There’s another point to be made about what may well happen if the ongoing election audits or any new ones come up with credible evidence of fraud or impropriety. What about the elections prior to 2020? Is our current understanding of the demographics of the political landscape correct? Before you roll your eyes and go back to bed, hear me out. A heck of a lot of our political assumptions about who will vote how and and where they live … Continue reading “What Else? The 2020 Election”

So many people are convinced that even if the election audits going on in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia show that there was fraud or impropriety that nothing will happen. I’m extremely dubious of that idea. Here’s why: First off, no, it won’t overturn certified elections – that horse is already out of the gate and heading for the barn. The main reason boils down to the idea that if we don’t have a firm cutoff, lawsuits and legal actions will … Continue reading “What If? The 2020 Election”

Think back – all the way back. What’s the absolute worst thing you’ve ever done? Stole something? Cheated a friend – or on a spouse? Hurt someone? Killed someone through negligence – or worse, intent? Lied to someone who trusted you? Betrayed others? Backstabbed a friend? Spread lies about someone? Deliberately went out of your way to hurt someone physically or emotionally? What was it? Don’t make excuses for yourself – look it in the eye. What was the worst … Continue reading “The Worst Thing YOU Ever Did”

I was raised with the notion that education should, eventually, result in an adult capable of rational thought. This seems to have gone off the rails at some point because we see an increasing number of highly educated people who can recite facts and theories by rote – but can’t reason well enough to find their way out of a wet paper bag. A wet paper bag that is open at one end. On a bright, sunny day. And has … Continue reading “Eco-Logic”

See problem. Complain about problem. Wonder why nothing changes. You’re here because that’s not good enough for you. Quill Sword is here because it shouldn’t be good enough for anyone. We don’t have to accept the status quo – we can work for good changes. And we start with having an idea of what the solutions should look like. One set of solutions involves curtailing government power – this is not a bad way to go. The Institute for Justice, … Continue reading “Making Things Better – Long Term Solutions”

The Institute for Justice has done a comprehensive report on municipal fines and fees. It’s not exactly easy to decide what is and is not excessive. After all, if the municipality gets to keep the money, what establishes what percentage those fees should or should not be of the municipality’s overall budget? Is 5% reasonable? What about 25%? I think the very fact that it’s difficult to determine the threshold of excessiveness is an indication that we’re asking the wrong … Continue reading “Choices: Bad Justice”

We have become a very, very well regulated society. Many of us would argue a little too regulated but that’s a discussion for another day. But most of us agree some regulation makes sense – there are some things that we want government to be able to stop or to change. But what kinds of things – what’s the purpose of all these codes? Short answer – to protect the public safety, by regulating unsafe conditions or actions where they … Continue reading “What Are Codes For, Anyway?”

We all know how this argument goes. Someone suggests that we should reform some part of the criminal justice system. Five minutes later, two normally rational people are glaring at each other and utterly convinced the other person is out to wreck society. The weirdest part is that they usually agree on most of the issue – they may even agree on the nature of the problem – but the solution, not so much. There’s the ‘but they are just … Continue reading “Is It Justice?”

If you’re old enough to have even a vague memory of the Seventies, you likely remember movies and TV depictions of the small town speed trap, the corrupt judges and lawyers, the greedy mayor all arrayed against the hippie hero who falls into their clutches. The hero wasn’t always a hippie – but the system was always corrupt to its core. The idea that every small town in every state (not just the South) was out to victimize as many … Continue reading “Taxation By Citation”

This is a topic very near and dear to me. Yes, I realize it’s not purely a political issue – well, at least not in the sense that we necessarily need to look to government for changes. But poverty IS a critical political issue – and this topic concerns one of the factors in that. Let’s be clear – this affects those lower middle class and below. If you can afford to buy a $250,000 house and the bank doesn’t … Continue reading “Rental Trap”