KN@PPSTER @ Liberty.me

Presumably so -- I've heard of practices and clinics that refuse insurance of any kind and are entirely "cash and carry." Even those prices are distorted by the overall climate, but at least they're prices directly negotiated between provider and patient, so they presumably communicate some kind of coherent information on cost of provision, scarcity of staff and equipment, etc.For those of us with "insurance," not so much.Case in point:I recently had an office visit with a specialist.The medical equipment involved included, to the best of my recollection, a scale, a thermometer, and a sphygmomanometer. In other words, stuff that is...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

The obviously needful advance disclaimer: I DO NOT.In fact, given my druthers I would do away with the state entirely and would press Murray Rothbard's Magic Button right now if it appeared in front of me.Within the existing state system and in terms of practical politics, I will support any policy move that I regard as genuinely "in the right direction" -- that is, any measure that I believe reduces the size, scope and power of government in any area and on any issue -- without deluding myself into believing that that measure gets to the root of the problem.And then...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

I'm not sure how many of the issues on Florida's November ballot I'll bother analyzing here, but at least one or two, starting with Amendment 3. The relevant parts, excluding the word definitions section, etc. ...This amendment ensures that Florida voters shall have the exclusive right to decide whether to authorize casino gambling in the State of Florida. This amendment requires a vote by citizens’ initiative pursuant to Article XI, section 3, in order for casino gambling to be authorized under Florida law. This section amends this Article; and also affects Article XI, by making citizens’ initiatives the exclusive method...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

Both are ongoing, but the Kavanaugh confirmation process both highlighted the damage and added to it.Thing One: "Presumption of Innocence" Here's a non-Kavanaugh-related example of the problem, from a piece on civil judgments pursuant to rape allegations. I agree with the author that people acquitted of crimes shouldn't face a lower standard of proof in subsequent civil actions based on the claim that they're guilty, but then he goes on to write:For us to live in an open, liberal society, the presumption of innocence has to exist as a social idea as well as a legal one. We need to...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote4 5

This morning, it was the hepatologist. Result: "You'll be getting a call to schedule your needle biopsy."Tomorrow morning, first an echo cardiogram and then a radioactive isotope/heart-rate-increasing drug injection.Then, Wednesday night, I have a tentative date schedule with Hurricane Michael. Hopefully that won't turn medical.Like KN@PPSTER? Check out Tom Knapp's work at the Garrison Center too!

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

I don't know if I've touted Caryn Ann Harlos's new podcast, The Big L Podcast, -- "your unofficial source for Libertarian Party news, arcana, and information for the liberty-minded political junky" -- here on the blog yet. If not, that's an oversight for which I apologize. If you dig the Libertarian Party at all, you'll dig The Big L Podcast.The latest episode is part two of a three-part series on "The LP and the Enduring Importance of the Statement of Principles." Caryn Ann is doing some groundbreaking historical preservation work, both with the podcast and with other efforts. I don't...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

So, it looks like Brett Kavanaugh will squeak across the finish line and onto the Supreme Court this morning. In my last post, I mused that some Senate Republicans might be secretly hoping for a defeat here (at the hands of Flake/Collins/Murkowski), just to mobilize the GOP vote in November at his expense.If so, they aren't getting what they wanted. Flake and Collins have announced they'll be voting to confirm. Murkowski says she'll vote "present." More on them in a minute.West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin is breaking the Democratic line to vote for confirmation too. Not really surprising. He might...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

My general prediction for the midterm elections has been:No "blue wave." That is, the Democrats are unlikely to seize majorities of both houses of Congress.If they win a House majority, it won't be a majority of more than a couple of seats.There's even a significant chance of a net Democratic loss of seats in the Senate, simply because the Republicans have fewer seats to defend (nine of 34, IIRC) than the Democrats, and there are several distinctly un-safe Democratic incumbents (McCaskill in Missouri, Donnelly in Indiana, Nelson in Florida, Heitkamp in North Dakota, Tester in Montana).I made those predictions before Brett...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

Over at Reason, Jacob Sullum writes that "Viewing Bar Fights As Normal Male Behavior Encourages Violence." Naturally, the basis for the piece is Brett Kavanaugh's questioning over one in 1985:[A]ttempts to use the story against him have provoked a revealing debate about how common it is for young men to get into bar fights. Broadly speaking, Kavanaugh's defenders think bar fights are a rite of passage for men, so they are no big deal, while his detractors say most men don't get into bar fights, so Kavanaugh's involvement in one reflects on his character.Sullum cites an online survey by Esquire in...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 1

The Simulation Hypothesis is probably about as old as humankind. There's not really any essential difference between us thinking "perhaps we live in a computer simulation" and our ancestors thinking "perhaps we live in the imagination/dream of a god." But I'll go with Bostrom's trilemma:A technologically mature “posthuman” civilization would have enormous computing power. Based on this empirical fact, the simulation argument shows that at least one of the following propositions is true: (1) The fraction of human-level civilizations that reach a posthuman stage is very close to zero; (2) The fraction of posthuman civilizations that are interested in running...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

Like KN@PPSTER? Check out Tom Knapp's work at the Garrison Center too!

