"Why Marxism?" An Evening at FEE with C. Bradley Thompson

The video above is a lecture by C. Bradley Thompson of the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism.

Hat Tip: Trevor Loudon


Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism

The Lecturer

C. Bradley Thompson is the BB&T Research Professor at Clemson University and the Executive Director of the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism. He has also been a visiting fellow at Princeton and Harvard universities and at the University of London.

Professor Thompson is the author of the prize-winning book John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty. He has also edited The Revolutionary Writings of John Adams, Antislavery Political Writings, 1833-1860: A Reader and was an associate editor of the four-volume Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment. His current book project is on “The Ideological Origins of American Constitutionalism.”

Dr. Thompson is also an occasional writer for The Times Literary Supplement of London. He has lectured around the country on education reform and the American Revolution, and his op-ed essays have appeared in scores of newspapers around the country and abroad. Dr. Thompson's lectures on the political thought of John Adams have twice appeared on C-SPAN television.

For more information on why Marxism is so evil: (Occupiers should read this to learn why their movement, if successful, would lead to the deaths of millions of Americans)

Why Socialism, Communism and Marxism Don’t Work and Never Will

Why Marxism Always Fails

How Many People Did Communism Kill?

Read More

US Senator Jay Rockefeller Wants You to Stop Looking Over His Shoulder

Among the things that I can agree with Senator Rockefeller on, is that the cost of subscribing to Cable and Satellite TV have gone through the roof, and that Cable and Satellite providers are not fair when it comes to carriage of retransmissions of local and independent TV Stations. 


Among the areas that I disagree with him is his belief that the government should be involved in fixing the problems by force and the idea that the government can mandate quality TV programming. Just how does he imagine that he can do that? 


Some people consider Wrestling as quality entertainment. I hate it and think that the people who like it are mentally deficient and emotionally broken people. I also belief that this is a free country (or was, the last time I looked) and if people ant to rot their brains by watching crap, that is the right. I simply don't watch it. 


I'm sure that there are people who think that the things I like to watch is crap. They don't have the right to try to tell me what I can and cannot watch anymore than I can them, or an uppity US Senator from West Virginia named Jay Rockefeller does. The difference is that the US Senator happens to have a bully pulpit and some measure of power to get things done. 


anyway, here is the video that started this whole rant, and a more complete copy and transcript is below that. 


I think that the biggest part of our problem is that people want their news delivered in sound bites rather than in more complete portions. This is a pet peeve of mine, and a big reason that when I cover the meetings of the local governing bodies in Macon County, that I do it as completely as I can. I try my best not to misrepresent what a local politician says, even if I can get political mileage out of it, in the interest of providing a more complete record of what they've said and done. 


I happen to think that it is a crime that most news programs are only 30 minutes in length, and most news stories are very incomplete snapshots that last, at most, two or three minutes. That is the real travesty.







I can't get my head around what he really wants just by this very short sound bite of his comments. I certainly sounds like that he doesn't want people to be engaged in paying attention to what our supposed servants in the government are doing. It sounds like he doesn't want us looking over his shoulder, and he would be willing to shut down news stations in order to do that.


I looked around to try and find a more complete video of his comments. I found his opening remarks at the Senate Commerce website, and here they are...along with a transcript of what he said, and you can judge for yourself what his intentions are:







Here is a transcript of the remarks:


Television is a powerful force. But I believe the system we have for developing television content, packaging that content, and distributing it to consumers is broken. It may serve companies well. But it does not serve us well as consumers. And I believe it serves us even less well as citizens. Let me explain why.


When it comes to developing content, our entertainment machine is too often in a race to the bottom. Even worse, our news media has all but surrendered to the forces of entertainment. Instead of a watchdog that is a check on the excesses of government and business, we have the endless barking of a 24-hour news cycle. We have journalism that is always ravenous for the next rumor, but insufficiently hungry for the facts that can nourish our democracy. As citizens, we are paying a price.


When it comes to packaging content, why do consumers have to order so many channels? Why do we have to pay for so many when our households watch so few? The old adage of 500 channels and nothing on has never been so true as it is today.


