Now that racism has been injected into the Hurrican Katrina situation, I'd like to make a comment of my own.
I don't think any federal aid should go to black people.
Wow that must mean I'm a racist.
Not really, I don't believe that federal aid should be given to black people, white people, brown people, or green people.
See, if the government just refused to help anyone, we wouldn't have this race issue even being brought up.
If Kanye West wants to do something positive he should sell some of his bling and donate it to the Red Cross.
Furthermore, why blame Bush, because its easy to blame the white man for everything? What about the failed mayor of New Orleans, who just happens to be black, and was the cause of many more problems in that city than Bush could even think of.
2005-09-09
Making a Bad Situation WORSE
If you had already lost your house, your money, all your possessions, and most of your dignity, would you like the police to tell you that you better just spread your legs and let the rapist do his business? That's what's happening in good ole New Orleans. The Washington Post reports that police have begun confiscating LEGALLY owned firearms, to help make the forced evacuation go over easier.
So, the evacuees are most likely at least 75% innocent civilians and the rest criminals to one degree or another. Shouldn't the majority be allowed to defend themselves against crime? Wasn't the 2nd Amendment put into place for EXACTLY these kinds of situations, situations in which there is a defacto lawlessness and it's everyman for himself?
This is simply illegal. You can bet that if they tried to take away my 9mm it would have to be from my COLD DEAD HANDS. I applaud any law abiding New Orleans gun owners who ACTIVELY RESIST this forced disarmament.
So, the evacuees are most likely at least 75% innocent civilians and the rest criminals to one degree or another. Shouldn't the majority be allowed to defend themselves against crime? Wasn't the 2nd Amendment put into place for EXACTLY these kinds of situations, situations in which there is a defacto lawlessness and it's everyman for himself?
This is simply illegal. You can bet that if they tried to take away my 9mm it would have to be from my COLD DEAD HANDS. I applaud any law abiding New Orleans gun owners who ACTIVELY RESIST this forced disarmament.
2005-09-06
Gouging doesn't exist
People are going haywire over the supposed gas-shortage, which most likely is not a shortage at all. Many service stations are scared that their supplies wouldn't come in today and most likely raised prices over the weekend so they could handle a few days with the pumps dry. The problem is when the government steps in to "help", something they always do very poorly. Where I live, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Governor Mark Warner decided to enforce the states anti price gouging law against a Shell station in my town, Centreville, that was charging $5.80 a gallon on Friday. Charging $5.80 a gallon may seem very high, but the stations down the street were charging $3.49 or so. The shell station was probably trying to hold off demand until after the weekend so they wouldn't run dry. Well, after the government's involvement they were down to $2.85 and dry within a day. They probably lost money in the process.
If people are willing to pay for gas at $5.80, which would be the case for some people that commute (though public transportation is always a substitute), there are probably many people who would not pay that much for gas and choose to use their vehicles more wisely. The bottom line would be that gas would be expensive, but it would be available. As can be seen at that Shell station, when the government forces a price (just like the central planners in Moscow), some companies will choose not to sell at all.
The choice comes down to this. Would you rather have $5 gas available at every station, or a defacto ban on driving more than a day a week if there were indeed shortages? I'll take the $5 gas, because at least then I'd have the choice not to drive instead of the government making the decision for me.
Besides, if the government really cared about gas prices, they would repeal the federal tax of 18.4 cents per gallon. States take in even more, ranging from around 18 cents to over 30 in communist enclaves like NY. Let's take Michigan, State of my birth, as an example. If gas costs $3.00 per gallon, that includes 18.4 cents federal tax plus 19 cents state tax and about .75 cents for "environmental fees." Let's not forget the 6% sales tax either. Taking away all these taxes would have consumers paying $2.46 per gallon. And that's just at the state and federal level. Don't forget the counties and cities that add a few more cents per gallon. Most other regions would have similar results, check out the link in this paragraph to see exactly how much your state bills you.
If people are willing to pay for gas at $5.80, which would be the case for some people that commute (though public transportation is always a substitute), there are probably many people who would not pay that much for gas and choose to use their vehicles more wisely. The bottom line would be that gas would be expensive, but it would be available. As can be seen at that Shell station, when the government forces a price (just like the central planners in Moscow), some companies will choose not to sell at all.
The choice comes down to this. Would you rather have $5 gas available at every station, or a defacto ban on driving more than a day a week if there were indeed shortages? I'll take the $5 gas, because at least then I'd have the choice not to drive instead of the government making the decision for me.
Besides, if the government really cared about gas prices, they would repeal the federal tax of 18.4 cents per gallon. States take in even more, ranging from around 18 cents to over 30 in communist enclaves like NY. Let's take Michigan, State of my birth, as an example. If gas costs $3.00 per gallon, that includes 18.4 cents federal tax plus 19 cents state tax and about .75 cents for "environmental fees." Let's not forget the 6% sales tax either. Taking away all these taxes would have consumers paying $2.46 per gallon. And that's just at the state and federal level. Don't forget the counties and cities that add a few more cents per gallon. Most other regions would have similar results, check out the link in this paragraph to see exactly how much your state bills you.
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