Should everyone be required to have a gun?
A couple of days prior to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling confirming the individual’s right to bear arms[1] I received the following e-mail from a reader with the subject line “Guns and why they are a necessary evil in America”:
“Just an idea for you to think about. Without guns, we wouldn’t be where we are today. If everyone was armed and you KNEW they were armed, would crime rates decrease? I say yes. Criminals are usually opportunistic and prey on people unable to defend themselves, either through weakness or by virtue of being unarmed. Guns are a great equalizer: they make women equal to men. Anyone, even a child could keep their house secure by being able to shoot someone trying to break in. Just a thought. I am pro-gun and could go on for days as to why everyone should have at least one if not two guns to DETER crime. Have a great day!” Read more
Either start saving or start learning Chinese and Hindi
Americans, individuals and the government, aren’t saving and are in deep debt.
Our national savings rate went negative in 2005 for a while and hasn’t gone over 3% during this century.[1] This is not good as most economists estimate national inflation to be about 2-3% on average per year and savings are the source of economic growth.[2]
As to debt, according to a USA Today article I read, every US household, when you take the national debt, Social Security and Medicare programs, and total consumer debt (credit cards, mortgages, car loans, student loans etc) owes about $628,391.[3] Read more
Why America is the greatest country in the entire world part two.
Headline from yesterday’s New York Times:
“Justices Rule Terror Suspects Can Appeal in Civilian Courts.”[1]
You tell me where else in the world terror suspects, people intent (allegedly) on destroying a nation, would be afforded the right to due to process by the very nation they are trying to destroy? Read more
What happens if the military shrugs?
If you’ve read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged you know the theme of her magnus opus is the role of the mind in man’s life. The plot describes what happens when men and women of the mind go on strike. Or as the novel puts it, what happens when the Atlas’, those who Rand believes are holding the world on their shoulders like the mythical Greek Titan through the productive work of their minds, shrug.
Putting aside the issue of whether Rand is right or wrong for now, I’ve got another question: what would happen if our military forces (all volunteer right now) shrugged? Read more
The 3 Pillars of Modern Civilization
I live in New Orleans and having witnessed Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, I was struck by how quickly modern civilization can come to a screeching halt.
Take away the following three pillars and a modern city will be brought to its knees within days: running water, electricity, and gasoline. Read more
Is America the greatest country in the entire world?
I say: yes it is.
Why?
Because our nation is founded on the philosophical premise that the life of each individual is crucial. Individuals do not exist to serve the government (or any other institution) but rather, as Jefferson put so succinctly, “governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” in order to protect individual rights (namely, the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness).
The word inalienable is defined by Merriam-Webster as an adjective meaning “incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred.” No where else on this Earth will you find a place where the whole country is founded on the principle of the individual’s intrinsic right to his or her life (no one else owns it; its yours). Read more