Crazy.

House bill 195 basically says those who buy and sell second hand goods cannot use cash to make those transactions, and it flew so far under the radar most businesses don't even know about it.

"We're gonna lose a lot of business," says Danny Guidry, who owns the Pioneer Trading Post in Lafayette. He deals in buying and selling unique second hand items.

"We don't want this cash transaction to be taken away from us. It's an everyday transaction," Guidry explains.

...

The law states those who buy or sell second hand goods are prohibited from using cash. State representative Rickey Hardy co-authored the bill.

Hardy says, "they give a check or a cashiers money order, or electronic one of those three mechanisms is used."

Hardy says the bill is targeted at criminals who steal anything from copper to televisions, and sell them for a quick buck. Having a paper trail will make it easier for law enforcement.

"It's a mechanism to be used so the police department has something to go on and have a lead," explains Hardy.

Here's the thing: The State could pass a lot of laws to make sure the police always "have a lead" when there is a crime. The State could, if it were permitted to do so, make virtually everything an onerous task involving a digital trail.

Hey, why not mandate that all cars have a chip in them that reports, in real time, the vehicle's position to a central police computer? That would make it easier for the State to prove a case in some situations.

They don't see the problem here? Perfect law enforcement is not the end-goal of the State. Guaranteeing freedom is. And yes, that means that some laws you could possibly pass to make it easier to lock up criminals can't be passed, because you can't burden a thousand people and reduce their liberty to make sure you have a better criminal case against one thief.

This is also a frightening trend which is accelerating in America. Is it too hard to effectively prosecute the law against some real criminal behaviors? Well, okay, we've got a fix for that! We'll just outlaw all the non-criminal behavior which may be used, occasionally, in furtherance of the criminal behavior we're actually trying to stop. Now any criminal will be walking a legal minefield even trying to carry out the most basic formerly non-criminal functions necessary to complete his crime!

Uh, yes, and everyone else too.

ScottJ. sent this tip. Another person in the email chain, GregD., noted this quote attributed to Hitler.

"It is convenient to have a system of laws where everyone is a criminal."

Indeed it is.

Posted by: Ace at 09:21 AM | Comments (269)
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Excellent commentary by Ben Domenech in today's issue of The Transom.

Not that I expect David Frum, think tank of one, to actually read things before commenting on them. But for the past few days it's been amusing to watch his sudden transformation into an energy policy expert (even to the point of clashing on CNN with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who knows a thing or two about Gulf energy, by claiming "You know what Governor Perry proved today is he knows nothing about the energy industry."). http://goo.gl/MYYDJ I have to assume he hasn't read Perry's energy plan and is just taking the talkers Romney's handing without even scanning them, because he continues to harp on the idea that the plan is based solely on the calculations of one Woods Mackenzie study (actually, Romney's is, Perry's isn't) – a claim belied by the actual studies cited within said plan, in a handy thing called footnotes.

Yesterday Frum claimed for the second or third time that problem at the core of Perry's plan is an assumption that his "calculation is premised on some assumptions, of which the most important is $180 / barrel (after inflation) for oil by 2030 and $12 per thousand cubic feet for natural gas." Not only is this an absurd claim on its face (or does David Frum control the laws of supply and demand at whim?), it is easily rebutted by reading the actual studies cited. http://goo.gl/wNCaM

Domenech continues

In late 2009, I had coffee with Frum for the first and last time outside AEI. He made two claims which stick with me – one was that Dodd-Frank wouldn't really hurt business growth, and the other that small businesses would adore Obamacare. I disagreed on both counts, and strongly on the second. He rejected that idea thoroughly. Walking back to the office, his last comment to me was “Just you wait: two years from now, everyone will agree with me.”

Almost two years to the day, the NFIB filed the first petition in the Supreme Court case against Obamacare.

Read the whole thing - it's an ass-whoopin'.

Domenech mentioned that he's thinking of doing a Transom poll for the most overrated journos/writers in NY/DC. We'll be taking nominations in the comments.

