I lived in Washington-on-Potomac when Mayor Barry was in control, so I am shocked that Vincent Gray, current mayor of our federal city, is under suspicion of criminal wrongdoing.
After all, the government of the District of Columbia is under the ultimate oversight of the United States Congress which, like the district itself, is heir to a two-century tradition of truth, justice, and selfless public service.
As to former Mayor Barry, he seems to be doing right well for himself, having been fully rehabilitated in federal prison. The later accusations of drunk driving, stalking, tax cheating, official corruption as a city council member, and a few other peccadilloes are undoubtedly the work racist liars in the Tea Party.
Oct 16, 2011
Oct 15, 2011
Why we're broke
We shouldn't let Baby Huie chew our bullets. Eating lead is a bad idea. It might damage his brain. That would make him too dull for any profession except politics.
So we certainly applaud our governments' drive to keep Huie lead-free and smart. Except, maybe...
The grant is for $2.45 million. Local taxpayers will be extorted to the tune of another $2 million. If you total that and add a few hundred thou left over from the earlier HUD $3 million grant -- plus whatever local tax bite that one "leveraged" -- and you get something north of $6 million. But let's be conservative and say it's only $5.5 million.
Peanuts, of course, if it preserves enough Huie brainpower to permit him to prosper as a vinyl siding salesman.
Or maybe not. All that money permits the county health czars to tidy up 142 homes in the next three years.
Time for the world's most useful tool for politico-economic analysis -- a five-buck pocket calculator.
Lessee. Five and a-half million divided by 142 equals, ta-dahh, $38,732 dollars per house. And 39 cents, to be precise.
---
Okay, but it's for the poor and therefore righteous, right?
"Funds from the grant are available to assist homeowners whose income is less than 80 percent of the median family income and landlords whose tenants’ incomes are less than 80 percent of the median family income. "
The median family income in this state is a little more than $60,000 per year, apparently meaning you can heist your neighbors for a new paint job even if you gross $48,000.
---
Yeah, even our official state health masters say you can pretty much eliminate Baby H chewing lead paint chips by repainting with latex. 'course you must use obscure techniques known only to practitioners of that mysterious profession known as (shhhh) "painters."
---
H.L. Mencken: "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats."
So we certainly applaud our governments' drive to keep Huie lead-free and smart. Except, maybe...
The grant is for $2.45 million. Local taxpayers will be extorted to the tune of another $2 million. If you total that and add a few hundred thou left over from the earlier HUD $3 million grant -- plus whatever local tax bite that one "leveraged" -- and you get something north of $6 million. But let's be conservative and say it's only $5.5 million.
Peanuts, of course, if it preserves enough Huie brainpower to permit him to prosper as a vinyl siding salesman.
Or maybe not. All that money permits the county health czars to tidy up 142 homes in the next three years.
Time for the world's most useful tool for politico-economic analysis -- a five-buck pocket calculator.
Lessee. Five and a-half million divided by 142 equals, ta-dahh, $38,732 dollars per house. And 39 cents, to be precise.
---
Okay, but it's for the poor and therefore righteous, right?
"Funds from the grant are available to assist homeowners whose income is less than 80 percent of the median family income and landlords whose tenants’ incomes are less than 80 percent of the median family income. "
The median family income in this state is a little more than $60,000 per year, apparently meaning you can heist your neighbors for a new paint job even if you gross $48,000.
---
Yeah, even our official state health masters say you can pretty much eliminate Baby H chewing lead paint chips by repainting with latex. 'course you must use obscure techniques known only to practitioners of that mysterious profession known as (shhhh) "painters."
---
H.L. Mencken: "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats."
Oct 14, 2011
Because the judge said I can, that's why (with gun porn)
A district court judge has cleared me to own a pistol.
Naaah. I'm not in the system. His Honor is overseeing an estate and has yes/no authority over the selling price of an adequate little pest control device made by Smith and Wesson in the 80s. I petitioned for a 10 per cent reduction in the reasonable asking price, and a writ of acceptance was issued.
It's the minty stainless steel spawn of the Model 59 concept, and after inspecting it I conclude Dan Wesson's descendants learned something about making DA semi-autos (only) after issuing the 59.
Besides, it's in a more noble caliber. Besides again, the magazine holds just eight rounds, so maybe Senator Boxer will start returning my calls.
(Sister ship pictured. I collect my 645 tomorrow.)
