http://www.carsonsasser.com Article RSS Feed en-us Symphony (version 2.1.0) http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/government-is-friction/ Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:05 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/government-is-friction/ In this world any kind of motion involves some amount of friction. In designing a mechanical system engineers always strive to eliminate as much friction as they can in order to increase the system's operating efficiency. That's why lubricants were invented and why airplanes and automobiles have evolved toward a smooth, sleek design. As friction is reduced the energy required to get the same amount of work done is reduced. That is, it costs less to get the same amount of work done or more work can be done for the same cost. http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/we-have-too-many-experts/ Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:21 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/we-have-too-many-experts/ I think that one of our problems today is that we have too many experts. Perhaps I should say too many people who either think they are experts or are just generally perceived to be experts. http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/money-is-not-wealth/ Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:57 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/money-is-not-wealth/ Possessing a lot of money doesn't necessarily make you wealthy. Money is just a certificate that you can exchange for goods and services -- if they're available. If no goods and services are available your money is worthless. The acquisition of goods and services builds wealth. You can build wealth by creating the goods and services yourself, trading goods and services you possess for other goods and services or by purchasing them with money, but only the first method applies if no goods or services are available for trade or purchase. http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/the-minimum-wage-and-cotton-pickers/ Wed, 26 May 2010 10:49 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/the-minimum-wage-and-cotton-pickers/ After reading a Walter Williams column on the effect of the minimum wage law on American Samoa, I started thinking about my experience as a cotton picker when I was about 14 years old (I mean manually picking cotton; I was never a machine.). At that time there was no minimum wage law that applied to farm labor and, apparently, no child labor laws. Farmers paid based on level of production rather than by the hour for most farm labor. http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/arizonans-react-to-san-diego-boycott/ Mon, 17 May 2010 10:31 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/arizonans-react-to-san-diego-boycott/ It appears that Arizonans are turning the tables on San Diego. After San Diego imposed a ban on doing business with or official travel to Arizona, citizens of Arizona are canceling their San Diego travel plans. This, of course, is causing some concern in the San Diego tourism industry. A response from San Diego school board President Shelia Jackson, who is sorry people don’t want to come to her city, but still supports her vote to boycott Arizona: http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/lets-use-afghanistan-as-an-entitlement-testbed/ Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:20 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/lets-use-afghanistan-as-an-entitlement-testbed/ The present leaders of our country seem to want to turn us into an entitlement society. They feel that everyone is entitled to food, shelter, clothing, medical care, education, etc. They don't see any connection between the availability of these goods and services and the amount of individual effort expended in producing or acquiring them. It's almost as if they think all these things will magically appear. http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/socially-disadvantaged-farmer-or-rancher/ Sat, 17 Apr 2010 12:08 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/socially-disadvantaged-farmer-or-rancher/ I own a 20 acre tract of farmland that qualifies for various US Department of Agriculture programs. (Yes, I sometimes get paid to grow nothing. Does that make me a welfare recipient? Is growing nothing the same as doing nothing?) Each year they send some papers for me to sign, accompanied by a document that explains the form I'm signing and the rules governing participation in their programs. A definition from the document: http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/even-charity-is-not-always-a-good-thing/ Sat, 17 Apr 2010 10:28 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/even-charity-is-not-always-a-good-thing/ Consider these items from Jeffrey Kacirk's Forgotten English calendar: http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/why-not-give-universal-footwear-a-try/ Sat, 03 Apr 2010 18:20 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/why-not-give-universal-footwear-a-try/ I know it's a little late to be suggesting this since Obamacare is already law. But what we should have done before screwing up one-sixth of the US economy is run an experiment: Let the government set up an agency to manage the design, manufacture, distribution and retailing of all footwear. After about ten years we could have a go at Obamacare using the footwear agency's model, if we find that the government agency has managed to satisfy everyone's wants and needs for footwear without increasing its cost. http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/supporters-of-new-health-care-acts-disingenuous/ Sun, 28 Mar 2010 15:29 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/supporters-of-new-health-care-acts-disingenuous/ When I hear "progressives" lauding the governments' takeover of the health insurance industry they always cite the tear-jerker aspects of the program, such as the supposed guarantee that no child will be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Aside from the absurdity of requiring an insurer to cover a loss that has already occurred, this claim is disingenuous. While a child may not be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition, plenty of children will be denied medical care for other reasons, such as further treatment being deemed futile or due to a shortage of doctors or