Thursday, March 12, 2009

A Post Designed for Skimming

I haven't had the time to do anything other than short to long-ish posts in a while, so guess what!!

A big issue out here in the Territories is obviously illegal immigration, and given the state of the economy, you can guarantee that even legal immigration will become even more of an issue. I've always been an open-border sort of guy up to a limit: by definition, a nation that cannot (or in our case, chooses not to) defend its borders is not a sovereign nation. I fully agree that there is a desperate need for immigration reform given that far too many of the wrong sort get in while far too many of the right sort are excluded by a bureaucracy fully in the grip of Pournelle's Iron Law. And the sort of tactics and rhetoric employed by One-Shot Joe Arpaio (old joke from another Sheriff Joe that reminds me of Arpaio) are questionable to say the least. But he does have a point; he has rounded up a lot of people who are 1) illegals and 2) criminals. A legitimate question, of course, is the collateral damage inflicted in the process of finding these. I don't think anyone other than a total xenophobe would argue that it's OK to incarcerate large numbers of people based on their ethnicity, then justify your actions because some percent of them turned out to be criminals of one sort or another. I don't live in Maricopa County, and don't have detail one about any of the detainees, so I really can't say one way or the other. But I will make a few observations. First, I doubt an investigation launched at the request of some moral defective Congresscritters on behalf of a couple reality-challenged, politically-loony-left organizations is going to accomplish anything useful in reducing the flood of illegals or reforming immigration. Secondly, illegal immigrants do not have civil rights. They are outlaw in the original meaning of the word. Finally, how is it that our military is sent into foreign nations at the drop of a hat to prop up "friends of the United States" and defend their borders, but any hint of using our military to defend our own borders throws everyone into hysterics?

Next we have the inevitable result of increasing corporate taxes: uneconomic decisions suddenly becoming economically sensible. I will add that there is no such thing as "corporate income tax," merely a hidden tax on the customers, employees and shareholders of the corporation. Corporations are not people, even if they are defined as such by the law and the tax code. Look at it this way: corporate income taxes simply make the government of the United States another vendor, although a rather unique one in that it simply requires payment under threat of violence without providing any goods or services. But a vendor none the less. Now, how do corporations pay their vendors and employees and shareholders? By selling product, of course. Roughly speaking, revenue from selling goods and/or services equals what is paid out to vendors, employees and shareholders. The only way the United States can increase their take as a vendor is by less dividends or share value going to shareholders, less pay going to employees, or more revenue from customers by increasing prices. Period. End of discussion. Corporate income tax does not, from a practical standpoint, exist.

Speaking of hidden taxes, everyone blames corporate conspiracies for keeping practical electric vehicles off the road. Please note:
Aptera Motors is building an electric car that goes 100 miles on a charge, draws power from an ordinary electrical outlet, and should be in driveways by the end of the year. But the federal government won't consider lending the California startup any money to build the car for one reason.

It has three wheels.

The rest of the article is a good example of how the government stifles innovation. While hardly a sensible cross-country vehicle, it would be perfect for us, and millions of other people who live in a similar situation. Understand that the libertarian in me recoils at the thought of any tax money going to any private business for any reason. But you would think that if alternative transportation is such a priority of Obama and his leash-holders that 0.00001% of the stimulus package could go to these guys so they could more-quickly ramp up production. But no, instead we give stimulus money to city governments who don't want it so they can play stupid games with it.

(sigh)

It looks like we have a bit of a bear-market rally going on this week with the Dow back over 7,000 and the S&P over 700. I wouldn't get too used to it; the fundamental problems are still there. But it is a nice break.

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