When it comes to delivering content, why do we pay so much? The Federal Communications Commission tells us that from 1995 to 2008 the average monthly price of popular cable service increased more than three times the rate of inflation. No wonder consumers are cutting the pay television cord in record numbers. They are turning back to over-the-air television and turning on to programming over the Internet. They are tired of paying rates that go up so much every single year.


In our hearing today, we do not get at the root of these problems. That is a broader discussion that we need to have. Indeed, it is a conversation that we owe to the citizens of this country. But today’s hearing is important and timely because we make a good faith effort to address one of the symptoms of these broader concerns. We will talk about retransmission consent.


This is a policy that allows local broadcasters to negotiate with cable and satellite companies for carriage of their local stations. When it works, consumers see their local broadcast stations on their cable and satellite systems. But when it fails, consumers are saddled with dark screens and denied access to local news and sports programming. This is what happened to millions of television viewers in New York who turned on their sets to watch the World Series—but were stuck without service.


So let me caution our witnesses today: if you fail to fix this situation, we will fix it for you. But when we do, we will seek to do more than referee your corporate disputes. Because more than just retransmission consent ails our television markets. We need new catalysts for quality news and entertainment programming. We need slimmed down channel packages that better respect what we really want to watch. And we need to find ways to provide greater value for television viewers at a lower cost. Because people are tired of always escalating rates.


Thank you to our witnesses for being here today. In closing, let me also say that I appreciate the interest Senator Kerry has shown regarding retransmission consent. I thank him for his willingness to lead this hearing today.

Read More

Challenging Net Neutrality: FCC on Path to Most Dangerous Expansion of Federal Power Since Civil War

Video Hat Tip: Political Pistachio, from whom I've swiped the video. Also, be sure to check out his radio show on Blog Talk Radio.


More from Ryan Radia:

Reclassifying the transmission component of broadband Internet access as a Title II telecommunications service would undermine the Commission’s statutory mission and harm consumers in several ways. First, it would discourage private investment in both broadband Internet networks and in networks yet to be imagined. Second, it would thwart the natural evolution of the dynamic telecommunications marketplace. Third, it would pave the way for a future Commission to regulate virtually every aspect of the Internet and digital communications in destructive and unforeseen ways.


It is no coincidence that America's most vibrant communications platform, the Internet, has evolved largely free from regulatory intervention. As this proceeding illustrates, the greatest threat to the evolution of communications wealth in the United States comes not from broadband providers or content companies, but from the Commission itself.

Download the full PDF of the statement.


More here:

To be sure, the virtues that neutrality proponents espouse– open access, transparency, democracy, and the like — are all legitimate, even important values. Arguably, the open nature of the Internet has been instrumental in fostering many of the innovations that consumers enjoy today. But it is wrong to assume, as neutrality proponents do, that today’s “capital-I” Internet is the end all, be all network, and that the future of global communications ought not include some proprietary elements.


Technological innovation is an unpredictable beast. Networks for transmitting data that have yet to emerge — so-called “splinternets” — may well reshape the nature of global communications in years ahead. One need only look to the FCC’s widely criticized telephone and cable regulations to witness how rigid federal mandates can thwart high-tech evolution and steer the market in unnatural directions.


Fortunately, not all hope is lost for consumers. A group of Republican Senators, led by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), have announced that they will lead a charge in Congress to thwart the FCC’s push for neutrality. And if the FCC bites off more than it can chew and enacts overly broad rules, network providers may well challenge the agency in court. Only two weeks ago, the FCC was sharply repudiated by a federal circuit court for ignoring the facts in its regulation of the cable industry.


If net neutrality ultimately goes through, the threat to infrastructure wealth creation is serious. When regulators gain new powers, they rarely cede them in response to marketplace changes without a fight. Under a neutrality regime, the telecom industry would likely retreat, take fewer risks, and divert investment toward more fruitful pursuits. It’s no coincidence that the Internet, a sanctuary of governmental restraint, has spawned such unparalleled innovation. In the relentlessly fast-moving digital age, regulatory intervention is a recipe for entrenching the status-quo.

Read the complete article at The Technology Liberation Front


For more information, click on the links below:


FCC on Path to Most Dangerous Expansion of Federal Power Since Civil War (PDF Download)

Net Neutrality, Banned Business Models & Price Controls

Commentary

I think this goes hand-in-hand with the desire of the Obama crowd to seek a kill switch for the danger that the vast Free Market of the Internet represents to the Progressive designs to re-shape America in their own image.

