Month: February 2011

ATF Looking to Lose Some Funding

Some good news has been brought to my attention. Due to the overinflated national debt budget cuts are in the works and everybody’s favorite assholes, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), are one of the targets:

About three weeks before the deadly shootings in Tucson renewed a national debate about gun control, the White House budget office proposed steep cuts for the agency charged with enforcing federal gun laws.

Does this mean the ATF won’t be able to afford these “studies” that determine what kind of shotgun is “sporting” and therefore legal and what kind of shotguns are super-concentrated-evil? I doubt it. I’m sure no matter how little money the ATF receives they’ll still find time in their busy schedules to stomp all over our rights. But it’s nice to see these assholes may not be receiving as much money to do so in the near future.

Health Insurance Company Enrichment Act Ruled Unconstitutional

It seems a federal judge in Florida actually read the Constitution of the United States and thus has ruled the erroneously named Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act unconstitutional:

Judge Roger Vinson ruled that the requirement that Americans purchase health insurance or face penalties violates an individual’s rights.

And there was the main problem with the bill. You no longer had the freedom to choose whether or not you wanted to buy health care, instead you were forced to do business with insurance companies. Due to the way the bill was written this ruling goes against the entire thing not just the mandatory insurance purchase section.

Another thing I found telling was this paragraph:

A federal judge in Florida has declared the US healthcare reform bill passed in 2010 unconstitutional, ruling in a suit brought by 26 states.

Over half (yes only be one) of the states are against this bill. I don’t know about you but I can’t remember the last time over half of the states agreed on anything. Apparently putting a gun to the heads of their citizens and telling them they will buy something didn’t go over as well as our “representatives” thought it would.

This is a good start but you know the decision will be appealed right up to the Supreme Court where we really won’t be able to guess what the ruling will be.

Rand Paul’s Budget Cuts

It looks like Rand Paul may actually live up to some of his campaign promises. He’s put up a plan to cut $500 billion [PDF] from the federal budget.

People are already howling that he’s cutting money from “needed” programs like the Department of Education. Boo hoo I guess they don’t get more 12 gauge shotguns this year.

I do like how the Department of Energy, Housing and Urban Development, and the International Assistance Programs receive zero funding. What I don’t like is the fact that defense spending is only reduced by 6.5%. Likewise instead of reducing the funding for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) by 40% he should have reduced it by 100%. Hell reduce the TSA’s funding by 150% and charge them for some of that porn they were looking at on the job. While you’re at it Rand do you think you could just have the heads of the TSA arrested and put on the terrorist watch list (just for completeness)?