This is a pretty depressing collection of cartoons as they virtually all take the pro-gun control side (available here). The problem here is that the ideas are "background checks good" and "ban bad guns." No discussion about how virtually everyone stopped is a law-abiding citizen. No discussion of who is bearing the costs of these background checks. For some of the finer points missed out in these cartoons see here and here.
Friday, May 24, 2013
IRS targets families adopting children for special investigations
Posted on 12:18 PM by Unknown
From Fox News:
The Internal Revenue Service mishandled tax returns of adoptive families, flagging for further review 90 percent of those who claimed the adoption tax credit for the 2012 filing season. And a report by the federal agency’s Taxpayer Advocate Service also found that nearly 70 percent of adoptive families — more than 35,000 — had at least a partial audit of their tax return. By contrast, just one percent of all returns are audited.
"The IRS's misguided procedures, and its failure to adequately adjust these processes when it learned its approach was seriously flawed, have caused significant economic harm to thousands of families who are selflessly trying to improve the lives of vulnerable children," according to the report. . . .
Obama's fourth scandal: Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius using her position to force those she regulates to give money to Obama campaign
Posted on 12:07 PM by Unknown
Using the threat of regulation to force those being regulated to give money to Obama sure sounds like thuggish behavior. I suppose that Obama will again claim ignorance of this, but Sebelius has gotten in trouble before on these issues. He might claim outrage, but he didn't publicly reprimand her earlier. From The Hill newspaper:
House Republicans have widened their probe of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius by asking the country's largest health insurers for information on her fundraising for a nonprofit group promoting ObamaCare.
Leaders on the Energy and Commerce Committee said Friday they have written to 15 insurance companies and other groups asking whether Sebelius had contacted them to solicit funds for ObamaCare's implementation.
Companies should hand over any internal communications that document conversations with Sebelius or discussions about her request, including emails, lawmakers wrote.
The Sebelius probe began when news broke that she was petitioning major healthcare players to contribute to Enroll America, a group tasked with educating the public about its new health coverage options under healthcare reform.
Republicans have denounced the effort as a "shakedown" that will line the pockets of Obama supporters and former administration officials now working to promote the Affordable Care Act. . . .
Democrats support Lois Lerner taking the fifth, covering up IRS scandal
Posted on 11:58 AM by Unknown
From The Hill newspaper:
Key Democrats say Internal Revenue Service official Lois Lerner didn't give up her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination by giving an opening statement at a House hearing on Wednesday.
Democrats on the Oversight panel said they want Lerner to testify about the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, and are not defending her decision to invoke the Fifth Amendment. . . .
The Democrats' position is a politically delicate one, as they are backing the Constitutional rights of an IRS official who is in the middle of a highly charged firestorm. . . .
Thursday, May 23, 2013
More than 100 "Conservative" Economists Urge Immigration Overhaul? I don't think so.
Posted on 9:25 PM by Unknown
A letter released by 109 economists urges Congress to pass a sweeping immigration overhaul, claiming that it will help the economy and reduce the deficit. It has been getting some attention at the WSJ and Politico. I am dubious that they are right. But what is clear is that not all these signers are "conservatives" by any means.
Take June O’Neill, who served as OMB director for President Clinton.
John Makin may be at AEI, but I know him and he is a Keynesian economist.
Note also some of the mistakes. Steven Davis from the University of Chicago and Davis Steven from the University of Chicago are obviously the same person (I do know the real Steven Davis). John Makin at AEI is listed twice. The 109 number removes these two double counting from the total. Compare that to the 353 who signed a letter supporting McCain in 2008 or the 784 who supported Mitt Romney. Here are nine economists who signed the immigration letter but who did not sign the letter supporting Romney (the six in italics signed the letter for McCain, though many more didn't sign the letter for McCain).
Antony Davies, Duquesne University
James Forcier, Hult International Business School
K.C. Fung, University of California, Santa Cruz
William Gissy, KIMEP University
Claudio Gonzalez-Vega, Ohio State University
Stuart Hoffman, PNC Financial Services Group
Philip Rothman, East Carolina University
Scott Sumner, Bentley University
William Trumbull, West Virginia University
Government says "may be impossible" to stop 3D printing of guns
Posted on 3:14 PM by Unknown
At the very least, how do you stop drug gangs from smuggling in or stealing 3D printers? From Fox News:
In any case, let me note that I still have some skepticism about these plastic guns. The force from the explosion of the bullet seems very likely to risk having the plastic gun explode in your hands, sending shrapnel all over the place. My advice is if you were to fire one of these guns, make sure that you are heavily protected. I would still like to have some third party confirm that this gun works.
UPDATE: My skepticism about how safe this is has some support from some recent tests in Australia. From Gizmodo:
UPDATE: Printing can be done with metal, not just plastic.
UPDATE: Senator Schumer, Rep. Israel, and California state Senator Yee are all pushing gun control laws to deal with 3D printing. Israel's proposal would license those who make ammunition magazines. According to the Boston Globe, Yee's proposal could include the registration of 3D printers. Schumer's actions are discussed here. More of a discussion is available here.
