The Duty of Free Speech

I saw in the news today that one person bit off another's finger during a debate on the nationalization of healthcare.  That's disappointing.  However, I am a big fan of lively and spirited debate.  I always enjoy participating in a passionate discussion on an issue with someone who holds a opinion very different than my own.  It's even more enjoyable when that other person has expended some effort in becoming educated on the issue.  This happened to me last night when I called my brother, Jared, to wish him a happy birthday.

These kinds of discussions help me to sharpen and refine my own thinking.  I remember when protests against the war in Iraq were characterized as "un-American speech" (as if there were such a thing).  Now, I see protests against the nationalization of health care characterized as "attacks against our president."  Nonsense.  Read what smart people on both sides have to say (there are smart people on both sides), and then open your mouth.  I think the right to Free Speech is more like a duty of Free Speech.

Warriors

I have a great respect for warriors, probably because they make up a great deal of my family history. My father was a warrior in the Air Force for twenty-six years, and he still is a great warrior. My older brother was also in the Air Force. Both of my grandfathers fought in WWII. Many of my great-grandfathers were in involved in WWI. I remember, as a young man, my mother told me that I would likely be involved in some great conflict, just like my fathers before me.

So far, I have not had to go to war. Of course, I fight traffic, and ignorance, my waist-line and personal battles with the natural man inside me. But, I've never been called upon to shed blood in defense of family, liberty or country. Most of my generation has also avoided such conflict. We send a few brave men and women out to fight on our behalf, but the great many of us stay at home and learn of the war's progress through edited television blurbs.


What if war does come? Will we be caught unprepared because of so many years of ease and perceived peace? Or, would we rise with courage and strength as a united people to meet the challenge, like those great generations before us?

Great

Fear-mongering has become a very popular tactic in modern political discourse.  You don't have to listen very long before you hear one party being accused of having a secret agenda to enslave the other.  Or, you hear that a rich class is using all of its power and influence to keep another group poor and helpless.  They're taking away your rights!  They're taking away your property!  Vote for me, vote for me.

In the Science of Being Great, Wallace D. Wattles said that "you can never become a great man or woman until you have overcome anxiety, worry, and fear. It is impossible for an anxious person, a worried one, or a fearful one to perceive truth; all things are distorted and thrown out of their proper relations by such mental states, and those who are in them cannot read the thoughts of God."

Now, more that ever, the world needs great men and women.  Now is the time to rise up above the din, and above the dust.  Now is the time to be great, and, in a great way, to show others the path to greatness.

The Great Divides

I have some pretty strongly held opinions about things.  If you look at my blog posts from several months ago, you will have a pretty good idea of which way I slant in terms of political and economic debate.  I have read a lot about politics and economics.  And, I have engaged in a lot of debate, and spent a lot of time thinking about those topics.  I say that to reasure you that my opinions are not thoughtlessly or casually held.

But, isn't it interesting that other people, people who appear to be of normal intelligence and average ability, much like myself, can hold opinions or belief systems totally different than mine.  And in many cases, not just totally different, but completely the opposite of mine.  For instance, I just finnished listening to President Obama's book, "The Audacity of Hope."  I enjoyed the stories he told about his life, they helped me understand him better.  However, I found myself disagreeing with every political and economic argument he made.  I just think he is plain wrong.  But, he, and many others, think that he is right on.

I don't think that we have dealt with this issue very well as a country over the last many years.  There are too many people living here to expect that we will all see things the same way.  There is no need make somebody your enemy, just because they have different political, economic, or even religous idea than you have. 

Think

Back in 1968, Aretha Franklin released her hit single, "Think", and it became a chart topping success.  I first saw and heard it performed during the movie "The Blues Brothers."  It's been a long time since I saw the movie, but it came back to my mind today as I thought about thinking.

This is the Information Age.  We are up to our necks in information.  The internet is like a firehose, gushing an inexhaustable supply of information into our minds faster than we can process it.  But, what are we doing with all that information?  What is the purpose in all our getting?  Is it really just a case of us “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” ? – 2 Timothy 3:7

I do a lot of learning, reading, and listening, it's my job.  But it's much more difficult to take on the work of thinking, not just letting the information wash over you, but evaluating the information, and then rejecting it, or making it your own. Taking a few minutes a day to think deeply may be one of the best things we can do during our day.  Think about your role as a husband and father, or wife and mother.  Think about your religious and political views.  Think about your life, and begin to live deliberately.  Thinking is perhaps the hardest work that people can do, but it may also be the most rewarding.  Think!

Good, Better, Best

In October, 2007, Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a talk in LDS General Conference entitled Good, Better, Best. It's been a while since I read it, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately. There is so much to do. I am so busy all the time, and I'm sure most folks are. There are so many good activities to be a part of, and so much good and interesting information to be consumed. How am I supposed to have time for it all. The short answer is, I'm not. In his talk, Oaks says that more information is created in one minute on the internet, than one person could consume in a lifetime. There just isn't time for it all.

