Penguins in Claremont

Sebelius Asks Insurer to Justify Rate Increases

2010-02-09T09:46:00.000-08:00

The secretary of health and human services in the Obama administration, Kathleen Sebelius, has written a letter to Anthem Blue Cross, California's largest insurer, asking the company to explain a recent rise in insurance premiums. There is no reason for Ms. Sebelius to be involved, and her actions are highly inappropriate. Anthem's customers are private individuals, and it is not a government corporation. If Anthem's premiums rise to a rate unacceptable to its customers, its customers are free to leave and purchase health insurance from another provider. If the price of an airline ticket from Los Angeles to New York rose by 39% in one year, for example, we would think it highly inappropriate for the transportation secretary to ask an airline to "justify" the increase. The most interesting part of the story? The New York Times reports that "Some experts said the insurance industry, under pressure from Wall Street, was raising premiums to get ahead of any legislative changes that might reduce their profits."

Australia Moves to Limit Immigration

2010-02-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

Australia has announced a change in its immigration policy, which until now has been one of the most open in the world (24% of the population is foreign-born). The government will void 20,000 visa applications because of changes to the law, which will shut the door on those seeking to fill low skilled positions and those who cannot speak English. Foreign students (of which there are 400,000 studying in Australia) who are interested in pursuing a profession in which there is no shortage of workers will have to leave the country within 18 months of graduating if they cannot find a job. The education of foreign students, which is currently Australia's fourth largest export and brings in $AU 12 billion (14 billion USD), is expected to decline as Australia becomes a less welcoming country for immigrants. A recent string of violent attacks against Indian immigrants in Melbourne has already caused a 30% drop in the number of foreign students seeking to enter the country. In the end, Australia, which has reaped the benefits of a relatively liberal immigration policy, may suffer economically.

Audi's "Green Police" Superbowl Ad

2010-02-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

Audi's commercial for its new clean diesel A3 model, which aired during today's Superbowl, highlights the comical excesses of the green movement and is worth a watch.

Prohibition Loses Battle in Mississippi Town

2010-02-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

Though the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was repealed in 1933, some parts of the country still forbid any person of any age from throwing back a drink. This shocking reality was nicely revealed by the New York Times this morning. The Times ran a very interesting story today about the recent end to alcohol prohibition in New Albany, Mississippi. Mississippi was the first state to ban alcohol, which it did in 1907. It was the last state to repeal prohibition, in 1966. The Times reports that more than a third of Mississippi is still dry. We encourage you to check out the story here.

Run a Red Light in LA County? $500, Please.

2010-02-05T14:25:00.000-08:00

If you are like me and occasionally slip up behind the wheel, you had better start driving like an angel or get out of the car. The Los Angeles Times reports that fines for red-light traffic violations in the city that are caught by traffic cameras have increased from $241 eight years ago to $446 today. With the fees for traffic school included, running a red light will now cost you more than $500. As cities and counties across the Southland face budget shortfalls, the traffic cameras are an easy way to generate revenue without having to make difficult decisions. The program is quite wide in its breadth: in November of 2009 alone, Los Angeles County gave out 13,000 tickets, which, at $446 per ticket, would generate nearly $5.8 million for local governments. While Los Angeles' more wealthy residents may not notice the increase, the average Los Angeles household will. With a median household income of around $42,000, making the wrong decision at a yellow light can cost a family in excess of 1% of its yearly income. While some fine is surely necessary to deter people from crosisng red lights, breaking a family's budget in times of economic hardship is a shameless way for a government to avoid making hard decisions itself.

Man Sues for Right to Videotape Police in Public

2010-02-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

A Boston man is suing the city of Boston and three members of the police force on First and Fourth Amendment grounds. The man, Simon Glick, was arrested in 2007 when he began to videotape the three Boston police officers. After witnessing an arrest which he thought was police brutality in Boston Common, Glick began to record the arrest on his cellphone camera. The officers promptly arrested Glick for violating a Massachusetts law that prohibits secret audio recording. Glick argues that public places are not subject to the law and that the policemen erred in making the arrest. It will be interesting to see where this case goes. Recordings of police in public have been one way of publicizing acts of police brutality, such as in the beating of Rodney King in 1991. Many incidents of police brutality are never investigated due to the internal dynamics of police forces, and the unwillingness of police commissions or District Attorneys to investigate policemen. Police forces in this country, while largely law abiding and self-controlled, do occasionally mistreat people without legal authorization. "Inverse surveillance," such as that practiced by Mr. Glick, is one of the best ways for people to ensure that their police forces are acting within the confines of the law.

