Keeping up with legislation, cyberstyle

WashingtonWatch is a site that summarizes legislation pending before Congress, and allows user comments on each piece of legislation. The site is nice and clean, and the explanations proposed laws are clear and understandable.

The home page lists all the legislation currently pending, but grouped by tabs for categories such as: Most Popular, Newest, Greatest Cost, and Greatest Savings. If you click on a proposed law it will take you to a page where you can leave a comment about the legislation. Also, users can edit the section that describes why the legislation should or shouldn't be passed. Sort of like Wikidpedia, except probably with more controversy as the site becomes more popular.

What’s wrong with this picture? This is a great site, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that we don’t need 635 largely self-serving, ego-centric, half-witted politicians voting on 3,000+ ways to pick our pockets and screw up our lives. Because you know - you just know – they haven’t actually read any of them.

The only bill any of these clowns should be voting for right now is this one – Read The Bills Act. Of course, the Law of Unintended Consequences says even this bill will make things worse. Hat tip to Ernie.

Posted by:

Terry Frazier at 11:21 PM | Permanent Link | Trackback URL |
Categories: Policy & Regulation

Friday, April 20, 2007

Signing Up for the DEA

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Today I registered for the DEA. I bought some cold medicine. Thanks to the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 I got to show ID and register for the DEA to purchase one $5 package of Tylenol Cold & Sinus.

NPR proclaims this law a fabulous success. In an article titled "Mexican 'Ice' Replaces Home-Cooked Meth in U.S." NPR says:

The nation's war on drugs has at least one successful battle: State and federal laws limiting access to cold medicines containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine have dramatically curtailed small "mom and pop" meth labs.

Of course, the article notes that the home-cooked product has just been replaced with a newer, more powerful form of the drug from Mexico.

Congratulations to our politicians. We have once again assaulted the liberties of average, law-abiding citizens while simultaneously making both over-the-counter cold medicines and the drug problem worse. It seems almost inarguable to me that the more power we grant to bureaucrats the less safe and productive our lives become. The last law passed by Congress that actually improved things was in 1964. 43 years is a long, long time to go without a single useful act by our government. You'd think we would eventually figure out that less is more.

Posted by:

Terry Frazier at 6:42 PM | Permanent Link | Trackback URL |
Categories: Policy & Regulation, War on Drugs

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Screwdriver, Matches, Vaseline, and a Note

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All it takes to get a fighter jet escort these days is a small handful of normal, everyday items that anyone in America could be carrying in their pocket. Oh, and a note with the word al-Qaida somewhere on it.

Anyone who thinks we are actually more secure with these ninnies scrambling fighter jets every time someone looks at them wrong is nuts. The TSA buffoons are now confiscating nasal spray. Vicks Sinex Nasal Spray, for christ's sake!

I realize it's all part of the, "If we can't do something useful let's at least do something visible" mentality that permeates our security efforts, but it really is stupid and makes these people look like abject morons.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- A London-to-Washington flight was diverted to Boston's Logan Airport after a distraught passenger pulled out potentially dangerous items, according to a media report on Wednesday. Fighter jets escorted the flight after the woman produced a screw driver, matches, Vaseline and a note referencing al-Qaida, the Associated Press reported, citing an airport spokesman. United Flight 923 landed safely, Logan spokesman Phil Orlandella said, the AP reported.

Posted by:

Terry Frazier at 11:35 AM | Permanent Link | Trackback URL |
Categories: Homeland Security, Policy & Regulation

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