Month: July 2011

Privatizing Everything

I’m sure it’s obvious to anybody who’s read this site for any length of time that I believe in privatizing everything. As you’re likely away I’m also fairly vocal about my beliefs, Hell I have a shirt that says this. Being vocal about one’s beliefs leads to discussions and many of those discussions are with people who don’t agree with you. I greatly enjoy civil discussions with those who don’t agree with myself because it forces me to look at my beliefs and hopefully forces the other person to look at their beliefs.

When talking about privatization the first argument always made against it relates to logistics. I’m going to use the example of city water. Many cities, including Minneapolis, require people living within it’s territory to purchase water from a monopoly source. No competition exists in Minneapolis, or most other cities, for water provision because these cities often grant a legal monopoly to a single company or themselves. I would love to eliminate these monopolies and allow for competition in this era to flourish.

This counter argument to this is that you can only lay so much pipe and thus it’s impossible for any competition to crop up. Those claiming that competition in this arena is impossible usually spout something about “natural monopolies.” The inability to see a possibility for competition is actually an inability to think outside of currently established norms. When a free market is allowed to exist competition is guaranteed because there is always money to be made when a monopoly exists. Monopolies are generally large and inflexible beasts which opens the market for more efficient operators. This means new solutions will come up that few have likely even thought about.

There are several options available in the market of providing water. Let’s first discuss pipes. As it stands cities usually claim ownership on all water pipes running through its territory (even the water pipes on your own property although they often make you pay for them outside of just taxation). In a free market either the property owners would own the pipes crossing their territory or there would be several companies that owned spans of pipes. This is similar to Internet cabling, a handful of companies own the main cables. The thing is the companies that own the cables also want to make money off of those cables. The motive of profit leads them to license the usage of those cables to other companies withing to provide Internet services to their customers.

One possibility in the free market of providing water would be pipe owners making money by licensing the usage of their pipes to water providers. That way one company can spend its time creating pipe infrastructure while another can worry about the logistics of providing clean drinking water to customers. Such a scenario would be a great example of division of labor which is ultimately the whole point behind economics.

The building and licensing of pipes isn’t the only option to get water from one location to customer homes. It’s very likely that many peoples’ homes would sit above a well and thus those people would simply pay to have a well drilled and plumbing hooked up (this is what most people in rural areas do). But let us assume a piece of property was sitting over an area with no well access and no pipe infrastructure. If you live in a rural area you’ve likely noticed that many homes are heated using furnace fuel. Long pipes aren’t running through rural areas that get furnace fuel from one location to the farmers’ homes, the fuel is delivered by trucks.

There is no logistical reason why those living in areas that lack a well and have no piping infrastructure can’t use trucks (or trains, or any other means of transportation) to move water from a source to a holding tank. This option would actually be easier in many cases then running endless miles of pipes from a reservoir to rural areas. Such an option would also likely involve people catching rainwater to store in their water tank which would be another aspect to take into consideration.

These are two potential solutions to a problem that likely has many more. The beauty of the free market is that it allows for experimentation to find the most efficient solutions to various problems. The government seems to believe only in one size fits all solutions which is a symptom of being a monopoly. We can’t even imagine some of the innovative way services would be provided in a market free of government tyranny. A statist can argue that a natural monopoly exists in the provisions of certain services, but only if you are unwilling to realize other solutions exist to providing those services. Just a little thinking outside of the box will allow you to realize natural monopolies don’t exist. People are innovative and using that innovation to provide services better than a current provider is likely to lead to profits which is as noble a motivator as any.

United States Claims Jurisdiction Over All .com and .net Domains

What good is authority if you can’t just wantonly expand it? The United States Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has claimed that they have jurisdiction over all .com and .net domains:

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency believes it has the authority to shut down any and all .com and .net websites that run afoul of copyright law, even if the site’s servers are hosted overseas.

[…]

Perhaps it has. The reason ICE feels its authority extends to any .com and .net domain overseas is because they’re all routed through Verisign, a registry service based in Virginia. As far as Barnett is concerned, that alone gives ICE the right extradite foreign site owners to the U.S. on piracy charges.

