Archive for March 22nd, 2007
I’m not trying to be a pessimist, just pointing out that a good dose of reality is needed.
Erie County suffered the worst population decline of any New York county between 2005 and 2006, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report issued on Thursday.
Erie County’s population dropped by 6,825 between July 2005 and July 2006, based on new Census Bureau estimates.
That was the worst loss in any of New York’s 62 counties. The runners-up were Long Island’s Nassau County, which slipped by 5,958 people in 12 months, and one of the five boroughs of New York City, Bronx County, which fell by 3,093.
The reality is that the increase in downtown development, spurred by government dollars, is not helping the area. Rehabbing and restoring buildings and creating living spaces with subsidies, grants, and tax incentives is great for the developers pockets and makes the politicians look good, but the ultimate cost is to the taxpayers. Money is being removed from the private economy that would spur growth in order to enhance the wealth of the politically connected.
This pattern has been going on for years and the results are always the same — it doesn’t work. If a project is viable from an economic standpoint, it will be built. Propping up development with government dollars only ensures the creation of projects that would otherwise not be practical.
The only way to effectively spur development and reverse the population loss is through lowering taxes and cutting government spending.
Source: Erie County posts worst population loss - Business First of Buffalo:
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The following articles are varied in subject and all very interesting.
- Stop TSA Socialism
Private security could actually make us safer, not just harassed. Article by Becky Akers. - The Media Likes Scaring Us, and We Like It
By John Stossel - Colossal squid may be headed for oven (AP)
Enjoy.
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it would be institutionally suicidal for a monopoly school system to do a good job of teaching market economics. The very fact that we continue to have a monopoly school system is retroactive proof that market economics has not been well taught. Monopolies, after all, tend to be frowned on by the economically savvy.
HT Coyote Blog
Ron Paul’s statement Before the U.S. House of Representatives March 20, 2007
The $124 billion supplemental appropriation is a good bill to oppose. I am pleased that many of my colleagues will join me in voting against this measure.
If one is unhappy with our progress in Iraq after four years of war, voting to de-fund the war makes sense. If one is unhappy with the manner in which we went to war, without a constitutional declaration, voting no makes equally good sense.
Voting no also makes the legitimate point that the Constitution does not authorize Congress to direct the management of any military operation – the president clearly enjoys this authority as Commander in Chief.
But Congress just as clearly is responsible for making policy, by debating and declaring war, raising and equipping armies, funding military operations, and ending conflicts that do not serve our national interests.
Congress failed to meet its responsibilities four years ago, unconstitutionally transferring its explicit war power to the executive branch. Even though the administration started the subsequent pre-emptive war in Iraq, Congress bears the greatest responsibility for its lack of courage in fulfilling its duties. Since then Congress has obediently provided the funds and troops required to pursue this illegitimate war.
We won’t solve the problems in Iraq until we confront our failed policy of foreign interventionism. This latest appropriation does nothing to solve our dilemma. Micromanaging the war while continuing to fund it won’t help our troops.
Read it all: The Upcoming Iraq War Funding Bill by Ron Paul
