dagblog - Comments for "Use of Force"

Everyone is going for an

Peter Schwartz — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:43:06 +0000

In reply to Not only are legislators in a

Everyone is going for an "unfair advantage," except maybe the everyday schmuck who would go for an unfair advantage if he didn't worry about being put in jail.

That's why the conservative assumption--for it is one--that all we need is a level playing field to create "equal opportunity" is so risible.

The LAST thing a profit-seeker in ANY position wants is a level playing field. He wants the table tipped just enough to start the marbles rolling toward his open hand.

Businesspeople are risk reducers, not risk takers. They thrill at the opportunity to gain, yes. But they try to reduce or eliminate as many risks as possible. The unknown future is the biggest risk of all.

Similarly, they aren't job creators; they are job eliminators. If expansion and growth require hiring more people--and they often do--then they're happy to. But they're even happier if they can get all that expansion and growth without hiring new people.

A short anecdote about my

Bwakkie — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:29:08 +0000

In reply to Use of Force

A short anecdote about my recent, (and thankfully only), brush up against the law. A few months ago, I was pulled over for an expired registration, it was VERY expired, the result of a droll argument with my ex, that as he got all the assets and I got all the liabilities, the least he could do was pay the property taxes on my car. He disagreed. (No surprise, though it was still my fault for being stubborn, overwhelmed, and broke.)

The state trooper that pulled me over was visibly annoyed by the utterly ridiculous length of time it had been expired, (the $350 or so I asked my ex to pay had turned into about $975 by this time. Ack!) The fact that I had lost the registration documents when I left my ex, and, perhaps the pouring rain going on at the time didn't help, but for whatever reason, he decided to scream at me and accuse me of lifting the plates from some other car. I insisted it wasn't true, but that seemed to make him even angrier. I did produce my insurance card and he accused me of forging that, as well.

It's a felony to use stolen plates. He told me I was lucky he didn't arrest me right then and there. In the officers defense. I'm quite sure I looked like hell. I was taking antibiotics for bronchitis, on my way home from work, and wearing some ill fitting hand-me-ups of my daughters, (a lifestyle adjustment when the economy crashed), so I'm fairly sure I must of come off as a less than savory character. Normally, I'm a pretty unremarkable common stoutish brown-eyed chicken. Couldn't scare a squirrel off my front porch.

I had to go to court, of course, so I scraped together the money and paid off the town taxes, and registered the bug. When I got there, I stood in a line in the corridor with a bunch of fairly ordinary looking people, none of them seemed to have a file folder of papers like I did. We were herded in groups of 3 into a small room where a District Attorney stood in front of you and offered you a plea, in my case it was a $50 fine, and they'd erase the record after I attended some kind of class. He was talking rather quickly and loudly, and so didn't hear me when I said, "but, I'm not guilty." Then, when he did hear me, he got even louder and more intimidating, telling me I'd have to hire a lawyer, and set a court date, and I said, "but, I have the paperwork right here." By this time the other two citizens had left and the other two DAs were watching what was going on with, it seemed, some interest. So I proved that the plates were indeed the only plates the buggie ever had, and he said "case dismissed."

I had the impression that didn't happen too often. It was a sobering experience. I thought of reporting the trooper for his excessive rudeness, but I er, chickened out.

Not only are legislators in a

Resistance — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:28:54 +0000

In reply to But that's the point:

Not only are legislators in a position.

In some subdivisions in Arizona, it was becoming common place, for many a Mormon Church to be located in some of the best locations, for exposure purposes.

The church has many members, who also worked or has a business interest in Civil engineering firms who are the first, to see the proposed projects in order to bid the jobs.

Imagine you’re a large Company representing a large plat of land; of course when it comes to utilization of the open spaces and churches for worship. “You want that development to proceed without a hitch don't you”?