Also, if you're not a Transom subscriber yet, you can sign up here, and there's also now a Transom page on Facebook.

Posted by: andy at 07:39 AM | Comments (267)
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Our friend, moronette Dagny, said last week, "The social contract exists so that everyone doesn't have to squat in the dust holding a spear to protect his woman and his meat all day every day. It does not exist so that the government can take your spear, your meat, and your woman because it knows better what to do with them." more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:25 AM | Comments (104)
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Last night on CNN Cain made a hash of a perfectly normal and predictable question about abortion.

It was the answers that got a little weird.

First he says, " I believe that life begins at conception. And abortion under no circumstances."

He confirms that means no rape or incest exceptions.

But then he and Piers Morgan have this exchange.

MORGAN: By expressing the view that you expressed, you are effectively -- you might be president. You can't hide behind now the mask, if you don't mind me saying, of being the pizza guy. You might be the president of United States of America. So your views on these things become exponentially massively more important. They become a directive to the nation.

CAIN: No they don't. I can have an opinion on an issue without it being a directive on the nation. The government shouldn't be trying to tell people everything to do, especially when it comes to social decisions that they need to make.

What does that mean?

Is he saying he personally opposes abortion under any circumstances but wouldn't try and make that government policy?

That's reminiscent of the old Mario Cuomo formulation that Democrats could be personally opposed to abortion but be pro-choice in their political activities.

I can't believe that's what Cain means or that he thinks it could possibly fly in a Republican primary.

Ultimately, he'll walk this back by claiming he has to talk to experts and get all the facts. Maybe he'll go with the "just joking but I really mean it" defense. Failing all of that, he can just go with the old "I misspoke" gambit.

This isn't even really about abortion. It's just more proof that he's not ready for prime time. Not even close.

Via Ben, the video of the exchange. more...

Posted by: DrewM at 05:55 AM | Comments (418)
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Jobless claims come in at 403K. The journos have become sensitive to the "unexpectedly!" mockery they're getting, so now they resort to clumsier phrasings: "just miss expectations".

Insty: "Really? They just mooch and loot? Do tell."

Our standard of living has undergone a long, steep drop during the reign of His Majesty Barack the Just.

Louisiana bans cash transactions for second-hand sales? I don’t see how this would ever stand up in court. “This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private,” and all that.

The Greek rioters have this in common with the Occupy Wall Street hippies here at home: they canÂ’t really explain what they hope to accomplish, or what problems they hope to solve.

Rubio grills Timmah, serves him medium-well with a side of macaroni salad.

The NLRB hiding emails from Rep. Issa’s committee on the Boeing case. Most transparent government EVAH! But then...this is the same administration that made their “transparency in government” meeting a secret.

Yeah, about that “income gap” thing? The biggest gap is...in Washington, D.C.

You know what we need? More inflation! Run those printing-presses until they catch fire, baby!

Inflation is a thing of the past? You might live to eat those words, chum.

No further commentary needed, really.

I guarantee it's going to be a close election because the economy is not where it wants to be and even though I believe all the choices we've made have been the right ones, we're still going through difficult circumstances. That means people who may be sympathetic to my point of view still kind of feel like, yeah, but it still hasn't gotten done yet. This is going to be a close election and a very important one for the American people. The thing I hope the most is that everyone is going to be paying close attention to the debate that takes place because it could determine not just what happens over the next four years, but what'll happen over the next 20 or 30 years.

The disappointment of Generation "O". I don't have much pity for Obama voters. He never made a secret of who he was or what he wanted for the country. Too many people projected their own wishes and desires upon him rather than paying attention to the man himself. They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind.

Teh Krugman's not-so-excellent adventure.

The Eurozone argument now boils down to two philosophical camps: prudence or reckless abandon. I predict that prudence will lose, as it almost always does in situations like this.

The gold standard never dies. (This is the libertarian/Austrian economist Lew Rockwell, not the neo-Nazi George Rockwell, please note. Like Jake Blues, I hate Illinois Nazis.)

