:: walterindenver ::

:: Thursday, September 26, 2002 ::

Y'all Better Get to Work, Earn Some Money

You're deeper in debt than you think. LP Press Release:

“The federal government claims its debt is about $6 trillion, when in fact it is six times as large. According to budget expert Andrew Rettenmaier at the National Center for Policy Analysis, the actual debt includes $12.9 trillion in federal obligations to people who are owed Social Security and Medicare benefits, and $16.9 trillion for Medicaid benefits.
“Thus the actual federal debt is approximately $36 trillion, calculates Rettenmaier, a figure that amounts to $120,000 for every man, woman, and child in America.

This means Andy and his Better Half are soon to be down by $360,000. Oh, and congratulations.

:: Walter 7:08 PM [+] ::
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Denver Police Spy Files - The National Press Release

The U.S. Libertarian Party sent out a press release yesterday detailing the dubious activities of the Denver Police Department. One familiar name appears in the article:

Walter Schlomer, the Colorado LP's fundraising director, picked up a copy of the Libertarian Party's file on September 5.
"It's an outrage," said Schlomer. "In spite of no record of violence or illegal activity of any kind, the Denver P.D. felt it necessary to secretly spy on the LP and keep track of our activities."

O.K., the rest of the article is also worthwhile, go ahead and read it. My limited interaction with the press makes me appreciate the rare pleasure of being quoted accurately.

:: Walter 10:06 PM [+] ::
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Read It for Yourself

That one church in Kansas, you know, the one, will be marking the anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death by picketing against gays in Fort Collins, Colorado.

So, what kind of Christian "celebrates" (the 'Rev.' Phelps' word) the death and "entry into hell" (again) of a fellow human?

No kind. By objective measure, these people are worse than satanists. They do more damage to Christianity than people who actively try to damage the Church. Read about the planned protest here, if you want. I won't link to their website. Libertarian Samizdata does, appropriately under the heading 'havens of flourescent idiocy.'

You can make better use of your time by reading the Good Book yourself, instead of the 'Rev.' Phelps' perverted version.

:: Walter 8:56 PM [+] ::
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Mail

Lucas Wiman writes:

Right on about the AIDS research. If you make something less
profitable, then the corporations won't want to do it. There are then
two possible solutions. You could remove price controls, and eliminate
the problem. Or, you could start a massive government program to
research AIDS drugs, and patch the problem in this case, at taxpayer
expense. I think the second one is more likely to happen, unfortunately.

Didn't Bill Clinton promise something like that, a 'Manhattan Project,' to find AIDS treatments?

(Which leads to an interesting aside. What's worse, an ineffective politician who promises enormous amounts of government expansion, but doesn't deliver most of it, or one who promises less expansion but carries through on almost all of it?)

There is another option. Have the administration organize a nation-wide effort, soliciting donations from business and individuals. Call it the 'Push to Eliminate Cancer,' (or whatever disease) and see how much you can get. I'd bet it would bring in hundreds of millions of dollars per year if the fundraising was well organized.

Billions if taxes weren't as high as they are.

:: Walter 7:38 AM [+] ::
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??

A flyer left on my car yesterday:

"African American Elected Officials & Ministers Endorse Democrat Tom Strickland for U.S. Senate"

and farther down the page, in large print,

"DON'T LET COLORADO BECOME THE NEXT FLORIDA"

Do they mean to say, "If we can't win it at the ballot box we'll be forced to try to win in the courtroom, as in Florida?"

In fine print, at the bottom, "Paid for by the Colorado Democratic Party."

:: Walter 6:59 AM [+] ::
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