A few months back, the owner of a popular specialty store in my town got into a little conflict with the owner of a neighboring store. The neighboring storeowner initiated the conflict with a rude and abusive phone call, rife … Continue reading
Category: Daily Dose of Reason
Death Penalty Opposition: Not About Individual Rights
Across the country, there are movements afoot to outlaw the death penalty. My former home state of Maryland recently ended the death penalty, and my current home state of Delaware is likely to follow suit. What troubles me the most … Continue reading
The G.I. Bill vs. a Free Society?
Q: I am working towards going to medical school, and as part of that process need to take some college classes as prerequisites for med school. I am a 6-year military veteran and therefore qualify for the GI Bill, which … Continue reading
How to Really Talk to an Alcoholic
Q: How can I approach someone about their beer drinking without having them go on the defensive and possibly turning their back on me? I feel it is increasing because he lives alone and at present is not working regularly … Continue reading
“Sticker Shock” Applied to Life
‘Sticker shock’ applied to life? Very interesting! Consider the recent quote from an article a reader recently sent to me: Every adult I know–or at least the ones who are depressed–continually suffers from something like sticker shock (that is, when … Continue reading
The Sum of Human Knowledge
It doesn’t take a village to know the truth. The truth comes from facts. Facts will form into concepts, and concepts can identify truths of reality via the use of logic. Any individual has the capacity for discerning truth, provided … Continue reading
Hey Pope Francis: Prayer Won’t Pay the Bills
The world has a new Pope—and he’s considered by some as a gift to South and Central America. Pope Francis is considered an alternative to the dictators, such as Hugo Chavez, who have plagued South and Central American countries and … Continue reading
“Doctor, Please Pour Me a Drink?”
Somebody sent me the following story (author unknown) entitled, ‘Psychiatrists vs. Bartenders.’ Ever since I was a child, I’ve had a fear of someone under my bed at night. So I went to a shrink and told him: ‘I’ve got … Continue reading
Immigration Doesn’t Have to Be a Problem (Part 2 of 2)
Conclusion of yesterday’s column. It is true that some politicians support immigrants for the wrong reasons. Politicians who feel they have the most to gain will naturally support policies such as government welfare, government health care and public education benefits … Continue reading
Immigration Doesn’t Have to Be a Problem (Part 1 of 2)
In a free country, it’s self-evident that there’s room for everyone. This is because free people are also, by definition, self-responsible. The only people who need to be kept out of a free country are violent criminals and others who … Continue reading
Count Your Blessings? Or Seize the Day!
What does it mean to call something (or someone) a ‘blessing’? Usually, the term has a religious or supernaturalist reference. In other words, to call something a blessing is to speak of it as an almost causeless wonder. In my … Continue reading
Rand Paul’s Brief Flicker of Liberty Shows the Power of Principle
What’s interesting, and sadly unusual, about U.S. Senator Rand Paul’s victory over Obama on the issue of military drones is: His insistence on arguing from principle. This attention to fundamental principle is not something we saw at the time Obamacare … Continue reading