2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY #261: "GOVERNMENTS CAN'T CENTRALLY PLAN!"

  One of the most cogent Op-Ed pieces I have ever read was published by Texas Tech University Economics Professor Benjamin Powell in the May 3, 2020 edition of the Orange County Register.  The article discusses the realities of the attempts by governments to be central planners and to decide when and how to “re-open” our economy.  I strongly recommend that you find and read it, but in the meantime I will get you started by quoting liberally from it. 

“(G)overnment officials can’t know how to plan that reopening for precisely the same reasons that they can’t know how to plan an economy that’s already open. 

“Centrally planned economies have a 100-year history of stagnation, inefficiency, and shortages of basic consumer goods.  It didn’t take a global health crisis to empty the shelves in Cuban or Venezuelan grocery stores.  Mistakes made by central planners, who hold monopoly power over economic decisions, did that all on their own.

“The future is necessarily uncertain.  So, anyone forecasting supply and demand for a given product is bound to make mistakes.  But market economies decentralize decision-making.  The mistakes of some entrepreneurs are usually made up for by the correct actions of others, while profit-and-loss signals guide mistaken entrepreneurs to adjust their behavior.

“Unfortunately, the health care sector is one of the most regulated sectors of the U.S. economy.  Government planners limit the ability of entrepreneurs to discover better ways of providing health care – with predictable dismal results.”

                Professor Powell goes on to say that the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration first used their monopoly powers to obstruct private efforts to produce testing, vaccines and bringing new products to market by prohibiting doctors, patients and entrepreneurial companies from exercising their “right to try.”  And, yes, finally some progress was made when the CDC provided special “fast-track” approvals to the private sector, but the need for those special approvals simply highlights the problems in central planning.  The better way was and always will be to employ a system where individuals and entrepreneurs are free to choose how to interact with other businesses and their customers and employees.  No one wants to get sick, so employees and customers will be much less likely to work for or frequent businesses where the health risks are too high.  But the best solutions will not be the same everywhere because one size clearly does not fit all!  Instead the solutions come from the Invisible Hand of the pricing system, economic incentives to make the right decisions and everyone’s desire to be and remain healthy.  Thus no government planner can know better than the private sector can regarding how to re-open and maintain the economy. 

My own observations are that politicians naturally respond to problems by protecting themselves politically.  So virtually every governor and mayor said things like “I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you healthy.”  Why did they do that?  Because if you stay healthy: “See, it worked – I am a hero!”  And if you did get sick: “Well, you can’t blame me because I did everything I could!”  Of course this pandemic brought us serious health issues and of course no one wants to get sick.  But government central planners have in the past brought global starvation to millions of people.  In addition, the arbitrary closing of hundreds of thousands of “non-essential” businesses and putting literally tens of millions of people out of work also caused damages: think suicides, depression and even domestic violence, in addition to the enormous economic losses!  Politicians with political courage, such as Libertarians, would have left the operations of businesses up to the business owners and their employees and customers.  For example, let stores advertise that they have an effective air filtration system, require masks for and take the temperature of all who enter, practice social distancing, and only allow so many people into their stores at any one time, etc.  Then their customers can decide whether or not to do business at that location.  Churches can choose to provide spacing and other protections for people’s health fully as well as big box stores and other “essential” businesses!  Let their worshipers decide. Crises are often used to erode our freedoms and liberties, but those freedoms and liberties are the soul of our country!  We are right to protest.  We are right to defy.  We don’t have monarchs in our country, and there are many decisions that still must only be decided by “We the People!”   

Quote for the week: “There can be no rainbows without sunshine – and rain.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches.  You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.”  You can also hear past shows on demand as well.  And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.  In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com.   Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #255 "LIBERTY AND THE CORONA VIRUS"

       Yes, the coronavirus situation is serious.  And, yes, steps should/must be taken to control it and also to “flatten the curve.”  But we first must understand that we should not put people in charge of our lives and welfare who are not held responsible for bad decisions, including decisions on liberty and economic freedoms.  And government officials are not, so there is no balance!  The answer is for the government to help to put accurate and timely information out into the marketplace and then treat people as adults – and hold them accountable for the decisions they make.  So, for example, if people know they are contagious, they should be held civilly as well as criminally responsible for the assault and battery they inflict if they do not take effective steps to keep themselves from passing on the virus to others.  And it also means that people who are older or who otherwise have health problems will have more incentives to “shelter” and protect themselves from contact with the general population.  And all of us will have the obligations to be careful, for obvious reasons.

