1) It’s not people versus king or dictator; it’s people versus people. It’s not a government oppressing all the people by denying them their basic rights; it’s some people using government to oppress other people, primarily for their own financial … Continue reading
Category: Daily Dose of Reason
The Redistribution of Health (Part 2 of 2)
Conclusion of yesterday’s column. Actually, I call these ‘unstated premises,’ but Dr. Berwick is different from advocates of socialized medicine we have seen in the past. He engages in no pretense. He doesn’t try to slip in the assumptions of … Continue reading
The Redistribution of Health (Part 1 of 2)
In her famous novel Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand identified the absurdity of placing one’s life in the hands of doctors whose lives had been throttled by socialized medicine. Socialized medicine, because of the government monopoly it imposes on both doctors … Continue reading
Immigration, Obama-style
Newsmax.com reports: Illegal immigration costs Arizona $1.6 billion a year — a staggering 19 percent of the state’s budget — Gov. Jan Brewer said in an exclusive interview with Newsmax.TV, adding that the Obama administration is turning a blind eye … Continue reading
Behavioral Change Is NOT the Same as Change of Mind
People will say you’re crazy when you make no sense. They’ll also call you crazy when you DO make sense, but they don’t like what you’re saying. Consider Ted, who’s angry with his wife Suzy because he feels that she … Continue reading
The Nihilistic Revolution of “Occupy Wall Street”
CNN online reports: “Occupy Wall Street protesters might say they represent 99% of the nation, but there’s a growing number of Americans who are making it clear they are not part of the dissident crowd. They call themselves the 53%…as … Continue reading
Is Too Much Happiness a Good Thing? (Part 2 of 2)
Conclusion of yesterday’s column. Reporter: I think lots of people confuse happiness with fun, and the dangers there are obvious. People who are always looking for that moment-to moment ‘high’ are, it seems to me, far less likely to find … Continue reading
Is Too Much Happiness a Good Thing? (Part 1 of 2)
Dr. Hurd recently engaged in a discussion with a journalist about issues related to happiness, self-esteem, psychology, self-help, and much more. What follows are some excerpts from that discussion: Reporter: It seems to me that we have a fundamental confusion … Continue reading
Capital Strike II
Paul Moreno, writing in the Wall Street Journal, recently said that Obama will follow Franklin D. Roosevelt’s reelection strategy of 1936, during the Great Depression. “Roosevelt and his advisers blamed the recession on a ‘capital strike,’ trying to deflect public … Continue reading
Resenting Being Honest Doesn’t Make Sense
I received a question from a DrHurd.com reader who asks if a person is obligated to deal honestly with a person who has been proven to be dishonest. The writer suggests that dealing honestly in a situation like this would … Continue reading
Why Happiness Eludes So Many People
Human beings have a tendency to project impossible wishes onto figures that they deem to be capable of impossible things. Some project these wishes onto parent figures — actual parent figures, or imagined ones if their real parents disappointed them … Continue reading
Walking on Eggshells and Marriage Do NOT Mix
Dear Dr. Hurd, I am a gay man. My partner of two years and I got married in Massachusetts after being together for about a year. I thought everything was perfect, but things have changed. He criticizes everything I do. … Continue reading