I hereby call bullshit on this. Although all traffic from those top level domains does route through Verisign the actual domain name is owned by the purchaser. For example I am the owner of christopherburg.com (although I use privacy protection to ensure my personal information doesn’t come up with a whois command). As a resident of the United States the federal government could attempt to lay claim that they have jurisdiction over my domain (if they claim that I’ll just laugh and give them the finger). On the other hand if the owner of a domain lives in Canada the United States government has no legitimate claim to the domain because it’s the property of a Canadian citizen.

Of course the United States government, like all governments, doesn’t give two shits about what is and isn’t “legal” for them. They make the rules and thus get to decide what is and isn’t legal. If they wish to perform a warrantless raid on a home you can damned well assure yourself that they will find some “legal” means of doing it (probably under anti-terrorism laws).

In this case ICE’s justification for claiming their actions are legal eliminates the concept of property rights.

New Bullet Promises Equal Under and Above Water Performance

The Firearm Blog points out something that is just wickedly cool:

The DSG Technology ammunition type DR is going to focus on in this article is DSG Multi-Environment Ammunition (MEA) Series Supercavitating Rifle Ammunition (underwater rifle ammo) round, that’s going to be an absolute game-changer for naval and Special Operations waterborne ops of various types, including, but not necessarily limited to, diver protection (defensive) and enemy diver neutralization (offensive) applications, VBSS/MIO (Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure/Maritime Interception Operations) and GOPLATS (Gasoline and Oil Platforms) boarding operations, speedboat interdiction and neutralization, anti-submarine warfare, anti-torpedo operations, and anti-piracy ops.

With DSG Technology’s MEA Supercavitating Rifle Ammo, you can fire at an underwater enemy target from above the water, an above-the-water enemy target from below the surface, or at an underwater target while you are also underwater.

The that the bullet works properly underwater is amazing in of itself, but that it works equally well above and below water is a rather spectacular feat of engineering. Not only does the bullet work above and below water but it’s capable of being fired into the water at very low angles:

The kicker is that DSG MEA supercavitating ammo also has a unique low-angle capability, allowing an operator/shooter to fire the ammo from above the surface into the water at a very low angle of attack, as low as two degrees in choppy water and 7 degrees into glass-smooth water without ricochet. After entering the water, the bullet will continue its true line of flight. There’s no bullet deflection whatsoever, so the operator only need deal with the aforementioned optical refraction of the water.

I’m not going to lie, if this bullet works as advertised it’s going to be freaking amazing. The limited factor of this technology would certainly be the launching platform as few firearms are built to operate reliably underwater (although some are). But as with any advancement in technology other devices will need to play catch up for a while.

Wisconsin to Get Legal Concealed Carry in Soon

It seems Governor Walker is set to sign Wisconsin’s carry bill in two days:

Gov. Scott Walker plans to sign a bill allowing Wisconsin residents to carry concealed weapons next week. Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie says Walker will sign the measure at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, July 8, at the Grand Lodge Hotel in Wausau. The bill would take effect on Nov. 1.

I’m glad that the bill will take effect shortly after being passed. This means, given proper reciprocity recognition, I should be able to carry my firearm for the Christmas get togethers I attend in La Crosse.

And These Are the People Charged with Protecting the People

When you have scumbags like this “protecting” people who needs criminals:

Any residents of St. Helena Parish caught riding around the parish with assault weapons will be arrested, Sheriff Nat Williams warned Tuesday.

“As far as them riding around with an assault rifle, it will not be tolerated,” he said. “Somebody with an assault weapon is no different from a criminal and will be treated the same way.”

Did you get that? If you carry an “assault” weapon you’re no better than a person who breaks into somebody’s home and steals all of their stuff. See Sheriff Douche Bag is a bit peeved because he’s facing competition in the intimidation field:

Some residents of the parish’s 6th Ward, angered by a rash of recent break-ins, have conducted informal patrols, sometimes while armed with AR-15 semiautomatic rifles, the civilian version of the U.S. military’s M-16.

Since the police haven’t been capable of reducing crime to the satisfaction of the people a different solution was enacted. Namely a group of people have decided to perform their own patrols and smartly decide to arm themselves. Of course the government likes to maintain its monopoly on violence and are none to happy with the idea of little serfs walking around trying to keep their neighborhood safe:

Williams and other officials met with leaders of the ward’s newly formed Community Watch on Tuesday morning to let them know that those doing the patrolling did not need to be heavily armed.

