Good to see Stephen Green is back, and liveblogging the State of the Union Address so we don’t have to. I hope he has a good supply of liquor, because I have a feeling this address is going to require a lot to get through.
The FDA is Getting too Cautious
I should say a little disclaimer here: I work in the pharmaceutical industry, but I was a libertarian type long before I did, so a lot of my opinions pre-date my involvement in the industry. I will also say that not all the FDA regs are stupid and overly burdensome. I think the government does have some roll to play in preventing drug companies from defrauding consumers.
Here’s one case I think they shouldn’t butt their noses into though:
The Food and Drug Administration will ask a panel of experts Tuesday and Wednesday whether it should require new contraceptive drugs to meet a standard of effectiveness before they are approved for the market.
No, this is not how to handle the problem. The FDA should ensure that the drug companies claims for efficacy are true, and that the information is provided to consumers. I think women are quite capable of weighing for themselves the efficacy vs. safety issue when deciding whether or not to take a particular contraceptive product. We don’t need government experts doing that for them!
I’ve long believed the FDA should be about making sure consumers know how safe an effective a certain drug is, rather than making choices for people. I’m totally OK with the FDA calling for more efficacy information being gathered on birth control, but don’t keep products off the market because a panel of government experts don’t think it’s efficacious enough. Let consumers decide that.
Dumb Headline of the Day
Some clown breaks into Street’s Wikipedia page
Hey, Marcia Gelbart, you don’t “break into” anybody’s Wikipedia page. Anyone can edit it. That’s the whole idea. You have to be careful when you read stuff on Wikipedia. People do like to post crap like this there, and there are a lot of untruths, misrepresentations, and outright lies printed on it.  You know, come to think of it, I guess it’s not that different than reading The Inquirer in that respect.
The Continuing Saga of the Philadelphia Mayoral Race
Still a lot of crap, but perhaps some softening rhetoric coming from some of the mayoral candidates. From Dwight Evans:
Evans, who has focused on crime for much of his 25 years in Harrisburg, began his campaign with a vow to woo former Police Commissioner John F. Timoney back from Miami to run the department again, if he was elected mayor.
I think Timoney was an effective police chief, and I think voters in the city think so as well. I’m less confident that Evans can really woo him back.
Fattah softening the rhetoric a bit maybe?
“It is not illegal guns, it is the absence of opportunity which is at the heart of” Philadelphia’s crime problems, Fattah said when presenting his crime package this month. Nonetheless, Fattah’s plan, too, calls for more police to target guns, and includes the suggestion that high-tech cameras be used to scrutinize just who might be carrying a weapon in public.
Emphasis mine. I agree with Fattah on what he said, but I still am not down with the cameras looking for “illegal guns”. If he had ever carried a gun in pubic, he’d know how stupid this idea is. There’s a reason they call it a “concealed” weapon. The lack of opportunity is a direct result of a high wage tax which is killing the city. The wage tax keeps businesses and people out of the city.
Businessman Tom Knox and U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, who has yet to declare his candidacy, have not yet unveiled large-scale crime plans. But they have grappled with the issue: Brady convened a high-profile summit on crime this summer, while Knox spent money on a petition drive urging new state gun laws.
When those candidates roll out policy platforms, strategists say, it is likely that they will have to strike the same balance between soft and tough approaches while striving for a unique way to discuss the issue.
Hey, I have a unique way to discuss the issue. How about we talk about locking up criminals and getting them off the streets?
More from Congressman Fattah:
Where Nutter regularly excoriates Street over rising crime, Fattah avoids criticism of city leaders, noting that many cities struggle with crime. Instead, he used his announcement to tout continuing non-police efforts, such as a gun-buyback program he sponsors, and even praised programs championed by his opponents.
Hey Chaka, keep up the gun buybacks, because have a lot of crap in my safe I’d be happy to take your money to get rid of. Do a 200 dollar buyback, and I have some scary shit I might be willing to part with that you can hold up in front of the camera, and tell the folks how great you are for getting my scary looking, non-functioning POS off the street. Just keep in mind if there’s any press hanging about, I’ll be sure to tell them I plan to use the funds to buy a brand new Kalashnikov if they bother to ask. It’s a fair deal though. You get good PR with the city folks, and I get a new rifle.
And So Begin the Google Search Words
I’m starting to get some good google search items.
AK47 full auto conversion
Got several hits on that one. Sorry folks, you won’t find information like this here. Hopefully you realize you’ll spend several years in federal prison if you do this. If you don’t believe me, ask Wayne Fincher.
More than several people looking for info on the new Kel-Tec 308 bullpup they introduced at SHOT. I think Kel-Tec might have a winner here.
