NIMBY

A friend of mine came down with the NIMBY virus last weekend when he found out that Kenton County was planning to build their new 600 bed jail about 2000 feet from his back yard. The NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) virus shows up anytime a landfill wants to expand, a new jail is planned or sewer plant needs to be built.

Kenton County must build a new jail (a federal judge actually mandated it) but you have to feel for the people who's property and schools are near by.

Just last month, Rumpke had to stop plans of expanding it's landfill (since it running out of room) because of all noise the neighbors and local government raised. But the trash has to go somewhere, so the same process will probably repeat itself in the coming months.

I feel bad for my buddy and would be just as angry myself. But someone's feet and property values are always going to get stepped on whenever something like this happens. Image trying to build a new nuclear power plant in this country? I'd say, "Go for it.... but just not in my back yard!"

Want to reduce poverty? Lower taxes.

Matthew Ladner has a great article today about taxes. It's a shame that this message has to be repeated over and over again, but there's a lot of people who don't understand how economics work. The U.S. Govt isn't good at doing anything, except maybe running the armed forces. Why would anyone think they could handle the poor and dealing with poverty? Their answer is always the same: redistribute the money. That's a bad idea... because it never has and never will work.

Illegal workers

I haven't posted for a while because I've been catching up on some continuing education this time of year.

One of the topics discussed in the seminar this week was the issue surrounding the hiring of illegal immigrants. It looks like no matter what happens in the immigration debate, it appears t one of the things that will inevitably be a part of significant immigration changes will be increased penalties for employers who hire illegals.

Let me make sure I have this right. I was under the assumption the government was the one responsible for regulating immigration and securing the border. Yet, if someone comes into my office looking for a job, I am supposed to be a document expert and should be able to discern what are fraudulent documents and what are not.

People want to know why I'm a libertarian. Well maybe it's because I get fed up with a government that cannot do it's job so they pass it off to private companies to do their job for them. If that's the case, why do we need government at all.

Let the state collect it's own sales tax.

And the pork goes on...

What is it about Washington that causes politicians to spend taxpayer's money like drunken sailors? Is it the power of playing with someone else's money? Well, it sounds like it ain't gonna change much just because the Dems are running the show now.

Robert D. Novak: The sterile, confused lame-duck session of the Republican-controlled 109th Congress ended with a quiet victory by reformers that staved off an estimated 10,000 earmarks. But it could not be called a farewell to pork. Last Thursday, as the House neared adjournment, Democrats signaled they may countenance a return to free and easy spending ways when they assume the majority Jan. 4. More...