        But we all must understand that the standard for people in government, including elected officials, is not to make decisions based upon liberty and economic realities and conditions.  Instead, their political incentives are almost completely regarding health: i.e. not to have anyone get sick “on my watch.”  So “I am looking out for your health” is basically the only political criterion.  If governmental officials overdue their mandated precautions, they still politically look like they were caring and successful.  And if people get sick and even die, “at least we did everything we could” is their political defense.  So government officials still will not be held to blame.  That is the nature of politics.  In the meantime, companies will be forced by governmental decree to close down, with many not being able to survive.  Many workers will lose their jobs and go broke, and tenants will not be able to pay their rent, which will also adversely affect landlords.  And there will be no help in sight.  Of course, some companies and some people will receive some money from government, but those results will be random, “cronyized” and insufficient.  Furthermore, that is not beginning to take into account the maybe permanent effects upon our liberty if we blindly allow the government to dictate how, when and where we can live our lives.  Bottom line: Yes, government does have an important part to play in situations like this.  Provide that honest and timely information to us, including information and recommendations about voluntary “social distancing,” home isolation, and household quarantine, so that “We the People” can make intelligent decisions.  That would also allow customers, shopkeepers, employees and all of the rest of us to make intelligent economic decisions, which is not happening under today’s governmental edicts.  Another is for governments to use their resources to help medically where they can, such as providing military MASH teams and naval hospital ships.  But, otherwise, once again we must understand, Government is not our Mother.  The only valid and effective response is Liberty!  Yes, the results will be imperfect, but they will result in a balance that is conspicuously missing by following today’s governmental edicts.      

Quote for the week: “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.”  Winston Churchill

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches.  You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.”  You can also hear past shows on demand as well.  And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.  In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com.   Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #247 "GROUPS LIKE TECHNOSERVE DO IT BETTER!"

       Are you aware of the charitable group called TechnoServe?  It (correctly) bills itself as providing “Business Solutions to Poverty” in 29 mostly poverty-stricken countries around the world.  For example, in Uganda it is using data captured by drones and satellites to help farmers determine where to allocate their limited resources to maximize their crops’ yields; in Mozambique it is using smart phones to facilitate more effective business decisions for cashew growers, buyers and manufacturers; and in Ethiopia it is making available solar-powered water pumps for irrigation systems to help family farmers cope with increasingly drier weather.  Furthermore TechnoServe also provides mobile banking services for direct payments to be made by the farmers.  And, importantly enough, it also provides all of its services equally to women and men!

       So this is yet another example of how private individuals, companies and foundations simply do a better job in philanthropic work than do (any) governments. Governments are, by definition, bureaucracies that must cater to political demands.  But the private sector can function directly to address the needs of those in poverty.  In addition, how much money that our government donates to a poverty-stricken countries actually gets to the people it is meant to help, as opposed to resulting in the local government officials driving around in expensive cars and opening up Swiss bank accounts?  This is not a total indictment of governments – they certainly fulfill some important functions.  But when it comes to things like aid to the poor and emergency relief, I suggest that governments much more often should contract with private foundations to address the problems.  (In that regard, maybe a good place to start would be for the US Government to abolish FEMA and simply contract with groups like the Red Cross for emergency relief?  Something to think about.)

Seen on one side of a sign in front of a bar: “I have mixed drinks about feelings,” and on the other: “Great Minds Drink Alike.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches.  You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.”  You can also hear past shows on demand as well.  And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.  In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com.   Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #225 "FREE TRADE ENRICHES US ALL"

         Because of my research for our new musical “Convention: the Birth of America,” which is about the 1787 Constitutional Convention, I have become quite familiar with the beliefs of our Founders.  And one of those beliefs, which was enshrined in Article I, sections 9 and 10 of our Constitution, was that there would be no tariffs imposed on trade between or among the states.  Can you imagine the harmful effect it would have had if, for example, Virginia had been able to have imposed tariffs for goods it imported from Maryland?  Such tariffs would have been deeply destructive to our nation’s economy.  As a result, Virginia, Maryland and all of the other states since that time have been able to focus upon what they did best, and also derive the benefit of receiving goods and services from other states that were derived from what they did best as well.  And this accrued to everyone’s benefit.

