- Sometimes it seems as if "Conversation" has become a bad word in our country, as if talking to someone not in complete agreement with you is a sign of weakness. Sometimes it seems as if Anger is the only energizing force we allow ourselves. I believe in a different America. An America where two people can disagree but still respect the basic humanity of the other person. An America where it is possible to disagree without hate, to talk without shouting. I believe, even still, in the ideal of the United States of America, a democracy where each person has the right to pursue their own life, and have their own opinion. If our country is less great than it once was, it is because we have slipped away from this idea, this belief that all men and women have the right to choose the course of their own lives, and their own opinions. It is both the left and the right that have slipped away from this idea, allowed their anger to somehow convince themselves to question the humanity of the other side. Sometimes it seems that fighting anger with reason is impossible. But if history has proven anything, it is that reason does always eventually win. This blog is my effort to again have a conversation, to replace anger with reason. I hope you will join me in a conversation, and together we can recapture the faith in our country and our citizens that made America great.
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Recent Posts
- Why Forward Party Now August 3, 2022
- The delicate balancing act of Senator Josh Hawley August 2, 2022
- When civil society stops being civil, defunding the police proves unworkable October 23, 2021
- We Need to Move to a Revenue Based Corporate Tax October 11, 2021
- Bush’s Failure in Afghanistan October 7, 2021
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Category Archives: Theory
Practical Libertarianism
Libertarianism has sometimes been used to argue against almost any role for government. But the key concepts of Libertarianism, free will and limitation of coercion, support a role for government that is appropriate for our modern industrial economy and consistent … Continue reading
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Libertarianism and Representative Government
A thoughtful Libertarian: You noted “Who is the “we” who “outsourced” decisions on taxes to politicians? Whoever it is, it’s a group of people that doesn’t include me. I never did that. In fact, I don’t see that it includes … Continue reading
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Healthcare Reality
What Level Of Respect Does Society Owe An Individual? The answer is “The level of respect an individual affords himself or herself.” This, truly, is one of those core questions that is a starting point for so many policy decisions. … Continue reading
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Welfare
Welfare Needs to be a Tool To Extend Freedom. In a democracy, government should work to extend equality of opportunity, to ensure that each individual has the ability to take control of his or her own life. Our welfare system … Continue reading
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Unwed Mothers and Cheating History
I named this blog “Cheating History” because I think this is the one overriding question our country needs to answer – how do we avoid the inevitable decline that has overtaken every other great nation throughout history? How does the … Continue reading
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Against Progressive Taxation
With the recent partial extension of the Bush Tax Cuts our income tax rate is now more progressive than it has been in several decades. However arguably the idea of progressive taxation is based on a faulty theory, is counter … Continue reading
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The Checklist Manifesto and Organized Religion
We were having dinner over the weekend with a friend who is part of the scientific community. He brought up a book called “The Checklist Manifesto”. The subject of the book was how something mundane, the use of a checklist, … Continue reading
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Redistribution and Financial Regulation
We don’t think about it, but financial regulation is a way of redistributing costs, and doing so allows more people to participate in our economy.
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iPhones, Democracy and International Trade
In response to a New York Times article on conditions at iPhone manufacturing facilities, Apple has announced that it will hire an organization to investigate working conditions at iPhone factories. Apple’s situation offers a perfect example of the challenges of … Continue reading
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Do the Poor Get Screwed?
One of the things that annoys Republicans is that very liberal Democrats seem to have this underlying assumption that poor people get screwed by the system. Actually it’s just the opposite – comparatively, the poor benefit more from democratic capitalism … Continue reading
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