Republican party coming out in support for Uber’s cheaper cab rides — What’s not to like?  People save money and, for those that believe the “climate change” sound bites, you cut down on traffic and emissions.  The only people who lose are crony capitalists and the politicians taking their donations bribes.

Short version: it’s an app that matches people who need a taxi to somewhere with a local driver willing to sell them a ride.  The taxi companies hate it with the white-hot fury of a billion exploding suns, because it’s: cheaper; more reliable; more transparent (you can look up the drivers and leave feedback on rides); and threatens to make a taxi medallion pretty much worthless.  Which is why some urban areas – Democratic controlled, naturally – are starting toprotect the taxi companies by effectively banning cheaper cab rides. But that’s fine: that means that the GOP can weigh in on the side of free markets and cheaper cab rides.  I am so totally happy to encourage them to do that:

 

The RNC last week launched a pro-free market, anti-government regulations petition to show support for the Uber – building their own lists and raising money in the process. “Government has a role to play, but that role isn’t to protect the status quo. It should be consumers, not government bureaucrats or legislators, that decide what companies get our business,” Priebus said. Priebus echoed that sentiment with an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune, coordinated with the RNC’s annual summer meeting in that city, that lauded Uber-friendly Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner over Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. The Democrats whined something terrible about this new initiative of the GOP’s, which merely means that it’s working.  The basic issue here is the same as the one that you get with every industrial revolution*: a technological innovation has made a guild’s operating methodology essentially obsolete, and the guild doesn’t like it in the slightest. In this case, the guild are the taxi companies, who have had a nice, cozy arrangement with local governments to artificially limit the number of taxis on the road in many locations.  The governments make large amounts of money selling taxi medallions to companies; the companies jack up prices because they have a cartel going; and consumers grumble.  Until they can side-step the entire process by going online to find cheaper cab rides.

30 Great Gifts for $5 (or Less!) – The Simple Dollar — Good tips from a useful site.  Not only are they low cost, but you can stock up on a few to save trips to the store.

Politics: McDonald’s testing automated cashiers …that won’t demand $15 per hour — Once again, minimum wage increases are counterproductive.

Pro-Abortion Politicians Find Models of Unborn Babies “Repulsive” and “Shocking” — Captain Obvious says that what is really shocking is that the abortion leaders approve of the real babies being killed.

Poll: Plurality would support law requiring that all guns sold in state be “smart guns” — Think first, then answer poll questions.  Smart gun availability  is a great idea.  Smart gun mandates are a horrible idea.  If Eric Holder like something you know it is wrong.

“I looked right across a table at Eric Holder — yeah, the attorney general of the United States — and told him, ‘If you try to mandate my smart-gun technology, I’ll burn it down.’ The Intelligun is designed to save lives, not restrict freedom.”

Love it.

——

I was sorry to hear that Robin Williams committed suicide.  A question for anyone who supports physician-assisted suicide: You didn’t see anything wrong with Robin Williams’ suicide, did you?  All he did was eliminate the middleman.  If you thought his suicide was a bad thing — and you should — then you should oppose physician-assisted suicide.

I also found it sadly interesting that he had a child aborted back in the 70’s.  No one knows for sure, but how much could that have impacted his depression and drug use?  As Crime & Punishment, Macbeth, the Telltale Heart, etc. so clearly exposed the human condition, we can try to rationalize away reality but it is still there.

——

An interesting exchange about the bridal shop owner who wouldn’t make the dress for the lesbian, which of course prompted the loving, tolerant crowd to vent all their wrath on her.

Is Oral Sex Okay? — John Piper offers some biblical perspectives.

Thomas Sowell explains how liberal pacifism causes wars — Great points, plus the Wintry Knight’s comments below.

Everybody wants peace. Everyone – on both sides of the issue. The problem is that one side – the leftists – call their opponents names like “imperialist” and talk “disarmament” and “dialog” as if they have have the answer to peace. That doesn’t work and it has never worked. Pacifism only “works” in the classroom, where naive children are forced to parrot the opinions of their secular leftist teachers who have no expertise in war or history. What has actually worked in history is peace through strength. Strength deters wars, strength deters violence. Strength – and the will to use that strength to restrain evil.

—–

Impressive.