When someone claims “I want to help you” or “I want to help him” what they often mean is: “I want to change you.” Another version is “I want her to get help” which really means: “I want her to … Continue reading
Category: Daily Dose of Reason
Don’t Always Trust the Trusting
The gullible are often the most dishonest. If they’re foolish enough to believe the big lies of others, then they’re foolish enough to expect others to believe their own deception.
Tots to Teens
Q: Is it wrong or unfair to remind a teen that while independence is great and you the parent are encouraging it, you, the parent, are paying for everything, or close to everything, so the teen has an obligation to … Continue reading
More on “Career Marriage”
Q: I don’t think I understand your conclusion regarding “Career Like Marriage” [see Daily Dose of Reason for March 6, 2010]. Are you saying that by accepting less than one’s ideal romantic or career choices, one precludes the possibility of … Continue reading
Liberty is NOT Democracy
Liberty and democracy are not the same thing. Liberty refers to the individual’s right to be free from force. Democracy is merely the right to vote — and it’s secondary to liberty. If democracy were elevated to liberty, then this … Continue reading
Career is Like Marriage
A career choice is like a marriage. If you had 3 women (or men) from which to choose but you know you love none of them, then it makes sense to marry none of them. This is because you would … Continue reading
Your Mind the Camera
Think of your mind as a camera. You can focus the camera wherever you choose. You can fixate on one scene. Or you can diversify, moving from scene to scene. This is something you can consciously do. If it doesn’t … Continue reading
Time to Hit the Reset Button on Congress
To advance American freedom, the best option for the 2010 elections is for the Democrats to regain control of Congress — but only with a seat or two. This will frustrate the totalitarians-in-waiting even more than they already are (and … Continue reading
Time to Restrain Government
A study by Obama-supporting economists Romer and Romer found “no support for the hypothesis that tax cuts restrain government spending; indeed … tax cuts may increase spending. The results also indicate that the main effect of tax cuts on the … Continue reading
The Contradiction of Manipulation
If you’re duplicitous, disingenuous or otherwise manipulative towards another person, then consider the mistake you’re making. By being manipulative, you’re counting on a weakness or foolishness in the person whose behavior you seek to alter by a means other than … Continue reading
Boom-and-Bust Goes Bust
A 1999 study by Christina Romer, who now works in the Obama Administration, found that the average length of recessions from 1887 to 1929 was only 10.3 months, with the longest lasting 16 months. Recessions lasted longer during the supposedly … Continue reading
The Battle Cry of the Altruists
When you do things for people that they’re capable of doing themselves, you do great harm to them. It’s the same as telling them: “You’re incapable” — even though they are. By doing the thing for them, you’re taking over … Continue reading