ObamaCare racks up more casualties.

EuropeÂ’s real crisis is not financial. Neither is ours, come to that: our problems are social and cultural; our dire finances are a symptom of a deeper illness.

ItÂ’s a little late for the Europeans to start worrying about what does and does not violate the terms of the Maastricht Treaty -- the entire Euro project has been full of cheats, tricks, and lies right from the start. Whenever the terms of the treaty seemed to burdensome, the Eurocrats just cleared their throats and looked the other way.

One of the reasons I spend so much time on the European sovereign debt crisis is that it has some dire implications here at home. Everything is connected in this brave new world.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- running the numbers on their bailouts.

Harry Reid: The people serve the government, not the other way around. (That's really what he's saying if you listen closely.) Thanks for giving this jackwagon another term, Nevada.

The End Times will begin in Costa Mesa, California. Please plan accordingly.

YoungÂ’s assessment was like JesusÂ’s return in the Book of Revelation. There were bowls of blood. Avenging angels. Goat-men. A thing with, like, seven heads and 10 horns.

Posted by: Monty at 05:20 AM | Comments (99)
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Not entirely confirmed but it sounds more and more likely he was either killed or wounded after being captured when his hometown fell to the rebels/interim government.

Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi died of wounds suffered on Thursday as fighters battling to complete an eight-month-old uprising against his rule overran his hometown Sirte, Libya's interim rulers said.

His killing, which came swiftly after his capture near Sirte, is the most dramatic single development in the Arab Spring revolts that have unseated rulers in Egypt and Tunisia and threatened the grip on power of the leaders of Syria and Yemen.

"He (Gaddafi) was also hit in his head," National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters. "There was a lot of firing against his group and he died."

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Justice.

Sergeants Kenneth Ford and James Goins.

And the 243 passengers and crew of Pan Am 103.

Posted by: DrewM at 04:36 AM | Comments (187)
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Never rub another man's rhubarb.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 02:57 AM | Comments (150)
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Hump day, hump day, whatcha gonna do when they come for you....

Snappy Retorts Throughout History

Plus: Famous Quotes That Were Never Said

James Earl Jones (as Darth Vader in 'The Empire Strikes Back' ): 'Luke, I Am Your Father'
Actual Quote: "No, I am your father."

Bible: 'Money Is the Root of All Evil'
Actual Quote: "For the love of money is the root of all evil ..."

Rodney King: 'Can't We All Just Get Along?'
Actual quote: "People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?"

Posted by: Maetenloch at 05:37 PM | Comments (771)
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Anthony Watts at Watt's Up With That picks on the fat kid.

Readers may recall my previous essay where I pointed out how Mr. Gore’s Climate 101 Video, used in his “24 hours of climate reality”, had some serious credibility issues with editing things to make it appear as if they had actually performed the experiment, when they clearly did not.

Some time elapsed, but Watts gathered up the equipment necessary to attempt to replicate Gore's experiment. This is also known as the "scientific method" but, as a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize with the equally fraudulent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it's not surprising Gore doesn't understand this.

In this case, it appears Gore used the IPCC "pal review" system, where the only people allowed to review your work are other Global Warming true believers because shut up.

In this case, Bill Nye the "Science" Guy had the poor luck and bad judgment to team up with ManBearPig.

Below the fold is a brief and non-technical explanation of the fundamental mistake Gore and Nye made. more...

Posted by: andy at 04:45 PM | Comments (82)
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Good evening, everyone. IÂ’m tmi3rd, and I finally have a night off from physics to toss my two cents into the pot. Here goesÂ… and I apologize in advance for the length of this.

So RD Brewer posted the Mitt Romney takedown in the sidebar the other day, and it got me to thinking about compromise, both within our party and with the other side.

For years now, people have defined politics as the art of compromise. By that definition, it’s the only way anything gets done in terms of legislation. This, in turn, led to the platitude we hear tossed around about finding “common ground” with those on the other side of the aisle.

Again, caution... long read ahead...
more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 04:03 PM | Comments (190)
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