If so, "better" and "good" are not good enough. My time here on earth is finite, and comparably short. And, this world has so many of the best things to offer. An honest evaluation tells me that there is probably not even enough time for all of the best things. If that is the case, why should I be spending my time on anything but the best things?

I suppose that the most difficult work, then, is to quickly and correctly identify the best things, and then to spend my time engaging in only those activities.

Information Fast

Back in April, I read "The Four Hour Work Week", an interesting book that really changed the way I see the world. On the author's recommendation, I decided to go on an information fast. I stopped listening to talk radio. I stopped reading Drudge. I even stopped looking at the FEE and CATO websites. I must say that eliminating these things brought me a great deal of peace, and I hope, a little clarity. The world hasn't stopped turning. Some fascist government hasn't taken over the United States. I still have U.S. Dollars in my pocket.

So, I stopped writing, because I stopped reading. But, because of the encouragement of friends and family, I have decided to start writing again. And, I am starting to let a little more media back into my life. However, my posts will likely be quite a bit different than they were. I may still write about economics and politics sometimes , but that won't be the main focus of the blog. Again, on the advice of those close to me, I plan to spend more time actually writing my thoughts and ideas, and less time linking to the ideas of others. I hope to provide a little perspective, peace and clarity. Let me know how I'm doing.

Great Myths of the Great Depressionn

Lawrence W. Reed discusses the latest edition of his primer, "Great Myths of the Great Depression." Recorded at the annual Austrian Scholars Conference, Ludwig von Mises Institute, 12 March 2009.

Again Mr. President, that is not true

During the electionn, the President Elect made the following statement: "Few challenges facing America and the world are more urgent than combating climate change. The science is beyond dispute, and the facts are clear." On Monday, the CATO Institute ran a full page in in the New York Times that contained the following statement, and signed by many top climate change scientists: (To see the full page add, click here.)

With all due respect Mr. President, that is not true.

"We, the undersigned scientists, maintain that the case for alarm regarding climate change is grossly overstated. Surface temperature changes over the past century have been episodic and modest and there has been no net global warming for over a decade now. After controlling for population growth and property values, there has been no increase in damages from severe weather-related events. The computer models forecasting rapid temperature change abjectly fail to explain recent climate behavior. Mr. President, your characterization of the scientific facts regarding climate change and the degree of certainty informing the scientific debate is simply incorrect."

Quote of the Week

"Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has."

- Margaret Mead

Milton Friedman takes on Donahue

Enjoy this short two and a half minute video of Milton Friedman on the Donahue show explaining the virtues of Greed.

Rand, Paterson, and Lane

"This Women's History Month, on the sixty-third anniversary of their monumental triple achievement, the Cato Institute pays homage to three women without whom it would not exist."  In an artilcle entitled Three Women Who Launched a Movement, CATO discusses Isabel Paterson's The God of the Machine, Rose Lane's The Discovery of Freedom, and Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead and (later) Atlas Shrugged, all published in 1943.

In a time of great political and economic turmoil, when most people assumed that socialism was the wave of the future, and almost unavoidable, these three women presented the ideas of individualism, capitalism, and the virtue of free markets is such an understandable and persuasive way, that they effected a great intellectual change in American society.  This article got me thinking, we could sure use another Ayn Rand right about now.

Quote of the Week

“You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in their struggle for independence”

Charles Austin Beard

Less Than Nothing

New article on FEE discussing the pressing question, what should the Governement do to stimulate the economy.  Sheldon Richman thinks that absolutely nothing is too much, the better answer is Less Than Nothing.

The Fallacy of the Short Run

Another great article on FEE entitled Not So Fast!: The Fallacy of the Short Run, by William Anderson. In this article, the author discusses, in greater detail, the problems with economic shortsightedness. In the article, he also quotes from Lawrence Reed’s 7 Fallacies of Economics.

"Some actions seem beneficial in the short run but produce disaster in the long run: drinking excessively, driving fast, spending blindly, and printing money, to name a few. To quote the venerable Henry Hazlitt again, “The bad economist sees only what immediately strikes the eye; the good economist also looks beyond. The bad economist sees only the direct consequences of a proposed course; the good economist looks also at the longer and indirect consequences.”

"Politicians seeking to win the next election frequently support policies which generate short- run benefits at the expense of future costs. It is a shame that they sometimes carry the endorsement of economists who should know better.

"The good economist does not suffer from tunnel vision or shortsightedness. The time span he considers is long and elastic, not short and fixed."

We've been vandalized!

