Category Archives: Open Thread

Open Thread — Don’t Tread On Me

Open Thread

Gadsden Info
I’m a bit of a fan of the Gadsden flag. I’ve got a 3′ x 5′ version from here. Back in the day, this was my old office.

So when I found out that there’s a designer clothing line centered around the Don’t Tread On Me logo, I was a bit intrigued.

But I started looking at their designs. There’s something that doesn’t quite turn me on about these… It seems as if it’s far more “hip” than it is authentic.

So what do you think? Is it a shameless ploy to capitalize on a long-standing tradition by catering to the “in-crowd”? Or is it a gateway that might bring people to the actual philosophy and history behind “Don’t Tread On Me”?

Brad Warbiany
https://thelibertypapers.org/

Open Thread — Off-Topic / Notebook vs. Netbook

Open Thread, Technology

This is somewhat off-topic, but as I know many bloggers and blog-readers are technophiles, I wanted to get advice from the best place I could.

The time has come for us to replace my wife’s laptop. It’s about as old and decrepit as a laptop can be and still run Windows, and is a constant source of frustration for her. As any married guy knows, that means that it’s a constant source of frustration for me as well.

Her computing needs are very sparse, so performance is not an issue. At the moment, I’m toying with the idea of getting her a netbook rather than a notebook. I’m sure several readers here have played with the netbooks, and can give an idea of whether they are functional enough to be her primary computer. She will be using it primarily to run her business, but most of that is email and web-based, with occasional document editing.

I know that some laptops such as Apple’s Macbooks can really push the boat out with features like their recent touchscreen LCD Panel for the controls rather than buttons, which is a fantastic idea, but I don’t think that will be necessary here.

Considerations:

Cost — The decision is between netbook and low-end notebook, not netbook vs. high-end notebook. Note that this also rules out the ultra-slim notebooks, as you typically pay for the small size.

Operating System — I prefer WinXP. For her, it can’t be Linux, for me, I’d prefer it’s not Vista. We could live with Vista if we had enough horsepower, though.

Storage — Rotating HDD. I know more about SSD technology than most (it’s my job), but the cost/capacity equation is wrong for her application. As a primary PC, and with a lot of storage of digital photos, 8-16 GB would disappear in months. However, while HDDs tend to have higher memory capacities at present, they have downfalls in other areas, like reliability. If data becomes lost or corrupted, people could seek out NetApp data recovery or similar services in order to restore it to its former state.

Software — 95% Firefox. 5% OpenOffice, Picture Viewing, etc.

Size — It needs to be portable enough for her to carry, since she runs a business and needs connectivity on a regular basis. She’s also trucking around one 16-month old child with her, and in another 6-7 months, will have two. So smaller is better in this sense.

Convenience — If a small screen & keyboard (luckily she has small fingers) will grow tiresome quickly, she may need to move up to the notebook.

If I didn’t regularly use one laptop for everything, I’d probably be using a netbook for travel and general connectivity. But I’m sure it would get very old for me quickly, as I’m used to large high-resolution screens and full-size keyboards.

What do you think? I’m thinking of buying a netbook retail for Christmas, letting her play with it for a few weeks, and then if she hates the small keyboard/screen, returning it for a real notebook. But if the general consensus is that she’ll hate it right up front, I might as well save myself a trip.

Brad Warbiany
https://thelibertypapers.org/

Happy Thanksgiving – Open Thread

Open Thread

In my family, we’ve got a simple tradition. Every year on Thanksgiving, we pass around a book where everyone can write what they’re thankful for that year. We might as well start that tradition here, right?

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Today, I’m thankful for my family, who (mostly) flew out here to SoCal where my brother and I both live. I’m thankful for my wonderful wife, my son, and the little one on the way. I’m thankful that I am at a fortunate time in my life and my industry to be much less impacted by this financial meltdown than many other good people. And I’m glad to live in America. I will continue to criticize those things I see as wrong here, but this is still, IMHO, the best place to be at this point in time.

And, of course, I’m thankful to be associated with all of my co-contributors, and thankful that enough people read and comment here to make the whole thing worthwhile.

Brad Warbiany
https://thelibertypapers.org/

Open Thread — A New Tax Hike

Democracy, Open Thread, Politics, Strategies For Advancing Liberty, Taxation

As anyone who reads this blog understands, I’m not a favor of any taxation. Nor am I much in favor of government. But at the moment, we have a government, and its functions must be paid through some revenue. We might as well find economically efficient, rather than inefficient, ways to raise that revenue.

Politicians talk about taxing the rich, or raising “usage fees”, raising capital gains taxes, or even sin taxes. But what if we added a tax on politics itself? We already talk of the corrupting influence of money on politics, but why not put that money to good use?

I’m talking– of course– about a tax on political contributions. As it stands, I am thankful to see that political contributions are not tax-deductable, but why is it that they shouldn’t be expressly taxed?

I think we’d be well served by a 10% tax on all political contributions. We could even call it a “sales” tax, because you know someone’s been bought.

We can’t get rid of the influence of money on politics without getting rid of the influence of politics on money. That link doesn’t appear to be breaking, so we might as well put it to good use.

So what do you think, readers? Is this a brilliant way to add revenue while disincentivizing political money-grubbing, or is it a crackpot idea?

Brad Warbiany
https://thelibertypapers.org/

Monday Open Thread — Grounds For Secession?

Open Thread, Strategies For Advancing Liberty, Theory and Ideas

What began decades ago as a joke is gaining steam here on the west coast. Rural counties on the Cal-Oregon border who believe they are completely unrepresented in Sacramento & Salem are considering a way out:

Some folks around here think the economic sky is falling and state lawmakers in Sacramento and Salem are ignoring their constituents in the hinterlands.

Guess the time is ripe to create a whole new state.

That’s the thinking up here along the border between California and Oregon, where 12 sparsely populated, thickly forested counties in both states want to break away and generate the 51st star on the nation’s flag – the state of Jefferson.

You can see the signs of discontent from Klamath Falls to Dunsmuir, where green double-X “Jefferson State” flags hang in scores of businesses. You can hear the talk of revolution at lunch counters and grocery lines, where people grumble that politicians to the north and south don’t care.

You can even hear the dissent on the radio, where 21 area FM stations broadcast from Oregon into California under the banner of “Jefferson Public Radio.”

“We have nothing in common with you people down south. Nothing,” said Randy Bashaw, manager of the Jefferson State Forest Products lumber mill in the Trinity County hamlet of Hayfork. “The sooner we’re done with all you people, the better.”

My view, as someone who is stuck so squarely in the Greater Los Angeles Megasprawl, stretching from Tijuana to Ventura, is one of envy towards anyone that may have a chance at escaping the grasp of Sacramento. If I lived up there, I’d by pushing hard for something like this. So I’m firmly in favor of letting them out.

But this brings up some interesting questions. As a nation that supposedly operates based upon “consent of the governed”, you have a clear case where the people of these counties do not consent to governance by their state Capitols. Granting them exception and statehood, though, causes some problems in that it affects national politics (via electoral college, the Senate, etc).

So what do you guys think? What are the grounds for the counties to dissolve the bonds of government and form new ones? Shall we allow them to break off and form the 51st state, the State of Jefferson? Or not? Why?

Brad Warbiany
https://thelibertypapers.org/
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