"Sandra Day O'Connor, the former Supreme Court justice, has condemned the practice of electing judges. "No other nation in the world does that," she said at a conference on judicial independence at Fordham Law School in April, "because they realize you're not going to get fair and impartial judges that way.""
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/world/americas/25iht-judge.4.13194819.html?mcubz= 0
From my first cursory reading of the decision, which you should have done before asking the question, it doesn't address the school officials' behaviour.
The ruling is about the police officer's behaviour. Essentially, the officer, who is ""school[ed] . . . in the niceties of probable cause" and other constitutional requirements." should have gotten a warrant, especially since the officer (and school officials) weren't in any immediate danger.
I've always found it bizarre that judges are elected in (most of) the States, rather than using merit selection.
Even at first blush, IMHO, electing judges is a recipe for disaster. If elections result in corrupt, un-informed, unrepresentative, self-serving politicians, why should it be any different for judges, eh?
Re: Re: Re: Re: The inevitable result of sociopathy
Yeah, you wouldn't want to temper an opinion which was formed from experience which is limited to what you're personally seen with, y'know, statistics, data, and stuff from multiple sources, based on whole populations, eh.
I know it's difficult to do, but I'm rooting for you.
"hard(ware) working people can produce unlimited wealth"
The USA is one of the least socially mobile countries in the world.
While the idea is that America is a classless society where hard, smart work will be rewarded, it certainly a false myth. The four countries with the highest social mobility, are Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Canada. The US and the UK had the lowest social mobility - that is, how much money your father made dictates how much money you made. If you want to be rich in America, pick your parents wisely.
The investopedia has a pretty good definition of rent seeking, which jibes better with Mike's thesis:
Rent-seeking is the use of the resources of a company, an organization or an individual to obtain economic gain from others without reciprocating any benefits to society through wealth creation. [Emphasis mine]
Another way to rent-seek is to sit on undeveloped land, lobby/bribe local governments for zoning changes, and wait for the taxpayers to pay for roads, water, sewages to that land, then bribe the politicians for that last final zone change so they can sell the land at its new value and at great profit.
Of course, in today's world, this profit isn't taxed (enough), even though all the increased value is the result of all the money that the other people spent.
It's really frustrating that the only economists who get air time and the politicans' and business people's ear are the same ones who keep getting it wrong.
These won't cheer you up but it will give you some non-Hayekians' explanation of the very phenomenon of this article addresses.
The Chicago School of Economics, the neoliberals, and the Hayekians keep citing The Road to Serfdom. As with the Kanamit's To Serve Man, it's an instruction manual for them on how to deal with us.
Personally my apprehension, if I ever have to go to the USA, is based on government corruption, all the way from local corrupt police forces (think Joe Arpaio and TSA agents) up to and including your Administration.
While the two countries rank equally well right now in the 2016 Transparency and Press Freedom indices, it'll be interesting to see where the US ranks relative to Canada, once your President/King is done rearranging the country to suit his affairs.
You should ask them to quote the law and explain it.
I once had a question about fog lights on a car. The car dealer told me that when the fog light are on, the headlights MUST be on - rendering them useless - unless they're yellow lamps, in which case he said it was OK to turn them on with the headlights off. I disagreed, and said that I doubted the colour made any difference.
I happened to going to a police station for a service call a day or two later, so I asked my questions to one of the officers in the parking lot on my way in.
After consulting a laminated flip chart, he told me that he wasn't sure what the rule was, so he radioed "the traffic specialist" to ask. A few minutes later, this officer stopped by the station's parking lot. I asked him my questions about the fog lights' installation and use. He quoted the law verbatim. So I asked him what the heck that meant.
"Any lights, no matter the colour, mounted in a position other than the standard/front headlights - that is fog lights below those standard lights or lights mounted on a roll bar like for an off-road vehicle - can only be turned on 1) when the standard lights are on, and 2) in conditions where the standard headlights' high-beams are allowed to be turned on." - But, if the headlights are on, the fog lights are useless. What about daytime driving lights, which run at a lower voltage? - Yes, the headlights are on, so that's OK. - OK, second question: when are you allowed to turn on your high beams?" He quoted the law, which didn't mean anything to me. So I asked him to explain. "Any place where there are street lights, you're not allowed to have your high beams on. Plus, whenever other drivers signal you to turn them off, say by flashing theirs, you must turn your high beams off."
