Charles Murray

I heard this guy speak on education reform at the Cato Institute in DC. A guy I went with said he was regarded as a pretty extreme libertarian. I found this essay on The Europe Syndrome at realclearpolitics.com (if you haven't checked this site out, do it today). The Europe Syndrome to which he refers is the thought that the social policies of European states are examples of success in ideal governance. In reality, as Murray argues that new data is beginning to show, these policies are undermining key facets of life that provide true happiness or "deep satisfaction."

Read it all: The Europe Syndrome

Or some excerpts for those shorter on time:

That mentality goes something like this: Human beings are a collection of chemicals that activate and, after a period of time, deactivate. The purpose of life is to while away the intervening time as pleasantly as possible. If that’s the purpose of life, then work is not a vocation, but something that interferes with the higher good of leisure. If that’s the purpose of life, why have a child, when children are so much trouble—and, after all, what good are they, really? If that’s the purpose of life, why spend it worrying about neighbors? If that’s the purpose of life, what could possibly be the attraction of a religion that says otherwise?

For some years a metaphor has been stuck in my mind: the 20th century was the adolescence of Homo sapiens. Nineteenth-century science, from Darwin to Freud, offered a series of body blows to ways of thinking about human beings and human lives that had prevailed since the dawn of civilization. Humans, just like adolescents, were deprived of some of the comforting simplicities of childhood and exposed to more complex knowledge about the world. And 20th-century intellectuals reacted precisely the way that adolescents react when they think they have discovered Mom and Dad are hopelessly out of date. They think that the grown-ups are wrong about everything. In the case of 20th-century intellectuals, it was as if they thought that if Darwin was right about evolution, then Aquinas is no longer worth reading; that if Freud was right about the unconscious mind, then Nicomachean Ethics had nothing to teach us.

But the fact remains: It is the elites who are increasingly separated from the America over which they have so much influence. That is not the America that Tocqueville saw. It is not an America that can remain America.

Resurrection

My life has interests that resurface on a rotating schedule. They are:

Led Zeppelin (they always make a comeback every 6 months).



This comeback thanks to some anime Star Wars movies a friend had on the wing.

"The same politicians who have been talking about a need for "affordable housing" for years are now suddenly alarmed that home prices are falling. How can housing become more affordable unless prices fall?"

The latest from Thomas Sowell on the government eliminating foreclosures.

Full Article

Just Because

It's been a long time.

This has been a test taking week for me. Two tests on Wednesday, history comprehensive Thursday, one today, second comprehensive 8am-12pm tomorrow. This week was also Nostalgia Night and I played in three acts. Super fun, but time consuming with rehearsals and prep. Basically, that night show has been on my mind for about three weeks with practices and auditions taking place in mid February.

I usually write a lot of my political and economic opinions on this. I've still had them, but I felt this blog needed some variety. Apparently that variety was nothing.

Lately I had some adventures in my horsemanship class. It's a good class with about 15 of us vanning and taking a car over every Tuesday evening for a couple of hours to ride. There is an indoor riding area at the stables we use and its all owned by this lady named Maggie who probably was born and raised with horses. Overall, it's been stretching because I am not at all used to walking around animals that large, putting on their tack, grooming them and riding them. Ralph is the horse my class partner and I share every week. He is very nice and forgiving. Since I have zero experience in equestrian activities, I feel like I am coloring in a little spot of my life that otherwise was a blank outline in a nice horse shape.

Also, I will be working this summer at Vista Verde ranch in northwestern CO as a fly fishing guide. I'm stoked. It will be June through October, running through the mountains and getting paid to boot.

Why is Miley Cyrus at all these award shows?

And the latest from Bill Clinton...

This just in from Bill Clinton regarding Obama, the economic crisis and Those Darn Republicans:

"Look, the American people, I think, know the president has tried to reach out to Republicans," Clinton told ABC News' Chris Cuomo. "And it takes two to tango. I think there are some of them who really believe that just-say-no politics is good politics.

"It was -- briefly, only briefly -- in the '90s. It isn't anymore," he added. "So, sooner or later, I think if he just keeps chugging along, just keeps the door open, invite 'em to every economic conference, invite 'em to every meeting, eventually, he'll start getting some votes" in Congress.

Full Article

Apparently saying "no" to retarded policies which the government has no right to enact anyway is the wrong thing to do. Gosh, thanks, Bill!

Remember, when it comes to the government, just say yes.

A Presidential Job Description?

Although this guy has more optimism than I when it comes to Obama's success, he describes some of the roles the president will have to take in his last paragraph: "All Barack Obama wanted was to be president. He may have to become an auto executive, a banker, a mortgage broker and who knows what else before this crisis is done."

Not only is that not explicitly in the Constitution, but few people elected him for that. I do not believe it to be any president's responsibility, regardless of party.

Full article.

In other news, California is going out of business. "After years on the brink, it has finally come to this: California is going out of business."

If you wish...

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is available for you to peruse, if you desire, on the House Appropriations Committee website. There is roughly 1,000 pages of content as condensed from the Senate and House versions.

Let me know what you find.

PS: Imagine yourself a voting member of Congress. Do you have time/endurance to read this? Discuss.

Mothers

In reading through the beginning of Calvin Coolidge's autobiography, I could not help but agree with this quotation of his: "It seems impossible that any man could adequately describe his mother."

Amen. Thanks, mom!

For those with the bandwidth...

Check out this video from the Cato Institute.

It regards a recent ad they ran in multiple papers regarding the stimulus plan. The video begins with Obama stating "There is no disagreement that we need action by our government, a recovery plan that will help jumpstart the economy." What made the ad unique though, were the 200 signatures from economist around nation who disagreed with the stimulus.