Category Archives: Liberty

More Minimum Wage

Posted on September 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

The intentions of those that preach the minimum wage are noble.  Who isn’t interested in helping those folks who are the poorest among us?  What person that we would care to associate with could not help but have feelings of sympathy for people who struggle to make enough money to eat, to cloth themselves or pay rent?

Who?

No one.  Not one single person I know would brush those feelings away.

However, with that said, the singing of the platitudes of the minimum wage has to end when the effectiveness of those laws are considered.

And the result?  The verdict?

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Posted in Economics, Liberty, Politics: International

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You Can’t Do It

Posted on September 23, 2010 | Leave a comment

I’m listening to the Brad and Britt show this morning.  The topic of the hour is taxes and health care.  Both are timely and appropriate topics.  Health care reform is being implemented soon, or at least portions of it.  And taxes, well, taxes have been the hot topic because of the expiration of the “Bush Tax Cuts” as well as the new Republican “Pledge to America” that’s being released this afternoon.

Both topics are fascinating.  And, to a degree, related.

Any way, while discussing the reforms that are kicking in soon, Brad takes the stand that if you object to Health Care Reform, you can’t take advantage of it.  “You Can’t Do It” he yells, “You Can’t Do It”.

This, of course, is asinine.

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Posted in Health Care, Liberty, Politics: National

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The Tea Party Effect

Posted on September 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

Alaska.

Delaware.

Kentucky

Watch it folks; the wave of populism is spreading and it isn’t just taking Liberal Democrats.

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Posted in Elections 2010, Liberty, Lobby/PAC, Politics: National, Senate

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The Market [Literally] Shall Restore You

Posted on September 13, 2010 | Leave a comment

Flu shots too hard to get?

Doctor’s office run out?

Making an appointment is too hard to manage?

Actually taking time off to go to the doctor’s office inconvienient?

Check this out:

Not only can I buy groceries at this store, I can buy beer and wine.  I can buy local farm fresh produce from local growers.  I can fill a prescription.  Not only can I fill a prescription, but I can enroll in a program that will get me many medications at $9.99 for a THREE MONTH supply.  Not only that, but I can now walk up, without an appointment, bill my insurance or pay directly and get a flu shot.

At the grocery store.

Not one single vote or law was required for this advancement to occur.  Only that reasonable people, willing to trade time and property be allowed to meet in a market and trade.

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Posted in Economics, Health Care, Liberty, Politics: National, Politics: North Carolina

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A Call For Tolerance

Posted on September 10, 2010 | Leave a comment

The Bible is the Holy Word of God.  Written by man but directed by God.

The Koran is the same thing, perhaps to Muslims, even more.  In some ways, it may BE Allah.

Burning it, or even threatening to burn it is an insult.

And that crazy Pastor Jones SHOULD be called out for this nonsense.  People are right to be outraged.

But where is the outcry against this?

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Posted in Liberty, Politics: International, Politics: National

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Limits

Posted on September 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

I’m pretty tolerant.  I’m willing to bear a bunch and walk away feeling pretty good that I represented myself well.

I like love. 

I like forgiveness.

I like that whole “Turn the other cheeck” thing.

But some things are just too much.

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Posted in Liberty, Politics: National

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What is Greed?

Posted on September 8, 2010 | Leave a comment

I have been been inundated by hits as a result of an Internet search to “Greed”.  This is what I posted about the word some time ago:

Awhile ago, Neil Boortz offered a challenge to his listeners; Define Greed.

See, Boortz is a Libertarian [good on him!] and the general feeling amongst Libertarians is that greed is used as a descriptor to generalize capitalists.  That is; Capitalists are “greedy”.

I agree with Boortz’s general assertion; Capitalists are NOT all greedy.  And more specifically, capitalism is not necessarily greedy.

However, that doesn’t change the point of the definition of the word “Greed”.

Let me take my shot at the definition:

GREED:  That condition, wherein an individual or organization, willfully attempts to accumulate more of a “thing”, be it money, power or prestige, by restricting the Rights and Liberties of another individual or organization.

Greed is meant to be a negative word.  And that’s fine.

What is wrong is when it is applied to capitalism indiscriminately.

Here is what the master has to say about Greed:

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Posted in Economics, Liberty, Quotes

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This for That

Posted on September 8, 2010 | Leave a comment

We’re human.  Subject to all the vagracies that go along with that.  We get our feelings hurt.  We get defensive and competative.  We have a born and bred desire -need in fact- to protect ourselves and our own.

It’s natural for us to react to situations where we feel threatened.  And those reactions, are not always what we would want them to be.  In many cases, days or weeks after, as we look back, we wish that we would have been able to handle the situation better.

But in the heat of the moment–we just….react.

It’s natural after all.  But we should try to do better. Continue reading →

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Posted in Liberty, Politics: National, Raising Men

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Plumbers vs. Gutter Guys

Posted on September 1, 2010 | 7 comments

So, fascinating expereince the last two weeks.

As I mentioned, I’ve been working on a plumbing problem at my house; the main line broke near the water meter and I needed the whole reun replaced.  It was just too expensive to continue to dig and patch.

So, I obtained estimates from 4 plumbers and chose 1 of ’em.

Now, with the plumbing project complete, I am working on repairing/replacing the gutters on my house.

Same song, different verse.  Obtain 3 estimates and pick 1.

Lemme’ tell you that there is an incredible difference between the customer service in gutter guys and plumbers.

While the plumbers were late, ill prepared and in 2 of 3 cases failed to deliver a quote on time, the gutter folks were not only on time, they called to confirm.  They were polite and engaging.  Further, the quotes, when not delivered on the spot, were on time professionally done with photes and diagrams.  All neatly done on a PDF.

I got to wondering why this was.  My conclusion?

Plumbers are licensed.  Gutter guys aren’t.

Licensing is just another method to keep new competition from entering the market.

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Posted in Liberty, Lobby/PAC

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Feels Good Being in the Right Side

Posted on August 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

I dunno.  Sometimes it feels that we’re fightin’ the fools fight.  Tilting at windmills.

People get to vote who they wanna vote in.  If you don’t wanna pay taxes, find 51% of the population that feels like you and vote that guy in.

Stand for the unpopular, the Right, the Just…stand lonely.

But sometimes I get to stand with the crowd.

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Posted in Liberty, Politics: National

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