          But today it is far easier for businesses in our country to trade with China, India, Germany or any other country than it was for Maryland to trade with Virginia in the 18^thCentury.  And trade barriers among countries have the same effect as they would have had among our states.  So let China, Mexico, Japan and Indonesia focus upon what they do best, and let our consumers here benefit by being able to purchase high quality products for reasonable competitive prices from those countries. All the while the businesses in our country will be able to focus upon what they do best, with the same result.  And, besides, this will also bring numerous other additional benefits.  For example, countries have a deep tendency not to go to war with their own customers, so this will reduce military strife.  And if the people in Mexico, Guatemala and Indonesia are better able to profit from producing goods in their own countries, their economy will be stronger, with the result that not so many people will feel the necessity to emigrate from their country to ours.  So, once again, Liberty works!

The two best signs in my memory that were held up by fans at sporting events:  First, I was listening to a Dodgers’ broadcast on opening day in about 1962 from Shea Stadium in New York when the Mets were not playing good ball when Vin Scully started laughing on the air.  He then explained that he saw a fan holding a sign up in the right field bleachers that said: “Wait Til Next Year!” And this was on opening day!  The second was at a UCLA Basketball game, when a young man stood up in his seat while holding a big sign then said: “The People Behind Me Can’t See.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches.  You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.”  You can also hear past shows as well.  And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com.  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #205 "LIBERTY IN ELECTION CONTRIBUTIONS"

     Okay, we now have passed all of these election maximum donation laws which have really not particularly helped things, but have made things much more confusing, bureaucratic and, in my view, more harmful to our system of democracy.  I start with the premise that wealthy people who want to donate money to their favorite candidates or issues will, as a practical matter, virtually always be able to do so.  Maybe not directly, but through PACs, (supposedly) independent expenditures or other means.  In addition, if wealthy people are candidates themselves, they can make unlimited contribute to their own campaigns.  So what have been the results?  Much chicanery by wealthy people, unfair advantages for the wealthy as candidates and it has required most candidates who are not wealthy themselves to spend much of their time trying to raise small donations from lots of people.  And how does one raise money?  Often by direct mailers that attempt to appeal to the recipients on one particular emotional issue and also to vilify their opponents on that issue.  And those approaches to fundraising have strongly contributed to the polarization that has now prevalent in our country.

       So what should be done?  If Bill Gates could spend as much money as he would want on his own election campaign, he should also be able to spend all he wants for other candidates or issues of his choice!  It is a matter of free speech – and Liberty!  However, all contributions above a certain threshold amount should immediately be disclosed both to the government election commissions and on the internet.  So then if voters think that a particular recipient candidate is in Bill Gates’ “pocket,” they can always vote for that candidate’s opponent.  But no non-human entities should be allowed to contribute to any candidates or initiatives whatsoever.  Why is that?  This is also a matter of Liberty.  If corporations contribute money, they should first get the unanimous consent of their shareholders because they are spending their shareholders’ money.  And often those shareholders do not support that particular candidate or cause.  Of course, corporations would always be free to appeal to their shareholders to contribute their own money if they wanted, but that would be all they should be able to do.  The same thing would be true for labor unions or any other entities.  This approach engaging Liberty would reduce the chicanery, unfairness, polarization and frustration that is heavily present in our elections at this time and increase freedom of choice.  So, once again, Liberty works!

Quote for the week:  “If you ain’t where you’re at, you’re no place.”  Colonel Potter in MASH

                                                                                                                                                    Judge James Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

                     

                                                                              

By the way, these columns are now on Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray@wordpress.com.  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.

Canada has the right idea - by Judge Jim Gray

This past weekend I joined about 2,000 other people at a convention called Freedom Fest in Las Vegas. In many ways it was intensely discouraging. In many other even more important ways, it was encouraging and exhilarating.

The discouraging part dealt with our present economy and the forecasts for the immediate future. Many seemingly knowledgeable people stated forcibly that we cannot have a sustainable economic recovery with such large government spending and deficits and no gain in job creation. At the moment, our government spending is at the rate of about 39% of the gross national product. In addition, this year we are running a deficit of about $1.35 trillion, with estimates that next year it will be three to four times that number.

