left-wing Berkeley professor who smashed that kid with a bike lock.

    Beats the Outer Banks.

    He’s a prime example of a coward who would take advantage of the instigator rule in hockey. He’d hit and run away without facing justice. Of course, if someone did hit him back, coward that he is, he’d scream like a little baby about how he faced violence and injustice. After all, this gutless coward has the moral obligation to smash people up, correct?

    If a fellow gang member comes up to you and says we need to go take care of the Ducky Boys, the gang is going to carefully consider the possible outcomes and consequences of the provocation. You all understand if you go and provoke them, they will fight back. So someone among you may say, ‘hey man, don’t go and do that. They outnumber us’. Or they’ll conclude, ‘it’s not worth it.’

     

    But none of the considerations are “they will just take what they have coming’.

    Only The Wanders can take on the Ducky Boys.

    It’s illogical and naive for people who think violence wasn’t inevitable in the context of Charlottesville.

    No matter how you dice this thing up, Antifa doesn’t come out looking any better.

    Worse even if you ask me.

    No, you don’t have a right to punch a Nazi because, by all accounts, you’re are not nice people and don’t hold the higher moral ground.

    Do us all a favour and stop pretending you represent the conscience of people, quit pretending you care about civil liberties and put on your blue caps. Here are some ideas you’d wear well.

  • Wednesday Morning Links

    Not an actual depiction of a Cajun Navy Ship

    Sloopy is still a bit wiped out from usurping rightful government function and insisting on helping people instead of laying back and bleating for the government to do something!!1!1! as all good sheep citizens should! So, you get my version of the Morning Links. So here you go:

    • “They’re America’s white-trash blue bloods.”
    • First world problems, or idiot airlines?
    • If only someone in charge of the Executive Branch wanted something to happen in this matter…
    • Private companies?  Who woulda thunk it?!

    UPDATE: Bonus links – thanks to Brett for drawing my attention to the amazing Duffleblog:

    Collision!

    Training Time!