Joe Hoffel gets a few hits even though I just posted his name for the first time yesterday.
Another interesting search term:
.22LR Full Auto
What you’re looking for is this, the American 180. Accept no substitutes.
“The Court’s door should be knocked only with the utmost seriousness and preparation.”
So says Steven Halbrook in his latest law review article. I was going to say something about this but, damn you Geekwitha45, you took the words right out of my mouth. The money quote form the law review is
While there is room for optimism, one presents a Second Amendment case before the Supreme Court with great risk. New rights are discovered with extra-legal phraseology like “liberty of the person both in its spatial and more transcendent dimensions,â€67 and explicit rights – to include core political speech68 – are swept away. The first case the Supreme Court takes on the merits of the individual-collective rights issue will be critical. This area of the law is no exception to the precept that the Court’s door should be knocked only with the utmost seriousness and preparation.
Go read what Geekwitha45 has to say! Â I don’t really have much to add.
I’ll Second That Endorsement
Apparently Sandy Froman has quite a collection of NFA items. What’s not to love about that? I’ll be happy to second that endorsement. I would really like to see the NRA doing more to stick up for those of us who own, or want to own, arms covered under the National Firearms Act. Getting rid of it would be nice too, but one step at a time.
UPDATE: Bitter offers a much more rousing endorsement of Sandra Froman than I could possibly muster. She’ll definiely be on my ballot, and I hope yours too.
The Most Depressing Day
Coincidence? I think not!Â
The day after the Patriots blow an 18 point lead to the Colts, a team they’ve positively owned in the playoffs, it was reported that British researchers have determined that people will be most depressed today, January 22nd. They cite a few factors like cold weather, lack of follow-through on New Years’ resolutions, and Holiday credit card debt.Â
And I can add as factors that the Patriots were exposed as a little too old and slow on defense and that I’ll have to put up with two weeks of Petyon Manning hype.
Hey Ed, What’s This Going to Cost Me?
This Philadelphia Inquirer article is practically slobbering all over Rendell’s new “plan” and is short on details. Like, how much is this going to cost me? Pennsylvania is already a horrid state to do business in, and this looks like something that’s just going to make it worse.
Pennsylvania has a real problem keeping educated young people in the state. The common story is to go to college, get educated, and get the hell out. I’m one of the rare types that actually stayed, rather than going to greener pastures in the South and West. Rendell would be wise to realize why Phoenix, AZ is currently paced to strip Philadelphia of its title of 5th largest city, and stuff like this has a lot to do with it. Big government is not conducive to economic growth.
But I will say this, I do believe this stuff ought to be done at the state level if it’s going to be done. I would just prefer Pennsylvania wait and see what the results of Massachusetts and California’s efforts are, before we try to one up them. Let’s also not forget the mess that is TennCare.
I agree with critics that our health care system is in need of some reform, but so far no one is coming up with a solution that looks good.
UPDATE: Commenter and occasional blogger Brad points to this good Pat Toomey editorial in the Inquirer.
Castor vs. Hoeffel?
According to this Inquirer article, we could end up seeing a race between Bruce Castor and Joe Hoeffel for Montgomery County Commissioner. I don’t live in Montgomery County, but I do work in it, so I’m familiar with both Hoeffel and Castor, and even at this early juncture, I’ll throw my hat in the ring with Castor, if it comes down to those two. For the gun folks reading, Hoeffel was best known, as Congressman, for trying to make all federal gun laws apply to antique firearms, so you would have had to fill out form 4473 if you wanted to buy a black powder, muzzle loading 1863 Springfield. I’m sure you’re all aware of the epidemic of gun crime we’ve experienced with antique black powder firearms. No? Apparently that didn’t matter to Hoeffel.
I think Bruce Castor has been a good District Attorney for the county, and having him make sure that Joe Hoeffel’s political career remains in the dungeon I think is a worthy effort. This is an important race, because the Republicans have traditionally ruled the roost in the Philadelphia suburbs. The Democrats have been desperate to change that, and getting control of one of the suburban counties is a big start.
The 2006 elections were a bloodbath for Republicans in the Philadelphia suburbs, and the Democrats are smelling the blood in the water. Hoeffel is a big name, and Montgomery County elected him to Congress three times. I’m not sure I would agree with Davis’ (GOP County Chairman) assessment that his incumbents could defeat him. Most people don’t know the names of their county commissioners, but they will know Joe Hoeffel, and they know Bruce Castor. If the Democrats have a reasonable chance of gaining control of Montgomery County, Castor might be just what the GOP needs to block it.