Some Charts

"If the central problem is rent-seeking, abuse of the power of the state, to deliver economic goods to the wealthy and politically powerful, how in the world is more government the answer?"--Cochrane

Mom's high school reunion was a screaming success. Senti did a great job, with Mom's guidance. Today she is back in WVa.

Death certificate data from the Mortality Multiple Cause Files with American Community Survey data examine age-specific mortality rates for married and non-married people from 2007 to 2017. The overall rise in White mortality is limited almost exclusively to those who are not married, for men and women.

In a wide-ranging new interview with Russia’s Rossiya-24 television on Thursday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad addressed the death of White Helmets founder James Le Mesurier, who had been found dead Nov. 11 after an apparent fall from a three-story high balcony outside his Istanbul office. 

Le Mesurier was a former British military intelligence officer and founder of the controversial White Helmets group which Assad has previously dubbed the 'rescue force for al-Qaeda' and his reported suicide under mysterious circumstances is still subject of an ongoing Turkish investigation. In an unusual and rare conversation for a head of state, Assad compared Le Mesurier's death to the murky circumstances surrounding the deaths of Jeffry Epstein, Osama bin Laden and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Assad said what connects these men are that they "knew major secrets" and were thus "liquidated" by "intelligence services" — most likely the CIA, in the now-viral interview picked up by Newsweek and other mainstream outlets. “American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein was killed several weeks ago, they said he had committed suicide in jail,” Assad said during the Russian broadcaster interview. “However, he was killed because he knew a lot of vital secrets connected with very important people in the British and American regimes, and possibly in other countries as well.”“And now the main founder of the White Helmets has been killed, he was an officer and he had worked his whole life with NATO in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq and Lebanon,” he explained. 
So craziness filters down, not up?

On October 3, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled in a judgment that Facebook can be ordered by national courts of EU member states to remove defamatory material worldwide

The ruling came after the Austrian politician Eva Glawischnig-Piesczek, chairman of Die Grünen (The Greens) party, sued Facebook Ireland in the Austrian courts. The ruling "essentially allows one country or region to decide what internet users around the world can say and what information they can access," said Victoria de Posson, senior manager in Europe at the Computer & Communications Industry Association, an industry group that includes Google and Facebook as members. (from Don)

Quebecers who wanted access to provincial government services like utility bills in English will need to prove they were part of the “historic English community.”

The underlying problem that the Trump critics do not seem to see is that the dueling with similar complaints and accusations tar both sides, like one airline attacking the safety record of a competitor. Everyone in politics is looking avaricious, mendacious, power-hungry and stupid. Government does not win here; neither party benefits. If anything, Trump benefits because he is so eccentric, so atypical.

More than one million Californians have suffered from prophylactic power cuts meant to prevent falling electric lines from starting wildfires. Some fires did break out anyway. 

An editorial in the Wall Street Journal (“California’s Dark Ages,” October 10, 2019) writes about PG&E, the main electric utility involved: For years the utility skimped on safety upgrades and repairs while pumping billions into green energy and electric-car subsidies to please its overlords in Sacramento. Credit Suisse has estimated that long-term contracts with renewable developers cost the utility $2.2 billion annually more than current market power rates. 

McCloskey has a new book where she is credited with her three names, Deirdre Nansen McCloskey. This is from the intro: "I make here the case for a modern and humane version of what is often called “libertarianism.” It is not right wing, reactionary, or some very scary creature out of dark money. It stands in the middle of the road – recently a dangerous place to stand – being tolerant and optimistic and respectful. It’s true liberal, that is, anti-statist, opposing the impulse of people to push other people around. It’s not “I’ve got mine,” or “Let’s be cruel.” Nor is it “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you, by force of arms if necessary.” It’s “I respect your dignity and am willing to listen, really listen, helping you when you wish, on your own terms.” 

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