Thanksgiving

You know, you would think that by the time I was forty years old I would know the real story of Thanksgiving. Turns out that I only knew half the story. Yes, the pilgrims came on the Mayflower, and yes, they had two years of starvation conditions. And, yes, the third harvest, the harvest of 1623, there was a bounteous harvest, and they had a great feast thanking God for his providence.

You may be as surprised as I am to find out that there is more to the story, a lot more. Take a few minutes to read the article on the FEE home page today entitled "Our First Thanksgiving." It turns out that the Thanksgiving story is really a story about free enterprise, and the importance of private property ownership. Who knew? The author, Sartell Prentice, Jr., quotes passages from Governor Bradford’s History “of Plymouth Plantation” from the original manuscript. Governor Bradford was the original governor of the Plymouth colony.

Apparently, during the first two years in America, the Plymouth colony farmed the land as a collective body. Everyone had their assigned duty, and each member was directed to perform certain tasks for the good of the colony. It was a disastrous mistake. Over half the members of the colony died of starvation, and the journals indicate that at one point the food ration was three kernels of corn per day.

After the two disastrous harvests of 1621 and 1622, the Governor decided to try something different. He gave each family a plot of land to farm for their private use. You won't be surprised about the outcome. Plenty and to spare. The bounteous harvest inspired the pilgrims to have a feast to thank their God.

This Thanksgiving, let us thank our God for the blessings of this land. Let us pledge our strength and courage to uphold the rights of the individual to life, liberty and property.

Hillsdale College's Monthly Imprimus

Hillsdale College is a conservative Christian four year university located in Hillsdale, Michigan. About a year ago, my father surprised me with a subscription to Hillsdale College's monthly publication, Imprimus.  Imprimus is a free publication available online, or delivered monthly to your home.  For a free subscription, click here.  To immediately view this month's publication, free online, entitled "Understanding Iran", click here.  This monthly publication has been an important part of my ongoing conservative education.  Also, I recently discovered a searchable archive of previous publications.  I noticed several speeches by Ronald Reagan, Lawrence Read, Margaret Thatcher and hundreds of other.

Economics 101

For a fun, quick and easy summary of economics and a lesson regarding the power of free markets, I, Pencil is a must read. "Ghost written" by Leonard E. Read, the story recounts the origin of one "Mongol 482," an ordinary lead pencil made by Eberhard Faber Pencil Company. The story is told in Mongol 482's own words. Early in the story, Mongol 482 makes the fantastic claim that "no person on the face of this earth knows how to make me." At first, that sounds outrageous. Maybe if he were the Hubble telescope, but a regular number 2 pencil? However, at the end of sixteen short pages, every reader will be convinced of the truth of Mongol 482's statement, and convinced of the power and virtue of a free market.

Common Sense

On the way into work this morning, I was listening to my ipod shuffle. What a great invention. Anyway, I was listening to the most recent podcast from Dan Carlin. I'm not sure how many of you listen to podcasts, but if you do, I recommend this one. The name of the show is Common Sense. The show provides interesting political commentary. I don't always agree with Dan, but he does provide an independent voice. He always provides an unique perspective, and helps me think of things in a new way. If you get the chance, I recommend that you give him a listen.

He also has another podcast called HardCore History. I love this one also. Half hour history lessons presented in a very interesting and engaging way. I guarantee that you will be disappointed when they are over.

Inflation

There is a must read article on the FEE site today explaining the cause and effects of inflation. It is a another new article published by Lawrence Reed. I love the first line. “Government,” observed the renowned Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises, “is the only institution that can take a valuable commodity like paper, and make it worthless by applying ink.”

You rarely hear somebody explaining this stuff. Honestly, for most of my life I assumed that rising prices were the cause of inflation. Like the article says, that is like assuming that wet sidewalks cause rain. I heard on the news this morning that the inflation rate in Zimbabwe is over 230 Million percent. Ouch!

