Dictators don’t have to worry about short-term pain to their country. They don’t have to be re-elected. Democracies often kick the can down the road with respect to major problems for that very reason, because “legislators” are only concerned about being re-elected.
Links to three posts from Why Evolution Is True:
Once again: Ivermectin doesn’t work
Suzy Weiss on swimmer Lia Thomas, and the chilling of dissent
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Perhaps you remember the story I wrote about in this post, perhaps not. Richard Martinez, a resident of Kansas, bought his dream car–a restored 1959 Corvette–only to have the car seized when a Kansas state trooper discovered a problem with its VIN during a mandatory registration inspection. Even though the state acknowledged that Martinez had done nothing wrong, it still wanted to destroy the car. Martinez filed suit and, of course, no decision has been made, yet, even though the suit was filed five years ago.
A bill making its way through the Kansas House would protect people like Martinez in the future. The legislation would exempt classic vehicles being repaired or restored and would also exempt classic car owners who didn’t know or had no reason to know their car was stolen.
Sam McRoberts, leader of the Kansas Justice Institute, believes the seizure of Martinez’ Corvette violates the state and federal constitutions because an innocent person’s property is being taken without due process. He wrote the following in a brief submitted to the jurisdiction where Martinez filed his lawsuit, “Innocence matters. The government should not get to destroy Mr. Martinez’ car for a wrong he did not commit. That is unconstitutional.”
Once again, one of government’s reasons for existing is to protect property rights, not to usurp them. Governments cannot be allowed to become de facto dictators. Governments are only supposed to exist with consent of the governed.
From Premier Auction Group a picture of a 1959 Corvette, supposedly a fuelie, which comprised only 920 of 9,670 Corvettes (9.5%) built that year.
I would very much like to read your views on this topic. Don’t get me started on the “process” of civil asset forfeiture, where governments can seize the assets of private citizens WITHOUT charging them with a crime. That sounds unconstitutional, but it happens every day in this country.
#FreeformFriday
#RespectPropertyRights!
#somanycarsjustonelife
#disaffectedmusings
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Disaffected Musings 
Wow! Just Wow! I don’t understand the logic of destruction of the property at all. If this were a stolen Van Gogh, would the object be destroyed? Sure… makes perfect sense to me.
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Stories like this get no coverage in the “mainstream media.” I simply cannot fathom how so many people are willing to give up their economic freedom to government and think they will still be “free.”
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Warning, rant ahead (owner of this blog can delete if they choose)
It’s not just economic freedom that has been surrendered, it’s pretty much every aspect of your life that the government tries to control. 100 years ago you didn’t have to “jump thru the hoops” to do many things: build a house, RENOVATE a house, go fishing or hunting, create a pond in a stream, start a business, repair a car, get married, and the list goes on.
I have about 2 acres on my property that is more or less a swamp due to a nearby stream. I can do NOTHING on that property because it’s considered “navigable wetlands”. The only possible way you could “navigate” it is with a hovercraft, IF the brush was cleared from it. At one time I thought about making a pond there. You would have thought I wanted to put a nuclear reactor there by the government reaction.
Another example would be automotive paint solvents. Many years ago, probably around 30 years ago, EPA regulations enacted made it a requirement to have certification to be able to buy solvents in bulk, bulk being a 5 gallon can or larger. You would have to have a reclamation plan for at least 50% of the solvent. This would be the solvent used for cleaning, and assumed that the other 50% was lost in the painting process. Problem is that some solvents have a high rate of evaporation. MEK, acetone, etc will evaporate quickly. Left uncovered they will evaporate at about 1 quart in 12-18 hours. HOWEVER, I could buy 5 one gallon cans with no such certification needed. Problem was that 3 one gallon cans was the same cost as 1 five gallon can.
A further example is some OSHA requirements. If an extension cord gets a cut in the outer “skin”, it CANNOT be used. And there is no approved method of repairing it. An industrial grade 100 foot cord can cost upwards of $75 AND if an inspector sees that damaged cord in use, our company is subject to a fine even if there was no knowledge of the damage. A couple years ago a regulation was enacted to control concrete dust. Now, to drill ONE hole in concrete, you must contain the dust and use a HEPA certified vacuum to collect the dust. These vacuums can cost near $1200 each.
While on the surface these might make sense, in reality it’s a hassle for a regular guy to deal with. I could go on, but all that would do is use up bandwidth AND raise my blood pressure.
(climbs off soapbox, kicks it into the corner and stomps away)
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Comments like this are why I appreciate your reading the blog. You are preaching to the choir, DDM.
Two economics professors from NC State wrote a thorough research paper a few years ago in which the main conclusion was that government regulation has throttled GDP growth by EIGHTY PERCENT since 1949. This is an obvious manifestation of the fact that government regulations are not subject to any kind of cost/benefit analysis. Virtually no end justifies the means, no matter what.
If I had not had an expert accountant, I probably would not have been able to run my ONE-PERSON consulting business. The needless obstacles thrown at small business owners by federal, state and local governments are the real crime of the century.
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More food for thought from this article:
In 2021, the Yavaşcas launched Sebze Lisboa, an Anatolian and vegetarian kitchen that caters events, fills to-go orders, and hosts pop-up dinners. “I wouldn’t have started this business in America, because first of all, there’s food regulations, business licenses, high fees to get things started,” Alexandra says. “There’s so much bureaucracy and red tape that you have to go through that I can’t even imagine in two weeks, we could have a start-up business.” [emphasis mine]
In contrast, “starting businesses is quite easy in Portugal,” says economics professor Reis. “You can open a business in one hour with a relatively limited amount of paperwork.”
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If I was to try to start our business today, I probably wouldn’t. Each year the cost increases, regulations become harder to meet and therefore the time required to meet them increases. I have to spend more time making sure we aren’t violating some regulation that no one heard about.
Costa Rica is similar to Portugal by the sounds. About 10 years ago we contracted with a company to remove some equipment in Washington state, then oversee the re-installation in Costa Rica. I was shocked by the lack of government interference in installing this equipment; no permits needed for electrical work, floor modifications and no endless pointless regulations. It was rather refreshing.
Like Portugal, they WANT business there. The major part of their economy is tourism and that can be subject to many variables. I talk fairly often with the engineer we worked with on that project, and have traveled there on vacation 3 times. I looked quite hard at possibly moving there, and am still considering it. A non citizen permit to live there is quite easy to acquire and low cost. You have to have a verifiable income of $1,100 per month and that’s about it. On that money you can live a VERY comfortable upper middle class life. The only “odd” requirement is that you must leave the country for 72 hours every 90 days. Some enterprising folks bought “party” boats that will go offshore. Leave on Thursday night, back in port Sunday night. Total cost is around $100 for the trip, very reasonable meal costs plus any alcohol you might consume, figure about $125 if you don’t hit the bar.
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Costa Rica is a very popular destination for American ex-pats. I don’t think my wonderful wife would ever move to another country, though.
What the zealots who strive for more and more regulation can’t or don’t want to understand is that small businesses are the engine of economic growth. Apple didn’t start as a company with a $2.7 TRILLION market cap. It is small businesses that are least able to comply and to afford ever increasing regulation.
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Indeed!
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