Links and Minifeatures 06 27 Wednesday
Senate Republicans Block Labor Bill
Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a bill that would allow labor unions to organize workplaces without a secret ballot election.
The article makes it plain who the reporter favors:
Unions complain that employers have greater access to workers during secret ballot campaigns and claim that corporate threats, intimidation and eventual firings have become common for union activists. By dragging out the election process, companies often succeed in wearing down union enthusiasm, they add.
No mention whatsoever of the fact that employers aren't the only ones known for intimidation. Without a secret ballot, the boss fires you if you vote "yes", and the Union goons kneecap you if you vote "no."
I know that I have spoken of transparency here in the past. As an ideal situation, transparency is great. However, requiring transparency for the individual workers while allowing the powerful employer or union to remain masked in their activities is a recipe for misery. I'll support individual election vote disclosures when the everything undertaken by the union or the employer (or their respective representatives) is equally available.
Not a good sign for the Iranian regime: Iran fuel rations spark anger, pump stations burn
The central quote:
Despite its huge energy reserves, Iran lacks refining capacity and must import about 40 percent of its gasoline, a sensitive issue when world powers have threatened new U.N. sanctions in a row with Tehran over its nuclear program.
Good to see totalitarian regimes can be as stupid as democracies. We haven't built any refineries in thirty years either.
Gateway Pundit has photos and more.
Liberals vs. Free Speech
Too much generalization to be taken as evidence, yet symptomatic of a real problem. Arguing with the opposition is the sign of a strong rational argument. Conceding the opposition has some points, while maintaining that your own outweigh them, is the sign of a strong rational argument. Suppressing or trying to suppress the opposition, or the opposing argument, is a sign of fear or facism. In either case, those advocating censorship of opposing ideas are indicating that they cannot outargue the opposition rationally.
Yes, people make stupid decisions. That's part of it being a free country. In fact, being able to make stupid decisions is a requirement of it being a free country. But people must be free to commit the stupidity and discover that it was a stupid decision on their own.
And every once in a while, that stupid decision turns out, upon experimentation, not to have been so stupid after all. In fact, it turns out that the "crazy" act was a better way of solving the problem. The fact that we have the economic and political freedom to allow a minority to risk stupidity in order to discover a better way of doing things is one of the central reasons why democracy beats totalitarianism, and why the free market beats central planning every time.
I may occasionally advocate the idea that someone censor themselves, and I heartily believe that divulging information that harms American troops is treason and worthy of punishment up to and including death, but one can make political and economic arguments without endangering our defenders. No matter how stupid certain politicians and talking heads are, so long as they don't endanger the United States by divulging classified information, they must be free to argue their case.
On the same subject, Captain's Quarters has a word on resurrecting the Fairness Doctrine as a cover for a partisan attempt to destroy the opposition.
Michelle Malkin has the political play by play
Victor Davis Hanson on civilization
Wizbang on both what the real problem is with healthcare and why we don't want it run by the government.
Shots Across the Bow on the immigration bill. Adult Language Advisory applies.
If you want the text of the bill, it's here in searchable format
Iraq the Model with some good news that those who are rushing to declare the surge a failure should read.
Finally, something directly real estate related: A cogent, well made argument for repealing real estate licensing requirements
I agree more than I disagree. When I came to this business from financial planning, I was shocked at the lies that get routinely told by some practitioners. Things that would have the practitioners in federal prison if they were in the financial planning industry are completely legal in real estate and mortgage. Not that the financial planning industry doesn't have its issues, chief among which are the impediments to practitioners showing or advertising the actual benefits of their expertise.
Real Estate brokerages control the industry, and through them, the regulators. It is to their benefit to have a large supply of agents while constricting the alternatives for the public. Hence, the current low bar to entry. Unbelievably, even the state exam for California, one of the more difficult, requires only basic four function mathematical competence!
A low bar to entry is no bar to entry, particularly with such high dollar values. I'm not certain that outright repeal is the best answer, but the information clearinghouses that would spring up (analogous to Underwriter's Laboratories) would be far superior at protecting the consumer to the current set up. A very long way from perfect, as I have detailed in Relying Upon Reputation: There Are No Silver Bullets, among other places, but better than the current system.
(Searchlight Crusade is not such a clearinghouse. The emphasis here is on detailing what good practice is and is not and why, so that you can judge for yourselves by the evidence of your experience. I do not remember that I have ever pointed a specific finger for good or ill at anyone in the industry here, only at the advantages and disadvantages of certain practices.)