Simple enough. I went to the dealer, explained the law, and he set them up the way I wanted to.
This is in Montreal, so YMMV. Likewise, there has to be a simple set of rules for bicycling in your town, it can't be up to the officer's feeling of what the law is. Maybe your town even prints an information guide, for schoolchildren (and police officers?).
On the post: HP Brings Back Obnoxious DRM That Cripples Competing Printer Cartridges
Re:
In my case, I went with a Brother printer. Cheap, works perfectly, and the cartridges are refillable.
On the post: 0-Day Vulnerability Exposes Thousands Of AT&T Broadband Customers To Attack
Vulnerability Exposes Thousands Of AT&T Broadband Customers To Attack
On the post: Virginia (Again) Dumps Electronic Voting Devices Over Concerns About Election Interference
I see what you did there.
From infections? Sharp edges?
On the post: The Epic Crime Spree Unleashed By Onity's Ambivalence To Its Easily Hacked Hotel Locks
Re: Re: Re:
"Sandra Day O'Connor, the former Supreme Court justice, has condemned the practice of electing judges. "No other nation in the world does that," she said at a conference on judicial independence at Fordham Law School in April, "because they realize you're not going to get fair and impartial judges that way."" http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/world/americas/25iht-judge.4.13194819.html?mcubz= 0
Well, almost no other nation. Per John Oliver, Bolivia also elects judges. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poL7l-Uk3I8&feature=youtu.be
On the post: Massachusetts Court Affirms: People On School Campuses Still Have Fourth Amendment Rights
Re:
The ruling is about the police officer's behaviour. Essentially, the officer, who is ""school[ed] . . . in the niceties of probable cause" and other constitutional requirements." should have gotten a warrant, especially since the officer (and school officials) weren't in any immediate danger.
On the post: Bill Introduced That Would Make Arrested Protesters Pay Police Overtime, Gov't Expenses
Brazil! It's only a state of mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSQ5EsbT4cE
/Me, I couldn't stand all the paperwork.
On the post: The Epic Crime Spree Unleashed By Onity's Ambivalence To Its Easily Hacked Hotel Locks
Re:
I've always found it bizarre that judges are elected in (most of) the States, rather than using merit selection.
Even at first blush, IMHO, electing judges is a recipe for disaster. If elections result in corrupt, un-informed, unrepresentative, self-serving politicians, why should it be any different for judges, eh?
On the post: Court Says Gov't Needs More Than The Assumption Someone Owns A Cellphone To Justify A Search
"other electronic communication devices"
On the post: The Dangerous Rise Of Unproductive Entrepreneurship
Re: Re: Re: Re: The inevitable result of sociopathy
I know it's difficult to do, but I'm rooting for you.
On the post: The Dangerous Rise Of Unproductive Entrepreneurship
Re: Re: The inevitable result of sociopathy
"hard(ware) working people can produce unlimited wealth"
The USA is one of the least socially mobile countries in the world.
While the idea is that America is a classless society where hard, smart work will be rewarded, it certainly a false myth. The four countries with the highest social mobility, are Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Canada. The US and the UK had the lowest social mobility - that is, how much money your father made dictates how much money you made. If you want to be rich in America, pick your parents wisely.
I realize that all this requires a lot of reading but before you spout catchphrases, you really should have data behind your assertions.
On the post: The Dangerous Rise Of Unproductive Entrepreneurship
Re: Rent-Seeking
The investopedia has a pretty good definition of rent seeking, which jibes better with Mike's thesis: Rent-seeking is the use of the resources of a company, an organization or an individual to obtain economic gain from others without reciprocating any benefits to society through wealth creation. [Emphasis mine]
Another way to rent-seek is to sit on undeveloped land, lobby/bribe local governments for zoning changes, and wait for the taxpayers to pay for roads, water, sewages to that land, then bribe the politicians for that last final zone change so they can sell the land at its new value and at great profit.