Of course governments cause inflation, they are the only ones that can. They can't get their spending under control, but they don't want to raise our taxes anymore because we won't vote for them if they do. So, instead, they just print more money. The price of everything goes up, the value of our dollar goes down, and none of us even suspect that our own government is the one stealthily picking our pockets. Brilliant! I'm the dummy that thought that taxes were the only way for the government to mug me. Silly me.

Is anyone out there scratching their head, and wondering where the money for the $750 Billion bailout came from? Maybe Uncle Sam had that cash sitting in a savings account somewhere.

What is Economic Development?

Lawrence W. Reed hits another home run with his article entitled "The Perversion of Economic Development."  This article was originally published in February of 1996, and recently appeared on the FEE website.  This is just another example of how timeless these economic truths really are.  With all this talk in the news about how the government should come to our rescue by stimulating the economy, we might forget what true economic development is.

"In recent decades, economic development has come to mean something other than the spontaneous, entrepreneurial phenomenon that built America. It is often thought of as a kind of activist, public-policy responsibility of state and local governments...."

"The bottom line is what every American with a good sense of history really ought to know: economic development is what happens when government protects life and property and otherwise leaves us alone."  (emphasis added) Click here to read the entire article.

Ronald Reagan Read The Freeman

The Foundation for Economic Education is a great resource for thoughts and ideas on liberty. They usually have one new article daily, and they also tie one or two archived articles to current event news items. Also, for a minimal donation, you can get a subscription to thier monthly magazine, The Freeman. And, for any of you out there that are wondering, The Freeman would make an excellent Christmas gift. It is at the top of my wish list.

"The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty, is one of the oldest and most respected journals of liberty in America. For almost 50 years it has uncompromisingly defended the ideals of the free society.

"Through its articles, commentaries and book reviews, several generations of Americans have also learned the consequences and contradictions that inevitably result from collectivism, interventionism, and the welfare state.

"No other magazine, newspaper, or scholarly journal introduces readers to so many implications of what the free society is all about: its moral legitimacy, its tremendous efficiency, and its liberating effects in every area of life. For subscription information click here.

Election Was Not A Rejection of Conservatism

Great article showing up on the CATO Institute home page, discussing the real lesssons to be learned from the recent presidential election. The author of the article is Michael D. Tanner.

"Tuesday's massive Democratic landslide cannot be seen as anything but a repudiation of the Republican Party's tenure in power. Combined with the equally large Democratic victory in 2006, Republicans have now lost the presidency, more than 50 House seats, and at least a dozen seats in the Senate in just two years."

"To suggest that in electing Barack Obama and a Democratic congressional majority, voters were choosing big government and liberalism over small government and conservatism would imply that either the Bush administration, the current Republican congressional leadership, or, for that matter, John McCain, actually supported smaller government." Click here to read more

Never Give Up On Conservative Ideals

Lawrence W. Reed, of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Economic Education published encouraging words the morning after the 2008 presidential election:

"For all of us who believe in liberty, yesterday’s ballot offerings all over the country were hardly inspiring. Predictably, the results this morning may be more than a little dispiriting. Just in case you might be feeling somewhat “down” at the moment, let me offer what I hope will be some cheerful thoughts...."

"If you want my advice, we should not squander a second feeling bad for ourselves. This is a moment when our true character, the stuff we’re really made of, will show itself. If we retreat, that would tell me we were never really worthy of the battle in the first place. But if we resolve to let these tough times build character, teach us to be better and smarter at what we do, and rally our dispirited friends to new levels of dedication, we will look back on this occasion some day with pride at how we handled it. It’s already past 9 am. Have you made any calls to cheer anybody up yet?" For entire article, click here.

From Racism to the White House

My father is a wise man. I respect his opinion greatly. He has never demanded that respect from me. Rather, he has spent my lifetime earning my unqualified respect and admiration. He recently sent out the following letter to his family members. With his permission, I publish it here.

