The New Years Resolutions: More Consitution

With the year coming to and end, people are in reflective moods and looking back on all 2010 had to offer. The American pass time that most mimics our government is right around the corner. New years resolutions are about as American as apple pie. Lots of optimism and lots of promises....the motivation for which diminishes in a month times or less.

Our federal government has a new house rule will come into effect with about as much live changing impact as a newly purchased gym membership. The House of Representative will read the constitution in full one day out of the month. This political move is a attempt to passivity the Tea Party crowd for next year. But formally is an attempt  "get back to there roots". But you never know maybe reading the document will help the legislatures follow it. Now for my new years resolution....

Get Free TV: Wiki Leaks

Stories from the Nanny State: Net Neutrality

Like more comings and goings of the federal government Net Neutrality is a very sticky and confusing topic. After reading the regulatory statute and the dissenting opinions, the easiest way to understand cloak-and-dagger government actions like this is to hear from the horse's mouth.  Below is an excerpt from one of the members of the FCC panel: 


"What had been bottom-up, non-governmental and grassroots based Internet governance will become politicized.  Today, the United States is abandoning the long-standing bipartisan and international consensus to insulate the Internet from state meddling in favor of a preference for top-down control by unelected political appointees, three of whom will decide what constitutes 'reasonable' behavior." -

COMMISSIONER ROBERT M. McDOWELL

From reading the full statement (way too many pages), McDowell's concerns are valid. He feels that this regulation will not make the Internet more free or available, but will instead be the gateway to more aggressive regulations. In the Net Neutrality Act or officially; "FCC Acts To Preserve Internet Freedom And Openness," the FCC is given the power to regulate "resolvable" blockage of programs, sites and/or services. In other words, it gives the FCC a free pass to meddle with any service providers it wants to slow or dismantle, providing that at least three commissioner approve. Below is a controversial passage from the official statement about "Net Neutrality"

Rule 3: No Unreasonable Discrimination

A person engaged in the provision of fixed broadband Internet access service, insofar as such person is so engaged, shall not unreasonably discriminate in transmitting lawful network traffic over a consumer’s broadband Internet access service.  Reasonable network management shall not constitute unreasonable discrimination.


The argument the government uses is that "Net Neutrality" will stop the company from monopolizing the Internet in a similar fashion to how the railroads were controlled during the gilded age in American history.  At on time the railroads were controlled by one organization, and thus had the power to control who used their rail for shipment of the goods. This allowed the railroads to be the gatekeeper for any business trying to grow. The FCC argues that is what is happening with Internet providers. A company like Comcast could control what services or programs got special treatment, similar to how the railroads controlled commerce.  Net Neutrality, however, does a lot more then stop providers from blocking or "prioritizing programs"; it actually allow the government to control a lot of the "prioritizing" instead. 
 

When the government is given control over the definition of words, you will be surprised by the sudden level of creativity used when enforcing these rules. As the dissenting members of the FCC stated, this is nothing more then a backdoor way to control and regulate the Internet.   

Stories from the Nanny State: The Return of the lokos

If you haven't heard or don't remember, Four Lokos was banned in a number of states because of an alcohol-related fiasco at Central Washington University (Four Loko Ban). Last week in a press release, the makers of Four Lokos announced they have a new recipe approved by the government and will be selling the beverage in stores next year.

From the press release issued by Phusion Project, the makers of Four Lokos:

"Our reformulated products (without caffeine, guarana and taurine) were approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, and we've received similar approvals from nearly all of the states in which we do business. We've begun shipping into the states in which we've received approvals for reformulated Four Loko."-(Phusion Projects)

So before you know it, we will have the sweet nectar of Four Lokos back in our lives—caffeine-free this time.. (Lets just hope people don't realize that you can simply buy a Red Bull and combine it with Four Lokos to get almost the exact same product as before.) The state ban on Four Lokos—like a number of actions by the government lately—really amounts to nothing more than political posturing.  As soon as word got out about the ban, the sale of the product skyrocketed. A number of stores couldn’t keep the product on the shelves. In college towns, stores would only sell Four Lokos in packs of 24 or more.

The ban became an amazing marketing ploy for Four Lokos. Not only did sales increase dramatically, but the brand name is now forever enshrined in the hearts and minds of college students and alcoholics alike everywhere.

Four Loko's ONE - Nanny State ZERO  

Stories From The Nanny State: Banning Fake Cigarettes

 

"The King County Board of Health passed a controversial proposal Thursday that bans the public use of electronic cigarettes, despite protests that the battery-powered, nicotine-delivery sticks emit no second-hand smoke and are often used for harm reduction." The City of Seattle officials argued that it could lead to eroding "social norms." Social norms however do not fall under the authority of any government. Unless social engineering is now seen as a proper roll of government.  Seattle Health officials went on to say;  


"I would like to see us protect those public places and places of employment from the image of someone sitting at their desk with something that looks identical to a cigarette and puffing on it," she said."That is a very powerful subliminal message." (Seattle PI)

As the Article in the PI stated:

"One man, who drove from Vancouver, B.C. to testify, said e-cigarettes were the only product that had helped him quit a 40-year smoking habit. The man, who said his name was Gary Addleson, said e-cig users don't consider themselves as "smoking."

 

The goal of ban such as these are to limit people even "seeing" someone fake smoking. Which is in of itself is a fascist act, and attempt to control even your prospective of reality. To think that the government opening decided to ban these fake cigarettes in of itself is disturbing. For those of you that haven't seen them, there electronic cigarettes that give off steam to look as tho your are smoking, while the nicotine is administer through the device, not to indifferent from a nicotine gum or patch. Stories like this remind me a quote from C.S. Lewis. 

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. – C. S. Lewis"

The Cost of Success: Tuition Increases

Currently the Student Freedom Project is undergoing an in depth research and report of where your tuition money and students fee's are spent.  As our governor said after the last election she has no idea how to fix the budget problem we have in our state. One place the law makers normally turn is higher education. The goal of the report is to give students a clear view of where their money is going and what their money really gets them in higher education.

"Desperation in the mother of all invention" and with our economy in the shape it is, it will fall upon our generation to find some of the solutions. We are focusing on the UW and WSU in our research to see what our biggest institutions are doing with the tax payers money and the students. Look for more up to date information on the research on our new higher education tab. If we want to lower our tuition costs we will have to find a creative solution for our states problem. 

Losing touch: The Federal Government vs. The American People

The results are in and federal government has the lowest approval rating in the history of America. In a recent Gallup poll only 14% of American approve of what the government is doing. According to the Rasmussen Reports Poll only 23% think the nation is going in the right direction. This doesn't bod well for our nation, when the highest offices in the land are disagreed with so heavily. Why did the government get so distanced from the American people?  The Right wing and the Left wing are held in equal levels of contempt. It appears that neither side really acts in the benefit of the nation as a whole. The deficit that the right is support to be champing is only growing with votes for new spending projects like the tax package being voted on currently. Pork is being added to bills by those that claimed to be against it. Those that want to help the middle class just put our nation further into the red for a temporary bandage on the economy. It seems that those in office care more about there interest those that elected them. Unless the average Joe finds a way to get his voice heard i don't see this happening anything soon.