Pitzer Gone Wild

2010-02-03T10:32:00.000-08:00

While debate is always welcome at the Claremont Colleges, Pitzer's new "Capitalism in Question (Because It Is)" speakers series crosses the line from legitimate discourse into absurd delirium. I have heard many stereotypes about the left-leaning political views of Pitzer students, and, with a desire to learn more about their points of view on economic organization, decided to attend the first talk of the series, hosted yesterday afternoon by Pitzer's Munroe Center for Social Inquiry. The Munroe Center's first guest was Aviva Chomsky, an author and professor at Salem State College in Massachusetts. I wish I could write that Ms. Chomsky's speech bordered on madness, but, in reality, it was far worse an event than such an appraisal would dignify. Ms. Chomsky stated that in order to save the environment, we must shrink our economies. She completely disregarded the opinions of "the majority of economists" and advocated for a policy of "de-growth." De-growth is the idea that developed countries have been "overconsuming" and must strive shrink their economies annually to reduce consumption and eliminate the human impact on the environment. Furthermore, Ms. Chomsky suggested that we redistribute income from developed nations to developing nations until we reach equality in global income. She does not mean merely providing people with shelter, food, or medicine: she calls for a total redistribution of wealth to accomplish worldwide equality. This would mean an income per person in the United States of $10,500. Her preference for enforced equality aside, Ms. Chomsky wrote that corporations have consistently sought to harm workers since the advent of industrialization by opening multiple factories to put "unfair" downward pressure on wages and producing goods that are, in her opinion, "too cheap." She observes that when wages in a region rise to a point where it is no longer profitable to make goods cheaply, they send them to cheaper areas of the world, where other workers are "exploited." Throughout her entire speech, Ms. Chomsky did not offer any proposals as to how her ideas would work in practice and completely ignored the practical consequences of what she said. Ms. Chomsky ignores that wages reflect the productivity of the worker, and that work benefits both those providing the labor (through wages) and those providing the job. Americans and Europeans are generally very productive workers, which is why we earn more money than uneducated laborers in the developing world, who do not have the skills to provide more valuable work to an employer. Capitalism and free trade offers the developing world a way out of their current situation. By allowing free trade, we permit the developing world to compete using price. India and China have both grown tremendously because they are able to provide Western economies with labor at a lower cost than can be found in the West. Economic growth resulting from this trade will eventually cause income in these countries to rise, alleviating poverty and allowing for a more "equitable" standard of living. This has happened in South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, which all adopted capitalistic reforms early on. Those which didn't, namely communist China and socialist India, suffered with very high levels of poverty until they moved towards capitalism in the 1990s. Universal education and environmental protection are costly luxuries that we are able to afford only because we have capitalistic economies and productive workers that generate large amounts of income. Only when poorer countries become wealthy through free market capitalism will they be able to afford the same. Though Ms. Chomsky derided competition and "cheap" goods, the movement of labor to where it is cheapest has tremendous benefits to society. When labor costs are reduced, the cost of a good can come down as well, allowing consumers to buy more. Those who lose their jobs, such as in the New England textile industry which moved first to the South, then abroad, are free to find other, more productive jobs. Ms. Chomsky sees economic growth as a zero sum game instead of recognizing reality: capitalism is a cooperative process that increases the welfare of all participants. Her idea of "de-growth" is extremely dangerous, especially for the poor: economic decline in the United States would mean a growth in poverty worldwide. While Ms. Chomsky might be fine with this, she clearly does not care about the impact this would have on the poor in this country and abroad. Pitzer should be ashamed for having invited such a speaker to their campus.

