Applied Indifference

For the past two days, my DSL has been resetting itself with some irregularity. I swapped out the Cayman router for the old DSL modem (relax, it’s still connected thru a Linksys). No joy. Then I realized that it was going down whenever I hung up the phone.

Then I realized that 2 days ago, I put in my new LCDs, and took the cordless phone off the desk. It had been connected to a line filter, but in its new home (the living room of death) it had no such thing. I put a filter on it, and the DSL has been up solid ever since. And I wasn’t using the cordless to make the calls!

Lesson: The filters aren’t there to protect the phone from DSL noise, they are there to protect the DSL from phone noise!

Tags: Computers by Brian Corbino
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So, thanks to our RINO governor (Jodi Rell, for those not in the know) it is now, or will soon be, illegal to talk on a hand-held cell phone while driving your car. It is now, or will soon be, illegal to operate a “pocket bike” (mini motorcycle) on a public roadway. And if she gets her way, it will be illegal to raise money for an election campaign, with that function to be replaced by the government teat.

So much for freedom. Welcome to the People’s Republic of Konnecticut.

Papers, comrade?

Tags: Politics by Brian Corbino
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Governor M. Jodi Rell (RINO) has put forth a “bold initiative” to “clean up” elections - by having the government pay for them!

Can someone explain to the good Governor what the free association clause of the Constitution means? I don’t think she gets it. She admits that she hasn’t figured out where the money is going to come from, but I think we already know the answer: taxpayers.

Here’s the problem with this - I don’t give money to politicians on principle, but if I did, I’d never give money to a candidate that supported pretty much the opposite of everything I believe.

What public election financing does, however, is force me to give money to political candidates, regardless of whether I agree with them or not! This has the effect of nullifying freedom of association.

In addition, it means that even the most marginal of candidates gets funding. Any garden variety lunatic will be able to squeeze in under this system for one simple reason - any restrictions that are placed upon it will be shot down by the courts because it is PUBLIC MONEY. And given that perception is reality, a crackpot with the same advertising budget as an otherwise sane individual will generate the appearance of having broad appeal.

Of course, it says something when a group calling itself “Common Cause CT” (which appears, by virtue of their web site to be yet another socialist front group) is wetting itself with joy over the prospect of this.

Tags: Politics by Brian Corbino
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