Republic Rules - The U.S.A. is a great representative republic.

A single line from an excellent book, The 5000 Year Leap, has really made me think:
“The physical sciences capitalize on the lessons of the past, but the social sciences seldom do.”
We would never have the great technology tools and toys, the miraculous medicines, or the comfortable lifestyles that we do if we had to start […]

Read the rest of Are We Making Progress?

You rarely see such deep political views stated openly.

President Obama clearly says that, when considering a nominee for retiring Justice Souter’s seat on the Supreme Court:
“I will seek someone who understands that justice isn’t about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a casebook, it is also about how our laws affect the […]

Read the rest of A Rare Glimpse

For quite some time now, our society has been slipping into some very bad habits. During the exceptionally long recent election cycle, clear thought and civility went into a tailspin. I had hoped for a recovery after the inauguration but, instead, the slope steepened. Why is political discourse so strident? […]

Read the rest of The Demise of Individual Decisions

My quick answer is: NO!
My flippant answer is: you can trust government only to do things the wrong way.
My honest answer is: yes, you can trust government… it is the only thing that separates society from chaos… but you cannot trust the politicians and bureaucrats who run government.
Consider this:
During our financial crisis, the leaders […]

Read the rest of Can You Trust Government?

I can’t believe it. The President addressed Congress recently and, while he was explaining his decision to take a certain course of action in response to the current economic problems, he lied to everyone. Just like that. No hesitation, no blinking. While looking us straight in the eye.
It’s one thing when […]

Read the rest of Outright Lie

With the government meddling more than ever before in our economic system… taking equity positions in banks, propping up auto manufacturers, etc… it’s no wonder the stock market is gyrating wildly. Stock prices are determined when investors put their money where their mouths are, essentially “voting” on what they believe the value of a […]

Read the rest of Economic Confusion

For decades on end, Americans were known throughout the world as hard-working, self-sufficient, independent, creative people. Our ability to “get the job done” in the face of adversity was renown. We were recognized as being fair and generous and open to a wide range of ideas. We were proud of that reputation.
And, […]

Read the rest of The Perversion of Pride

Without even knowing all the science behind it, most of us know the common sense of “cause and effect”… of probable outcomes from certain actions.  If I drive a car with my eyes closed, I’ll probably run into something.  If I ignore the “low oil” light in my car dashboard, the engine will eventually seize […]

Read the rest of Cause And Effect

One of the big topics this year, as almost every election year, is “getting out the vote”… the big push to “help” people register to vote and then “help” them vote.  Without getting into the TRUE motives (not the stated motives) of organizations engaged in this type of activity, it is my opinion that such […]

Read the rest of Disenfranchisement

Often, we’re unconsciously aware of a problem well before it rises to conscious recognition.  Even then, most people are very tolerant.  We recognize the problem as such but are not motivated to do anything about it at first… we allow the problem to grow until it reaches a higher pain threshold… and THEN they do […]

Read the rest of Confidence