Author: George Noga

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Travels with George: 1968 to 1972 (Part II)

George Noga

Playing golf in Portugal was much cheaper and easier than in New York.

Travels with George: 1968 to 1972 (Part II)

By: George Noga – July 31, 2022

During these dog days of summer, I am taking a break from defending liberty and skewering government. I worked at a major airline in New York City from 1968 to 1972 and had a pass good for free first-class travel on any airline anywhere in the world. This is the second part of my misadventures; if you missed the first part last week (Israel, Athens, Marrakesh, Hong Kong, Macau, Djakarta), it is on our website.

East Africa: I went on a photo safari in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Seeing my first lion in the wild was exciting; seeing the 100th lion, less so. Unfortunately, my visit coincided with Idi Amin expelling the Indians from Uganda. I planned to go from Nairobi to Bombay, but the airport was jammed with thousands of Indians trying to get on flights to India; more thousands were camped around the airport. Just getting inside the airport was daunting. I was lucky it took me only two days to get on a flight.

India: My bad luck continued; I arrived in Bombay just as war broke out between India and Pakistan. The Pakistanis were bombing Bombay and there was a blackout in effect the entire time I was in India. I had a pre-dawn flight from Bombay to Bangkok and my taxi ride from the hotel to the airport (a considerable distance) in total darkness was harrowing, as no vehicles could use headlights nor was there any street lighting.

Portugal: Beside me, there were a few other unmarried TWA management personnel who liked to play golf, which was next to impossible living in Manhattan. It actually was easier and cheaper to golf in Portugal. Periodically, we flew (first class) Friday after work, arriving in Lisbon early Saturday. We checked into the 5-star Hotel Palacio in Estoril just outside Lisbon. We then played 36 holes with caddies at a nearby championship golf course. We napped briefly before dinner at the best restaurant in Portugal, followed by a succession of fado bars. We played another 18 holes Sunday before our afternoon flight to JFK. The total cost for everything – $60 per person!

Note: A few words are in order concerning prices: The USA was on the gold standard until 1971 and Europe was still recovering from WWII. Consequently, the dollar was absurdly strong; in many places the local currency seemed like monopoly money.

Hungary: I took my parents to Hungary as my mother was of Hungarian descent and spoke fluent Hungarian. This was my first time behind the iron curtain and crossing from Austria into Hungary was unforgettable. Our train was descended upon by a phalanx of armed police before crossing no-man’s land of dogs, razor wire, minefields and towers with searchlights. Welcome to the people’s paradise of Hungary.

Even after converting our dollars into forints at the official exchange rate, everything was ridiculously cheap. One night we had dinner for six (we invited a family we had met on the train) at a fine restaurant with ample Hungarian wine; the tab was $20. We stayed at a guest house in Budapest; the cost for all three of us including lodging and breakfast was $1.20. We traveled to the village where my grandmother was born and met relatives who never knew we existed. It was draining emotionally for everyone.

Austria: Just as with golf in Portugal, it was cheaper and better to ski the Alps. Over the Christmas – New Year’s holidays we would ski in Lech, Austria, one of this world’s top resorts. We stayed in a 5-star hotel that cost $16 per person per night including lodging, three meals and afternoon tea with live music. I skied Lech 6 times; one memorable trip there was with my wife in 1976. We spent an entire month in Europe during which we skied for three weeks in Lech. We stayed at a nice hotel (including breakfast) with a balcony overlooking the slopes, skied every day but one, and ate dinner at the finest restaurants. The total cost for the month including air was $2,000. Note: I took my family of four to Lech in 1999; the cost was well over $1,000 per day.

Switzerland: During all my travels I never missed a day of work. Once I flew from Australia arriving at JFK at 7:00 Monday morning. I changed at the airport and arrived at work on time. The only time I missed work was on a late flight from Switzerland (I was skiing in Zermatt) that got cancelled for mechanical reasons and there were no other flights to the US. It was on the flight the next day that I met my future wife.

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Ruminations: I visited over 30 countries while still in my 20s. I visited most of them again 40 to 50 years later after I had retired. A half century ago each country was distinctive; today, they all blend together. It was interesting to observe the incredible changes that took place throughout the world during the 50 years between my visits.

Although not well-off by any stretch, I was able to travel the world in high style at a young age. Thanks to my airline pass, huge airline discounts at hotels and an incredibly strong dollar, I was privileged to sample the very best this planet of ours has to offer.

WE ARE TAKING A SUMMER BREAK. THE NEXT SCHEUDLED POST IS SEPTEMBER 4; HOWEVER, WATCH FOR POSIBLE UNPLANNED POSTS.

