Somebody recently asked me, “As a therapist, how can you be in favor of capitalism and limited government, and against the welfare state?” My reply was, and always is, as follows. I write columns, books and essays on the psychology … Continue reading
Most people, I find, deeply resent their bosses. What they don’t understand is that the boss — particularly when the boss is the owner of the company — has more responsibility than the employee. This fact should be plain enough, … Continue reading
To “spoil” a child does not refer to treating the child well. To spoil someone means to create a sense of entitlement where none exists. To spoil a child means to create and maintain the impression in a child that … Continue reading
A school district in Massachusetts is reportedly instituting an “honor roll for effort.” In other words, students who are seen as trying hard get on the honor roll even if their performance is mediocre or they fail. For a school … Continue reading
The Life Savers (a true story by DrHurd.com fan Tim Scharff, reprinted here with permission) In the early 1960s, when I was a little kid about five years old, my mother used to give me a nickel each week as … Continue reading
Immigration reform? Here’s a thought: How about no freebies — not for immigrants, not for anybody. Government will protect citizens from foreign enemies and domestic crooks and killers. That’s it. No transfers of wealth. No “free” benefits or services — … Continue reading
Thomas Jefferson wrote, “To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, … Continue reading
The people most self-conscious about having a “social conscience” are among the least conscious … and the least conscientious.
Psychologists and other “child experts” are advising public schools to develop policies which discourage, or even forbid, students from having a “best friend.” It’s thought that having a best friend is a form of unfair discrimination which fosters alienation and … Continue reading
It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.” So wisely written by Adam Smith back in 1776 in his classic, The … Continue reading
Most people, when they think of a “capitalist system”, think of a relationship between established businesses and politicians — the two always scratching each other’s backs for unearned favors. Each gains favors from the other: The business person is allowed … Continue reading
To most people, “working for yourself” means working for an employer or business rather than being self-employed. This is an economic definition, but isn’t the real definition. Properly understood, “working for yourself” is actually redundant. Think about it. The alternative … Continue reading