Read More

"The most redeeming feature of capitalism is failure" -Kevin Duffy

Graphic courtesy Free Speech Stickers

From an interview in Barron's:

Barron’s: You’ve said that perhaps the most redeeming feature of capitalism is failure. Please explain.

Duffy: Any healthy system needs a way to correct error and remove waste. Nature has extinction, the economy has loss, bankruptcy, liquidation. Interfering in this process lengthens feedback loops. Error and waste are allowed to accumulate, and you ultimately get a massive collapse.

Capitalism is primarily attacked by two groups: utopians who wish to impose a more “compassionate” system, and political capitalists who want to enjoy the fruits of success without bearing the pain of failure. They use the coercion of the state to gain privileges, at the expense of everyone else.

and

Barrons: What about the argument that a financial panic would have ensued and crushed the little guy?

Duffy: The little guy actually has been crushed. Nobody is asking where this money is coming from. And the money has to essentially flow into the political economy at the expense of the real economy. The little guy is always going to be the last one in the soup line. So he will get a bone tossed to him, like cash for clunkers. But if you are Goldman Sachs or if you have got essentially the red bat-phone to Washington, D.C., you are first in line.

Source: Barron's

Hat Tip: Chicago Boyz

Commentary

It is my opinion that some people know EXACTLY what they are doing. Their goal is to collapse our system, to make it so undesirable that we will take their offer of an alternate system as the answer to ease our suffering. If you want to know more, read about Revolutionary Defeatism or the Cloward-Piven Strategy...which are both essentially the same thing. The first article gives you more detail on the background and psychological motivators of the socialists seeking to destroy Western Civilization.

Read More

State Policy Network Annual Meeting Livestreaming November 2nd-4th

Can’t make the trip to Asheville next week for the State Policy Network 17th Annual Meeting? Then join us from the comfort of your computer on NewMediaTV.org for live streaming of key note speakers, policy sessions and technology training.


NewMediaTV.org is excited to announce that we will stream many sessions for the SPN Annual Meeting this year between November 2-4.


Monday, November 2


9:00am-9:30am Podcasting 101 with Cindy Cerquitella, Atlas Economic Research Foundation


9:45am-10:15am How to Plan Your Small Video Project with Pete Eyre, Motorhome Diaries


10:30am-11:15am WIKI 101 with Kristin McMurray, Sam Adams Alliance


11:15am-12:00pm Basic web management – what to do if you’re not a tech person with Michael Toguchi, eResources


12:00pm Previously recorded: Robert A. Levy, Chairman, Cato Institute


2:00pm-3:00pm About Solutions: A Roadmap to State Budget Reforms with Leonard Gilroy, Director of 
Government Reform, Reason Foundation


3:00pm-3:45pm Video Recording with Jason Talley, Motorhome Diaries


4:00pm-5:00pm Social Networking 101 with Adam Mueller, Motorhome Diaries




Check out New Media TV for the full schedule and more information. I've also placed a player on Conservative Thunder.


This is the first that I've heard of the State Policy Network, so this should be interesting.

Read More

Guerrillas in Asheville, NC How to Hang Posters

A cute little video I found on you tube about a two week poster hanging campaign for Grupo Fantasma by a guerrilla marketing effort called Guerrilla Street Team:

Read More

Stock Market Update For Nov 17th

Scott Shannon's Blog

His Book

At least the media have quit plastering panicky headlines about the market since their guy won...their mission having been accomplished.

Read More

Pat McCrory--"Fighting for Jobs in North Carolina"

Here is another speech excerpt from Pat McCrory in Franklin on Saturday night.

Read More

Lefties and Legacy Media Lie About Drop In Dow Jones Industrial Average

Don't believe it when lefties and their friends in the Legacy Media say the Dow dropped over 700 points after the socialist bailout bill failed to pass. They are lying, or repeating a lie they have been told, but didn't have a scintilla of intelligence to check it out for themselves.


Here is the Dow Jones Industrial Average chart for yesterday's price action.