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Next on September 4th: Labor Day and MLLG preview for remainder of 2022

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Travels with George: 1968 to 1972

George Noga

I was privileged to travel the world at a young age and when the dollar was king.

Travels with George: 1968 to 1972

By: George Noga – July 24, 2022

As suggested by some long-time readers, I am lightening up with personal anecdotes during the dog days of summer. Everyone my age has some gripping experiences and I certainly have my share. The headline above is a knockoff of Travels with Charley, about Steinbeck’s travels across America in the 1960s – a good read. Enjoy!

Upon completion of my MBA and military duty, I was hired by Trans World Airlines in 1968 as a financial analyst at its headquarters in midtown Manhattan; I remained at TWA until 1972. As management, I had a pass enabling me to fly anywhere on TWA. In 1969 I was promoted to middle management and received a pass permitting me to fly free first class on any airline anywhere in the world. Following are highlights.

Israel: I walked alone throughout the old city of Jerusalem, along the Via Dolorosa and to the Wailing Wall – all in territory recently liberated by Israel and long before tourists arrived; it was too dangerous. I then went to Bethlehem where I was the only non-Muslim in the town and the only person in Manger Square. I visited a kibbutz and went, along with a heavily armed patrol, to a nearby swimming hole. Everyone took turns swimming while the others stood guard with automatic weapons at the ready.

I rode the Marrakesh Express – literally and figuratively.

Athens: I arrived discombobulated after a long flight and awoke well before dawn. I took a cab to the Acropolis just as the sun crept over the horizon. I had the Acropolis entirely to myself for an hour; I was free to roam anywhere. The last time I was at the Acropolis, there were at least 5,000 tourists and much of it was closed off to visitors.

Marrakesh: After flying into Casablanca, I rode the Marrakesh Express to Marrakesh, both literally and figuratively – if you follow my drift. I stayed in the ultra-luxe La Mamounia Hotel, where Winston Churchill was a habitue. I paid $16 per night; today it would cost $1,000. My father was stationed in Marrakesh during WWII and his letters from there (which we still have) are very descriptive, adding cogency to my visit.

Hong Kong: I arrived in Hong Kong just as Chinese New Year was in full swing. The scene was pulsating, like nothing I had seen or even imagined. I intrepidly ventured into the street and mingled with the frenetic crowd as it paraded through the streets.

My bathroom consisted of a hole in the ground and a shovel.

Macau: I took the hydrofoil to Macau to test my luck; there were only two casinos back then. As I was boarding the last hydrofoil back to Hong Kong, a Chinese gentleman recognized me from the casino and, using sign language, beckoned me to follow. He led me to the penthouse suite where there was to be a private blackjack game with 10 people, not one of whom spoke English. I panicked when my turn came to deal because I knew if I lost the first few hands, I would be out of money. Fortunately, they were bad players, and I thankfully won the first several hands.

Djakarta: I was enroute to Singapore from Australia and foolishly stopped in Djakarta without hotel reservations. There was but one first-world hotel back then and it was full – people were even sleeping in hallways. I ended up at a hotel where the bathroom consisted of a hole in the ground and a shovel. It required several fingers of duty-free scotch to get to sleep. I awoke with lice and cajoled my way into the Intercontinental Hotel swimming pool where the chlorine was strong enough to kill the lice.

To cap it off, I was detained at the airport when leaving Indonesia and questioned in an intimidating soundproof room. The gendarmes thought I was a foreign intelligence agent and couldn’t understand why anyone my age would visit Djakarta without family or business. At length, I was able to convince them I was an airline employee. I barely made my thrice weekly flight to Singapore, which was heaven compared to Djakarta.

Next week, Travels with George continues with more misadventures in Africa (Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya), Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Hungary and India.

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Soaking the Rich and Big Corporations

George Noga

As blue states hemorrhage tax base, they raise taxes and cut services.

Soaking the Rich and Big Corporations

By: George Noga – July 17, 2022

I begin with new IRS data that show the fiscal effects of the ongoing blue state to red state migration. This is followed by the paradox of the massive Trump tax cuts that actually produced (just as we predicted) a veritable gusher of new tax revenue.

Starting next week, I lighten up my posts for the remainder of July with blogs of a personal nature. Some long-time readers have suggested I try this; please stay tuned.