Simply stated, this government spending will put our economy and probably the world into a depression.

As a result, I came home and sold all of my mutual funds. At the moment they are not a good investment. Our own government underscores that fact, because it is making it increasingly difficult to move our assets out of the country. For decades we looked with disapproval at the governments of Third World countries that had adopted regulations punishing people for moving their assets abroad, but now our government is doing the very same thing. Most discouraging!

Furthermore, we heard that our government is trying to convert our nation's financial advisors and securities brokers into policemen. Under the so-called Patriot Act, which has been heartily embraced by the Obama administration, it is a crime for financial counselors to see something in our financial patterns that "even appears suspicious" without reporting it to the federal authorities. And, according to many of the counselors, this has little to do with terrorism or even drug money laundering, and instead it simply has to do with possible avoidance of taxes. This is the depth to which our government now has fallen.

So in the face of all of this reality, how could I emerge optimistic? Because it was reaffirmed, again and again, that freedom works! The free enterprise system, buttressed by private property rights, a fair and just judicial system for all, and a smaller, less intrusive, and less expensive government, can and will bring us out of these problems! These are what have made our country strong and great throughout our history, and they will do it again!

Canada is a magnificent example of this. Most of us think of Canada as being socialist, and it certainly still is in its health-care system. Furthermore Canada richly deserved that label in its entirety until the late 1990s. Between 1976 and 1995, the percentage of Canada's deficits went up from 35% to a full 78% of its GNP, government spending reached up to 53% of the nation's GNP, and welfare payments increased from 5% of the budget in 1980 to 10% in 1991. So all of this resulted in the Wall Street Journal running an article Jan. 12, 1995, that called Canada an honorary member of the Third World because of the weakness of (what the newspaper called) the Canadian Peso.

The article triggered enormous reforms in Canada. In view of the reality that one-third of every dollar paid in taxes was being spent simply on interest payments on the national deficit, concerned citizens and the media went over the heads of the politicians and sent their message directly to the people that the deficits must be strongly reduced. And the best way to accomplish this was to reduce government spending, and to stimulate the economy by reducing taxes. The people listened and responded.

As a result of pressure for these basic changes from the voters, within a few years all of the political parties in Canada were in favor of reducing the deficit — including the Liberal Party and the Socialist Party! The only debates were what spending and which taxes to reduce — and how much. Thus, since 1997 the federal workforce has been reduced by 14%, and all taxes have been reduced as well, including income, sales, capital gains and estate taxes. This combination of actions has reduced the spending of the Canadian government from 53% to about 39.7% in 2008. Our level is about 39%, but estimates are that by two years from now ours will be even higher, and theirs even lower.

Contrary to the warnings of the critics, even though government spending and taxes were materially reduced, government revenues remained the same. As a result, Canada now has one of the strongest economies in the world. The recession we have experienced in our country was appreciably milder and shorter in Canada, its job market has been strong, and its real estate has held its value. Canada's fiscal deficit for this year is projected to be about $33 billion, which, at less than 3% of its GDP, is considered manageable. On the other hand, our estimated federal deficit is $1.35 trillion, or about 9.2% of our GDP. But nevertheless there was much optimism at Freedom Fest because we know we can learn from our mistakes and from Canada's example, and we can turn things around by returning to our roots.

So basically we have two choices: We can either view these present circumstances with despair, or we can view them as a challenge. Most of the participants at the conference were not really worried about our future because throughout our history Americans have always risen to a challenge. In other words, all we need to do to regain our strength and our dreams is simply to repress our self-pitying and resentful sides, and return to being Americans. And I know that we will!

JAMES P. GRAY is a retired judge of the Orange County Superior Court, the author of "Wearing the Robe: the Art and Responsibility of Judging in Today's Courts" (Square One Publishers, 2010), Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It, A Voter's Handbook, Effective Solutions To America's Problems and can be reached at jimpgray@sbcglobal.net or http://www.judgejimgray.com. Judge Jim Gray is also currently offering his 25 years of experience on the bench to ADR Services in Orange County for Arbitration and Mediation services.

IT’S A GRAY AREA: Dear Mr. President - by James P. Gray

IT’S A GRAY AREA: Dear Mr. President - by James P. Gray 10/26/08

If you could have a dinner conversation with our next president, what would you want to discuss? I asked myself that question and, after some reflection, decided I would share the following thoughts with him.