If that’s the case then why do the police need to be heavily armed? These people aren’t walking around because they wish to enjoy the fine evening air, they’re walking around because the crime has increased to a point that they believe something needs to be done. As these people are performing the duty of police officers (because it seems the police can’t do it) they could potentially face the same situations as police officers, that is some criminal scumbags attacking during the patrols.

The police always claim they need better weaponry because they’re outgunned by the criminals. The people patrolling the afflicted area are simply taking what the police have learned over the years and making sure the same mistakes aren’t repeated.

Sheriff Williams is nothing but incompetent authoritarian scum. The inadequacies of his department lead private individuals to work together in common defense (a great thing). Being an authoritarian though Mr. Williams is angry that somebody else is walking the streets in an attempt to reduce crime. I’m sure Mr. Williams sees the very act of people outside of his department trying to reduce crime as a lack of respect for his authority and feels it must be stopped at all costs. Well fuck that guy.

If people are attempting to correct the department’s inadequacies then they should be allowed to protect themselves equipment equal to what the police have. Hell since the people paid for the polices’ weapons those going out on patrol should be able to checkout defensive weapons from the police station itself.

I’d also like to throw out some major dibs to the author of this story for the following paragraphs:

Both the M-16 and the AK-47 rifles are capable of full automatic and semiautomatic fire, but special licenses are required to possess fully automatic firearms in the U.S.

True assault rifles are capable of being operated in fully automatic and semiautomatic modes, at the user’s option. They are designed for, and used by, military forces, but they also are used by some law enforcement agencies.

Thank you for being a moral author instead of one that makes false claims that people are walking around with machine guns. You are a good man Faimon A. Roberts, author of this article. I hope others can learn to follow your example when writing firearm related stories.

Should We Fear Global Cooling Now

Global warming is the single largest threat to the human race! It’s going to kill us all! Won’t somebody use a monopoly on the initiation of force to make polluters stop before the turn the Earth into a second sun? Wait… what’s that? There is a new study that is talking about the cooling affect of Asia’s pollution? Well what the Hell? Obviously somebody is wrong somewhere:

The paper raised the prospect of more rapid, pent-up climate change when emerging economies eventually crack down on pollution.

World temperatures did not rise from 1998 to 2008, while manmade emissions of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuel grew by nearly a third, various data show.

The researchers from Boston and Harvard Universities and Finland’s University of Turku said pollution, and specifically sulphur emissions, from coal-fueled growth in Asia was responsible for the cooling effect.

Can’t you people make up your minds? When I started school I remember hearing how the next ice age was imminent and it was implied the human race would be devastated. After a while the problem became acid rain which was going to eat us all alive in five years if we dared to step outside. Then it became global warming climate change global climate disruption. Now we’re going back to the threat of a new ice age again? Seriously can you prophets of doom and disaster please make up your fucking minds on what apocalyptic scenario we’re going to be facing during the end times?

How about this for a wake up call? We don’t understand our planet well enough to know what is and isn’t normal. This doesn’t apply only to weather but to every aspect of our planet’s ecosystem. On top of that anthropomorphizing these end of times scenarios speaks most to our overly inflated egos. We claim the human race is responsible for everything yet lack any solid scientific evidence that demonstrates most of these claims. I’m waiting for the day when research has demonstrated that there is a 99% chance that aliens exist because they are using a global heat increasing decreasing death ray to wipe us all out.

Before we start demanding the government use violence for force people to reduce specific types of pollutants maybe we should first ensure we have a proper understanding of what is going on.

Let me also bring up a final note before some asshole comments about how I’m not properly understanding the story and its implications. Much of my writing is semi-satirical and over-exaggerated on purpose. I realize many of the statements I make are over-simplifications but that’s not from my lack of understanding research papers and articles but because I’m trying to make a specific point. In this case that point is the science is still undecided when it comes to human involvement in climate yet people are asking governments to use violence to force people to reduce the output of specific chemicals.

This article has little to do with the topic of climate-whatever-the-fuck-you-want-to-call-it itself. If you want that type of content read Borepatch as he often posts very good articles involving that topic. There I just saved you a ton of typing you were about to do because you felt somebody was wrong on the Internet. Feel free to post a thank you for reducing the amount you needed to type though.

Nanny State Still Thinks She Knows What’s Best

The nanny state never ceases to amaze me. When it comes to shitting all over your rights in the crusade to save yourself from yourself some states simply go above and beyond anything sane or rational. Iceland is now considering make cigarettes available by prescription only:

Iceland is considering banning the sale of cigarettes and making them a prescription-only product.