Why Obama is Right on "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

2010-02-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

In his recent State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama renewed his commitment to end the military's discriminatory "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, which permits the discharge of homosexuals from the military if they are truthful about their sexuality. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have announced their support for the repeal of the policy. The Pentagon has announced a yearlong review of the policy, which will examine how a change to the policy would be implemented and what consequences might occur. Any change must be ratified by Congress. While opponents of reform argue that allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military will damage unit cohesion and complicate recruiting efforts, the evidence points in another direction. Most other Western nations allow homosexuals to serve openly in the military. The list not only includes more liberal countries such as Germany, Switzerland, and the Scandinavian nations, but also countries involved in military conflict, such as Israel, Australia, and the United Kingdom. None of these countries have had significant problems as a result of their open policies. Evidence demonstrates that gays are not a threat to unit cohesion. Any concerns over sexual harassment should be put to rest by the existence of military laws that already prohibit such activity. The financial impact of dismissing gays who serve openly has been estimated at nearly $40 million per year. Furthermore, since the policy was introduced, more than 13,000 troops have been discharged, increasing the amount of troops that must be recruited to maintain numbers in the military. Social attitudes about homosexuality have changed dramatically since the policy was enacted and now the vast majority of Americans, including majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans, support the repeal of the policy. President Obama should be lauded for his commitment to repeal the discriminatory policy. Instead of asking if we can afford to dispose of "Don't Ask Don't Tell," those against the repeal of the policy should ask themselves if, in a time of war, we can afford to keep it.

Geert Wilders Goes to Trial

2010-02-01T19:30:00.001-08:00

Today marked the opening of the trial of Geert Wilders, a right-wing member of parliament in the Netherlands. His crime? Speaking. Mr. Wilders was charged with intentionally making offensive comments about Islam. He has long been an outspoken critic of the level of immigration in the Netherlands and has offended many in the Islamic community by stating openly that Islamic immigration threatens the liberal Dutch way of life. While Mr. Wilders does not moderate his comments and has certainly offended some people, a free society should allow its citizens to speak their minds. Freedom of speech does not mean the freedom to say that which most people find acceptable, but instead indicates respect for the freedom of each individual to say whatever he or she should wish to. Moreover, while the media has labeled him as "far right" or "extremist," not to mention that he was at one time banned from travel to the United Kingdom by the Home Office, he is merely expressing views about immigration in a debate that is understandable, given the asassination of Theo van Gogh by an Islamic extremist in 2004. While it is Mr. Wilders who is on trial, the real defendant is the freedom of speech in the Netherlands.

Los Angeles Considers Mandatory Rainwater Retention

2010-02-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles Times reported today that there is a piece of proposed legislation approved by the Department of Public Works that would require new development in Los Angeles to capture 100% of rainwater that falls on site in order to reduce the amount of untreated water that drains into the ocean. Given the extent of urbanization in Los Angeles, such runoff pollutes the ocean and sometimes results in beach closures because of high bacteria levels in the water. Builders unable to comply would face fines of $13 per gallon of water not captured. While it is important to control negative externalities (and no one likes to go to a polluted beach), we should weigh the costs and benefits of the proposal. Los Angeles is one of the country's driest cities. Los Angeles receives only 12 inches of rain a year and averages a mere 27 days of rain. Most of the rain occurs during the winter months, which have very low beach attendance compared with the summer. It is unclear that the benefits to the ordinance would be substantial. The costs, however, could very well be. The Times quotes Holly Schroeder, of the Building Industry Association, who stated that a one-acre site that is located on land where runoff cannot be controlled will face fines of $238,000 per year. Los Angeles is already an expensive place to build, given the high cost of land, taxation, and the cost of complying with earthquake codes. Adding to the cost of development in Los Angeles could further discourage businesses and families from relocating to or staying in the region.

In Australia, Only Big Breasted Women Worthy of Porn

2010-02-01T17:12:00.000-08:00

The Australian government has begun a crackdown on pornography featuring small-breasted women. The government hopes that the ban will discourage pedophilia, because some pornography features small breasted women who, although at or over the legal age to engage in pornography in Australia (18 years old), appear to be younger. The government ban is absurd and should be repealed. Libertarian respect for autonomy dictates that if pornography is made by consenting adults of the legal age, it should be legal. The ban is arbitrary, and allows the government latitude to determine what exactly is an inappropriately sized breast. Worse, if people indeed view the pornography because the women appear to be children, such people might still pursue this type of pornography. If the pornography can no longer be created legally by women aged 18 and over, then they may turn to illegal pornography made using real children. The prospect of this is frightening and deplorable.

Racism at the Tea Party? Think Again

2010-01-30T17:42:00.000-08:00

The Tea Party movement has received a tremendous amount of bad press lately. While it is absolutely true that some people present at the "Taxed Enough Already" protests hold racist or otherwise wrongly held beliefs (those who believe that Obama is a fascist or dare to compare him with Adolf Hitler are in dire need of condemnation), many members of the movement are not racists or crazy but are simply angry with the level of taxation and government spending in this country. Don't believe it? Check out the UK's Guardian, which just reported on Lloyd Marcus, a Republican and Tea Party supporter.

