Black Market Fiends; A Tax-Credit Is Financial Sophistry; Asimov's Laws

Who creates a black hole where consumer shifts its demand to?

Need I ask?

In its endless journey to ban and censor things to protect citizens from vices (and presumably to preserve virtue), politicians contribute more to black markets by making items and products they deem illegal contraband.

Naturally, since the government can't fundamentally control personal taste and demand (ONLY a free-market can do that with any efficiency) it all gets pushed underground. People who support a particular ban may "think" they're solving or discouraging a problem but free minds can prove quite the powerful enemy.

What you fail to ban, you tax is the next best thing it's argued. Personally, I think a tax (or sin taxes) are even worse than banning (even a ban can make a criminal of an innocent citizen).It's worse because to anyone who doesn't consider criticism of taxes to be "extreme" (read with their heads screwed on properly), it's rather a straightforward thought that taxes are inefficient.

So it's wasted money. For nothing. Poof. It may sometimes end up in the hands of crooked politicians who then turn around a "redistribute" it among friends, families and cronies alike.

I remember when John McCain idiotically and insanely wanted to ban MMA fighting. I don't follow MMA but I do know of its place in contemporary sports. I feel if there's ONE sport that can dethrone the NFL it's MMA (nothing will beat soccer for the time being. That sport has critical mass on its side). MMA went from cultural phenomena to legitimate sport with a fanatic fan base. It basically (and sadly) knocked out boxing - excuse the pun. Boxing did much to hurt itself but MMA is something people WANT.

McCain didn't have a chance in hell. The very idea he would propose it shows you the level of interventionism in life today.

Growing up Italian one thing we always heard from mobsters about Mafia activities was "we give what the people want." Hollywood and artists use the same phrase.

I didn't get it once upon a time but now I do.

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What's a tax-credit? A tax credit is money given back to you that shouldn't have been taken in the first place.

In philosophy, there's verbal and intellectual sophistry - circular logic.

A tax-credit is circular logic for money.

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The left loves to depict anyone who doesn't toe their totalitarian line as "extremists" and in some cases "racists."

Yet, literature is filled with examples where authors chastised liberal thought. Tolstroy did it. I believe, Orwell (despite his possibly socialist leanings) was directing his tome more to 20th century liberalism.

And this:

Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Government:

-Government shall glorify itself.
-Government shall grant special privileges to the aristocracy of pull, unless doing so would conflict with the First Law (e.g., cause a scandal that would look bad in the papers).
-Government shall maintain tight control, unless doing so would conflict with the First Law or the Second Law (e.g., make the aristocracy of pull obey the same laws that it wants for everyone else).

Of course, liberals aren't alone in observing these. However, they have come to embrace them without much criticism these days. They're no different than blind followers of religion.

/cue Rocket Man.