facilities. http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/obama-signs-a-new-tax-on-the-middle-class-into-law/ Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:26 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/obama-signs-a-new-tax-on-the-middle-class-into-law/ It didn't take President Obama long to break his campaign promise to not raise taxes on people making less than $250,000 per year. The new health-insurance overhaul requires that every American purchase health-insurance. Those who can't afford it will be subsidized by the government. Those who can afford it must purchase it or pay a large fine. You don't think this qualifies as a tax? Well, consider this: The Act puts the Internal Revenue Service in charge of enforcing the requirement. The last time I checked the mission of the IRS was still to collect taxes. http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/progressive-insanity/ Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:25 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/progressive-insanity/ These days the Democrats like to refer to themselves as the "progressive party." That is okay with me, but the question is: In which direction are they progressing? Or, what do they consider to be progress? I'm sure that Hitler, Stalin and Mao thought they were making progress when they converted their countries to tyrannies. Do the Democrats want progress for the people or progress for the ruling class (that is, for themselves)? I'm convinced that it's the latter. http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/is-the-evironmental-impact-of-solar-power-less-than-coal/ Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:23 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/is-the-evironmental-impact-of-solar-power-less-than-coal/ Several months ago I posted an article titled, Relative Negative Effects of Energy Sources. In that article I postulated that the negative effects of various energy sources are about the same on the whole and in the long-term. I said this about the generation of electricity using solar panels: http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/obamacare-an-opportunity-for-a-caribbean-island/ Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:53 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/obamacare-an-opportunity-for-a-caribbean-island/ If the government takes over medical-care in this country there is little doubt that we will eventually have to start looking for alternative sources. The national health services in Britain and Canada are proof of that. I suggested in a previous post that Cuba should seize the opportunity to start exporting medical-care to citizens of the US, since Michael Moore has assured us that Cuba has an excellent medical-care system. http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/obamacare-more-assertions-no-details/ Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:45 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/obamacare-more-assertions-no-details/ President Obama contributed an article yesterday to the New York Times titled, Why We Need Health Care Reform. He failed to explain why. He just repeated the assertions that he has made several times recently in his appearances on television. He opened with this: http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/obamacare-the-path-to-social-security-solvency/ Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:46 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/obamacare-the-path-to-social-security-solvency/ President Obama claims that his Obamacare will reduce the overall cost of medical care. There are lots of detractors, including me, who say that this is impossible without limiting the types and amount of medical care available. But, could he have in mind achieving government cost savings in another way? If Obamacare eventually leads to reductions in the medical care options available to the elderly, their life expectancy will be shortened. This will lead to reduced payouts in Social Security benefits. http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/obamacare-a-nightmare-in-the-making/ Sun, 09 Aug 2009 10:59 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/obamacare-a-nightmare-in-the-making/ It amazes me that there are still people who think that the government can improve their lives over the long-term by creating additional costly bureaucracies. Do you really think medical care is going to be better with the government more involved in supplying or controlling it? Then consider this: Would you prefer a public defender or a private attorney to defend you in a criminal case? http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/specious-arguments-for-national-health-insurance/ Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:06 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/specious-arguments-for-national-health-insurance/ People arguing for a national health insurance plan often state that the United States is the only developed nation without one. They say this as if it is sufficient argument for one. They apparently believe that we should have one just because our peers have one. Never mind the fact that medical care in other developed nations is inferior to ours. Never mind that the vast majority of emigrants choose to move to the United States over the other developed nations; for them, national health insurance doesn't seem to be a strong criterion. http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/who-decides-what-constitutes-a-minority/ Sun, 31 May 2009 12:48 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/who-decides-what-constitutes-a-minority/ The concept of "minorities" in a political sense has always bemused me. Following are my somewhat random thoughts on the subject: http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/obama-lets-placate-the-enemy/ Mon, 25 May 2009 10:23 -0500 http://www.carsonsasser.com/article/obama-lets-placate-the-enemy/ Here's an idea: Let's stop keeping money in banks in order to remove the incentive for people to rob banks. When asked decades ago why he robbed banks Willie Sutton said, "because that's where the money is." So why not just stop keeping money in the banks? Because it's a stupid idea. We don't need banks if we can't put our money there for safe keeping. We need to deter bank robbers by capturing them and dealing with them severely, not by giving in to them.