Tax Base Migration from Blue to Red States is Accelerating

The massive human and financial migration from blue to red states is surging, fueled in part by working from home. Just released IRS adjusted gross income (AGI) for 2020 shows NY lost $20B, CA $18B and IL $9B; other big losers were MA, NJ, and MD, all deep blue. The big winners were FL $24B, TX $6B, AZ $5B, SC $4B, NC $4B, NV $3B and TN $3B. Other winners were CO, ID, UT, WY and MT – mostly deep red.

Blue states are trapped in a vicious circle; they lose tax base, then to make up the lost revenue they raise taxes, cut services and neglect infrastructure. They lose even more tax base, and the cycle repeats. When will they learn?

The annual loss of tax revenue is $1.6B for NY, $1.4B for CA and $700M for IL. The loss of AGI has a compounding effect, as the lost income from the current year is added to prior losses. For red states, AGI gains also are compounded. As blue states hemorrhage tax base, liberals respond by raising taxes, cutting services and neglecting infrastructure, which causes even more people to flee, which further erodes the tax base and culminates in a vicious circle. Meanwhile, red states are in virtuous circle and use the tax revenue gained from blue states to further cut taxes, improve services and rebuild infrastructure. Will the last person leaving New York please turn off the lights?

Trump Tax Cuts are Soaking the Rich and Large Corporations

I have blogged repeatedly that the only way to soak the rich is by cutting – that’s right cutting – taxes. The 2003 Bush tax cuts resulted in the biggest tax increase on the rich in US history as their share of taxes doubled. The same thing is happening with the 2017 Trump tax cuts. Moreover, it also is occurring with respect to corporate taxes.

Hauser’s Law: Tax revenue is a constant share (around 18%) of GDP whether the tax rate is 90% or 28% – for reasons explained below.

Individual income tax revenue is up 68% while corporate tax revenue is up 21%. Overall revenue is up an astounding 39%. Just as we predicted, lower rates resulted in more revenue; yet, progressives want to jack up rates for class warfare purposes. Progressives really don’t want to soak the rich; they want only to appear to be soaking the rich. If they really wanted to soak the rich, they would cut taxes.

Lower tax rates work due to Hauser’s Law, i.e. when tax rates are low, the rich are disincentivized to take measures to reduce their taxes. When rates are high, the wealthy work, save and invest less; they barter, retire earlier, hide, defer and underreport income, convert income to capital gains and defer gains without offsetting losses.

With high rates, high-income taxpayers use tax shelters; seek tax-free income; change the amount, location and composition of taxable income; exploit ambiguities and loopholes; shift income to corporations and/or to lower-bracket family members. They lobby aggressively for tax breaks, move to low tax venues, transition into the occult economy, employ top tax lawyers and accountants and much, much more.

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Next week we lighten things up with: Travels with George 1968 to 1972.

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Annus Horribilis at the Midway Mark

George Noga

The gates are down and the lights are flashing but there is no train coming.

Annus Horribilis at the Midway Mark

By: George Noga – July 10, 2022

I published a special posting on January 1, 2022, (read it at www.mllg.us) warning that this year would bring unprecedented geopolitical, economic, political and financial horrors. Never before in 15 years and 600 posts did I make any such forecasts. Rarely in human affairs have predictions come true so quickly, accurately and completely.

Geopolitical Horrors

I predicted that if Putin intended to invade Ukraine, it would be in 2022; Putin invaded in February. I wrote Putin and Xi would form an entente; they issued a statement stating, “their friendship has no limits“. I said Iran would race toward a nuclear weapon and threaten its neighbors; they have enriched uranium to weapons grade and threaten Saudi Arabia. I predicted North Korea would act up; they have resumed test firing ICBMs, threatening Japan and even the USA, and testing nuclear weapons. I wrote if Xi intended to invade Taiwan, it would be this year. I now assess this as less likely due to the unexpectedly robust global opposition to Putin’s Ukraine invasion.

Economic Horrors

I forecasted inflation would exceed 10%. The Producer Price Index is up 11% and other indices are up 8.6%. The real rate of inflation is 15% if computed on the same basis as the last time the US had high inflation. I predicted the Fed would surge interest rates leading to a recession. The Fed is now increasing rates three-quarters of a point at a time just as I predicted. They are doing too little too late. The economy shrank by 1.5% in the first quarter. Throughout US history when this has occurred, there is a 94% chance of a recession. The United States likely is already mired in a recession.

Per Barack Obama “elections have consequences“. Indeed they do!

On the economic front, the worst is yet to come. I expect inflation to remain stubbornly high and intractable. The Fed will be forced to raise rates much more than they now contemplate. There will be a prolonged period of stagflation, i.e. inflation combined with stagnation. Ultimately, getting control over inflation will result in a severe recession. The recession, in turn, will lead to out-of-control spending and deficits in a futile attempt by Biden and the Democrats to salvage their tattered political prospects.