"No matter if you are Republican, Democrat or whatever, something wonderful happened on 4 November. This nation, with all its racial baggage, elected a man of the Black race as its President. This 65 y/o man never thought he would see it happen in his lifetime. For that reason alone it is a call for celebration. I know this may be hard to understand if you did not grow up in my generation, but I saw the restrooms for Men, Women and Coloreds. I saw the black folks go around to the side to purchase a fast meal. I saw drinking fountains labeled White and Colored. I saw black men forced off sidewalks.

"It is a testament to me of the resilience and good heartedness of the nation's people. Obama was elected with 52% of the voters. By my estimation, another 35% plus would have voted for him if his political persuasion was closer to theirs. That means that over 85% of the people have rejected race as a qualifier or dis-qualifier for any position in the country. We have nearly achieved Martin's dream! At least in this one area.

"Now, the glass is half full for me. And this election really has been very bittersweet; certainly a mixed blessing. Obama does not have good judgement in the company he keeps, and he is fundamentally too far left of center to govern our nation effectively. And I believe that the nation may have crossed a threshold in this election. It is possible that the culture war that is raging in the country has reached a turning point at which there is no turning back.

"That said, Obama is, or will be, my President. I will support him with my prayers and my actions. He is very capable and smart. He has shown that he can move to the center. And he may have the fortitude to govern from the center. I will praise his decisions and actions when I see him do good according to my light. And I will criticize him when he does wrong in my eyes. However, I will always respect the office he holds. I will not look for cabals, conspiracies, and intrigues in everything he does. I will take him at face value and assume he is acting in the best interest of the nation as he sees it. In short, I will give him my good will.

God be with President-elect Obama.
Dad, Len, L.R.

Bailout or Shakeout

The Cato Institute has posted Daniel J. Ikeson's article from the New York Daily News, There's Nothing Wrong with a "Big Two."

I agree with Mr. Ikeson that it is foolishness to use Federal tax dollars to bailout failing businesses, and then claim that capitalism has failed. We need to stand back, and allow the market to function properly. The invisible hand of capitalism will thin the sick and the weak companies out of the herd, allowing the fiscally dominant companies to rise to the top.

"The "Big Three" auto producers - Ford, Daimler-Chrysler and General Motors - want the public to believe their industry faces an existential threat. It doesn't. They want the public to believe they are innocent victims of circumstances beyond their control. They're not. They want the treasury secretary to authorize a fresh $25 billion bailout for the industry and the President-elect to pledge support for their parochial cause. Neither should..."

"If one or two of the Big Three went into bankruptcy and liquidated, people would lose their jobs. But the sky would not fall. In fact, that outcome would ultimately improve prospects for the firms and workers that remain in the industry. That is precisely what happened with the U.S. steel industry, which responded to waning fortunes and dozens of bankruptcies earlier in the decade by finally allowing unproductive, inefficient mills to shut down." For entire article click here.

Phone Calls to Heroes on Veteran's Day

I will be making several phone calls this evening. I'll make a few calls to St. George, a call to Draper, and another call to Denver. Tonight I will take a few minutes to talk to some of my heroes.

My family has a great heritage of military service. Both of my grandfathers fought in World War II, one in the Pacific, and one in Europe. My wife's grandfather also fought the fascists in Europe. My father is a career military man. He served with honor and distinction in the U.S. Air Force for about 26 years, and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Usually, upon leaving for work in the morning, he would tell us that he was going to go "kill some commies." He fought valiantly every day against the evil empire, and I must admit that I give him most of the credit for its collapse. He also spent one year in Vietnam, flying choppers and taking names.

In quiet hours, usually late at night, you can get these warriors to let their guard down and tell a few stories. I'm sure there are many stories that I will never hear, and I am sure that there are none that I truly understand. But, I do know that they are my heroes, they and the hundreds of thousands of others that were willing to give the last full measure, together with those that did. I honor my father, my grandfathers, and all that have served for liberty.