You understand it could take years to get through the litigation process. You're the owner/developer; ”You say you'd like to put your church where? I think we could accommodate that. You draw it up" "Make it work, I’ll scratch your back, you scratch mine”

I once had an opportunity to do some remodeling work in a civil engineers office. Had I wanted to be unscrupulous, I might have peered into some drafting’s on the tables and received some information that may have been enriching.

Knowing how some major land parcels, were about to be designed, prior to the necessary presentations, in order to seek preapproval, before the city council.

It’s the same thing with studies for transportation corridors or airport expansions environmental impact investigations.

The land commissioner gives the approval and the city council accepts the recommendations.

It's more than insider trading; it's directing a course to take.

My Grandfather used to say, the best job in government was the land Commissioner. He could pick which Farm would be the one purchased for the airport. He and his friends would know in advance which adjacent farms to buy on the cheap for future Commercial development.

But that's the point:

Peter Schwartz — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:31:10 +0000

In reply to Badly. But from almost the

But that's the point: Legislators are in a position to make things happen that can make people very rich, including themselves.

This goes beyond insider information because the congressman can actually DO something that will, pretty directly, put money in his pocket.

You want them making decisions based the public merits, not on their profit potential.

Badly. But from almost the

Michael Maiello — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:11:05 +0000

In reply to Destor, how do you feel about

Badly. But from almost the opposite perspective. It's not the market manipulation that irks me about this, it's the manipulation of law and policy. So, you know, if the federal government sells land to a real estate developer and Congress authorizes the sale, I want it to go through because the Feds got the best deal possible, not because the sales was designed in such a way as to enrich some Senator who owns nearby investment properties.

Destor, how do you feel about

Peter Schwartz — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:03:34 +0000

In reply to Use of Force

Destor, how do you feel about congressional insider trading?

http://moneymorning.com/2011/11/17/while-the-middle-class-suffers-congre...

Trope, in the space of two

Michael Maiello — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:18:30 +0000

In reply to Just something that popped up

Trope, in the space of two days you went from Camus and Foucault to The Dukes of Hazzard.

I may not always agree with ya, but damn do I like ya.

Just something that popped up

Elusive Trope — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:27:23 +0000

In reply to Use of Force

Just something that popped up in my mind after reading your blog - The Dukes of Hazzard. Here is in a nutshell the issue being dealt with. We have a corrupted government through the wealthy elite in the form of Boss Hogg, and the police force, led by Roscoe, who do his bidding. The Dukes are forgiven for their law-breaking ways because of this corruption of the law. Of course, there are the police officers like Deputy Enos, who are good-hearted by nature, but because of their position still end up enforcing Boss Hogg's corrupt system. The question is whether we just accept the adversarial roles, overthrow those currently in power, or look at ways that reform the system in order to eventually de-power those like Boss Hogg and decouple their control over the law enforcement through other means (like having the Department of Justice investigate the going ons in Hazzard County).

These organizations are part

Resistance — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:12:47 +0000

In reply to You make good points, but I'm

These organizations are part of our class structure, but I'm not sure that amounts to a perversion of our democracy.

Democracy, freedom, liberty, laws, all nice sounding words until there is perversion of justice.

Protect your own

Penn State?

You make good points, but I'm

Peter Schwartz — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:04:58 +0000

In reply to I think it shows who controls

You make good points, but I'm not sure the dots have been connected.

Does membership in S&B really mean that John Kerry is serving two masters?

Or did he join a fraternity-like organization when he was young? These organizations are part of the good old boy network, so there is that--and friends do help friends.

These organizations are part of our class structure, but I'm not sure that amounts to a perversion of our democracy.

I'm not sure we could reasonably rid our society of these kinds of "societies."

The problem, or the accusation, of serving two masters is with us all over the place. Do you give hiring preference to a Marine or a Georgetown graduate because you were one? Are Roman Catholics more loyal to the Pope than to secular authorities? Are Jews more loyal to their group than to America? Why aren't there more blacks in OWS? And what about the Boy Scouts?