Mr. President, all of us are naturally concerned about our economy, but we are optimistic at heart and know that eventually “This too shall pass.” But my deeper concern is that we will overreact to this financial crisis and stray from the economic framework that made us strong. That framework is based on the principles of the Free Market and the individual accountability that is inherently contained therein, as well as appropriate anti-trust laws and some regulating forces.

But please be mindful that government interference in the marketplace originally led to the problems we are facing. For example, the Savings and Loan Scandal was caused by the government’s FSLIC insuring bad loans, which meant that big mistakes and “oversights” would not result in big losses for the offenders. Why? Because the government could always be counted on to bail them out.

The same thing occurred with this present mortgage banking mess, which was made possible by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the government protections behind them. This situation shielded offenders from being forced to take responsibility for their own malfeasance. And this combined with multitudes of government “supervisors” who were lazy, sloppy and asleep at the switch to cause the problems.

So we don’t need more regulations. What we need is more diligence and accountability. So please guard against an overreaction to these recent problems and an over-correction that would take us to a more minute and all-encompassing bureaucracy, and a further suffocation of our entrepreneurial efforts.

Which, Mr. President, brings me to my next point. Please tell us that you will empower a nonpartisan agency like the General Accounting Office with sufficient investigative powers to supervise our government to detect small economic, ethical and human rights problems before they become large ones. Then mandate that organization to report its findings directly to you, and also to the news media. Being proactive instead of reactive in these areas will not only go a long way in ferreting out and blunting future problems, but also regenerate a faith and trust in government that has understandably been missing for decades.

Next, and all importantly, please tell Congress and the American people that you will veto all spending measures passed by Congress if they contain even one appropriation that you do not believe is appropriate, until such time as Congress delegates to you the power of the Line Item Veto. And then carry out that threat! This is one reform that President Reagan was unsuccessful in passing, but you can and must cause it to occur.

We now understand that, as a political reality, individual members of Congress are simply forced to show the voters back home that they are active in procuring federal funding for lots of pet projects in their districts. This was made abundantly clear when, even in the moment of dire economic crisis, members of Congress wouldn’t pass the so-called “bailout package” until they appropriated an extra $135 billion for their local projects. So let them continue to earn their “political points” back home by continuing this practice. You can be the “heavy” or the “bad guy” and veto this non-essential spending for the good of the country. Let Congress blame you - you can take it!

And then there is the difficult question of Iraq. Mr. President, I want to be clear. Before all of this happened, I took the public position that if we put ground troops in Iraq without the substantial assistance of the world community, it would be the biggest mistake of my lifetime. Nothing has happened since that time to change my mind. But we are now in Iraq, and we must address our present options and, for these purposes, put the past aside. So simply pulling out of Iraq at this point would for many reasons be another major mistake.

Instead, what we should do is two-fold. First, we should send as many private American contractors home as soon as we reasonably can. Then we should give their jobs to Iraqi contractors who should establish new contracts with and then be paid by the Iraqi government. Second, we should require the Iraqi government to pay a fairly small amount of money for each day that each American soldier remains on duty in that country.

That two-fold approach will accomplish three noteworthy benefits. First, it is a simple fact of life that people more appreciate and value the things that they pay for instead of the things that are given to them. Second, both economically and politically these small payments will encourage a reduction in our troops to the smallest levels that will still be sufficient to do the remaining tasks at hand. And third, of course, this will help in at least a small way with our balance of payments problems. Considering their resumed exportation of oil, the Iraqi government should be able to take on these financial obligations, and everyone, especially Iraq, will be better off if this occurs.

Thank you for your time, Mr. President. Regardless of the politics of this past election, all Americans wish you good health, wisdom and fortitude as you guide our fragile experiment in democracy forward for the next four years. And if you ever feel that there is anything I can do to help you in this effort, you can always count on me.

James P. Gray is a Judge of the Superior Court in California, the author of Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It - A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs (Temple University Press, 2001) and Wearing The Robe - The Art And Responsibilities of Judging In Today's Courts, has a blog at http://judgejamesgray.blogspot.com/. http://www.judgejimgray.com, and can be contacted at www.judgejimgray.com.