Union “Dues”

Posted on 23 May 2019 by eehines

Now the taxpayer looks to be on the hook. At least in New York.

[O]n May 1, New York’s state Senate voted to let strikers get benefits one week after walking off the job—essentially putting them on equal footing with those who are laid off.
If Governor Andrew Cuomo signs this bill, he’ll effectively be using New York’s unemployment-insurance program to subsidize union strikes, upending the balance of power between workers and management.

Union strikes are little indistinguishable from extortion, except that they’re legal. They’re used to threaten a company’s ability to function—to survive—unless they surrender to union demands. “Nice little business you got here. Be too bad if something was to happen to it.”

This is a preview of Union “Dues”. Read the full post (182 words, estimated 44 secs reading time)

An Ill-Informed Candidate

Posted on 22 May 2019 by eehines

On Fox News‘ Claremont, New Hampshire town hall with Progressive-Democratic Party Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Sunday, Buttigieg had this to say about abolishing our Electoral College.

“States don’t vote, people vote. …if we’re going to call ourselves a democracy,” the US should move to a popular vote system.

When the moderator, Chris Wallace, asked further about that, particularly comparing the voice of small States like New Hampshire with large States like California, Buttigieg gave an unresponsive answer about how New Hampshire wouldn’t be harmed by abolishing the Electoral College because New Hampshire is one of the first-to-vote-in-primaries States.

This is a preview of An Ill-Informed Candidate. Read the full post (491 words, estimated 1:58 mins reading time)

A Speech

Posted on 20 May 2019 by eehines

Progressive-Democratic Party Presidential candidate Je Biden gave a speech in Philadelphia Saturday at his first official rally.

I have some comments on excerpts from his speech—excerpts because he repeated a few themes time after time after time for 30 minutes.

Instead of debating our opponents, we demonize them. Instead of questioning judgments, we question their motives. Instead of listening, we shout. Instead of looking for solutions, we look to score political points. … This politics is pulling us apart, ripping this country apart at the seams. Our politics today traffic in division, and our President is the Divider in Chief.

This is a preview of A Speech. Read the full post (1027 words, estimated 4:06 mins reading time)

“Normalize Relations”

Posted on 20 May 2019 by eehines

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif travelled to the People’s Republic of China in an effort to get its help in saving the nuclear weapons deal with Iran that the US walked away from and that Great Britain, Germany, and France, along with Russia and the PRC, remain in. Zarif insisted that

the world must normalize economic relations with Tehran and take “practical steps” to save the nuclear accord….

No, we don’t. There’s nothing to save: all the accord did and does is create a brief delay in Iran’s drive to obtain nuclear weapons so it can use them against Israel and, through its proxies and affiliates, others.

This is a preview of “Normalize Relations”. Read the full post (174 words, estimated 42 secs reading time)

Great Britain’s Retreat from Liberty

Posted on 18 May 2019 by eehines

Or, perhaps they’ve been routed by the forces of Government Knows Better.

This incident occurred last January, but there’s no evidence since that the Brits—their government, anyway; there are pockets of concern, as this incident also indicates—have regained their spine.

A man has been fined after refusing to be scanned by controversial facial recognition cameras being trialled by the Metropolitan Police.
The force had put out a statement saying “anyone who declines to be scanned will not necessarily be viewed as suspicious”. However, witnesses said several people were stopped after covering their faces or pulling up hoods.

This is a preview of Great Britain’s Retreat from Liberty. Read the full post (257 words, estimated 1:02 mins reading time)

Much Ado About Another Nothing

Posted on 17 May 2019 by eehines

The claim, now, is that atmospheric CO2 has reached 415 parts per million (ppm), according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

That is, as the panicky scream goes, the highest level ever in human history.

And

Earth science analyses show that the atmosphere last contained this much CO2 some three million years ago, when global sea levels were higher and parts of Antarctica were blanketed in forest.

There’s a hint there regarding the lushness of life on Earth.

This is a preview of Much Ado About Another Nothing. Read the full post (217 words, estimated 52 secs reading time)

A Ban on Facial Recognition

Posted on 17 May 2019 by eehines

San Francisco is about to ban the use of facial recognition by city agencies.

I agree with the sentiment.

However, good luck enforcing this sort of ban. There’s also a general ban on lying under oath, but in the end, all perjury laws can do is attach liability to the lie; they can’t prevent the lying. The primary difference is that lying under oath is easier to detect than is using facial recognition, and so the ban on lying under oath is easier to enforce.

This is a preview of A Ban on Facial Recognition. Read the full post (164 words, estimated 39 secs reading time)

Christianity is a Threat

Posted on 14 May 2019 by eehines

The Chinese Communist Party, through its provincial organ in Henan Province, says so.

The Hebi Municipal Radio Administrative Bureau [hosted] a presentation titled “Christianity’s Enormous Harm on China’s Security,” to party members in the city of Hebi….

Instructive title, that. The seminarists insisted that the “correct view” is that Christianity (and, I suppose, religion generally), are bent on undermining the Communists’ rule. Never mind that “render unto Caesar” bit.

This is a preview of Christianity is a Threat. Read the full post (196 words, estimated 47 secs reading time)

Military Academy Athlete Grads Go Pro Immediately?

Posted on 13 May 2019 by eehines

President Donald Trump supports this, and he’s actually serious.

I am going to look at doing a waiver for service-academy athletes who can get into the major leagues, like the NFL, hockey, baseball, and they’ll serve their time when they leave professional sports. I imagine that would make recruiting a little bit easier[.]

This is foolish. These guys got an excellent education at good engineering schools as well as a strong military and leadership training. In return for paying zilch for that education, they accepted a multi-year commitment to serve on active duty in our armed forces and to begin that service upon graduation.

This is a preview of Military Academy Athlete Grads Go Pro Immediately?. Read the full post (520 words, estimated 2:05 mins reading time)

Wrong Vote Outcome

Posted on 10 May 2019 by eehines

They didn’t vote the way they were supposed to, so there’ll be a whole new election. No, not for Georgia governor, but for Mayor of Istanbul. Based solely on Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s plaint that there were “numerical mistakes,” “irregularities,” and outright “corruption” in that mayoral election—Erdoğan’s party didn’t win there; the Republican People’s Party’s Ekrem Imamoglu did—the Supreme Electoral Council has completely annulled the election and required a new one to be held.

Echoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D, CA) claim that if her Progressive-Democratic Party didn’t win big in 2020, President Donald Trump would refuse to accept the outcome, Erdoğan did just that in Istanbul:

This is a preview of Wrong Vote Outcome. Read the full post (287 words, estimated 1:09 mins reading time)

A Plebe's Site

Quam bene vivas referre, non quam diu.

Tag Archives: ethics