10 steps to ending poverty–Jay Richards

Guess what—it isn’t socialism!

This is a Christian solution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XyJd4w5f1g

He’s a little long winded, but when he gets to the point, this is it.

1. Rule of law.  Like the 10 commandments.

2. Limited government.  Methods in place to limit jurisdiction of the state.

3.  Formal property.  In Haiti, if you wanted to lease land from the gov’t it would take 19 years and 100’s of forms.

4. Economic freedom. Hong Kong is #1.

5. Strong mediating institutions.

6.  Purpose driven universe.

7.  Right cultural mores. Respect for rights of others.

8.  Understand wealth and poverty.  Set up win/win situations.

9.  Focus on your comparative advantage.

10. Work hard.  This works in the U.S., but not in all countries if you don’t have access to property or freedom.

Do you need to be present at your wedding?

Although this “Ask a Librarian” question primarily concerns Islamic law in The Gambia where proxy marriages and divorces are allowed, there was a time (WWII) when proxy marriages were more common in the U.S. and is still legal in four states,

“In the United States, proxy marriages were apparently common during World War II; today, four states (California, Colorado, Montana and Texas) still recognize this form of marriage with certain restrictions.”

Maybe it’s just me because I was a librarian, but the Library of Congress  Law librarians blog is fascinating, and I could spend a day or two just wandering through.

It’s the law, say the Democrats

"It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder." The Law, by Frederick Bastiat [1850]. I'm always shocked by the Democrats who will say, "But Obamacare is the law," or Republicans who say "Let's just change this bad law into something better."

In 2008 Obama's campaign soft sell promised a number of things, but the bare bones outline he gave of his grand plan was it would be paid for by taxing only those people earning more than $250,000 a year. From 2009 to present he promised you could keep your plan and doctor (untrue for millions). SCOTUS declared the entire law a tax, and taxes are supposed to come from the House. The funding promise was perhaps the biggest whooper.

The true cost of Obamacare has been reduced hours and income by people at the lower end trying to move up; huge increases for the young and uninsured adults; mammoth costs to the states in increased rolls on Medicaid with only partial reimbursement from DC; cancelled policies for those not insured by employers; and exclusions for his cronies and federal workers and unions which is not only a dollar loss to the government which the rest of us will have to make up, but a credibility loss for Obama’s entire administration.

And there will still be millions uninsured because they can’t afford the rate increases and will opt for a fine, and illegals won’t need to buy it or pay a fine, so they won’t be covered either. And yes, it is the law, but so is the Constitution which has been pretty much ignored for the last 100 years.

Thursday Thirteen Rerun edition

I originally wrote this in December 2006, about 3 years ago; 13 things I was wondering about. Still haven't answered these important questions, some of which were making small headlines that year.


This is the season of wonder, so I've been wondering, in no particular order, while you've all been fighting the crowds at the mall:

1) Have Catholics advanced spiritually more with the vernacular rather than the unifying language of Latin?

2) Do Lutherans, Methodists and Presbyterians have a better grasp of the gospel with loud rock music?

3) If every household now has 2 or 3 fuel efficient cars, are we really better off, environmentally speaking, than when we had one gas hog that could hold six people comfortably?

4) Has bussing children for 45-60 minutes to and from school ever improved the quality of education or even built friendships and understanding among the races and income groups?

5) How many lawyers will get rich from restaurant operators (passing the costs on to us) trying to figure out compliance with Ohio's new minimum wage law (now part of our constitution) and the anti-smoking bans?

6) What do little children strapped into safety seats in automobiles think about or learn listening to mommy chatter on the cell phone while ignoring them?

7) Do restaurant employees really "lávase las manos" before leaving the restroom?

8) Do baseball caps on guys really hide thinning hair, or do they increase the fallout and make it difficult to give their wives a kiss?

9) Will Nicole Kidman change Keith Urban's drinking behavior or has she made another bad marriage?

10) Will the visual quality and intellectual content of YouTube be a passing fad?

11) Do gun enthusiasts, hunters and collectors really need assault weapons?

12) Did George Clooney really share his bed with Max his 300 lb. pet pig and could this be the real reason he's not married?

13) Does sloppy, loose clothing hide weight gain or does it visually add pounds?

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