If you sell poultry or livestock, it’s a good idea to weigh them first. Makes it easier for buyer and seller to agree on a fair price.
For some reason, seven sections of the Code of Federal Regulations (see here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) deal with the use and maintenance of the scales used to weigh the animals, the people operating them, proper procedure, and finally, weighing the animals again.
Is this really a federal matter? If so, what isn’t?
Bjørn Lomborg, head of the Copenhagen Consensus, brings some much-needed common sense to the global warming debate. Reporting from Vanuatu, he finds that many of the locals haven’t even heard of global warming.
Torethy Frank is one of them. She has other priorities, such as escaping crushing poverty: “Torethy and her family of six live in a small house made of concrete and brick with no running water. As a toilet, they use a hole dug in the ground. They have no shower and there is no fixed electricity supply.”
You can see why the two degrees of projected warming over the next century are not at the top of her “problems to solve” list. I would argue that ending global poverty should be a little higher on ours. Certainly higher than global warming.
Comments Off on Keeping Priorities Straight
Posted in Great Thinkers, The New Religion
Tagged Bjørn Lomborg, bjorn lomborg, copenhagen consensus, economic development, global warming, poverty, priorities, The New Religion, tradeoffs, vanuatu
Sit back and think for a minute about what man has the potential to create. Think about the magnitude of our achievements in just the last century. Life expectancy has doubled. Population has sextupled. For the first time in history, famine is primarily a political phenomenon, not a natural one. The human mind is capable of creating limitless, endless wealth.
Unfortunately, the human mind is nearly as adept at preventing that wealth from being created. Sacramento, California is home to some of the experts.
Katy Grimes researched what it would take to open a small factory there. “By the time I discovered that 22 government agencies would be involved in permitting and licensing, I realized that Sacramento is not an easy place to do business,” she writes.
She’s right. And when doing business is difficult, there is less of it. That means less wealth is created. Opportunities vanish into thin air. One of the tragedies of over-regulation is the amount of wealth, opportunity, and prosperity that never come to pass. Think of how many plants are never opened because of over-regulation. How many jobs are never created. How many products are never invented.
Supporters of strict business regulations say the rules keep people safe. Maybe that’s true. Maybe it isn’t. But they do keep us poorer.
Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 64: Starting a Business in Sacramento, California
Posted in Development Economics, Philosophy, Regulation of the Day
Tagged california, factory, katy grimes, regulation, sacramento, sacramento california
Classic reductio ad absurdum.
Modern technology could easily grow oranges and grapes in hothouses in the arctic and subarctic countries. Everybody would call such a venture lunacy. But it is essentially the same to preserve the growing of cereals in rocky mountain valleys by tariffs and other devices of protectionism while elsewhere there is plenty of fallow fertile land. The difference is merely one of degree.
Ludwig von Mises, Human Action, p. 395.
Posted in Economics, Great Thinkers, Pith, Trade
Tagged agriculture, human action, ludwig von mises, mises, protectionism, tariffs, Trade
Ahman Green is a Packer again. He’s well past his prime, but he should improve a depleted depth chart. Green is also 46 yards away from becoming the team’s all-time leading rusher. Never thought he’d get the chance, after he left Green Bay for Houston in free agency a few years ago.
After two disappointing seasons there, Green was out of the league this year until now. I figured he’d retired, honestly. If he gets his record, it will share some symmetry with Donald Driver, who set the team receptions record last week. Best of luck to him.
Comments Off on Welcome Back, Ahman Green
Posted in Sports
Tagged ahman green, deshawn wynn injured reserve, donald driver, packers, rushing record
Rep. Diana DeGette is, without any apparent cognitive dissonance or trace of irony, proposing:
1) Require, by law, that people buy health insurance.
2) Remove health insurers’ antitrust exemption. But only after legally requiring everyone to buy their product.
You figure it out. Insurers are set to receive one of the largest coroporate welfare grants in history. No wonder so many firms are salivating over this year’s health care legislation. But they may pay an antitrust price for their legally mandated windfall.
Perhaps this is a warped Washington version of what one hand giveth, the other taketh away.
Comments Off on Is Cognitive Dissonance an Insured Condition?
Posted in Antitrust, Economics, Health Care
Tagged Antitrust, antitrust exemption, cognitive dissonance, diana degette, Health Care, health insurance, health insurance mandate, mandate, rep. diana degette
It is illegal to be a sports agent in New Hampshire without a Secretary of State-issued certificate (see page 14). Don’t forget your biennial renewal!
Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 63: Sports Agents in New Hampshire
Posted in regulation, Regulation of the Day, Sports
Tagged new hampshire, regulation, Regulation of the Day, rules, Sports, sports agents
Many, if not all, people depend on government employees to be positive role models for their children. They can give kids something to which to aspire; to show what they can be if they only work hard and stay in school. To give us all a walking, talking example of a life well lived.
It is in that spirit that Executive Order No. 13513 prohibits federal employees and contractors from texting while driving while on duty.
As the Order reminds us, “With nearly 3 million civilian employees, the Federal Government can and should demonstrate leadership in reducing the dangers of text messaging while driving.” The texting-while driving ban will “set an example for State and local governments, private employers, and individual drivers.”
Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 62: Government Employees and Texting while Driving
Posted in Nanny State, Regulation of the Day
Tagged executive order, Nanny State, regulation, Regulation of the Day, texting while driving
The Lions have lost their 19th straight game in the state of Wisconsin. But the Packers also looked pretty ugly at times. Detroit was missing three of their four starting defensive linemen due to injury. Their backups still notched five sacks on Aaron Rodgers. The Packers also incurred thirteen penalties.
Rodgers is playing extremely well despite being under constant pressure from the opposing pass rush. One wonders how well he’d do with better protection.
But a shutout is still a shutout. The Packer defense was outstanding, hopefully proving that their quality game against the Vikings was not a fluke.
Comments Off on Packers 26, Lions 0
Posted in Sports
Tagged aaron rodgers, lions, packers, pass protection, shutout, victory
President Bush’s $400 billion budget deficits were the largest in history. He deserved every bit of criticism he got for his big-spending ways.
Now comes news that the budget gap is up to $1.4 trillion. President Obama has broken Bush’s record by a trillion dollars. It took him less than a year.
A trillion.
Wow.
Inertia Wins! 