Political Horrors

In January I predicted a Biden horror show. The ineptitude of his Administration has exceeded my worst fears. They have hit rock bottom (and are still digging) on every issue: inflation, immigration, energy, supply chain, pandemic, crime and foreign affairs. Identity politics has resulted in widespread incompetence. The following were selected based solely on identity: Harris, Austin, Yellen, Buttigieg, Raimondo, Becerra, Granholm, Cardona, Mayorkas and a slew of lesser lights. Sadly, the gates are down; the lights are flashing; the whistle is blowing, but there is no train coming.

Financial and Investment Horrors

I wrote that in December 2021 I moved my investments into a highly defensive posture with over 70% in cash, cash equivalents and ultra-short duration bonds. I also doubled my holdings of gold, commodities and TIPs. Thus far, the NASDAQ is down over 30% and the S&P 500 over 20%. Commodities are up 30%, but gold is up only slightly due to the strength of the dollar and higher interest rates. The markets are not likely to hit bottom until 2023 or even 2024, but the worst is yet to come. In the immortal words of Barack Hussein Obama “elections have consequences“. Indeed they do!

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Next on July 10th: Soaking the rich and fat cat corporations.
More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us
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Best Time to Have Lived as an American

George Noga

From 1776 to 2022 – When was the best time to have lived as an American?

Special Independence Day Posting . . .

Best Time to Have Lived as an American

By: George Noga – July 3, 2022

As I celebrate Independence Day 2022, I feel privileged to have lived at the best time to be an American. Regrettably, my joy is tinctured with sadness for reasons you will see infra. For years, I have heard an eerily similar refrain from people of my post-war generation and of all political persuasions. Most expressed it unsolicited and with fervor, i.e., the belief our generation has lived during the best time to be an American.

When my interlocutors express this view, invariably they are making a statement that is much more about the future than about the past. To a person – they believe the future will be worse and our children and grandchildren will inhabit a dystopian, multi-polar world of wokism and climate madness, combined with an existential debt crisis. America in 2022 hauntingly resembles Yeats’ The Second Coming; his apocalyptic poem describes a world coming apart and foretells of an impending crisis.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

There is a strong case that the period from WWII to the present was the best time to be an American. Although there were wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, the post-war period was devoid of hot wars involving major powers. Astounding advances occurred in every field: medicine, genetics, transport, computers, consumer electronics and life expectancy. There were transformative advances for women, blacks, LGTBQ, elderly, and even animals. Economic progress was breathtaking and included the virtual elimination of poverty, increased leisure and an active period of retirement measured in decades. No prior period comes remotely close to such progress.

The time since WWII has indeed been great; but Americans always have believed, as an article of faith, that the future would be even better. Strikingly, not a single one of my interlocutors believes the future will be brighter for our progeny. Consequently, the belief that my generation lived at the best time to be an American has a profound and dark corollary, i.e. the conviction that America’s future will be worse – much worse.

There is a crisis of authority – turning in the widening gyre, the falcon cannot hear the falconer. Politics has become extreme; people demonize those with opposing views – the centre cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. There will be a Clockwork Orange (blood-dimmed) future where our children’s innocence is drowned. Too many Americans (conservatives) lack the conviction to stop our drift to socialism while the worst of us (progressive ideologues) are full of passionate intensity.

All the institutions Americans always could fall back on in difficult times have become hopelessly corrupted and politicized. The media eschew truth and embrace advocacy; fact checkers distort and lie; truth is elusive. Science is politicized, including climate, pandemics and gender. Education, from kindergarten through college, is hyper-political and fails to teach. Sports is corrupted with wokism, BLM and gender issues. Our criminal justice system favors criminals with abolition of bail, decriminalization and prosecutors who won’t prosecute. Immigration is badly broken and politicized.

Our politics is extreme and caters to identity and to the lowest common denominator among us; it seeks to separate Americans by race, gender, income and age. Our election systems are wide open to fraud on a massive scale. Corporations have been infected with woke capitalism, substituting symbolic and rhetorical placebos for economic value. Our military has become woke and is afflicted by white privilege and transgender issues. Religion, including even the Pope, is confused about right and wrong. Climate madness spawns mass delusion. Economists embrace MMT and tell us we can borrow without limit and that the moon is made of Stilton.

All our trusted institutions have self-destructed and we are slouching toward socialism and ultimately to Gomorrah. I close with the final two lines of The Second Coming.