Naaah. I'm not in the system. His Honor is overseeing an estate and has yes/no authority over the selling price of an adequate little pest control device made by Smith and Wesson in the 80s. I petitioned for a 10 per cent reduction in the reasonable asking price, and a writ of acceptance was issued.
It's the minty stainless steel spawn of the Model 59 concept, and after inspecting it I conclude Dan Wesson's descendants learned something about making DA semi-autos (only) after issuing the 59.
Besides, it's in a more noble caliber. Besides again, the magazine holds just eight rounds, so maybe Senator Boxer will start returning my calls.
(Sister ship pictured. I collect my 645 tomorrow.)
Good morning. Our TGIF celebration today begins with a pop quiz about plastic guns. True or false:
1. At $450 to $600-plus, Glock pistols, often referred to as "plastic crap," are horridly overpriced. T F
2. At $450 to $600-plus, Glock pistols are are correctly and fairly priced, right down to the penny. T F
---
Because we at the TMR have no desire to diminish the students' self-esteem nor to stifle his, her, or its creative thought, there are no wrong answers.
If you answered "true" to question No. 1 and "false" to No. 2 you have brought to the examination a firm sense of fair play, a concern for the consumer, and the understanding that market forces are a cruel burden on ordinary people with women and minorities hardest hit. While you may believe that, in theory, producers are entitled to a fair profit, you also understand that the people as a whole, operating through their elected and appointed officials, must be the judge and jury of of what is fair.
On the other hand, if you answered "false" to question No. 1 and "true" to No. 2, you are not an economic nitwit...
...because the price of guns is not very directly regulated by government, Pitmann-Robertson and trade regulations notwithstanding. The regulations are primarily an effort to control the availability of weapons directly --"thou shalt not." Efforts to do that via artificially high prices -- special taxes -- pop up routinely. They generally fail. The NFA taxes are an exception.
--With loose, or preferably no, price regulation, guns, just like those killer salt shakers and culturally insensitive Halloween costumes, sell for exactly the correct price -- a figure established solely between the fellow who wants to buy and the one who wants to sell.
---
This is one our periodic attempts to direct the attention of Rachael Maddow and similar dimdippitydoowops to the concept that a freely negotiated price is part of a very accurate information system without which no economy can function.
I particularly include among Rachael's cronies that group of tax-sucking "neighborhood organizers'" and "consumer advocates" who want, among other things, to organize and control our markets because, hey, let's face it, that's one of the neatest ways of organizing and controlling people.
Thanks anyway, but I'll just have to go along with Mr. Rothbard who suggests that, left alone, we can do a pretty damned good job of organizing ourselves.
1. At $450 to $600-plus, Glock pistols, often referred to as "plastic crap," are horridly overpriced. T F
2. At $450 to $600-plus, Glock pistols are are correctly and fairly priced, right down to the penny. T F
---
Because we at the TMR have no desire to diminish the students' self-esteem nor to stifle his, her, or its creative thought, there are no wrong answers.
If you answered "true" to question No. 1 and "false" to No. 2 you have brought to the examination a firm sense of fair play, a concern for the consumer, and the understanding that market forces are a cruel burden on ordinary people with women and minorities hardest hit. While you may believe that, in theory, producers are entitled to a fair profit, you also understand that the people as a whole, operating through their elected and appointed officials, must be the judge and jury of of what is fair.
On the other hand, if you answered "false" to question No. 1 and "true" to No. 2, you are not an economic nitwit...
...because the price of guns is not very directly regulated by government, Pitmann-Robertson and trade regulations notwithstanding. The regulations are primarily an effort to control the availability of weapons directly --"thou shalt not." Efforts to do that via artificially high prices -- special taxes -- pop up routinely. They generally fail. The NFA taxes are an exception.
--With loose, or preferably no, price regulation, guns, just like those killer salt shakers and culturally insensitive Halloween costumes, sell for exactly the correct price -- a figure established solely between the fellow who wants to buy and the one who wants to sell.
---
This is one our periodic attempts to direct the attention of Rachael Maddow and similar dimdippitydoowops to the concept that a freely negotiated price is part of a very accurate information system without which no economy can function.
I particularly include among Rachael's cronies that group of tax-sucking "neighborhood organizers'" and "consumer advocates" who want, among other things, to organize and control our markets because, hey, let's face it, that's one of the neatest ways of organizing and controlling people.
Thanks anyway, but I'll just have to go along with Mr. Rothbard who suggests that, left alone, we can do a pretty damned good job of organizing ourselves.
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