You will note that the big drop occurred after Nancy Pelosi's speech and BEFORE the vote. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was already down about 500 points by the time the 110th Congress conducted it's Roll Call #674 after 2 pm.

Astute observers will note a brief rally after the roll call vote.

Remember that people in the Legacy Media are invested in portraying the actions of Republicans in a negative light and think nothing of lying to do it. Their lapdogs and political fellow travellers in the lefty and progressive blogosphere will gladly repeat the lie...if for no other reason than it fits their template.

Fact checking never enters into the equation for them.

Shame on you, Errington Thompson, and shame on you, Raleigh News & Observer...you are being singled out as the Lefty Liars of the Day.

For an intelligent analysis of the markets based on price action without emotion and political bias:



This guy has a blog, and he is back from vacation.

Take the time to listen to what the guy says.

Read More

John Batchelor Show For Sept 21st

It's Sunday night, and that means it's time for John Batchelor!



Here is his website.


And here is where you can listen to the show live online:

New York, WABC-AM 770 7-10PM ET;

Washington DC, WMAL-AM 630 7-9PM ET;

San Francisco, KSFO-AM 560;

Los Angeles, KFI-AM 640;

Schedule for Tonight:


First Three Hours

Last Three Hours




Enjoy!

Read More

National Bank Means The End of the Free Market System

Today is Day 6 of the “New Trade”: the death and rebirth of the financial system as we know it. Every single day this week has brought things that no one working today has ever seen before. Yesterday was no exception

It was a day of unprecedented volatility in the credit and money markets. The prices of short-duration Treasury securities traversed ranges that are usually seen across entire interest-rate cycles. In a single day.

The stock market, which started the day about 900 points below its level of a mere week ago and kept falling, suddenly turned euphoric and rocketed about 600 points from the low that it reached at 1pm EDT.

What happened to change the mood? Henry Paulson announced that he and Ben Bernanke are planning to construct a government entity that will take ownership of much of the “bad paper,” or distressed securities, from Wall Street.

In essence, they’re planning to save the free market system by killing it.

It was just what battered, exhausted, shell-shocked and weary traders wanted to hear.

Let me tell you a few things about it…

Source: Red State (read the whole thing)

Commentary

Well, I guess the Ron Paul Supporters are getting what they wanted...a Government Bank.

Say goodbye to the Free Market. If I was the getting drunk type...I would go and get rip-roaring drunk over this deadly blow to Capitalism. The government will now take away the freedom to fail, and disrupt the market so that the true value of these investments cannot be known...just as they have the health care system, education system and the job market.

Read More

Rasmussen Prediction Markets For Sept 13th

The idea behind political prediction markets is simple. Lots of people wager on the outcome of political campaigns: Who's going to be the Democratic presidential nominee? Will the Republicans take back the House? And when the votes are counted, the winning bettors collect. The thrill of prediction markets for political junkies is that they harness "the wisdom of crowds." A single person's bet on an election outcome isn't very good, but thousands of bets, with real stakes, are more likely to predict the correct result than even the best pundit.

Here are the mid-morning numbers on the events I am tracking with the first number the bid price, and the second the asking price:

Presidential Race

52.9/53.0 John McCain Win

45.9/46.0 Barack Obama Win

North Carolina Electoral College Votes

81.0/89.5 Republican Win
14.0/19.5 Democrat Win

North Carolina Senate Race

65.0/67.0 Dole Win
35.1/40.0 Hagan Win

You can find out more at Rasmussen Markets.

Read More

Intrade Now Favors McCain Win

For the first time, the pay-to-play markets are suggesting John McCain will come away the winner in November. The bid/ask spread is now 52.9/53.0 McCain, versus 46.1/47.9 for Obama.

Source: Mountain Shout

Read More

Price of Gold Down 20% In 6 Weeks

Chart Courtesy Kitco

I thought it would be fun to point out to all the Paultards out there that Gold has fallen 20% over the past 6 weeks, and to express my hope that many of you bought it at (or near) the peak price. I can't help but smile when I see that price bubble bust. The people who bought into the whole Gold craze were betting against America, and people who bet against America ultimately fail.

Also, according to Technical Analysis...Gold is right now in the place predicted by the Head and Shoulders pattern that took from December 2007 to April 2008 to complete that indicated a great potential for the price to fall by a certain amount, and it has done so. Now, the price is at the point where it is testing for support, and if that fails...we can expect Gold to continue falling toward the $720 or even the $620 an ounce mark over a period of time.