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?

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Next up on July 10th: Annus horribilis at the half way mark.

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Supreme Court Decision About Abortion

George Noga

The decision is not about abortion per se; it’s about who gets to decide.

MLLG SPECIAL MID-WEEK POSTING . . .

Supreme Court Decision About Abortion

By: George Noga – June 28, 2022

We usually don’t blog about current events; such information, along with commentary and analysis, is readily available from other sources. However, I believe we have some perspectives and insights on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health (“Dobbs”) decision, overturning Roe v. Wade (“Roe”), that you are not likely to read elsewhere. This post is longer than usual, but I hope and believe you will find it worthwhile.

The court’s landmark rulings regarding the right to bear arms and abortion, twisted progressives into pretzels. They argue that the right to bear arms, explicitly enshrined in the Constitution, doesn’t mean what it plainly states, while simultaneously arguing that abortion, not mentioned in the Constitution, is a sacred right. Liberals say the January 6th protests threatened democracy at the same time they threaten the court.

Trump ran and was elected on appointing pro-life justices and his appointments were confirmed by a democratically elected senate. As smugly stated by Barack Obama, “elections have consequences“. The court in Dobbs returned abortion to the states to be democratically decided by citizens via the political process. More democracy please.

Logic for Overturning Roe is Overwhelming

Roe was wrongly decided from the git-go. The court created the right to an abortion based on “emanations from a penumbra”, i.e. out of thin air. Not only is abortion not mentioned in the US Constitution, it’s not in any of the 50 state constitutions. Abortion is not a part of English common law, was neither law nor custom at the time the Constitution was drafted, nor were there any lower court decisions affirming abortion.

In 1973 the states were working their way through the abortion minefield when the Roe decision was handed down. Roe short circuited the political process and democracy; it usurped the right of Americans to make a moral decision about abortion. Roe was supposed to settle the issue and bring peace; instead, it spawned a half century of chaos and poisoned our politics. It made Supreme Court appointments radioactive and turned the confirmation process into a circus. The court has overturned its precedents over 300 times; overturning Roe is entirely consistent with American jurisprudence.

As is often the case, Justice Antonin Scalia stated it best. He makes a powerful case that contentious moral issues such as abortion should be decided democratically by the people. The following quote is Justice Scalia at his best.

“By foreclosing all democratic outlet for the deep passions this issue arouses, by banishing the issue from the political forum that gives all participants, even the losers, the satisfaction of a fair hearing and an honest fight, by continuing the imposition of a rigid national rule instead of allowing regional differences, the Court merely prolongs and intensifies the anguish. We should get out of this area where we have no right to be, and where we do neither ourselves nor the country any good by remaining.”

Lessons from Europe

European countries grappled with abortion through the political process. Because the issue was decided democratically via elections, abortion no longer is a highly contentious subject. Forty-seven of fifty (94%) European nations permit abortion, usually between 12 and 24 weeks, with 15 weeks (first trimester) being the norm.

European laws are not as permissive as most Americans likely believe, even though much of Europe is more liberal than the US. Many nations impose waiting periods of from three to seven days. Most (nearly all) require parental consent for minors to have an abortion. Many countries also require counseling prior to having an abortion.

What’s Next for the United States

The Dobbs decision is not about abortion per se; it’s about who gets to decide. Under our system of federalism, it is now up to the states. There already are many differences among states about abortion as well as things like guns, marriage, alcohol, etc. For most people, the changes will be slight. The vast majority of women (or should I say birthing people) live in large liberal blue states. Also, nearly all (about 90%) abortions already are within 15 weeks – the likely deadline for many states. For those few adversely affected, employers and other organizations will pick up the cost for travel.

There are Prospective Benefits from Dobbs

Progressives now will be forced to persuade voters of the rectitude of their position instead of threats, bullying and violence. This will be a difficult transition as libs are not accustomed to persuasion and they intensely distrust truth, the people and states. When the initial progressive panic subsides, not all that much will be different.

There also are prospective benefits. Over time, abortion will become much less contentious – just like everywhere else in the world. Supreme Court appointments and confirmations will be much less charged. Future generations may even come to believe that Roe versus Wade were George Washington’s options for crossing the Delaware.

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Coming on Sunday: Don’t miss our uber-special Independence Day posting.
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America’s Quest for Truth

George Noga

Americans are desperate for a reliable source of truth; we have an answer.