The parliament in Reykjavik is to debate a proposal that would outlaw the sale of cigarettes in normal shops. Only pharmacies would be allowed to dispense them – initially to those aged 20 and up, and eventually only to those with a valid medical certificate.

The radical initiative is part of a 10-year plan that also aims to ban smoking in all public places, including pavements and parks, and in cars where children are present. Iceland also wants to follow Australia’s lead by forcing tobacco manufacturers to sell cigarettes in plain, brown packaging plastered with health warnings rather than branding.

This will obviously obliterate the habit of smoking because nobody has been able to obtain prescription only drugs without a prescription… wait that’s the exact opposite of reality. Making something prescription only hasn’t prevented people from obtaining those things. All making something prescription only does is build the framework for a black market.

The other thing to note is the simple fact this law violates peoples’ rights as self-owners. As the owner of yourself you should have a monopoly on deciding what does and does not go into your body. If you want to smoke cigarettes then you should be allowed to, if you want to smoke marijuana no barrier should be placed in your way, if you want to shoot up heroine then you should have that right. I say this as a man who’s never smoked or shot up anything in his life, in fact I don’t like being around people who are smoking as I find the smell unpleasant. But what you put into your body is your damned business, not the government’s.

The prohibition against specific drugs in this country has done nothing to curb the usage of those drugs but has done a lot to create an environment of violence, both from the state trying to prohibition drug usage and the drug cartels who are fighting the state drug enforcement agents. Prohibitions only end up costing tons of money to accomplish nothing besides generating a body count. Making the use of specific substances illegal also prevent people wanting to kick their addition from doing so because they know that they’ll likely end up in a cage when they go to the doctor for help. Nothing good comes from prohibition but much evil does. Why any country continues to think outlawing substances will be a fix to whatever problems they have is beyond my understanding.

The Police Will Not Protect You

Those of us who advocate self-defense say it time and time again, the police won’t protect you. Not only has the Supreme Court ruled multiple times that the police have no duty to protect you but often time when called the police either show up well after the crime has completed, and that’s if they show up at all. The people of Alto, Texas are getting a real taste of this fact since the city laid off it’s entire police force:

Alto, Texas is preparing for a crime wave, after the small East Texas town put its entire police force on furlough, the Wall Street Journal reports today.

In an effort to save money, the city has laid off its police chief and four police officers for six months — longer if Alto’s finances don’t improve.

OK, it’s not quite as serious as it sounds because a nearby sheriff’s department is going to take over:

In the meantime, the county sheriff’s department will take over law enforcement duties for the town of 1,200, according to the AP. The sheriff’s department is already responsible for policing the nearby city of Wells, which laid off its sole police officer last year.

This still means that the town is going to have longer police response times since the sheriff’s department are likely spread thin already. Either way this is another classic example of why you should have a means of defense around your home (and on your person if possible). Not only are the police not required to assist you but they may go away on a whim because some town can’t balance its budget.

Having a firearm around the home is a good idea plain and simple.

It Appears St. Paul Police are Little Girls

I found a news story that demonstrates how girly St. Paul police must be:

The department is switching from .40-caliber Glocks to a choice of 9mm Glocks or Smith & Wessons.

Police Sgt. Cory Tell says the department’s current firearms aren’t necessarily outdated, but police want to make sure they’re using the most reliable equipment possible.

He says 9mm guns are easier to control than .40-caliber Glocks because they don’t have as much recoil.

I guess they’ll never be able to handle the manliness that is the .45 Auto. OK on a serious basis (if you’re a cop in St. Paul note that I wasn’t being serious when I said your department is girly) I can see justification for this move. Police receive inadequate firearms training, albeit very expensive inadequate training:

The guns, plus training, cost $137,000. The nonprofit St. Paul Police Foundation has raised about $80,000 toward the cost, and the department will get some money for trading in its old guns.

That’s a lot of money. Either way with less than adequate training I could see a 9mm being a better choice because the .40 does have pretty snappy recoil behind it. Personally though I think I would have taken the money going towards new firearms and used it to hire a good instructor and get the police department up to snuff with their current equipment. Changing out guns isn’t the only thing that will need to be done as ammunition and magazines will differ as well.