Henry Hazlitt begins his book, Economics in One Lesson, with a simple illustrative story. The story involves an act of vandalism. Some street punk has thrown a brick through the window of a local baker. Townsfolk gather round, as townsfolk often will, and they start talking, as they often do. At first, the folks are angry with the unknown vandal, and feel bad for the baker. However, as they keep talking, they decide that the act of vandalism is actually a benefit to the community. The baker must now pay the glazier to replace the glass, the cost will be a few hundred dollars. Then, the glazier will have more money, and he will spend that in the community, maybe even hire a new employee with the increased business. That money, in turn will be spent somewhere else, and so on, and so on throughout the community. Wonderful!

But, what about the baker? Maybe he had planned to buy a new suit with that $200.00. But, now he must pay for a new window, and buy a new suit. Or, maybe he will not be able to buy the suit at all. If so, then the tailor will not be paid. Either way, the baker is damaged because he has lost the ability to spend his money as he will, because of the vandal's actions. And, truly, the community is no better off in the long run if the glazier gets paid rather than the tailor.

The shortsightedness of the townsfolk's response to the vandalism is the root problem of all bad economic theory. From a family's poor economic choices to a big government trillion dollar inflate and stimulate plan, the problem is the inability to see beyond the "short run."  The long term effects of these decisions, and the potential unintended consequences, are never considered. And I think more importantly, the long term effects of economic meddling cannot be anticipated. So, when we are told that an act of vandalism, or an act of unprecedented borrowing, will provide a quick fix to the economy, we should stop and think. What about the long term?

Cliches of Socialism

You've heard it before, "the more complex the society, the more government control we need." Many years ago, Leonard E. Read published a one page rebuttle to this often heard socialist cliche.

I recommend that you read it, and begin to train your mind in the ways of liberty and freedom. We hear so many socialist influences throughout any given day, we must combat those ideas with study and practice. Lies and deception are easy to overcome. However, if you hear too much of it, you may become numb to their influences. You must be vigilant in constantly studying liberty, and being prepared to rebut the foolishness we hear all around us.

In this short, one page article, Mr. Read quickly explains away a common, and widley accepted falacy. Read the article, and then find some unsuspecting socialist who's day you might ruin with such simple truth.

Quotes of the Week

"Having federal officials, whether judges, bureaucrats, or congressmen, impose a new definition of marriage on the people is an act of social engineering profoundly hostile to liberty.

"Capitalism should not be condemned, since we haven't had capitalism.

"A system of capitalism presumes sound money, not fiat money manipulated by a central bank. Capitalism cherishes voluntary contracts and interest rates that are determined by savings, not credit creation by a central bank.

"I am just absolutely convinced that the best formula for giving us peace and preserving the American way of life is freedom, limited government, and minding our own business overseas.

"In time it will become clear to everyone that support for the policies of pre-emptive war and interventionist nation-building will have much greater significance than the removal of Saddam Hussein itself.

"Legitimate use of violence can only be that which is required in self-defense.

"Our country's founders cherished liberty, not democracy.

"Setting a good example is a far better way to spread ideals than through force of arms.

"The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing bankruptcy and economic turmoil to our people.

"The most important element of a free society, where individual rights are held in the highest esteem, is the rejection of the initiation of violence.

Ron Paul

A Trillion Wrongs

There is a new article on the FEE website written by Lawrence W. Reed, entitled A Trillion Wrongs Don’t Make a Right. It is a scathing review of politicians and business men alike. A short but sweet article that helps put in perspective what is truly happening in our country. However, my favorite part is his quote of a portion of Resolution No. 2 of the 85th General Assembly of the State of Indiana, passed by that state’s House and Senate in January 1947. It reads as follows:

"Indiana needs no guardian and intends to have none. We Hoosiers—like the people of our sister states—were fooled for quite a spell with the magician’s trick that a dollar taxed out of our pockets and sent to Washington will be bigger when it comes back to us. We have taken a good look at said dollar. We find that it lost weight in its journey to Washington and back. The political brokerage of the bureaucrats has been deducted. We have decided that there is no such thing as ‘federal’ aid. We know that there is no wealth to tax that is not already within the boundaries of the 48 states.

"So we propose henceforward to tax ourselves and take care of ourselves. We are fed up with subsidies, doles and paternalism. We are no one’s stepchild. We have grown up. We serve notice that we will resist Washington, D.C. adopting us."

From the news reports, it sounds like we have a few governors that may still possess such resolve.

Keep your eye on Bobby Jindal

An article on the Drudge Report today indicating that "Louisiana May Not Take Stimulus Money." Bobby Jindal is the governor of Louisiana, and "has suggested his state may not be interested in all of the roughly $4 billion allotted to it in the economic stimulus package to be signed by President Obama." Jindal said "We'll have to review each program, each new dollar to make sure that we understand what are the conditions, what are the strings and see whether it's beneficial for Louisiana to use those dollars..."

Jindal has shown signs of true conservatism, and is being called the conservative's Barak Obama. He is keeping a low profile, but is being talked about as a Republican presidential candidate for 2012.