Minimum wage

I am double minded about the minimum wage.

If we are paid for our work, then belief that there should be a minimum wage implies that there is a minimum value assigned to any and all work that can be completed in an hour.  If you think about that its quite silly.  Imagine if we paid for our gas based on how long we drove only?  You could drive a motorcycle, or a semi-truck, 2 ft or 80 miles, in circles, or in a straight line, all for one set price per hour.

On the other hand, if we are living in a society (like ours) that is fixated on having a minimum wage, then I actually think we should raise it, then take the entire raise back in federal income taxes.  Its would be deficit neutral, and ensure that everyone who works has some skin in the game when it comes to federal spending.  and everyone will have to vote on whether they want more money, or more government. 

Equality before Liberty

"A society that aims for equality before liberty will end up with neither equality nor liberty.  And a society that aims first for liberty will not end up with equality, but it will end up with a closer approach to equality than any other system that has ever been developed."-Milton Friedman

It is theoretically possible to have equality if we guarantee our liberty, but I don't think we can guarantee equality without redefining what liberty is.

When did we stop thinking

While listening to Tavis Smilely's symposium "Vision for a New America" I was struck by the lack of new ideas we are offering up to combat poverty.  On this panel, there were maybe 8 or 9 committed liberals and then Newt Gingrich.  In a symposium that was supposed to be about ending poverty, the following themes quickly emerged; drone strikes, the wealthy not paying their fair share, unnecessary wars, the evils of wall street, the importance of labor unions, the republicans, income inequality, money, and new taxes on buying stocks and bonds.  Take any problem we currently face in the United States and you will hear that it could be solved with more money, and that money can easily be taken from the rich.  It's time we come up with actual ideas, I and challenge conservatives and libertarians in this country to come up with these ideas, because it is all too apparent that the left only cares about leveling society.

If you can save even one life...

I've heard this line too many times recently, and it showed up today in the president's speech as he talked about gun violence.  If we can save even one life by taking this action, then we ought to do it.  If that were true then we would have a national speed limit of 1 mph, since that would certainly save at least one life.  It's not like we have a right to move fast, so why don't we have a national speed limit?  Because at the end of the day we do value some things more than someone's life, even the life of a child.  If you can save even 1 minute of rational thought, you'll never use the "save one life" argument again.

Fair or Effective

Let's be honest, a fair amount for someone to pay in taxes is the exact amount of government services they use in dollars.  So add up the time you spend driving public roads, plus the cost to run the fire and police dept in your area, plus the cost per person of military spending etc.  That would be fair; you pay for the services you use.  This should be familiar, it's the way we pay for electricity, water, heat, gasoline and so forth.  Now here is the big problem, its not an effective way to run a civil society.  Those who make very little would see most or all their earnings go to the government and result in increased real poverty. Not, "my t.v. is too thick, data speed on my smart phone is too slow", American style poverty.  As a result you'd have to hire a body guard to walk to the park, pay for food delivery, pay more for law enforcement, and live every day thinking that if you made a few mistakes or came by some misfortune, it could be you.  You're better off just paying more than your fair share in taxes to keep the masses happy.  That's an effective tax, and if we asked the wealthy to pay a more effective tax, we probably could have raised taxes with out much of a fuss and everyone who had the time to participate in tea party protests and occupy wall street could have done something more productive with their time.  Let's thank the wealthy for already paying more than their fair share while making the case for an effective share.

FDA Requirements should be applied to congressional bills.

The house of representatives allowed the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to expire without a vote this week.  I didn't read the bill.  I don't know what's in it, and neither do you.  My concern is over the branding, if you will, of the bill itself.  It is the equivalent of buying a granola bar where the packaging on the front reads "Nature's Delight" and the back shows molecular diagrams to represent the ingredients.  We decided a long time ago that food manufacturers must provide certain nutritional information clearly and in many cases on the front of the label, think "0 grams trans fat, or 8 whole grains of wheat".

Someone needs to regulate how congressional bills are branded, and I think it will lead to better public discourse and a more knowledgeable and responsible voting populace.  Like a package of hot dogs, I would like to know how much beef it has, as well as 'pork and other fillers'.

Emily's List at National Press Club

The Speaker at the National Press Club today was Stephanie Schriock from Emily's list, a group with a stated mission of getting pro choice women elected to congress.  The transcript is not up yet, so this is not a word for word quote, but she remarked that if we had put women in charge of solving the fiscal cliff, there would have been a deal a long time ago.

I was left wondering if there would be 'equality' for a man if he made a similar statement, try "If we had a man as secretary of state, the Ben Ghazi situation would have been handled better."  I think not, but the double standard is nothing new.

The unfortunate result of that comment and many others made during her speech is that I (and perhaps others) can no longer take her, and Emily's List, seriously on any issue they speak on.

Rhetoric like that may have made you popular in your dorm room, but you're an adult now, and in a position of leadership, it's time to grow up.