Dash of Calabash

Excellent commentary in today’s daily by Bruce Fein here.

And the editorial Bruce Fein was responding to.

Number and size of recorded hurricanes by NOAA. Are we having more, stronger hurricanes in recent years? No. The numbers just aren’t there. Here.

There is a classic quote of a global warming advocate in this article:

“The intensity of and(sic) rainfalls from hurricanes are probably increasing, even if this increase cannot yet be proven with a formal statistical test,” Trenberth wrote in the US journal Science in June.

The author then goes on to note about this assertion:

That is to say, Trenberth believes it although there is no statistical evidence for it.

This is classic. Admit there is no evidence but insist global warming is at fault anyway.

Hurricane Katrina is an unquestionable disaster but it shouldn’t be used to politicize science, which is what those such as Trenberth are trying to do. An interesting article.

Yet another analysis of why the gas caps are a bad idea.

Price controls always result in shortages. This is how it works: If the regulated wholesale price in Hawaii is lower than the market price, the gasoline will go elsewhere. If the U.S. installs price caps, and India and China bid higher for what’s available, those countries get it, leaving the U.S. in the lurch.

And a clear statement of what is really at issue:

The state of Hawaii has the highest state gas tax in America at 60 cents a gallon. If they want to help motorists, why not issue a tax cut instead of price controls? Better yet, why not have a cap on all state taxes? If price controls is a good idea, then why not freeze taxes on property, sales and income? The answer–and the reality–is that governments cannot resist the exercise of power over others; in this case, fixing artificial prices.

Whole article here.

The argument used in Kelo v. New London was that the city stood to expand its tax base, therefore garnering a public benefit, by taking private property from some citizens to make available to other private companies or citizens. Private developers would build business and population intense complexes that would garner the city more tax revenue, a supposed public good. Now some cities are threatening to use eminent domain to guarantee “open space” even though such open space will generate no such augmented tax revenues. Here is one case in Golden, Colorado where the city is attempting to do just that. It isn’t an isolated case there are others but the logic in this one is striking. Either you sell us your land whether you want to or not, or we will take it. Thus the reasoning put forth in Kelo is entirely circumvented here. A classic case of “unintended consequences”. Unless state legislatures rise to the occasion, which has happened in two states so far, private property as a civil right is a lost issue. Read the Colorado story here.

Several bloggers are commenting on the pending Hawaii Gas Caps. Some good analysis that reveals the flaws in the plans. Nice to see there are economically literate people out there. Now if we could just vote some into the Hawaii legislature. Articles are here, here and here.

Hat Tip: The Knowledge Problem

Olelo Channel 53, NATV will carry a talk by Bruce Fein on the Akaka Bill on August 30, 2005 at 1:00 PM.

Kathryn Jean Lopez has an editorial on NRO which details and responds to many of the aspects of the Akaka Bill. Another interesting read. She also has an interesting quote Supreme Court Judge Antonin Scalia made in 1995:

To pursue the concept of racial entitlement - even for the most admirable and benign of purposes - is to reinforce and preserve for future mischief the way of thinking that produced race slavery, race privilege and race hatred. In the eyes of the government, we are just one race here. We are American.

The Heritage Foundation discussion on the Akaka Bill is available via Real Player video link. Click on the “View Event” link on this page.

The blog Out of Control has an interesting piece on cities that are privatizing what are traditionally thought of as public services and keeping city bureaucracies as small as possible. Could this be the new wave of the future? More than one city is taking this view as the article notes. Could it be that Hawaii is going in the wrong direction? Wouldn’t be the first time.