XPost: alt.politics.socialism, alt.politics.economics, alt.politics.media   
   From: efreem2@alumni.umbc.edu   
      
   A woman's husband dies. He had left $30,000 to be used for   
   an elaborate funeral.   
      
   After everything is done at the funeral home and cemetery,   
   she tells her closest friend that "there is absolutely   
   nothing left from the $30,000."   
      
   The friend asks, "How can that be?"   
      
   The widow says, "Well, the funeral cost was $6,500. And of   
   course I made a donation to the church -- that was $500,   
   and I spent another $500 for the wake, food and drinks --   
   you know. The rest went for the memorial stone".   
      
   The friend says, "$22,500 for ... My God,   
   how big is it?"   
      
   The widow says, "Four and a half carats."   
      
   *.*   
      
   Washington - pResident Bush announced today that the government would   
   focus its efforts on the real enemy in the war on terror - The American   
   People. pResident Bush defended the new strategy as necessary, "I was   
   shocked to learn after 9-11 that we had no idea what this dangerous   
   threat was up to. I am the decider, and I decided the best use of the   
   NSA was to have it tracking the American people. This program is   
   necessary for our national defense."   
      
     The President's nominee for head of the CIA, Bygge Bruthirr, also   
   defended the program, "This is targeted spying, collecting the phone   
   records of everyone who makes phone calls. Thus it is limited to those   
   Americans who use phones. If we don't know what the American people are   
   up to, how will be find bin Laden?"   
      
   The reaction from Republicans was immediate. Both houses of congress   
   passed resolutions calling for the burning of the Constitution in order   
   to ensure that all such surveillance is lawful. Republican spokesman N.   
   Duffreedumm commented, "We support our pResident, if he says this is   
   necessary, we will surrender any civil liberties we have, and even some   
   we don't have. This constitution is full of protections which prevent   
   us from spying on these 300 million phone using terrorists. Obviously   
   these 'Founding Fathers' were nothing but big terrorist lovers. We   
   wouldn't want to criticize the greatest leader this country ever had."   
      
     Democrats were also very outspoken. Senators Kerry and Clinton   
   released statements, "Please don't call us soft on terrorism again,   
   we'll let you do whatever you want, please, please leave us alone."   
   Senator Lieberman also joined in, "I love this, I can finally come out,   
   I'm a Republican, all hail King George!" pResident Bush replied, "What   
   a shocker, Lieberman's such a hawk he makes Rumsfeld look like Abbie   
   Hoffman."   
      
      With no real political opposition in congress, it fell to the free   
   press to preserve American democracy. The response from this bastion of   
   freedom was immediate. FAUX news led with a strong story, "Whoever   
   leaked this story is an enemy of this country. Once they learn the   
   government can spy on the American people, Al Qaeda might suspect we   
   could listen in on their calls. That's the real issue here."   
      
   The American people can now sleep soundly at night, knowing their   
   government is doing everything it can to keep an eye on the real enemy   
   - them.   
      
   *.*   
      
   Quips   
      
   Is he lonesome  Or just blind   
   This guy who drives  So close behind?   
      
      
   Vacations are no problem for me. My boss decides   
   when I go and my wife decides where.   
      
      
   Summer is when you try to make your house   
   as cold as you complained it was during the winter.   
      
      
   Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first.   
   Nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.   
      
      
   My girlfriend is worried that if she uses her turn signals too much,   
   she'll run out of blinker fluid.   
      
   *.*   
      
   I saw this license plate on a Pruis hybrid while at the post office   
   yesterday.  I liked it so much, I took a picture of it.   
      
   It read:   
      
   F OPEC   
      
   I'm not sure how they got it passed the censors but I'd like to shake the   
   hand of the person that did.   
      
   *.*   
      
   A decorated war veteran, fresh off the bus, is looking for a place to   
   stay.   
   He hears that room and board is available from the three old spinsters at   
   the edge of town, but is advised they are very picky in letting strangers   
   stay there.  He decides to chance it, and limps on up to the front door.   
   His   
   knock is answered by Gladys.  "What do you want, sonny?" she asks him.   
   "Ma'am, I'm just looking for a hot meal and a room for the night," he   
   answers. The other two old spinsters gather around the door. "Who's out   
   there? Does he look decent?" they ask. Gladys says, "It's a soldier, and   
   he's got a Purple Heart on." The other two heard-of-hearing spinsters   
   giggle   
   and say, "The hell with what colour it is... let him in!"   
      
   Issue of the Times;   
   To Rule Is To Destroy by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.   
      
   Sometimes I talk to people who think that the Mises Institute is all   
   worked   
   up in a frenzy over nothing. After all, we are free to speak our minds,   
   and   
   no one is arrested for expressing opinions not held by those in charge of   
   the government. You can persuasively argue that the US economy is the most   
   prosperous in the history of the world, and that this prosperity is spread   
   over all sectors of society. The economy is still growing.   
   We talk of despotism and yet new businesses are started constantly, and   
   there is no evident lack of opportunity. Precisely what do we want to do   
   but   
   are not permitted to do? What is all this talk about the need to free the   
   economy before despotism chokes the life out of it? And what is all this   
   talk about the need to reform the currency, when inflation doesn't seem to   
   be that bad after all?   
   Well, a major part of the real estate of our website and publications is   
   taken up with answering these questions, and I won't attempt a summary of   
   it   
   all in one talk. But I do want to draw your attention to an insight of   
   Frdric Bastiat's, that there are two kinds of costs to state interference   
   with economic life, one seen and one unseen. It is the unseen ones that   
   are   
   the largest. By unseen he really means the prosperity, innovations, and   
   increases in quality of life that do not come about due to some sort of   
   interference in the ability of the market to make it happen.   
   This is a hugely important point. The other day, a young economist named   
   Mark Brandly did some speculative calculations on some possible unseen   
   effects. He points out that from 1959 to 2005, the real GDP increased an   
   average of 3.37% annually. Let's say that America's massive tax,   
   regulatory,   
   welfare, and warfare state decreased real economic growth by 1% per year -   
   a   
   very conservative estimate. GDP would be 55% higher than it is.   
   Even if we look at it statically, the median family income would be   
   $68,000   
   instead of the $44,000 it is today. And if we eliminate the tax bite that   
   takes 35% of income, the real increase would be much higher. What might   
   have   
   been done with that money? How much investment? How much savings? How much   
   in wealth passed from generation to generation? We are talking about   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)