On this day in 1777, Washington's band of doughty colonials smacked around that Imperialist Warmonger Lord Cornwallis at the Battle of Assunpink Creek (AKA the Second Battle of Trenton), thus setting the stage for old Lord Corny to skedaddle with his lobsterbacked Sassenach troops and their paid-for German minions and leave New Jersey uninfested with that British-led rabble for the winter. This will leave the locals time to get ready for the "guidos" to show up a century or so later. Thus the slow grind of the Revolution continued, which will lead to a document that really confuses Ezra Klein.
More importantly, it sets the stage for 197 years later, when President Richard Nixon, in the act that *really* led to his resignation-vice-impeachment, signed the thrice-damned 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, which lowered the interstate highway speed limits to 55 mph. This really harshed the mellow of this kid who'd just gotten his license, dammit! Good golly, if that was where we were headed, why did we bother setting up a new nation? The Brits already provide a wonderfully smothering nanny-state, if that's what you want...
More importantly, it sets the stage for 197 years later, when President Richard Nixon, in the act that *really* led to his resignation-vice-impeachment, signed the thrice-damned 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, which lowered the interstate highway speed limits to 55 mph. This really harshed the mellow of this kid who'd just gotten his license, dammit! Good golly, if that was where we were headed, why did we bother setting up a new nation? The Brits already provide a wonderfully smothering nanny-state, if that's what you want...
It didn't help none that the Vega I bought coming out of college had those aweful Firestone 500 tires whose radial plys broke down and caused the front end to bounce anytime the speed got over 70. Then we got Jimmuh Carter who managed to screw up our fuel distribution system when we had more than enough to ride out the Oil Embargo. Gah.
Cheers
I thought it was interesting that you brought up Richard Nixon. I can remember during the last year of Eisenhower's Presidency, a reporter asked “Ike” a question. He said, “What do you think Richard Nixon will bring to the Presidency?” If there was ever a pregnant pause, this was it. Eisenhower waited a little longer and then answered or didn't answer depending on how you look at it. He said, “Give me a week and*maybe*I'll give you an answer.” This was during the Kennedy-Nixon Elections. Over Eisenhower's many years in the Military, he knew that he had made many mistakes, but he also knew how to judge people. Eisenhower was known by his family as, The General. I think “The General” had an excellent understanding of Richard Nixon. One of the issues that Nixon settled was that of “Plausible Deniability”, it is not an acceptable defense.
You guys have a very high prison population which means either your people are more criminal or your law is too restrictive.
Pretty much anything confuses Ezra. It doesn't stop him from pontificating about it, though.
You guys have a very high prison population which means either your people are more criminal or your law is too restrictive.
Considering that there's sufficient evidence to assert that over a third of the US prison population is composed of illegal aliens, the phrase "your people" may not be that apt.
Personally, I consider a large prison population a sign of overly-restrictive gun laws...
If we deported the illegal aliens and kept them out, and then if we adequately dealt with those Americans who offend repeatedly (i.e., harsher punishments including timely corporal and capital), we would probably see a significant long-term decrease in prison populations.
But of course this "offends" the liberal mindset and jeopardizes a growth industry for many communities ..... the "corrections" industry.
I do know that it can make you darkly angry and ruin school for you. And takes a toll on your knuckles, all the while merely making your resistance stronger. In adults, the practice seems, often as not, to brutalize the administrator, along with the recipient. Especially if the recipient is someone like me, who perceives the punishment as unjust and unwarranted and therefore resists - which causes the administrator to lay it on harder. It wasn't until I came home with broken skin and very obvious bruises my parents began to suspect, and quickly intervened - but they were dealing with the acting out in my behavior. One of the letters from my father's papers I treasure was his blistering missive to school officials and the teacher in question.
But I'm a well-known squish.
Not quite Bill. Australia's gun laws are quite restrictive. The other arguments by you are others don't wash. Plenty of countries have repeat offenders, illegals and so on but don't have the US problem.
fdcol, I'm not sure I agree. I do prefer significant prison sentences but harsher and harsher doesn't seem to help. In the good old days punishments were harsh, hell the number who come to Australia under severe punishments for the most minor offences shows all it does is make the prison problem worse. Indeed this *was* nanny state in action.
Spare the rod spoil the child John. No cane? No beatings? They even did that in my day. Your unfortunate squishiness stems from school. Actually I think one of the reasons my father's not very nice is his schooling. He was an immigrant after the war and schools were very corporal.. literally run by ex mils at the time. They did beat him up a lot.