America’s Quest for Truth

By: George Noga – June 26, 2022

This is a sequel to our post of May 8, 2022, available on our website: www.mllg.us. Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has progressives all atwitter. They are in a panic that truly free speech will blast gaping holes in their dike of lies, obfuscation and maskirovka. This post explores how content moderation (if any) might operate in a truly free speech environment. We follow that up with an intriguing idea for how America can have a 100% accurate, objective and principled source of truth.

Content Moderation for a Post Elon Musk Twitter

There is a strong impulse to want to eliminate content moderation altogether; upon reflection, this is impractical. As a private company, Twitter can moderate speech as it chooses. There should be no dispute about eliminating certain users (bots) and content (porn and spam). Personal threats and incitement to violence also should be banned.

Other than the few exceptions noted supra, there should be no moderation whatsoever. That means no moderation for misinformation or even for clearly false content. That means no moderation for hate speech or slurs whether racial, gender, ethnic, religious, LGTBQ+ or against any other protected groups. Above all, that means absolutely no viewpoint moderation. We agree with Barack Obama when he said, “The strongest weapon against hateful speech is not repression, it is more speech.”

Technologically, it is possible for users individually to opt-in or to opt-out of offensive speech moderation. That seems like a solution that should please everyone; there would be free speech for most, while sheltering snowflakes from microaggressions.

Fair Witnesses as a Source for Truth

Journalism in America died many years ago. Fake news, misinformation and outright lies proliferate. Fact checkers are politicized and corrupt. There is no accurate, principled, competent, unimpeachable and non-political source for checking facts.

One answer lies in the Fair Witness concept originated by Robert Heinlein in his 1961 book, Stranger in a Strange Land. The fair witness concept resonated with me when I read Heinlen’s book; apparently, it also resonated with a great many others. Despite the fair witness concept being but a small part of an obscure book published over 60 years ago, it has 95 million Google hits – – 50% more than Elvis Presley and Pope Francis. Note: A similar concept, Mentats, was created by sci-fi writer Frank Herbert (Dune).

Heinlein’s book is set in the milieu of an overbearing government (familiar?). The only way citizens could counter the overweening power of the state was to hire a fair witness, a specially trained person so truthful and objective as to be unimpeachable. Fair witnesses were professionals with an eidetic memory and trained to make no extrapolations or assumptions and to report exactly what is observed; they wore distinctive white robes and were accorded deferential treatment by all of society.

Americans hunger for a reliable source of truth. A fair witness concept could be implemented today. It must be led by a person or organization that commands unquestioned credibility. The staffing could come from consulting firms, big four accounting firms, judges and scientists. The training must be rigorous. All work would be peer reviewed and would have to be right nearly 100% of the time. There would be a Chinese Wall such that those doing the work don’t know who is paying for it.

A huge market for truth exists; the time is right; the public is ready. Imagine the possibilities! It would bring about a renaissance in politics, the media and marketing. Consider the situation if politicians no longer could get away with a lie. Good science fiction speaks to us today. That’s why an idea that appeared on only a few pages of an obscure sci-fi tract published 61 years ago resonates with 95 million people today. Anything that informs people of the truth can be nothing but an unalloyed blessing.

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Next is our special not-to-be-missed Independence Day posting.

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Time to go all in on School Choice

George Noga

Force progressive school choice opponents to defend the indefensible.

Time to go all in on School Choice

By: George Noga – June 19, 2022

School choice is one of our signature issues about which we have written extensively. Last week’s post described my lifetime of experience with government schools as a student, teacher, parent and choice activist. I published a six-part “Back to School” series (7/25/21 to 8/29/21). All of these are available on our website: www.mllg.us.

The American school choice movement began 31 years ago with the first private voucher program in Indianapolis; in Florida, it began in 1994. Since the inception of the movement, there has been notable progress, with 40 states adopting some form of choice. Within the past year, largely in response to the problems with government schools exposed by the pandemic, 30 states expanded school choice programs.

Although the movement toward school choice has grown, it represents only a small part of total enrollment. Nowhere is it available to more than a small minority of students. Although Florida is often (justifiably) cited as a leader in school choice, it applies to only 200,000 students out of 3,000,000 or 6.7%. There is no US state or political subdivision with universal choice. This must change and the time is now.

School choice is demonstrably good politics. Ron DeSantis would not be governor and positioned to make a presidential run in 2024 without his strong support of choice, combined with his opponent’s vow to abolish vouchers. (His opponent was captive to unions.) Black voucher moms voted 18% for DeSantis while voting only 9% for other state GOP candidates and 7% for the GOP nationally. This resulted in 100,000 more votes for DeSantis, without which he would have lost. The same thing happened in Arizona where Governor Doug Ducey received a 15% boost from Latino voters.

