Virginia Libertarian

Citizens Against Government Waste: FEMA’s Ice Outrage: The Meltdown
The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) has decided to liquidate nearly 85 million pounds of ice, worth about $24 million, left over from the initial 224 million pounds it had purchased in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The agency had anticipated keeping the ice in reserve to address shortages during the 2006 hurricane season, but there were not as many storms as predicted.
So far, it has cost the agency $12.5 million to warehouse the ice in 23 facilities across the country. Paying to store the ice for two years is especially inexcusable since FEMA’s contract with the Massachusetts-based storage contractor, AmeriCold, mandated that the agency dispose of unused ice within three months of purchase.
Initially, FEMA attempted to donate the extra ice to another federal agency, but could not find any agency willing to take it. There was talk of giving it away to the public, but FEMA officials worried that, after so much time in storage, the ice might not be safe for human consumption. The idea of selling the ice, even at a discount, to willing industrial buyers in order to recover at least some of the costs was apparently never seriously considered. Instead, FEMA is paying $3.4 million to melt the ice, which is expected to take 11 months.

See, isn’t government great, look how well they manage!  Now consider, if a private company were to pull stupid stunts  like this one, how long do you think they would be in business?  Not long, I’d wager, but with your friendly federal government running the show, you can’t get rid of agencies like this.  Once they’re created, they’re here to stay.

Everybody should have one of these:

Among other issues, Paul also voiced support for abandoning the war on drugs, allowing gold and silver to serve as legal tender, repealing the Seventeenth Amendment - which lets voters directly elect U.S. Senators - and ending the practice of withholding taxes from one’s pay. Instead, taxpayers would have to actually write checks to pay their taxes, a move Paul figured would soon end what he called the present tax-and-spend philosophy of government.

Chicago Orders “Big Box” Stores to Raise Wage
By ERIK ECKHOLM

After months of fevered lobbying and bitter debate, the Chicago City Council passed a groundbreaking ordinance yesterday requiring “big box” stores, like Wal-Mart and Home Depot, to pay a minimum wage of $10 an hour by 2010, along with at least $3 an hour worth of benefits.

The ordinance, imposing the requirement on stores that occupy more than 90,000 square feet and are part of companies grossing more than $1 billion annually, would be the first in the country to single out large retailers for wage rules.

Now, as much as I think this is a stupid idea, this is the level of government at which it belongs. If the people of Chicago want to make it so that everyone has to be paid $10/hour, that is their decision, and they will ultimately suffer or reap the consequences of their actions. Anyone who doesn’t like the policy can leave. This is a right not given to the federal government by the constitution, so is reserved for the states. Now while I believe it is poor economic police for the state to intervene in private transactions, if the people of Chicago wish to drive the large retailers out of their city, it is their decision.