08
Dec
2014
Potpourri
==> The econosphere is hotly debating this new paper, which uses a clever “natural experiment” method to conclude that if the government passes a law making something more expensive, then (a) the thing becomes more expensive but (b) people buy less of it.
==> In terms not just of shocking police behavior but then the injustice of the aftermath, this story about a 12-year-old girl definitely should be on the short list.
==> Michael Malice says America’s respect for police is a form of political correctness.
==> The bad news is that Steve Landsburg is much more likely to have a protesting student beat the crap out of him because of his latest blog post on Eric Garner. The goods news is that my earnings will go up.
I think Ron Paul was representing Galveston at this time. Did he speak up about the 12 year-old girl?
Michael’s right though; the police in Russia really do generally look like unprofessional dunderheads who are all too easily impressed by anything foreign.
Meanwhile, in the Good Old Days:
http://books.google.com/books?id=6gNbAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA278&dq=esotericity+%E2%80%94+in+brief,+to+stagger+sophomores+and+other+professors.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=dxKGVLjNCYSjyASNkoHwDQ&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
With regards to policing; these officers have little to no respect for the law and yet expect others to respect them. When they do not get respect, they seek to intimidate through fear, not really understanding there is a difference between respect and fear.
When I lived in the south many years ago, there was a sheriff who drove around with his radar on. If he caught one of his deputies speeding and they were not responding to a call, he cited them. He believed that if they did not behave with respect toward the law and conduct themselves in a superior manner earning respect would be difficult and others would have little respect for the law and its enforcers.
I now live in a county where the officers speed wantonly, drink and drive, and give their friends free passes when they are caught in the wrong. There is virtually no respect for the officers here.
Likewise, when I was in the Marine Corps, officers who did not hold themselves to the highest standards had difficulty holding their men to any standard. These were also the units more likely to violate the ROE. Quality leadership is essential. Most law enforcement agencies are choked full with employees with a typical government service mentality.
Aristotle felt that to achieve a high moral standard we needed to continually practice and hold ourselves to high ethical standards. He used the analogy of an athlete preparing for an event. He was right; unless we constantly drill ourselves in right behavior we will be more likely to act wrongly when pressed. For most law officers the standards are low and the consequences minimal.
Exactly right.
What do you think about elected sheriffs, vs non-elected?
Usually, elected sheriffs are better, but of course, not always. It depends more on the community doing the electing. I have seen some real toilets elect just awful people to act as sheriff usually due to race or ethnicity. .
I’ve only lived in a couple of places with an appointed sheriff, but the local government was rather conservative and had selected a decent sheriff. The appointed acting marshals on Appaloosa did a bang up job though they did engage in a bit of police brutality.
What’s your take on it?
Eric Garner was guilty of the highest crime of all, a crime against the State- a completely victimless crime. When there are so many laws like this on the books, that it makes the occasion for a confrontation much more likely.
Know who else called this:
This Time Is The Same: Like The Housing Bubble, The Fed Is Ignoring The Shale Bubble In Plain Sight
http://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/12/david-stockman/the-shale-bubble-is-worse-than-the-housing-bubble/
THIS guy:
😀
http://consultingbyrpm.com/blog/2014/04/george-clooney-doesnt-know-how-to-hedge-his-portfolio.html#comment-473353