Hardcore Capitalist's Perspective - 12/6/2010

• Young Americans in Debt Crosshairs
  Writes Dustin Siggins: "The debt commission['s]...recommendations are the best effort since the 1990s to at least take a stab at real deficit and debt reform. Young Americans should thank the Commission for being this courageous, especially in the face of our nation's current and impending fiscal crisis. Estimates of our national debt obligations range from a few tens of trillions to National Review's Kevin Williamson's estimate of $130 trillion. Merely cutting non-defense discretionary spending, or dealing with earmarks, won't cut it."
• 100s of Wikileaks Mirror Sites Appear
  Cracking down on Wikileaks seems to be more of a game of Whack-a-mole for the feds. The question does have to be asked: if Wikileaks, which is merely a messenger of information, deserves to be prosecuted and silenced, don't all the major media outlets that also report the leaks deserve to be treated like terrorist organizations too? Or any individual who reads or disseminates the leaked info? After all, "information is warfare," right?
• 77 Years Without Prohibition
  Yesterday marked the 77th anniversary of one of the few good things FDR accomplished: the repeal of Alcohol Prohibition. With the end of Prohibition, we saw the end of much organized crime, ineffective government spending, and the enabling of police to stop real crimes. When will we make the same connection to the present-day prohibition of even less harmful drugs?
• Govt Propaganda at Walmart Checkouts
  Walmart is joining the corporatist bandwagon in agreeing to display government propaganda videos at checkout lanes, as part of a new DHS campaign. While many conservatives may feel the message Big Sis wants to display in this instance is harmless enough, this gives the government a disturbing foot in the door. How long until the government is using these screens to brainwash consumers into supporting causes conservatives don't agree with?
• Pump Prices Hit 2-Year High
  Bernanke is eager to crank up the monetary printing press to avoid "deflation," yet anyone who is paying bills for health care, education, energy, gasoline, or government programs will tell you prices are going up, despite what the government's official numbers say.
• Web-Based Learning Revolutionizes India's Education
  Comments David Shellenberger: "This is another insightful article by Matt Ridley. One reason to remove government from education is to allow experimentation in approaches to teaching and learning. Only a free, competitive market, unencumbered by politicians, bureaucrats, and unions, will allow the best ideas to be discovered."

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Published at RightOSphere.com.