Is this blog free speech?

There has been a lot in the news about proposed rules to censor blogs, include that of your humble correspondent. If the very restrictive McCain-Feingold campaign finance laws are applied to the internet, I could be fined for linking to a political candidate's website or quoting a political press release during certain times of an election cycle. I think this is very scary stuff. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, Communist, or Independent, you should realize that this affects your free speech. As the number of blogs increase, it is very likely that some of you readers may have one and decide to talk about a candidate you feel should be elected.
Censorship in any form is bad. Whether it's an unfavorable opinion of the government, a breast during the superbowl, porn being played on NBC on a Saturday morning, or Larry Flynt selling magazines in Ohio, no law should restrict anything that is transmitted, no matter how benign or heinous some may feel it is. This isn't merely my opinion, it is the First Amendment, which has been and will be seriously fucked over by obsenity laws, campaign finance laws, and other legislation possibly introduced with noble purposes but with the ultimate goal of eroding our freespeech.

Steroids in Baseball

There's been a lot in the news about baseball players using steroids. Jose Canseco even wrote a book about the subject and recently testified before Congress about the whole matter. The question that should be asked but hasn't is "What the fuck does Congress have to do with baseball?" The argument might be that professional athletes have a responsiblitiy to be good role models for children? That argument went out the door as soon as California legalized murder (AKA, the OJ Simpson trial). If a baseball player wants to give himself an advantage by taking some meds, having some injections and possibly fucking up his body, shouldn't that be his choice? Even if it is an illegal drug being used, why should Congress be involved in the whole matter? Personally, I applaud these guys for being the guinea pigs of science to prove that technology can improve people, and maybe even break some records in the process.

Petrol

Does anyone else find all the doomsday predictions on CNN, Fox, etc. about the price of gasoline annoying? As the CATO Institute has clearly pointed out here, the idiots at the networks always forget to adjust for inflation. Sure, $2 is a lot more than the less than $1 we were paying about 4 years ago, but it's a lot better than the $6 per gallon that was being spent in the 70s (or similar prices that exist in socialist countries like the UK and France). I know people who drive around town to find cheaper gas, probably wasting a lot of it on the way. Others buy the gas wherever but vocally complain about either OPEC, the President, gas companies, and other people who they want to blame for this increase in price. The truth is, it's impossible to put the blame on any one person or organization for the >$50 per barrel price of oil. In today's economy we have something called a free market that determines the prices. The only kink when it comes to oil are the government (federal, state, local) taxes and OPEC's control over the output. Taxes add well over 50 cents per gallon to the price of gas. So, when you are complaining about paying $27 to fill up your car, you can blame at least $8 of that on our lovely government. Personally, I'm just happy that I'm paying a lot less than my parents or grandparents did when they were my age.

Cool Blog

I recommend everyone to visit http://detroitblog.blogspot.com/

If you are from Detroit, you will find much of the commentary humorous as well as enjoy some illegal excursions into the abandoned skyscapers and buildings that dot the urban wasteland that was once a glorious metropolis. If you aren't from Detroit, you'll get to see why it's known as "America's Only Third World City."