Moscow Bans "Satanic" March

2010-01-30T14:34:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, the mayor of Moscow, Yury Luzhkov, announced that the city would prevent this year's planned gay rights march in order to protect the city from the "social plague" that "satanic" homosexuals allegedly pose. Mr. Luzhkov has made his homophobia clear, stating "For several years, Moscow has experienced unprecedented pressure to conduct a gay pride parade, which cannot be called anything but a satanic act." Gay rights advocates who have attempted to march in Moscow in the past have been attacked by the police and far-right neo-Nazi groups. Not only is homophobia deplorable, the attack on the freedom of demonstration is truly frightening. The mayor of Moscow has decided to ban a demonstration merely because he does not like the message of those wishing to demonstrate. Mr. Luzhkov's comments indicate the depth of the war on democracy and freedom that the Russian government has declared.

Indiana Senate Approves Constitutional Ban on Gay Marriage

2010-01-30T14:18:00.000-08:00

The Indiana Senate voted 38-10 on Thursday in favor of a resolution that would permit a statewide referendum to approve or reject a constitutional ban on gay marriage and civil unions within the state. The bill must now be approved by the state's House of Representatives. Gay marriage and civil unions are already banned by statute in Indiana. Given the sharp opposition to gay marriage throughout the "Hoosier State," such a referendum would almost certainly pass, adding Indiana to an ever growing list of states that have allowed such discriminatory clauses into their constitutions.

Sri Lankan Democracy Suffers Blow

2010-01-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

Sri Lanka's recent election between incumbent president Mahinda Rajapaksa and general Sarath Fonseka was one of the most successful in the country's bloody past. There was high turnout and no major incidents of violence in the entire country. Still, following the election, which Mr. Rajapaksa won by a margin of more than 17% of votes, the New York Times reports that government forces arrested the staff of General Fonseka. Furthermore, state owned media did not cover General Fonseka and portrayed Mr. Rajapaksa in a favorable light. Election commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake resigned because he could no longer "bear this" misuse of the state media. These reports from Sri Lanka should raise serious concerns about the committment of Mr. Rajapaksa and his party to democracy and freedom of speech. His misuse of the state media demonstrates the danger of allowing the state to fund or control media outlets. One can only hope that the situation improves and that Mr. Fonseka's staff is released.

California Roads and Freeways No Safer after Cellphone Ban

2010-01-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles Times reports that a new study from the nonprofit Highway Loss Data Institute revealed that California's ban on the use of cellular telephones while driving has not resulted in a decrease in car accidents. The ban took effect in 2008, and has permitted California policemen to ticket drivers who are spotted talking on the phone while driving. The argument of proponents of the measure has centered around safety. With this claim debunked, it appears as though the cell phone ban has only further restricted Californians' behavior and has given the police another excuse to stop, question, and ticket motorists.

2081: Everyone Will Finally Be Equal

2010-01-29T16:45:00.000-08:00

2081 is a short film made last year by Chandler Tuttle and Thor Halvorssen that describes a future American dystopia, in which the government, authorized by the 212th Amendment to the Constitution, has managed to make everyone equal. "The strong wear weights, the beautiful wear masks and the intelligent wear earpieces that fire off loud noises to keep them from taking unfair advantage of their brains." You can watch the trailer here.

Los Angeles Pot Crackdown

2010-01-27T17:58:00.001-08:00

In a 9-3 vote, Los Angeles City Council decided yesterday to shut down hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries that currently operate within the city. The new ordinance limits the number of dispensaries in Los Angeles at 70. There are currently between 800 and 1000 dispensaries in the city. The council also limited when the dispensaries may be open (between 10am and 8pm), prevented patients from using more than one dispensary, and stricly curtailed where they may be located. The Los Angeles Times reports that dispensaries will be relegated to industrial areas. Mayor Villaraigosa is expected to sign the measure into law this week. The council's decision is rash and will only make it difficult for patients, many of whom are terminally ill, to obtain the medical marijuana they need for health reasons. It is well known that marijuana has vital medical application, and that many patients depend on it. The winners of the new ordinance? Those involved in the underground drug trade, who will surely see a spike in sales because the supply of legal marijuana will be severely curtailed. Unfortunately, proceeds from illegal drug purchases often fund gang violence. The City Council's decision will harm patients, suppliers, and communities.