The only alternative that I can envision is making the real estate license curriculum a lot more difficult. Even the hardest possible curriculum, however, would provide no protection against intentional malefactors. Basically, I would like to remove any possible defense of ignorance from all licensees while dramatically streamlining the disclosures process so that all major issues that should stand out, have to, rather than the current process which is so driven by fear of lawsuits that major problems get hidden behind trivial ones, obscuring the real interests of consumer.
Categories
Zee Links and Minifeatures2 Comments
Leave a comment
blog advertising
--Blogads--
blog advertising --Blogads--
My Links
-
Heavy Lifters
- Instapundit
- Michelle Malkin
- Scrappleface
- Volokh Conspiracy
- Captain's Quarters
- Wizbang
- Victor Davis Hanson
- Eject! Eject! Eject!
- Michael Barone
- The Victory Caucus
- The Truth Laid Bear Places I get to as often as I can
- The Command Post
- Good News Central
- Icerocket
- Life Liberty Property
- MEMRI
- Raging RINO Community
- Technorati
- Transparency International
- Wide Awakes
- The Anchoress
- Argghhh! R
- Armies of Liberation R
- Asymmetrical Information
- Austin Bay
- Belmont Club
- Big Lizards
- Tim Blair
- Cox and Forkum
- Dr. Sanity
- Kevin Drum
- Gateway Pundit
- Hugh Hewitt
- Iraq the Model
- Jeff Jarvis
- Jihad Watch
- John Leo
- Lileks Screed
- Little Green Footballs
- Josh Marshall
- Mudville Gazette
- Neo-neocon
- WSJ OpinionJournal
- Politburo Diktat R
- Powerline
- Powerline News
- Protein Wisdom
- Q and O L
- Real Clear Politics
- Mark Steyn
- Stop the ACLU
- Strategy Page
- Don Surber R
- Vodkapundit
- Watching America
- Matthew Yglesias
- Michael Yon Personal Finance, Economics and Business Sites
- Bloodhound Blog
- Consumerism Commentary
- Eidelblog L
- The Entrepreneurial Mind
- Finance Blog
- Financial Rounds
- Free Money Financea>
- In Cash Flow We Trust
- I Will Teach You To Be Rich
- Mortgage Fraud Blog
- No Credit Needed
- Old Niu's Blog
- Pacesetter Mortgage Blog
- Personal Finance Advice
- pfblogs.org
- Social Security Choice
- Students for Saving Social Security Other sites I've linked and visit
- Accuracy In Media
- Ace of Spades
- The Agitator
- All Things Jennifer R
- Ann Althouse
- American Citizen Soldier
- The Anarchangel L
- Angry in the Great White North L
- Antigravitas L
- The Anti Idiotarian Rottweiler
- Art of the Blog R
- Atlas Shrugs
- aTypical Joe R
- Professor Bainbridge R
- Baldilocks
- Barcepundit
- Beldar
- Belgravia Dispatch
- Below The Beltway L
- Blackfive
- The Buck Stops Here
- Catallarchy L
- Chapomatic
- Chequer-Board of Nights & Days
- Clarity and Resolve
- Classical Values R
- Combs Spouts Off L
- Common Sense and Wonder
- The Counterterrorism Blog
- Countertop Chronicles R
- Coyote Blog
- Daily Howler
- Daily Pundit R
- David's Medienkritic
- Dean's World R
- Decision '08 R
- De Doc L
- Brad DeLong
- Democratic Peace
- Different River
- Digger's Realm R
- Done With Mirrors R
- Drink This
- Drudge Report
- DUmmie FUnnies
- enrevanche R
- Eschaton
- Evolution R
- Fearless Philosophy L
- Forward Biased L
- Generation Why?"
- Happycrow's Eyeball Factory L
- Hold The Mayo L
- Huffington Post
- The Idiom
- IMAO
- INCITE L
- INDC Journal R
- Inside Larry's Head R
- Inoperable Terran
- Iowahawk
- It Comes In Pints?"