The Digital Journal has this proposal:
A new Department of Homeland Security intelligence bulletin warns it could be "impossible" to stop 3D-printed guns from being made, not to mention getting past security checkpoints. . . .Printers are relatively inexpensive:
The guns threaten to render 3D gun control efforts useless if their manufacture becomes more widespread.
"Significant advances in three-dimensional (3D) printing capabilities, availability of free digital 3D printer files for firearms components, and difficulty regulating file sharing may present public safety risks from unqualified gun seekers who obtain or manufacture 3D printed guns," warns the bulletin compiled by the Joint Regional Intelligence Center. . . .
"Limiting access may be impossible," concludes the three-page bulletin.
A source tells FoxNews.com the potential problems faced by government authorities involve securing large, high-profile events or those attended by the President, where magnetometers used to screen for weapons would not pick up a 3D printed gun.
"This is a serious threat," the law enforcement source said. "These could defeat magnetometers. The only security procedure to catch [the 3D firearms] is a pat down. Is America ready for pat-downs at every event?" . . .
The price range of 3D Systems printers ranges from $10k to $750k. The average would be ~$380k. But the median is much lower <$100k. . . .More importantly, prices look to be falling dramatically very soon.
Widespread adoption of 3D printing technology may not be that far away, according to a Gartner report predicting that enterprise-class 3D printers will be available for less than $2,000 by 2016. . . .How are you going to stop people from getting 3D printers when the prices get that low? The hard part is designing the file, but that has apparently been done, with one already created file downloaded 100,000 times.
In any case, let me note that I still have some skepticism about these plastic guns. The force from the explosion of the bullet seems very likely to risk having the plastic gun explode in your hands, sending shrapnel all over the place. My advice is if you were to fire one of these guns, make sure that you are heavily protected. I would still like to have some third party confirm that this gun works.
UPDATE: My skepticism about how safe this is has some support from some recent tests in Australia. From Gizmodo:
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione called a press conference today after the NSW Police Force concluded its experiments with 3D printable weapons, including The Liberator. The boffins over at the NSW Police bought themselves a 3D printer for $1700 and decided to test how easy it would be to build their own gun. They downloaded the blueprints for The Liberator from the internet and printed out two weapons to test fire.
All in all, they printed the 15 parts required to assemble The Liberator in 27 hours and assembled it within 60 seconds with a firing pin fashioned out of a steel nail. The two guns were test fired into a block of resin designed to simulate human muscle, and the first bullet penetrated the resin block up to 17 centimetres. NSW Police Ballistics division confirm that it would be a fatal wound if pointed at someone.
What’s interesting about the second device they tested, however, was the “catastrophic failure” of the weapon. Translation? It exploded. The plastic gave way to the brutal force of an exploding .38 caliber bullet and the barrel exploded. . . .These guns have a history "to fall apart or degrade after repeated use."
UPDATE: Printing can be done with metal, not just plastic.
UPDATE: Senator Schumer, Rep. Israel, and California state Senator Yee are all pushing gun control laws to deal with 3D printing. Israel's proposal would license those who make ammunition magazines. According to the Boston Globe, Yee's proposal could include the registration of 3D printers. Schumer's actions are discussed here. More of a discussion is available here.
The Digital Journal has this proposal:
Solutions? Trying to censor the internet will be a failure, it is simply not possible for one regulator body to control such a vast network. However, the streets can be safer by imposing regulations on retail 3D printers. These include price fixings making the printers unaffordable for the average consumer, but as well requiring licensing and strict regulations for ownership.From the New York Times:
Mr. Israel’s bill represents a form of gun control that the N.R.A. could actually support. Not because the Constitution remains silent on the question of printers, but because current manufacturers might not love the idea of new technology messing with their bottom line.Other information by Ashley Feinberg is available here.
Woman, threatened with rape, calls 911 only to be told: "there are no officers on duty to help her"
Posted on 11:24 AM by Unknown
It sounds as if this woman should have invested in buying herself a gun. From the UK Daily Mail:
UPDATE: Megan Kelley has the audio available here.
A terrified woman from Josephine County, Oregon, dialed 911 to report that her violent ex-boyfriend is trying to break into her home, but in response she was told that there are no officers on duty to help her. . . .
Eventually, the crazed man forced his way into the house, choked his former girlfriend and raped her without no one there to stop him.The suspect, Michael Bellah, was later arrested and pleaded guilty to kidnapping, assault and sex abuse. . . .
The woman explained that her ex-boyfriend, Michael Bellah, had put her in the hospital just weeks prior, and she has been trying to keep him away. . . .
'Uh, I don’t have anybody to send out there. You know, obviously, if he comes inside the residence and assaults you, can you ask him to go away? Do you know if he’s intoxicated or anything?' the officer, who identified himself as Ray, told the caller.
The woman explained that she has already asked Bellah to leave and warned him that she was going to call police, but that did nothing to stop him from trying to break down the door - something he had done in the past, according to the girlfriend. . . .The solution pushed by this news article is that the county should have voted for higher taxes. Of course, a lot can happen even in 15 or 20 minutes.
UPDATE: Megan Kelley has the audio available here.
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