Just thought that I'd let you guys know, and to go on the record. Gold is testing the $800 level for support, and I expect that to continue for a few weeks unless we and/or Israel strike Iran in that time period. After the dust settles, I expect the dollar will come back stronger and Gold will return to it's downward trend.

More from The Globe and Mail:

LONDON — Gold fell more than 2 per cent on Wednesday, dropping back beneath
$800 (U.S.) an ounce as strength in the U.S. dollar and a drop in oil prices
continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

With the dollar soaring to an 11-month high and oil prices continuing to decline, the metal's appeal as an alternative to the U.S. currency and as a hedge against fuel-led inflation has been diminished.

Gold was trading at $795.55/796.55 an ounce as of 0957 GMT, down from $804.90/806.25 an ounce late in New York on Tuesday. Gold has fallen by around $40 an ounce in less than a week.
“There's definitely a lot of negative sentiment towards gold at the moment, due mainly to the dollar's strength,” said Standard Bank analyst Walter De Wet.
“Given the strength of the dollar's rally, gold's actually holding up quite well, as we're seeing better physical demand, but ultimately investment demand still dominates in
terms of physical holdings.”

Gold struck a nine-month low around $773 in mid-August, and although it briefly rallied, the metal has come under increasing pressure as the dollar has clawed back over 16 cents against the euro since its all-time low of $1.60 seen in July.

Read More

John Armor Article in Human Events

Local author, raconteur, and former primary candidate in the GOP NC-11 race, has an article on Human Events entitled, "Anybody Remember The Red Lion Case?" and here is a snippet to whet your appetite for more:

...What Justice White does not include in his opinion is the relative availability of media when he was writing his opinion. There were slightly more than 4,000 daily newspapers in the United States, then. Most major cities had competing dailies. Some cities like Chicago and New York, had more than six competing newspapers.

At the same time, in 1969, the number of TV licenses were in the hundreds, and there were fewer radio licenses than newspapers.

Today, all of those figures are reversed. The number of daily newspapers is down to about 2,000 and declining. The number of TV stations are above 10,000, and the number of radio stations about five times as many. Given cable and satellite technologies, the average American household now has access to at least 100 TV channels, plus dozens of specialized radio stations. That average household has access to less than two daily newspapers.

It was this change in the facts which led the FCC to end the Fairness Doctrine almost thirty years ago. The disparity, with print media declining and electronic media growing, has continued apace since then. This huge advantage in favor of individual access to broadcast channels that offer what they want, is increased by orders of magnitude when the Internet, plus pod casting, are added to the mix.

Those who are arguing for reestablishment of the Fairness Doctrine have not done their homework....

Source: Human Events

Commentary

You can bet everything you own that the Democrats will get a new Fairness Doctrine in place if Barack Obama is elected President, and that will mean the end of AM Radio.

Fortunately for us, the Internet will be here for the conservative commentators to utilize to side step the ban on conservative talk. That will be good for people who have access to DSL or faster Internet connections, but not for the millions who are on dial up, or listen while on the road, or away from computers.

Will wireless carriers be able to stream Internet radio? Or will people employ a work around like I did while WZNN/WZGM was offering talk radio programming? (I used a transmitter to take the audio from an AM Radio and transmit it on FM so I could hear the faint 1350 kHz signal on my Walkman on an empty slot on the FM Dial, usually 87.9 MHz, up to a mile from my pickup).

I am firm in my belief that if the Fairness Doctrine is passed, we will find a way around it...for the Neo-Stalinist Democrats do not understand the power of freedom, and the utility of Free Markets...that is one reason lefty talk never took hold. They just don't get it, and never will.

Read More

Watch Those Trendlines!

This is Brian's analysis of today's action, ignore what the Legacy Media is screaming, and don't forget to check out this oil price chart.

Brian blogs about the market trends at Alpha Trends.

Read More

Technical Analysis Video For June 27th

For the naysayers on the economy, listen to Alpha Trends:


Smart traders make money no matter which way the market is going.

He has a book on Technical Trading.