- The Jawa Report R
- Just One Minute
- Justus for All R
- Kausfiles
- Ezra Klein
- Daily Kos
- La Shawn Barber
- Liberals Against Terrorism
- Libercontrarian RL
- Libertarian Leanings R
- Liberty Papers
- Carol Platt Liebau
- Llama Butchers R
- Mensa Barbie
- The Moderate Voice
- Mossback Culture R
- Mover Mike L
- Mr. Completely L
- National Review Online
- No Angst Zone L
- Normblog
- Brendan Nyhan
- Ogre's Politics & Views L
- One Fine Jay R
- Owlish Mutterings L
- Patterico's Pontifications
- Peter Porcupine L
- Bradford Plumer
- Pole Dancing In The Dark L
- Political Calculations
- POV R
- Publius Pundit
- Radio Equalizer
- Reasoned Audacity
- Respectful Insolence R
- Rhymes with Right L
- Riehl World View
- Right Place
- Right Reason
- Right Thoughts R
- Right Wing Death Beast
- Right Wing Nut House
- ROFASix
- Samizdata
- Say Uncle RL
- Debbie Schlussel
- SCOTUS Blog
- Roger L. Simon
- The Strata-Sphere R
- TacJammer
- TalkLeft
- TAPPED
- Target Centermass L
- Technography R"
- Tempus Fugit
- Texas Best Grok L
- Tigerhawk
- Link Text
- Tinkerty-Tonk R
- Tom Rants RL
- Unalienable Right
- Uncommon Insanity L
- Unrepentant Individual L
- Villainous Company
- Oliver Willis
- Willisms
- The World According to Nick R
- World Wide Rant R Link Exchanges, etcetera
- But That's Just My Opinion
- Condo Buzz NYC
- Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns
- DANEgerus R
- A Dollop of Sour Cream
- Dust My Broom L
- Generic Confusion R
- Grim's Hall
- Heartless Libertarian L
- individ L
- Kesher Talk R
- Leaning Toward The Dark Side R
- Libertopia L
- Liberty Corner L
- Medary L
- Mondo QT L
- Nose On Your Face R
- Pererro R
- Pratie Place
- Random Fate R
- Ravings of John C. A. Bambanek L
- Signifying Nothing R
- The Skwib L
- Tel-Chai Nation
- TF Sterns Rantings L
- DC Thornton R
- Wake Me Up On Judgement Day R
- Windypundit L Consumer and Research Sites
- Better Business Bureau
- Consumer Reports
- NASD Home
- California Department of Real Estate
- California Licensee Lookup
- California Department of Insurance
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
- Do Not Call Homepage
- IRS Charities Search
- Internet Fraud Complaint Center
- SEC Home Page
- Stop Mortgage Fraud
- Report Mortgage Fraud Debunking Many so-called Real Estate Gurus
- John T. Reed Other research
- FactCheck.org
- Babel Fish Translation
- Snopes Worthwhile Web Comics
- Sluggy Freelance
- Day by Day
- User Friendly
- Kevin and Kell It is site policy to list the main page of every site I reference. Sometimes the real world intervenes and I haven't gotten to it yet, or one falls through the cracks on a long post with multiple references. It is also site policy to list the main page of every site that lists this one on their equivalent roll, as well as the main page of all sites that are members of any of the same groups this site is a member of. Please send me an email with a link to the main page of your site if I've overlooked you (dm at the domain name). For the clue-challenged, note that it is a requirement for your link to appear on every page of your site, just like mine does, and I will not link to spam sites. Honor Roll of Sites Banned by Paranoid Repressive Governments: (be the first on your block to submit a link!)
Requests for reprint rights, contact dm (at) searchlightcrusade (dot) net! Subscribe to Searchlight Crusade
C'mon! I need to pay for this website! If you want to buy or sell Real Estate in San Diego County, or get a loan anywhere in California, contact me! I cover San Diego County in person and all of California via internet, phone, fax, and overnight mail.
**********
Contact me! dm (at) searchlight crusade (dot) net (Eliminate the spaces and change parentheticals to the symbols, of course)
Dan,
Greg's article makes incredible sense. You were in the securities business? Now I understand a lot.
FWIW, My WACC example was (mis) quoted in Broker magazine suggesting that a hard money loan might be better than a HELOC. I'll show it to you sometime.
Oh, yes I was a financial planner. I didn't actually let my licenses expire until the end of 2005, so by the SEC's way of doing business I could resurrect them by doing the CE exams, at least until the end of this year, although I'd have to redo my insurance license from scratch.
I occasionally do financial planning articles still. I've got about thirty of them up. Not anything like the 300+ mortgage and real estate articles, but still useful, and some of them get quite a few referrals. For instance, my post on The Fallacies of Index Fund Investing, or my series on Long Term Care Insurance, which is a little dated now, as repealing the Waxman Amendment was one of the few useful things accomplished by the last Congress.