Brian Garst's Comments

Conservative Compendium : Gun-Grabbing Nannies Invade Super Bowl XLVI

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 05:42:38 +0000

Yea, I got no explanation for that one.

Conservative Compendium : Conservative Reading: Nine-Tenths

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:09:57 +0000

I have nothing to prove to you. Keep this nonsense off my website.

Big Government : Obama to Bypass Senate, 'Recess Appoint' Agency Head with Sweeping Powers

Wed, 4 Jan 2012 19:11:23 +0000

The House and Senate are not in recess. This is blatantly illegal.

Conservative Compendium : Amazon Target of Weird Nostalgic Attack

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:44:07 +0000

This is simply untrue. First of all, are we not unquestionably better off than when it took a vast majority of our labor just to feed ourselves? How can anyone complain that families do not have to work 12 hour days in the fields just to put food on the table? And I find it highly unlikely that equipment of equivalent quality and capability is more expensive than in the past if inflation is taken into account, as it must be. Second, I don't see any evidence of lack of competition. What I see are hugely beneficial innovations for consumers (I do more reading of more authors now than ever, thanks to Amazon's many features) and vast technological innovation. One of the biggest confusions regarding market competition is that success somehow undermines competition, or renders it unfair. But a race is not unfair just because one runner is faster than the others. So long as there are no barriers to entry that prevent new competition from challenging the dominant forces, there exist the benefits of competition. In other words, if Amazon slacks off, another will take their place.

Big Government : Reason.tv: Why Obama's Stimulus Failed-A Case Study of Silver Spring, Maryland

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:18:15 +0000

The roads in Silver Spring are absolutely horrible, despite Maryland's status as a high-tax liberal enclave. It's concrete proof (pun intended) that bigger government does not equal better service.

Big Government : Government Policy, Not Laziness, Responsible for Scaring Away Foreign Investors

Sat, 3 Dec 2011 00:24:16 +0000

Thank you P. W. With regard to (1), that statement was actually describing the non-resident alien deposit reporting regulation from the IRS. While the objections are similar as those to FATCA on principle, there are differences in the arguments against it. But I'm glad you raised the issue of the impact FATCA has on the ex-pat community. I only chose not to bring it up here for the sake of brevity, but it is certainly one of the major problems the legislation. We've heard from a number of folks who already have been dropped from their institutions over this legislation. But I know groups like ACA are doing an excellent job of making the case for its impact on Americans living abroad.

Big Government : Wisconsin Dems Head to Cemetery to Recall Walker?

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:21:43 +0000

Someone has apparently hacked the brain of Graeme Zielinski, who is now implying that Wisconsin Reporter and MacIver are behind the whole thing.

Big Government : EXCLUSIVE: Financial Documents Suggest GOP Rep. Bachus Profited from '

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 07:27:43 +0000

If you want less efficient markets operating on less information, then go after "insider trading". Me? I'd rather what they know be incorporated into market prices so that the market can operate more efficiently. This is a distraction from the real issue, which is the power of government to affect so many economic decisions in the first place.

Breitbart.tv : Romney On China: We Must Acknowledge Currency Manipulation And Apply Tariffs

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:00:20 +0000

Protectionist nonsense. Tariffs are a terrible idea. If the Chinese want to subsidize our consumption by effectively taxing their workers through artificially devalued currency, I see no reason for us to stab ourselves in the eye in retaliation for such a gift.

Conservative Compendium : A Petition After My Own Heart

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:18:28 +0000

We certainly no long operate under the old adage that governments should fear their citizens, and not the other way around.

Conservative Compendium : A Petition After My Own Heart

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:16:06 +0000

It still shows up for me.

Conservative Compendium : Ignorance Aplenty at OWS

Wed, 9 Nov 2011 00:19:25 +0000

Sums up my thoughts pretty well. They were less wrong on some other questions asked, but that was just particularly egregious considering its relevance to their primary purpose for existing (as much as it's possible to determine one), and the extent to which they were wrong. And I don't know much about what my readers think about the financial industry, as I don't have the most lively comment section, but for myself I doubt we disagree as much as you might think - just on what to do about it.

Conservative Compendium : Ignorance Aplenty at OWS

Mon, 7 Nov 2011 05:48:00 +0000

I'm an optimist at heart.

Breitbart.tv : Bachmann Supports Tariffs On China

Sun, 2 Oct 2011 04:35:50 +0000

This is pure economic nonsense from Bachmann, a destructive form of populism that ought have no place in the Republican party, and certainly not in the Tea Party where we're supposed to care about such things as freedom and limited government. China's "currency manipulation" is a subsidy for American consumers! Why should we hurt ourselves with a tariff because China's government is effectively taxing their citizens to subsidize our consumption? China is not the cause of our economic woes, government is. International wealth is not a fixed pie anymore than domestic wealth is, so stop looking at it as such and realize that we can all grow prosperous together by creating more wealth through free trade.

Big Government : Obama Tries to Put Foreign Tax Law Above U.S. Tax Law

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:05:59 +0000

Capitalist economies depend upon and thrive with the availability of capital. Of course, if more individuals saved, then there would be more capital available for businesses to use to expand, and we would not require as much foreign investment. That is why we need a better tax system - one which doesn't discourage savings and investment in the manner our current system does. But not everything is so simple as "don't buy it if you can't afford it.," especially when you're talking about companies looking to expand their operations.

Big Government : Obama Tries to Put Foreign Tax Law Above U.S. Tax Law

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:01:29 +0000

The US is one of only a handful of countries that tries to tax money earned in other countries. This places US companies competing overseas at a competitive disadvantage, as they are expected to pay the US statutory rate, with deductions for taxes paid to the local government, which is near the highest in the world, whereas other nation's companies competing in the same market do not bear this same level of tax. Dan does really care, which is why he and I push for ending the worldwide tax system used which encourages companies to move overseas, and adopting instead a commonsense territorial system which only seeks to tax income earned within the US.

Conservative Compendium : Cultural Rot in (Once) Great Britain

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 03:26:44 +0000

I agree completely. Societies are incredibly complex systems, and the range of factors which influence their success or failure are myriad, and damn near impossible to ever completely identify. My limited expertise, if you can even call it that, tends to be on the nexus of the individual and the state, so I necessarily focus on that aspect. But there are clearly many issues at play here.

Big Government : Is Free Birth Control Really Free?

Thu, 4 Aug 2011 16:34:23 +0000

You obviously did not read the article.

Big Government : Democrat's Excuse: When I Sexted Nude Pic of Myself, I Was Set Up

Thu, 4 Aug 2011 16:32:14 +0000

"Bitch set me up"

Conservative Compendium : FAA Shuts Down, Tickets Get Cheaper

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 05:06:32 +0000

Downward price changes are not instantaneous, due to the nature of price competition. This is not a novel observation in economics, nor does it challenge my point. Or are you seriously arguing that adding a tax to a product does not raise its cost to consumers?

And thanks for reporting the good news that 4,000 useless government workers are no longer wasting taxpayer dollars.