ELSEWHERE

That good old generous taxpayer again: "Before federal flood insurance became available in 1968, there was little incentive to build on barrier islands since no private insurance companies would take the risk, and no banks would provide mortgages without flood insurance. But once the feds started offering the insurance (for an average $300-per-year premium), real-estate developers found mortgage bankers more than willing to lend them money, setting off a tsunami of new high-risk coastal construction. When Hurricane Frederick struck barrier islands off Alabama in 1979, for example, shattered beach cottages at Gulf Shores were quickly replaced by 14-story fully mortgaged condominiums. Federal flood insurance covers up to $250,000 for property damage to homes and $500,000 for businesses."

Good to see Czech leaders calling Cuba what it is. Note that in this report the BBC puts Havel's description of Cuba as a "dictatorship" in quotes -- indicating that the BBC does not think Cuba is a dictatorship. What the hell does the BBC think it is? A democracy?

The myth of voluntary unions: "But a basic understanding of the elementary economics of unionism, and of the history of unionism, explains why violence against competitors has always been an inherent feature of unionism, even apart from the 'violence' of state-imposed legislative privileges that unions enjoy. Historically, the main 'weapon' that unions have employed to try to push wages above the levels that employees could get by bargaining for themselves on the free market without a union has been the strike."

Trying to have that cake and eat it, too: "One of my colleagues back at SUNY Fredonia in the early 70s had been dabbling in real estate and finally bought a nice historical building in the middle of this little town. He not only liked to earn some income from his thoughtful investments in local buildings but also enjoyed the fact that he was instrumental in preserving a bit of the history of the town as he did so. No sooner had he bought his piece of history, however, my colleague had to face the city bureaucracy that wanted him to both preserve the building intact and to renovate it to conform with all sorts of government regulations."

That's Tinseltown: "There are many Israel-haters on the Left, but none more persistent, or rabid, than far-Left British actress Vanessa Redgrave. The mummified Marxist is a longtime enemy of the Jewish state. In 1977, Redgrave did a "documentary" titled "The Palestinians" that showed her in a PLO training camp, dancing as she waved a rifle over her head... In 1980, Redgrave proclaimed, "The State of Israel must be overthrown, there is no room for such a state.""

Middle-aged Madness does not seem to have permalinks but he has lots of good pictures up. If you scroll down to his post of 15th, you will see some particularly good ones of Mrs Bush and Mrs. Kerry. The pictures persuade me that John Kerry married for money.

The Usurer vigorously dissents from the view of Immanuel Kant being a libertarian. He is probably right. Kant is a pretty confused thinker in my view.

EDUCATION WATCH seems to have become my second most active blog. I always have heaps of stuff to put up there.

For more postings, see GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH and EDUCATION WATCH. Mirror sites here, here, here and here

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Anti-Americanism is in epidemic proportions in France and Germany but most people don't realize that it is in epidemic proportions in South Korea too. And what do those three countries have in common? They were liberated by America. And what is probably the most pro-American country in the world? Poland. They liberated themselves. Ego defeats rationality all the time.

The conflict between conservatives and Leftists is not usually a conflict between realists and idealists. Mostly it is a conflict between realists and big egos who will say anything to win applause

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