We Don't Need No Stinking Debts - 05 January 2022 - Plague Journal Day 664

Micah 6:8
2 Kings 4:7
Yes, your life matters.

Some of you are still sheltering in place, but fear not: I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

I've considered posting about Student Loan "forgiveness" for quite some time, but hadn't gotten around to it. My basic idea was that those agitating for it are really saying, "I borrowed more than I want to repay, so folks who didn't borrow the money (and didn't get the education), should pay it back for me."
I hadn't really considered those in government who advocate for it (and who also still carry student debt) are saying the same thing, but also saying "I can't figure out how to pay this back, so clearly you chumps out there who can't get elected to Congress can't either."

That is a truly frightening thought, and much better expressed in this piece by the pseudonymous George MF Washington found here. (I don't think there's any subscription required to read this, but let me know if it doesn't work for you.)

Keep Calm and Don't Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our insane lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Morons? - 05 January 2021 - Plague Journal Day 299

Micah 6:8
Galatians 3:27-29
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

I was going to womention the ludicrous finale to a prayer by Rep. Cleaver here today, but Mark Tooley did a better and more thorough job than I would have done, so I'll share a link to his piece here. I was surprised to see how widespread the ridicule of his ridiculous pseudo-inclusion was - surprised and encouraged.

Now if we could get the democrats in Congress to realize that claiming to follow the science - especially medical science - and then ignoring biology doesn't seem to be a winning position. I know, fat chance.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

SOPA and PIPA

Here are a couple possibly well-intentioned pieces of legislation (barely possibly - I'm giving some folks the benefit of a ton of doubt) that will do almost nothing to accomplish their stated goals, but will have some horrific unintended(?) consequences.

We joined with many other sites on the 18th to show how the post-SOPA web might look, but we're back to normal now.

Please contact your legislators to let them know they need to come up with something far better than just breaking the internet to stop piracy.

grr.

Charity Begins at Home

Actually, that's pretty much its only source.

As so aptly described by Congressman Crockett, if it's not one's own money, it's not charity. Further, if it's not by choice, it's not charity either.

Americans are as generous a people as has ever existed, and I believe that's why we've tolerated the kleptocracy which has taken our money for what would otherwise have been charitable purposes. Still, when someone takes my money without my express consent, for whatever noble end, it's still theft.

If I take your money to give to a deserving charity, you certainly can't take any credit for that act of generosity, nor can I claim any such, having no skin in the game, so to speak.

Were we to move back to our constitutionally limited government, the citizenry as a whole would have vastly more of its own resources to use for the charitable purposes to which the individual owners of that money wished to put it.
In all likelihood (and I really do mean all), the distribution of those resources would be done more efficiently and more effectively as each of us could think globally and act locally (to coin a phrase).

Democracy in America

Here are some rather amazing quotes from Alexis de Tocqueville, author of the famous 1835 work, Democracy in America (Volume 1, Volume 2).

"Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude."

"A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it."

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."

"The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens."

"There is hardly a political question in the United States which does not sooner or later turn into a judicial one."

"When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness."


This last one can leave us a bit more hopeful, I think:
"The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults."

Let us pray that she still can.

A Good Read

I ran across this fine post by John Carney and thought you might enjoy it. At the very least, you ought to read it.

Driving-a-chrysler-down-the-road-to-serfdom