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

Get the Amazon Kindle edition of Basics of Resistance: Book I of The Practical Freedomista -- from Claire Wolfe and Kit Perez -- for 99 cents today, $1.99 tomorrow, or $2.99 Wednesday. After that, it's still a steal at its regular price of $3.99.Like KN@PPSTER? Check out Tom Knapp's work at the Garrison Center too!

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote8 0

Geraghty, writing at National Review:I suspect Flake thought he was doing the right thing by giving Kavanaugh a way to dispel the accusations against him, and also by taking away the biggest argument from the Democrats, that “we need an FBI investigation.” But he assumed what few other Republicans did, that these objections from Democrats were made in good faith. Jeff Flake is a sucker.The sucker assumption isn't Flake's, it's Geraghty's. It's naive to assume that Flake assumed -- or thought he needed to assume -- anything at all about the Democrats, or that if he did make any such...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote12 0

... will Matt Damon go down in the history books as the guy who really and for true slammed the door on Brett Kavanaugh's SCOTUS aspirations?Like KN@PPSTER? Check out Tom Knapp's work at the Garrison Center too!

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote14 0

"New Gmail" is just awful.I have yet to discern a single redeeming feature in it.It looks like hell.It goes wonky and makes it difficult to move my cursor back to the message title or message content fields when I try to paste large numbers of addresses into the send fields.Google moved access to contacts out of Gmail where it belongs and into its own separate function where it's a pain in the ass to get to.New Gmail doesn't seem to do anything better than the previous version, and does some things worse, and again it looks like hell.But of course they're...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote2 1

Frivolous litigation is goldAnd he's still suing over Stairway to HeavenLike KN@PPSTER? Check out Tom Knapp's work at the Garrison Center too!

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote7 0

... may be the amount of time they take up. I had an appointment with a cardiologist this morning. By the time I got home I had calls waiting to schedule three more appointments (two tests the cardiologist ordered, and the follow-up consult for a different test, the test being already scheduled for next week). So, one step forward, two steps back, sort of.I can't complain a bit about the medical treatment/service at Shands/UF in Gainesville. I've never had to wait past an appointment time, and in fact often when I arrive early they get me in early (I arrived at...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote1 0

... but after not thinking about it for some time, I'm thinking about it again and don't remember asking it or getting answers. So:There are various "mini-routers" for sale that seem to chiefly serve the function of letting one interpose a VPN and/or Tor in between a laptop and a public WiFi hot spot, hotel WiFi, etc.If I use one of those (with Tor installed/configured/running) to connect a Chromebook or Chromebox to a WiFi network (such as my home network), am I getting such functions as Tor offers? That is, am I connecting to .onion web sites via entry/exit nodes...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote2 0

"We cannot allow the world's leading sponsor of terrorism to possess the planet's most dangerous weapons."US President Donald Trump to the United Nations General Assembly, 09/25/18Naturally, I look forward to hearing what immediate steps Trump proposes to follow through on that sentiment by bringing the US into compliance with its nuclear disarmament obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.Like KN@PPSTER? Check out Tom Knapp's work at the Garrison Center too!

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote1 0

From the NPR version, since it works as well as any and I happen to have it open at the moment ...Camera One: "The 30-year-old had reportedly fled [to Taiwan] after having been tipped off that the girl had spoken to law enforcement about their alleged encounter."Camera Two: "Wilson was released Sunday from the Harris County Jail in Houston after posting a $150,000 bond."Translation: The guff about him "fleeing" is purely for media/public consumption. If there was really any evidence to substantiate the claim, prosecutors would have raised the roof to have him held without bail as a known flight...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote1 0

Does Anyone Really Know How Much Medical Care Actually Costs? Oct 15, 2018

Why I Might Seem at Times to Prefer Bigger and/or More Powerful Government Oct 15, 2018

Florida Ballot Issues Endorsements: No on Amendment 3 Oct 14, 2018

Two Things the Kavanaugh Fiasco Did Damage to “From the Right” Oct 10, 2018

More Medical Meh Oct 9, 2018

All Aboard — or Maybe Not Oct 8, 2018

Kavanaugh and the Midterms, Part 2 Oct 7, 2018

Kavanaugh and the Midterms Oct 6, 2018

Bar Fights: Normal or Abnormal? Oct 5, 2018

Why the Simulation Hypothesis Isn’t and Can’t be a Bona Fide Scientific Assertion Oct 4, 2018

So, Just Now … Oct 4, 2018

A Book Deal You Won’t Want to Miss Oct 2, 2018

Jim Geraghty is the Sucker Oct 2, 2018

When It’s All Said and Done … Oct 1, 2018

I Have No Classic Gmail and I Must Scream Oct 1, 2018

There’s a Trustee Who’s Sure Sep 29, 2018

The Thing I Hate Most About Health Issues … Sep 27, 2018

This May be a Dumb Question, and I May Have Asked it Before … Sep 26, 2018

I Agree Sep 26, 2018

Cody Wilson: Did You Notice This? Sep 26, 2018