The pandemic exposed many parents to the horrors of government schools for the first time and they were shocked by what they saw – including all the following.

  • School boards and PTAs that are 100% beholden to teacher unions
  • Mask/vaccine mandates that harmed children medically and emotionally
  • Unnecessary school closures that resulted in 1-2 years loss of learning
  • Pornography in grade school libraries
  • Indoctrination in values antithetical to those of the parents
  • Children as early as kindergarten encouraged to question their gender
  • Critical Race Theory – teaching that nothing matters except race
  • Dismal performance compared to private, parochial and foreign schools
  • Teaching the 1619 project that America’s founding was based on race

Universal school choice is a timely and potent issue for 2022, coming on the heels of parents’ revulsion of government schools. Republicans should make this their number one issue and ram it down the throats of their opponents. They should repeat it so often Democrats never again want to hear “school choice” uttered. Make them defend the indefensible. The GOP can make huge inroads in the Black, Hispanic, moderate Democrat and independent vote and scare the bejesus out of progressives. Note: MLLG is non-partisan; however, we support school choice and Democrats oppose it.

The school choice movement has come far in 30 years, but it still has a long way to go until that magical moment when every family in America has the power to choose. There are 50 million K-12 students in America and only about 3 million have the power to choose; that leaves 47 million American children at the mercy of the unions and the educational blob. We must empower every family so that the money follows the child. The most potent force on earth is parents armed with a school voucher!

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Next Sunday: More about Twitter and the search for truth in America.

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My Lifetime of Experience with Government Schools

George Noga

Immediately upon entering the classroom, I knew something was terribly wrong.

My Lifetime of Experience with Government Schools

By: George Noga – June 12, 2022

 

Readers have requested that I share some personal stories that have shaped my beliefs. Following is my story of a lifetime of experience with government schools.

 

I still vividly recall my third-grade experience in 1952 after we had moved to a town in Georgia. My mother enrolled me in the assigned government school and accompanied me to my assigned classroom where I was to remain. Although I was only 9 years old, I knew immediately something was terribly wrong. The scene that greeted us was straight from the movie Deliverance, not uncoincidentally filmed nearby. My mother, equally horrified, enrolled me in parochial school, even though our family couldn’t afford the cost. St. Theresa’s proved to be the polar opposite of the pathologically dysfunctional public school. This was a transcendental moment in my young life.

 

I attended either parochial schools or ones on military bases until ninth grade when I was relegated to government schools in our new home in Central Florida. This time there was to be no escape. These schools were educational cesspools; any learning that took place was purely coincidental. The teachers harbored delusions of adequacy. Most everyone understood these schools were educational wastelands, but no one cared.

 

Government school failure is endemic and incapable of reform.

 

It immediately became apparent what the priority was, in one word: football. Not that many decades ago, there were 150,000 school districts in the US; today that number is 15,000. Smaller schools and districts are much better for learning and parental control. So, why have 135,000 school districts disappeared? The answer, again in one word: football. Larger schools have a greater chance of having bigger and faster players.

 

The top priority of the high school I attended was to build its own football stadium. The entire community pitched in with fundraisers, building materials and labor. People know how to build a football field but not how to fix a badly broken school. Football has scores published each week in the newspaper, but no such thing exists for learning.

 

My next experience with government schools was in 1967 during a six-month hiatus between graduate school and active duty in the army. Ostensibly, I taught junior high math, but maintaining discipline required full time effort; teaching was incidental. The administration cared only about avoiding complaints from parents. I was told not to fail anyone. Ironically, the school was highly regarded; but it really was dysfunctional. It failed everyone: students, teachers, parents and the community. This was a dismal experience, and it has only gotten worse – much worse – in the ensuing 55 years.

 

Fast forward many years. We now live in the Florida county with the highest per capita income and which reputedly has the best schools in the state. Moreover, we reside in the best part of that county with reputedly the best government schools in that county. Despite living in an area with the best public schools in the entire state of 20 million people, the schools were only borderline adequate. We sent our children there only for a few years of elementary school; the junior high and high schools were unacceptable.

 

Fast forward to 1994 when I started the first school voucher effort in Florida. The program I started and ran for its first ten years, now called Step Up For Students, today funds private school scholarships for 103,000 children from low-income families at a cost of $700 million. During the time I ran this program, I heard countless stories from grateful parents of our scholarship recipients about the horrors they experienced in government schools and how well their children now were doing in their new schools.