Read More

Crunching The Numbers On Algal Gasoline

According to the US Energy Information Administration, US gasoline consumption is currently averaging (4-week rolling) 9.027 million barrels of gasoline per day, or about 379 million gallons (42 gallons per barrel). Thus, to completely replace US gasoline consumption, Sapphire Energy would need to “scrub”, at 100% efficiency, just over 83000 cubic kilometers of air per day. Certainly there is plenty of air available - this volume represents less than 0.02% of the volume of air in the first 1 km of atmosphere. Nevertheless, it is an enormous amount to process each day.

Of course, Sapphire Energy’s near-term goals are much more modest. As CEO Jason Pyle told Biomass Magazine, “the company is currently deploying a three-year pilot process with the goal of opening a 153 MMgy (10,000 barrel per day) production facility by 2011 at a site yet to be determined.” Using my fuzzy math above, that equates to a minimum of 92 cubic kilometers of air a day. Still seems like a lot.

So where will all of the CO2 come from?

Source: Watts Up With That? (Be sure and read the whole post over there).

Commentary

This is the one thing enviro-weenies seem to forget when they try to force alternative energy on us...it is usually not scalable the way oil is scalable. They make good supplemental sources of energy, but cannot replace oil completely.

I am very interested to see more research in this direction for producing fuels from biological sources that are not also food sources. Al Fin has a post on a similar effort that boasts 100,000 gallons of oil an acre production, which leaves me to ponder the possibility of lefties and enviro-weenies (often the same creature) will begin to oppose that process should it promise to free us from bondage to the Middle East, and perhaps create true wealth here. If it is successful...count on it as surely as the protests against wind mills and clean coal plants...which they championed a few years ago.

Read More

Economists see US avoiding recession

LOS ANGELES—The U.S. economy will suffer as the slumping housing market eats away at job creation and consumer spending, but the nation should avoid slipping into a recession this year, according to a new economic report.

A recession could still happen though, if the credit crisis that has stifled the housing market deepens, preventing consumers from buying big-ticket items like cars and businesses from spending on equipment, according to the quarterly Anderson Forecast by the University of California at Los Angeles.

"We don't see that happening," said Edward Leamer, director and co-author of the forecast released Tuesday. "This is a tough call, but I will be very surprised if this thing actually precipitates into recession."

The forecast anticipates job growth remaining sluggish in 2008, with the U.S. unemployment rate rising to 5.5 percent by the end of the year. The February rate was 4.8 percent.

The forecast expects the economy to post gross domestic product growth of about 1.5 percent this year, rising to about 3 percent growth in 2009. GDP grew 2.2 percent in 2007, the weakest showing in five years.

The no-recession forecast runs counter to the outlook among many economists and financial pundits, who contend the economy has already started to shrink amid rising unemployment, job losses, record oil prices, and the lingering effects of the housing and credit crises.

The U.S. lost 63,000 payroll jobs last month, the second consecutive month of job losses. The last time the U.S. posted a two-month drop in payroll jobs was in 2003, when employers were still struggling through the aftermath of the 2001 recession.

Leamer said the nation may be experiencing negative economic growth in the current quarter. Economists generally look for at least two consecutive quarters of negative growth before they make a recession determination.

Source: Denver Post

[Emphasis mine throughout the article--TP]

Commentary

Of course, for Democrats, it is already settled science that we are in a recession, if not an outright depression. I expect that their report on the death of the American Economy is greatly exaggerated, like all those types who have been calling for a Financial Catastrophy since the 1980's.



Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1900.

Read More

Who Needs Oil or Ethanol When You Can Grow Algae?

...PetroSun BioFuels Refining has entered into a joint venture to construct and operate a biodiesel refinery near Coolidge, Arizona. The feedstock for the refinery will be algal oil produced by PetroSun BioFuels at company owned and operated algae farms to be located in Arizona....The refinery will have an annual production capacity of thirty million gallons and will produce 100% renewable biodiesel. PetroSun BioFuels will process the residual algae biomass into ethanol....Petrosun claims that Independent studies have demonstrated that algae is capable of producing in excess of 30 times more oil per acre than corn and soybean crops.

Source: Al Fin

The Free Market will find a way to solve our problems, if only the givernment will get out of the way...

Read More