Three weeks ago today I underwent open heart surgery to replace a leaky artificial valve. Having gone through this same surgery a little more than 11 years ago, I had a pretty good idea what to expect. Based on my previous experience, I set what I thought were reasonable goals for returning to various activities...
Read morePower v. Authority
Frequently, federal supremacists tell me that the Civil War “settled” the issue of state sovereignty. Essentially, apologists for absolute federal power advancing this argument hold a “might makes right” point of view. From their perspective, the intent of the Constitution means nothing. The fact that Lincoln ultimately fielded superior military force makes his view, and..
Read moreCDC Ebola Response a Lesson in Big Government
Thus far, one can only deem the CDC response to the Ebola an unmitigated disaster. Most Americans seem to view the CDC Three Stooges Show as typical big-government incompetence, with a few conspiracy theorists proposing more sinister scenarios. I’m not aware of anybody heaping praise on the CDC for its outstanding work. Public response to..
Read moreMy Confession
Some people call me an extremist. Confession time. It's true! My vision for a decentralized system and non-interventionist foreign policy certainly fall outside of the acceptable political views spanning the vast gulf between the ideals of Mitt Romney and Nancy Pelosi. Of course, when people call me extreme, I’m sure they don’t mean it as..
Read moreWhy do Americans Trust the Government?
Most Americans trust their government. They shouldn't. People often reveal this default position in the way they respond to any suggestion that the government might act with intentionally nefarious intent. They will throw around words like "stupid," "absurd," and "idiotic," without actually engaging the argument itself. They view the possibility of intentional government malfeasance so..
Read moreI Fear Fear
I’ve been thinking a lot about fear lately. Between the Ebola and ISIS, many Americans seem to be in a state of near panic. The Ebola, in particular, seems to have the general population particularly scared. In fact, some of the social media commentary I’ve seen borders on hysteria. I really can’t put it into..
Read more133 Words Or Less: Legitimizing and Celebrating Theft
Progressives went into a collective spasm of glee last week after Germany announced it would offer “free” college tuition to Americans and other international students. Of course, in reality, free tuition does not exist. The German government will forcibly confiscate money from one group of people and give it to another group i.e. theft. Here..
Read more133 Words or Less: Coercion for a Good Cause is Still Coercion
I saw this quote relating to universal government pre-school. Critics will dismiss these ideas as unnecessary intervention in family life, or more big government. But this is simply wrong…The real question is not the magnitude of that involvement, but the ends it serves. The ends justifies the means. Imagine you get together with two other..
Read moreConservative Foreign Policy Centralizers
This question perplexes me: how is it that in the modern conservative mind, when it comes to domestic and economic policy, government can't do anything right and the people making the decisions are imbeciles, but when it comes to foreign policy, these exact same people suddenly become geniuses? Consider... Conservatives hate the idea of centralized..
Read moreIn 133 Words or Less: Libertarian Centralizers
I run into a lot of people who want to use federal power to impose liberty. I call them libertarian centralizers. They advocate using federal courts and Congressional mandates to force smaller entities such as states, local governments and private businesses to observe libertarian principles, including gun rights, recognizing same-sex marriage and respecting privacy. While..
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