- Perfect example of the broken-window fallacy. Not to mention public relations idiocy. Yes — the Gulf oil spill is good for you!
- Every person who ever takes a government office should have this tattooed on his or her forehead. Backwards so it’s readable in the mirror every morning: “Truth never damages a cause that is just.” — Gandhi (and Wikileaks)
- You remember that “ending welfare as we know it” thingie back in 1996? Uh. Well … not quite.. (That chart is from a June 1 Heritage Foundation report, which contains many other “fedgov by the numbers” charts guaranteed not to make your day.)
- And here’s one more. If you’re wondering why political efforts to “cut spending except of course for Social Security and Medicare and the Pentagon and … etc.” are doomed, now you know. Of course, you smart readers already did know. But maybe you could show one of those silly people who actually believes that government will ever … er, cut government.
- Claiming the first-time homebuyer tax credit — from your prison cell! Gawd, dontcha just love the American spirit of enterprise?
- But enough, enough, enough of the bad news. This week also brought us the only commencement address in the entire known-and-unknown history of mankind that wasn’t just a cartload of horsepucky. Something to think about. Words to live by.
- And if life gets you down, if the news is too awful, if even the effort of being cheerful seems too much and you contemplate staying in bed all day with the covers pulled over your head (because the alternative is going to work and finally doing what the little voices under your tinfoil hat have been telling you to do), there’s always The Daily Puppy to put life in perspective.
- Oh. And look at this. Thanks to Dave and Toban in a recent comments section, we have the paleo-libertarian discussion group (founded by Toban) and an LRC.com article (written by Toban) explaining the paleo-libertarian connection. That’s the paleo (nutrition) libertarian connection, as opposed to (or perhaps alongside of) the hyphenless paleo(political)libertarians. Gets complicated, doesn’t it?
I guess I’m lucky, I don’t have any gifts. >_>
On a less cheery note I realize I lead my life by all his first examples rather than any of his second examples.
I myself follow in Jeff Bezos’ self perceived failing. In fact among the technical, it’s a common trait. Better with “things” rather than people. Geek, techno nerd, total insensate to social cues. I can make machinery dance the light fantastic in my hands, but people slow to a frustrating crawl.
I accept this. We’re all driven to something. The ones who live their lives and don’t answer to their call, or answer to the wrong call are the ones who lose.
Mebbe the rest of us lose too?
Joe
Claire, I enjoy your blog. I just got through reading a book titled “Two Worlds, The story of man and the major influences on his life.” Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 66-30067. This book was first published in 1966 by Flick-Reedy Education Enterprises, Bensenville Illinois. This book is about individual freedom and the moral responsibilities that comes with this freedom. The book encourages study and discussion of the interrelationships of history, philosophy, social studies, economics and civics. It should, in my opinion, be required reading in all our schools.
Thanks for the link to the commencement speach.
It’s about being willing and able to see through the orthodoxy. Politics or nutrition.
Anyone else see where Obambi promised to end homelessness within 10 years?
Anyone else reminded of that scene in “Dr. Zhivago”?