Customize...

Not everything is one size fits all, especially when it comes to businesses and their particular need for software. Most places don't have an inhouse person that can design custom software for that particular company. Realistically it's more cost effective if you don't need custom software on a regular basis to take advantage of one of the firms out there that specialize in it. I've tried to write software, I learned very quickly that it was above my level of expertise...

Where's the real stimulus bill?

I think it's a bit early, since the impact of the stimulus bill wouldn't be immediate anyway, but some of you will find this article in the Libertarian Examiner to be an interesting one. Part of the recommended article:

Where is the bill that will allow libertarians to liberate?

Government can’t create jobs, it can only create busy-work. Government can’t even create money. Not real money. It can print big president heads on paper and stamp birds and buffaloes on metal but if there is nothing to buy because farmers haven’t farmed and manufacturers haven’t manufactured and businesses haven’t busied, the stuff that government calls money is just paper and metal.

You can’t build a house of paper or make a meal of metal.

In fact, without loggers and truckers and paper mills and ink makers and miners and smelters and engravers and an entire society of industrious people to feed and clothe and house those workers and transportation systems to move those raw materials government can’t even make their fake money.

But politicians don’t want you to know that. They don’t want you to understand that they are 100% overhead. They produce nothing. Their total existence depends on coercively taking what productive people produce.

Politicians and bureaucrats want you to think that they are the producers. They want you to believe that they are the god of the machine magically appearing to solve all problems.

Politics is nothing more nor less than the process of manipulating people. And the people-manipulators can no more restrain themselves from manipulating people than a hungry hyena can force itself to stop eating carrion.

I can't disagree that there is some truth to it, despite not agreeing it's not yet time to declare the stimulus package dead.

If only there was a magic pill for common sense...

One of the most frustrating things about trying to get people to reasonably discuss politics is the reality that some are only interested in throwing poo and trying to be unreasonable. It's their nature. They are there to disrupt and to make sure that nothing positive or civil can happen, well if they had anything to say about it. It made me wish that there was a magical common sense pill that you could recommend, that there could be reviews similar to diet pill reviews for special products to help fatheads...

:-)

Best is up to interpretation

The word "best" is used often when it comes to marketing, with of course the goal being to suggest that whatever product is being talked about that it is better than all of the others, which depending on the product could mean best price, best end result, best tasting, etc., etc., some of these areas could be subject to individual opinion, especially when determining best taste. The best diet pill could be the best working, the best price or the best when compared to others. What is for certain is that the word "best" is one of the "best" used words for a variety of products...

:-)

The many flavors of libertarianism

I came across this video:



There was also a list of examples provided:

Some examples of some of the factions mentioned:

Libertarian Anarchists - Murray Rothbard, Karl Hess

Non-libertarian anarchists - Max Stirner, Kropotkin

Minarchists - Ron Paul, Ludwig Von Mises

Apolitical Libertarians - Samuel Konkin, Brad Spangler

Utilitarian Libertarians - David Friedman, Bryan Caplan

Left-libertarians - Roderick Long, Kevin Carson

Right-libertarians - Hans Hoppe, Gary North

Post-Objectivist Libertarians - Stefan Molyneux, Geoffery Allan Plauche

Libertarian Socialists - Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn

Individualist Anarchists - Benjamin Tucker, Lysander Spooner

In some areas tech jobs still growing

In some parts of the country there are still quite a few jobs open related to technology, especially those that require training such as programmer jobs. Even here in Toledo where the unemployment rate is higher than the rest of the state, there are still openings on many of the free job boards for positions where programming experience is required. It's why many people are opting to return to school to take additional classes to be able to find employment.

The lessening access to needed care...

A friend called me this morning looking for some type of detox or drug rehab program for a relative. The problem that they faced is one that many currently face, no health insurance. We can debate if this is something that should be provided by government; federal, state or local, but the reality is there will always be those in our society who need help that are not able to pay for it. Some sort of organized assistance needs to exist, either through voluntary charitable aid or as it is now. Unfortunately with some of the budgetary cuts states are facing, people are having a more difficult time finding programs including addiction help that they can afford.

The real danger of right-wing extremists

I can't say I agree with all of what is written by David Kupelian, but he does make a valid point that I wanted to share in his recent article before the murder of Dr. George Tiller:

If you think Obama has moved quickly since Inauguration Day to implement his European-socialist agenda for America, you ain't seen nothin' yet. If angry, would-be "patriots" engage in violence against the U.S. government such as occurred in Oklahoma City, the changes will make your head spin, as government suppresses freedom of speech, of the press, of the right to keep and bear arms, of the right to assemble, and more, all "for the protection of the people and the state."

It's a very real temptation. Think of it: As government excesses and corruption become ever more brazen, with "hate crimes" laws effectively criminalizing the Bible and kindergartners brainwashed with radical "gay rights" propaganda, with America's currency being continually devalued and entire industries taken over by the federal government, pretty soon some group may decide it can't take it anymore. Its members might become so enraged that they conclude it's time to start the next armed revolution. Seeing their nation being raped and envisioning no solution other than violence, they delude themselves that they're the modern counterparts of America's revolutionary founders. Making explosives and conspiring in secret – all the while quoting Jefferson to each other about "watering the tree of liberty" from time to time with "the blood of patriots and tyrants" – they murder some federal judges or blow up a government office building in an attempt to fight back. In reality, all they succeed in doing is murdering and maiming a bunch of their fellow Americans (or, as McVeigh did in Oklahoma City, massacring a room full of toddlers in daycare – which he later coldly termed "collateral damage").

And what would follow? A massive official crackdown on "domestic terrorists" and a severe assault on freedom in America.

Amazing what hatred can accomplish, isn't it? Exactly the opposite of what was supposedly intended. The "dark side of the force" is very clever.

Since it's clear that those who are committing the violence don't seem to realize all they are doing is actually hurting more than they are helping, perhaps the solution is one that is not mentioned in this article. Right wing groups who don't want to be associated with this type of action should do more to make sure they are not assisting in any way and reporting those that they suspect are going to commit acts of violence. They can take more responsibility in making sure it's very clear that they don't support or advocate violence before something happens rather than afterwards making some type of statement disavowing the action.

Some attempting to connect Scott Roeder to Libertarianism

It's a bit of a far stretch, but it's being done as can be seen in this blog post titled, "Prominent abortion provider murdered (suspected killer may be a libertarian.)

The Libertarian Party platform on abortion is clear:

U.S. Libertarian Party position

The U.S. Libertarian Party political platform (2008)[5] states: that "Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration."

There are a good number of Libertarians who have expressed a pro-choice sentiment, and trying to connect those on the fringe, such as Freeman's is just another scenario where the attempt is to give Libertarianism a bad name. It's just as silly as blaming religion as a whole for people like Roeder...It happens enough for this to be one of the top myths about Libertarianism:

Libertarians believe in violence against government.

Wrong! Media stories about people like the Ruby Ridge victims, the Freeman in Montana, and Timothy McVeigh, often mistakenly call these people "Libertarians". Libertarians (with a capital L) are members of the Libertarian Party, and to be such must have signed a pledge against the initiation of force. The Libertarian Party is the only party that expressly advocates honest negotiations to settle business dealings and differences and not forcing people to associate with others against their will, and that expressly forbids the use of force except in self defence against physical attack.