The interesting thing about the attempted shooting of an entire school board in Florida (during a public meeting) is the reaction of one of the victims. In a press conference following the incident, I watched a school board official — … Continue reading
Category: Daily Dose of Reason
ObamaCare Hits an Iceberg
Federal Judge Henry E. Hudson ruled Monday in favor of Virginia’s claim that the requirement for people to purchase health care exceeds the power of Congress under the Constitution’s Commerce Clause or under the General Welfare Clause. “It is not … Continue reading
Conservatives Are Killing Capitalism
Many people argue that the Troubled Asset Relief Program (known as TARP) is an example of government intervention in the economy being necessary. If government hadn’t intervened, the argument goes, the economy wouldn’t have stabilized and our severe recession would … Continue reading
“Permission to Speak, Sir?”
And so it begins. Michael Copps, of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has suggested a “public value test” to determine who should, and should not, hold licenses for television and radio. Read this as: Shut down Fox News. But there’s … Continue reading
Why I’m Against “Self-Help”
I am a therapist, but I have come to resent the notion of “self-help.” One problem with “self-help” as we know it is that it emphasizes “how to.” A lot of people, in trying to cope better emotionally, ask questions … Continue reading
“Reforming” Government a Toxic Fantasy
I’m against the idea of fighting “waste, fraud and abuse” in the federal government. Why? Because doing so empowers the lie that most of what the government does to its citizens is legitimate and reasonable. “Of course government should be … Continue reading
Emotions Are Ideas
People ask: “What does it mean to take responsibility for your emotions?” My answer: Learn to grasp, and accept, that feelings and thoughts are essentially the same thing. An emotion is part of your mind as much as your conscious … Continue reading
Optimism Without Reality Won’t Save America
Kathleen Parker of The Washington Post, writing of how the national debt could soon reach 90 percent of the gross national product, stated the following: “Pending catastrophe is not an easy notion to entertain, much less sustain. Americans moreover have … Continue reading
When “Get Help” Isn’t What Someone Means
Beware of people who misuse the word “help.” They will say, “You need to get help.” What they really mean, in most cases, is, “I want you to change.” Instead of taking responsibility for telling you what they think you … Continue reading
What’s a Socialist to Do?
I keep hearing people who oppose “tax cuts for the rich” complaining that we’re “giving” money to these rich people. This is a dishonest distortion of epic proportions. It’s the distortion that makes our whole wretched welfare-regulatory state possible. The … Continue reading
Liberty: The License to Be Free
“Liberty and license are not the same thing.” I hear this all the time. My response is, “Oh, really?” As I see it, liberty and license are the same thing. Liberty is the license to do whatever your own mind … Continue reading
The Only “Fair” Trade is Free Trade
In a recent defense of what he calls “fair trade,” Barack Obama stated that one major purpose of trade agreements is to ensure that American products are made at home — not bought from other countries. No such thing is … Continue reading