Read my post of 7/25/21 at www.mllg.us for a history of school choice in Florida.

 

The USA is a big country and there still are some good public schools. One such place is our summer home in NW Montana where schools are highly regarded and reinforce, rather than contradict, parental values. A family we know recently moved there from Florida and is ecstatic about their children’s public schools. There are no closures, masks or vaccine mandates. When school is out, children are on their own. Kids proudly bring to class photos of game they bagged during hunting season. Some, as young as 8, participate in youth bull riding. PTAs raffle AK-47s to raise money.

 

The lesson of my lifetime of experience with government schools as a student, teacher, parent and school choice advocate is that they are jobs programs for adults; children are afterthoughts. However bad you may believe government schools are, the reality is much worse. And it is not just about education; it is about values, safety and culture.

 

As with any government program, school failure is endemic and incapable of reform. The only solution is universal school choice; the money must follow the student thereby empowering families to be free to choose. Absolutely nothing else will work. There is no force on earth more powerful than parents armed with a school voucher!

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Next – We continue with school choice and its role in the upcoming election.

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California Screaming – Prince of Fools

George Noga

The republic can survive a Biden, but not an electorate that made him president.

California Screaming – Prince of Fools

By: George Noga – June 5, 2022

California Screaming: The Cato Institute recently published the results of its multi-year project, Poverty and Inequality in California. You may be surprised that California, despite Silicon Valley and Hollywood, has the highest poverty rate in the USA. Moreover, poverty and inequality are getting worse by the day. The study found the cause is “California laws, regulations and policies are regressive, trapping people in poverty. . . . These policies involve criminal justice, education, housing and welfare.” California has had the most progressive government of any state for decades. Instead of utopia, liberal ideas have wrought the worst poverty and inequality in America.

Freedom Index: Cato also just released its Index of Personal and Economic Freedom for 2021. The five highest ranking (most freedom) states are, in order, New Hampshire, Florida, Nevada, Tennessee and South Dakota. The lowest ranking (least freedom) are New York, Hawaii, California, New Jersey and Oregon. The states with the most freedom all are red or purple; the bottom dwellers all are deep blue. Americans are voting en masse with their feet for more liberty and less government.

Prince of Fools: Following (edited for length) is from a major European newspaper. “The danger to America is not Joe Biden, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him to the presidency. It will be far easier to undo the follies of a Biden presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to those who elected him. The problem is much deeper and more serious than Mr. Biden, who is but a symptom of what ails America. The republic can survive a prince of fools like Biden, but is less likely to survive a multitude of fools, such as those who elected him.”

If Biden is the prince of fools, Kamala Harris is the queen of fools. Although the Trump presidency, or at least its policies, turned out much better than expected, he never should have been nominated or elected. He won the nomination only because 15 professional politicians all misread the electorate. He was elected only because Hillary Clinton was radioactive. Biden won, despite obvious signs of cognitive decline, because suburban women were triggered by mean tweets. In 2024 it could very well be a Trump- Clinton rematch – see my post of 5/22/22 on our website: www.mllg.us. How much longer can our beloved republic survive an electorate like this?

Permanent State of Emergency: Governments at all levels have learned their powers are vastly increased during an emergency – even if they created the emergency. It is no wonder we are in a permanent state of emergency: pandemic emergency, voting rights emergency, climate emergency and now an energy emergency. Nothing encapsulates the fecklessness of the Biden Administration more than energy. Immediately upon taking office, Biden declared war on the US energy sector in every way possible.

Biden feigns shock energy production plummeted and prices skyrocketed. He declared an ersatz state of emergency to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, after first begging Venezuela (dirty oil) and Iran (fund terrorism) to produce more. Biden has reverted to the progressive playbook and is blaming greedy speculators and energy companies. Funny – these same groups were not greedy when prices were falling under Trump.

Achieving Perfect Equality: Since men first trod this earth, many have dreamt of a world with perfect equality; thanks to scientific advances, that now may be possible. The best minds on the planet could create a master algorithm incorporating all known markers of success. The algorithm would include DNA and would account for, inter alia, race, gender, sexual orientation, height, weight, IQ and life expectancy.

Key exogenous factors also would be included in the master algorithm: place of birth, social class, family income and education level, et seq. The result is a polygenic score assigned to everyone at birth. Those with positive scores would pay a polygenic tax while those with negative scores would receive a benefit – in direct proportion to how much the scores were positive or negative. If done correctly, this would make everyone equal. It is only a matter of time until progressives adopt this idea and run with it.

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Next: My lifetime of experience with government schools.

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