Today’s Links: April 17, 2012

OPINION

CHRIS EDWARDS: “The Tax Code Mess”
“In addition to being complex, the federal tax code is constantly changing. The Taxpayer Advocate found that there have been 4,428 changes to the tax code in just the last 10 years. Those changes stem not just from a hyperactive Congress, but also from the constant gushing forth of new tax regulations from the Treasury. The result is growing tax instability, which undermines financial planning, business investment and other decision-making in the economy.”

ALEXANDER FURNAS: “Homeland Security’s ‘Pre-Crime’ Screening Will Never Work”
“The U.S. Department of Homeland security is working on a project called FAST, the Future Attribute Screening Technology, which is some crazy straight-out-of-sci-fi pre-crime detection and prevention software which may  come to an airport security screening checkpoint near you someday soon. Yet again the threat of terrorism is being used to justify the introduction of super-creepy invasions of privacy, and lead us one step closer to a turn-key totalitarian state. This may sound alarmist, but in cases like this a little alarm is warranted. ”

J. T. YOUNG: “Robin Hood Had It Easy”
“After listening to Obama’s Buffett Rule, you realize Robin Hood had it easy. Achieving ‘fairness’ is much easier done with bows and arrows than rationalizing and legislating. It is simplicity itself to take an arrow from quiver to bow, but complexity itself to take ‘fairness’ and legislate it into the tax code. ”

NEWS

INTERNET – Google Target of New Federal Privacy Probe
“Hard on the heels of being fined $25,000 for allegedly blocking a federal privacy investigation, Google (GOOG) is enmeshed in a second federal probe into its privacy practices that could soon bring a more painful hit to the search giant’s pocketbook, this newspaper has learned.”

BENEFITS – Deal OKs Welfare Drug Tests; Lawsuit Likely
“Gov. Nathan Deal backed Georgia’s proposal to drug-test parents who seek welfare, pushing the state towards a legal confrontation with opponents over the new law’s fairness.”

LAWSUITS – Toms River Couple Sues Landlord Over Paranormal Activity
“Chinchilla and Callan are suing the landlord for their $2,250 security deposit claiming the paranormal activity forced them out of the home only a week after moving in.”