Of course, in today's world, this profit isn't taxed (enough), even though all the increased value is the result of all the money that the other people spent.
On the post: The Dangerous Rise Of Unproductive Entrepreneurship
"To Serve Man"
It's really frustrating that the only economists who get air time and the politicans' and business people's ear are the same ones who keep getting it wrong.
Without a doubt, It is THE most important requirement to succeed in power circles in Washington.
I've been informing myself a lot about this very topic. Can I suggest:
These won't cheer you up but it will give you some non-Hayekians' explanation of the very phenomenon of this article addresses.
The Chicago School of Economics, the neoliberals, and the Hayekians keep citing The Road to Serfdom. As with the Kanamit's To Serve Man, it's an instruction manual for them on how to deal with us.
On the post: Proposed Law Would Turn US Borders Into Unblinking Eyes With A Thirst For Human DNA
Re: Re: Those weren't jokes
Try this one:
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Canada/United-States/Crime
You may be shocked by some of the stats; I know I was. For example, did you know that the murder rate in the USA is 33 times that of Canada.
Personally my apprehension, if I ever have to go to the USA, is based on government corruption, all the way from local corrupt police forces (think Joe Arpaio and TSA agents) up to and including your Administration.
While the two countries rank equally well right now in the 2016 Transparency and Press Freedom indices, it'll be interesting to see where the US ranks relative to Canada, once your President/King is done rearranging the country to suit his affairs.
On the post: DOJ Goes Way Overboard: Demands All Info On Visitors Of Anti-Trump Site
http://www.disruptj20.org/
On the post: Lawyer: Yahoo Lost Sec. 230 Immunity Because It Didn't Hand Over Personal Info; Court: GTFO
Re: Re:
On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt
Re: Re:
I once had a question about fog lights on a car. The car dealer told me that when the fog light are on, the headlights MUST be on - rendering them useless - unless they're yellow lamps, in which case he said it was OK to turn them on with the headlights off. I disagreed, and said that I doubted the colour made any difference.
I happened to going to a police station for a service call a day or two later, so I asked my questions to one of the officers in the parking lot on my way in.
After consulting a laminated flip chart, he told me that he wasn't sure what the rule was, so he radioed "the traffic specialist" to ask. A few minutes later, this officer stopped by the station's parking lot. I asked him my questions about the fog lights' installation and use. He quoted the law verbatim. So I asked him what the heck that meant.
"Any lights, no matter the colour, mounted in a position other than the standard/front headlights - that is fog lights below those standard lights or lights mounted on a roll bar like for an off-road vehicle - can only be turned on 1) when the standard lights are on, and 2) in conditions where the standard headlights' high-beams are allowed to be turned on."
- But, if the headlights are on, the fog lights are useless. What about daytime driving lights, which run at a lower voltage?
- Yes, the headlights are on, so that's OK.
- OK, second question: when are you allowed to turn on your high beams?"
He quoted the law, which didn't mean anything to me. So I asked him to explain.
"Any place where there are street lights, you're not allowed to have your high beams on. Plus, whenever other drivers signal you to turn them off, say by flashing theirs, you must turn your high beams off."
Simple enough. I went to the dealer, explained the law, and he set them up the way I wanted to.
This is in Montreal, so YMMV. Likewise, there has to be a simple set of rules for bicycling in your town, it can't be up to the officer's feeling of what the law is. Maybe your town even prints an information guide, for schoolchildren (and police officers?).
On the post: Fox News Host Files SLAPP Suit Against Reporter Who Exposed His Sexting
Re: Re:
On the post: Australian Public Servants Warned Against Liking Social Media Posts That Are Critical Of Government Policies
Re: Re: Civil servants discover the value of pseudonyms
Obviously, you're meant to make any changes you want and publish it as a handy PDF.
On the post: Canadian Telcos Lose Their Goddamn Minds Over TVAddons
Thanks for the story, Mike.
On the post: Body Cam Footage Of A Cop Planting Evidence Leads To Dozens Of Dismissed Cases
Re: Re: Re: Observations
Next >>