Jesse Jackson at Claremont McKenna College

2010-01-27T13:46:00.000-08:00

The Reverend Jesse Jackson will appear tonight at Claremont McKenna College's Marion Miner Cook Athenaeum. We are very excited for his speech, which will surely spur debate about certain government policies, namely entitlement programs and affirmative action. Still, we would like to make clear that Mr. Jackson is perhaps one of the most statist-oriented public figures in the United States today. He has supported a complete government takeover of the medical industry, increasing taxes, expanding social welfare programs, and has even supported reparations. Most shamefully, Mr. Jackson stated publicly that "You can’t vote against healthcare and call yourself a black man." His record on social issues is almost as poor. He did propose stepping down the war on drugs, but while he has been supportive of gay rights, his support has come in the form of more antidiscrimination legislation, which needlessly coerces private individuals. He has also been a critic of the right to bear arms and derided the Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller as "reckless." If you go to see Mr. Jackson tonight, please keep in mind his troubling views and the implications for the United States.

The Death of a Monopoly?

2010-01-26T22:28:00.000-08:00

Reason Magazine reports that the new governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell, who was sworn in two weeks ago, hopes to end the Virginian government's monopoly on the sale of alcohol in the state. Not only is this an egregious exercise of state power that harms consumers, but Reason mentions that past cases (West Virginia and Alberta) have demonstrated that the end of a government monopoly on alcohol sales actually increases revenue for the government. We at Liberty's Last Stand have grown to love Virginian sweet tea vodka, and can only hope for a speedy removal of the policy so that we might enjoy more of the Commonwealth.

Obama's Spending Freeze

2010-01-26T22:01:00.000-08:00

President Obama has pledged to freeze federal discretionary spending over the next three years in an effort to control the recent growth in the deficit. Obama's announcement is welcome, as federal spending has increased since he took office, causing the budget deficit to balloon to $1.35 trillion. While it would be better if he pledged to cut discretionary spending, a freeze is better than the tendency of the government to increase in size that we have seen from the past two administrations. But we should note that Obama has only pledged to cut discretionary spending, which is a small portion of the total national budget ($450 billion out of a budget of $3.5 trillion). While the discretionary spending freeze will force the government to make tough choices that we've all been making since the recession began (a parallel the Obama administration has been happy to trumpet), it is not enough. Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid will bankrupt this nation unless reform is undertaken. In 2008, we spent 21 cents of every federal tax dollar on Social Security and 23 cents on the medical programs. Of course, these are entitlement programs, and any cuts to either program will require a complete overhaul of the system, which Obama cannot do as easily as the spending freeze: Democrats in Congress would certainly make it impossible for anyone to reform the programs. Still, our defense budget is 21% of the total federal budget. Perhaps our recent escalation in Afghanistan will involve costs that we quite literally cannot afford. In the end, Obama's pledge is positive, but it means little when considering the country's long term fiscal solvency.

Ayn Rand Interview with Mike Wallace

2010-01-26T21:54:00.000-08:00

Though this interview undoubtedly occurred decades ago, we just found it on YouTube. In 1959, Ayn Rand granted an interview to Mike Wallace. It can be found here. She explains the basics of Objectivism in a very easy to understand and sometimes comical manner. Perhaps the best quote from the entire interview?

Mike Wallace: "You are 'out to destroy almost every edifice in the contemporary American way of life: our Judeo-Christian religion, our modified government-regulated capitalism, our rule by the majority will.' Other reviews have said that you scorn churches and the concept of God. Are these accurate criticisms?"

Ayn Rand: "Uhh, yes."

A close second might be the moment at 4:06 of Part II of the interview, when an exasperated Mike Wallace lights a cigarette in response to Ayn Rand's discussion on taxes.

Surveillance in the United Kingdom

2010-01-26T21:49:00.000-08:00

The United Kingdom has created one of the most extensive surveillance systems in the world. Local councils there have begun using surveillance to try to catch people in the act of petty offenses, such as underage smoking. The Telegraph reports here. Unfortunately, Privacy International, the group that releases a yearly Privacy Index, has found that the United States shares with the UK the distinction of being an "Endemic Surveillance Society," the least free category on the list. Luckily, we have company: Russia and China are right there with us. Note: the visual is from Privacy International's 2005 ranking.