CNSnews.com reports: The unemployment rate for civilian government workers plunged from 4.2 percent in October to 3.8 percent in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as government added 35,000 to its taxpayer-funded payrolls during the month. In October, … Continue reading
Category: Daily Dose of Reason
The Moral Equivalent of Oxygen
Past or present, old-fashioned or “progressive,” most parents still agree on one thing: Teach your child not to be selfish. If you ask me, this is the single biggest mistake a parent can make. Telling a child not to be … Continue reading
What’s Emotional “Safety” and Why Should You Care?
What does it mean to feel “emotionally safe” with someone? Usually, we think of “safety” as a physical matter. We seek or want safety from a violent criminal, or a terrorist, or perhaps someone who would steal our life’s savings. … Continue reading
Those Who Can, Do; Those Who Cannot, Win Political Office
Reuters reports: When it comes to power, politics trumps business, according to a new Forbes ranking on Wednesday that found heads of state occupying six of the top 10 spots among the world’s most powerful people, led by President Barack … Continue reading
Perspective Matters
I ran across a saying (author unknown) recently: “Sometimes when things are falling apart they may actually be falling into place.” In other words: Perspective matters. You cannot lie to yourself. You can’t pretend a bad thing is a good … Continue reading
Alexis de Tocqueville on 21st Century America
Alexis de Tocqueville, writing and observing the young American republic in the early 19th Century, had a lot of interesting things to say. For example: “Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: … Continue reading
Conflict Avoidance in a Relationship
In their relationships, many people think they’re avoiding trouble by not fighting. They look at the absence of fighting as indication that the relationship is healthy. This is a dangerous way to approach things. The absence of fighting does not … Continue reading
The “Fiscal Cliff” is the People’s Fault
Both sides — the hapless Republicans and the taxing Democrats — take it for granted that tax increases will help with the national debt and deficit. They differ only on specifics. Republicans call for “closing tax loopholes,” which is simply … Continue reading
Purpose and Depression
Purpose is an objective requirement of happiness. If you don’t have a sense of purpose, life will start to seem pointless and unfocused. This is why retired people often get depressed. It’s not that retiring is wrong. You just have … Continue reading
The War of All Against All Has to End
H.G. Wells said: “If we don’t end war, war will end us.” It’s true enough. But what is war? War is the initiation of force or violence against others. This assumes war is not in self-defense (or retaliation against the … Continue reading
“Being Positive” While Surrounded by Idiots
There’s a lot of confusion, I find, about the question of “being positive.” A lot of people reject the idea of “being positive.” But when asked for a definition of being positive, they seem to assume that it means: ignoring … Continue reading
Iceberg Ahead for America’s Social Democracy
Dear Dr. Hurd: I think we are in a death spiral because of the entitlements [Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Obamacare, etc.] The more entitlements someone receives, the less they do for themselves, and then the more they resent what others … Continue reading