The income gap is HUGE in the socialist paradise.
Archive for the ‘Crime’ Category
Mass shootings throughout American history
13
Jun
Law professor Butler Shaffer wrote two insightful posts about the Orlando massacre that are on the money, here and here.
Economics professor and historian Tom DiLorenzo, author of The Real Lincoln and other books, weighs in about the worst massacres in US history.
End-of-Year Update
24
Dec
New Jersey:
Bridgegate: I live one mile south of the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee where the notorious three-tollbooth lanes designated for local traffic were restricted to only one for a few days in early September. Traffic in Fort Lee was horrendous. Gov. Christie asserted that these three tollbooths were used only for Fort Lee residents. This is a gross mischaracterization of the traffic going to the bridge during rush hour. Motorists from Fort Lee, Cliffside Park, Fairview, Edgewater, Guttenberg and probably other communities use that particular entrance to the GW.
What were Port Authority officials thinking when they restricted access to the bridge claiming they were conducting a traffic study to see the impact of closing two lanes?
Transportation studies can be conducted using a computer simulation to determine the effects of the lane closures without disrupting the actual traffic of an area being analyzed. In short, there was no need to close two of the lanes. Whatever the motives were of Messrs. Wildstein and Baroni, two smart Christie appointed officials who resigned in the wake of this brouhaha, the fact is politicians should not run key sectors of the economy. Why? Because their motives and goals are much different than managers of businesses who have to satisfy shareholders or risk their own capital.
The bottom line is very simple government should get out of the transportation business. At the very least, transportation professionals not political appointees should be making decisions about the use of bridges, tunnels and highways.
My letter in The Record (April 20) about the anti-gun violence rally in Bergen County
20
Apr
Anti-gun rally likely to miss the mark
The upcoming Bergen Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence rally on Sunday is an attempt by well-meaning individuals to address a serious problem in our society. However, the approach is naive and counterproductive.
The coalition says that the majority of people “support common sense legislation to prevent homicides, suicides and mass murder.”
One sure way to reduce “gun violence” in America is to decriminalize such drugs as marijuana and narcotics. In one stroke, gang violence would end in inner cities, where heavily armed drug dealers protect their turf, causing death and destruction in their communities.
There is another common-sense way to reduce crime in our society. Pass legislation that puts citizens and non-citizens on notice that the punishment for committing a violent crime will be deportation, not prison. No ifs, ands or buts. No more career criminals; one strike and you are out.
Lastly, the coalition ignores an important principle, which is the right of self-defense. In New Jersey, however, the only place you can exercise that right is in your own home or apartment. It is virtually impossible to obtain a concealed carry permit to protect oneself in your automobile, mall or street. That means violent individuals can prey on the rest of us. In other words, a defenseless crime victim is at the mercy of the bad guys, a fact that the coalition is comfortable with.
Murray Sabrin
Fort Lee, April 18
The writer is a professor of finance at Ramapo College and a former candidate for statewide office as a Republican and a Libertarian.
Blue laws, minimum wage laws and gun control
04
Feb
The Record’s Sunday Business section (Feb. 2) contains two articles on the front page, “Foes of blue laws gear up again,” and “Minimum-wage battle could cost GOP candidates.” Both articles highlight two laws that reveal how the government abuses its powers to address two economic issues. In addition, the Opinion section published about two-dozen letters to the editor about gun control and the Second Amendment, most of which criticize the ownership of so-called assault weapons and firearms ownership in general.
The culture of violence in America? Blame the federal government
17
Dec
Since the horrific events in Newtown last Friday, a renewed call for more gun control has filled the airwaves and the print media. In addition, the usual suspects have appeared on talk shows–psychiatrists, gun confiscation advocates, and the usual loud mouth politicians–calling for the Congress and President “to do something” to prevent future school massacres.
Ban hospitals
22
Sep
The Wall Street Journal article, How to Stop Hospitals From Killing Us, is a sober reminder that life has enormous risks. When highly trained individuals are responsible for nearly 100,000 deaths annually due to medical errors, where is the outrage among the gun prohibitionists, who claim that gun ownership must be severely restricted because of the needless deaths associated with gun violence. If the number of deaths is considered the standard by which we should judge whether something should be prohibited or restricted, then an excellent case could be made that hosptials are three to four times more lethal than gun owenership.
The right to self-defense is not negotiable Senators Weinberg, Menendez and Lautenberg
27
Nov
The House of Representatives passed HR-822, The National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, which would allow citizens who have a permit to carry a concealed firearm in their state the ability to do so in any other state.
Crime and punishment
20
Jan
On Friday, January 14, Lakewood police officer Christopher Matlosz was shot three times sitting in his patrol car after he stopped a pedestrian for “routine questioning.” After a massive search, police arrested the alleged killer 19 year old Jahmell Crockam, who is known as “Sav,” as in savage, on the streets. Crockam is in custody; his bail has been set at $5 million.