Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Food Stamps & Taxes Suggest We’re Nearing the End
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses…
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The Catholic Church Engages
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9vQt6IXXaM] A friend of mine, who also happens to be a Baptist minister, once told me that despite being a life-long Democrat he had to endorse Bush over Kerry. Kerry was just simply not compatible with his religion. There is an undoubted war on religion — all religion — in this country. It’s time…
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Chicago Teachers’ Union Closer to Strike
Both sides have agreed to the appointment of a fact-finding panel that has 75 days to issue a report recommending terms for settlement of the labor contract. Once that report is issued in the middle of July, the parties have 15 days to accept or reject the panel’s recommendation. If its rejected, the fact-finding panel…
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Record Number of Americans Renounce Citizenship
Last year, almost 1,800 people … renounc[ed] their U.S. citizenship or handing in their Green Cards. That’s a record number since the Internal Revenue Service began publishing a list of those who renounced in 1998. It’s also almost eight times more than the number of citizens who renounced in 2008, and more than the total…
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Michigan’s Armed Raids on Small Pig Farmers
NaturalNews can now confirm that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has, in total violation of the Fourth Amendment, conducted two armed raids on pig farmers in that state, one in Kalkaska County at Fife Lake and another in Cheboygan County. Staging raids involving six vehicles and ten armed men, DN[R] conducted unconstitutional, illegal and…
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CHA Relocations = Higher Crime Rates?
According to the Sun-Times: Crime was worse in neighborhoods where former Chicago Housing Authority residents used vouchers to move into private apartments, a new study found. From 2000 to 2008, violent crime was 21 percent higher in neighborhoods with high concentrations of voucher-holding former CHA residents — when compared to similar neighborhoods without them, the…
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Google’s Brin: Web Faces Greatest Threat Ever
The principles of openness and universal access that underpinned the creation of the internet three decades ago are under greater threat than ever, according to Google co-founder Sergey Brin. In an interview with the Guardian, Brin warned there were “very powerful forces that have lined up against the open internet on all sides and around…
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European Markets Tank
European markets took a big hit today, obliterating any hope generated by yesterday’s rally. Contagion is back, baby! … Italy and Spain led the downward trend, with the latter index briefly down over 4 percent. Yields on Spanish government bonds continued to push 6 percent, but did not exceed that benchmark level. via Business Insider.…
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‘Why Didn’t White Folks Keep Them for Themselves?’
The Chicago Teachers Union, and school employee unions in general, are pulling out all the stops to slow down a school choice and education reform movement that is bowling them over in numerous states and cities. Bold reform efforts are being pushed by the likes of Republicans like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and New Jersey…
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Is the Fed Promoting Recovery or Desperation?
A lengthy beating to the Fed begins: On Friday, the Department of Labor reported that March non-farm payrolls increased by 120,000, falling well short of consensus expectations in excess of 200,000. … On the payroll front, our present expectation is that April job creation will deteriorate toward zero or negative levels. Immediately after the payroll…
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