Spout

This site is full of ideas. Some of them might make you cringe. They may not align with your worldview, perspectives, or experiences. That’s a great thing.

Privacy and conservatism

Back in the days of routine attacks on the religious right, liberal politicians would often say that conservatives want to know what’s going on in your home. But the truth is that’s simply not the nature of conservatives. Conservatives usually want to be left alone and, in turn, want to leave others alone, as well. Conservatives have a strong sense of right and wrong. But believing in right and wrong is not the same as telling everyone how to live. Telling people how to live is creating restrictions on salt intake, trans fats, what we can eat, what we…

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It sucks to be who?

I don’t ever think “it sucks to be you.” I don’t even know what that means. That line of thinking implies that my life is somehow better. I’m never, and have never been for want. The kind of person who could think that would have to be a pretty cold and vindictive person to not be able to empathize with something bad happening to someone else – even if you don’t like that person. Ironically, about the only person it may suck to be is the person who could generate the thought, “it sucks to be you.”

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If we really have to tax a group of people…

In the 30+ years I’ve spent closely following politics, here’s a fresh idea that I can’t say I’ve ever heard before: raise taxes on the Baby Boomers. Our tax code is full of exceptions, loopholes, exemptions, etc. But I can’t say I’ve ever heard of an approach to taxation that punished generations (except for the entire code helping to punish future generations). But since the Baby Boomers created most of the current social and economic messes we enjoy today (along with pretty much everything else that’s wrong), why not let them pick up the tab? Since they’re the ones…

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Evidence no longer matters

When you see cities like Seattle, Detroit, Baltimore, or San Francisco, and how much they’re falling apart, how can you not conclude that liberal (or socialist) policies don’t work. In each case, you have rampant homelessness, crime, poor, drugs, and a serious lack of standards or expectations upon the citizenry. But also, in each case, those cities have been run entirely by Democrats, liberals, socialists… whichever label you prefer. How can anyone conclude that conservatives or Republicans would be to blame. They haven’t been anywhere near those places for years. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting…

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Beware of sleep injuries

One thing I’ve noticed about aging is that number of sleep injuries that occur during the night. These days, it’s not uncommon to awaken with a pulled hamstring or turned ankle. Just from sleeping. I’m not sure what happens during the night as you get older, but the dangers of sleeping become greater and greater as you get older. Perhaps it’s time to bring back waterbeds…

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Identity politics marketing

Conservatives are routinely characterized as racist, bigoted, homophobic, sexists. Mostly because that’s what Democrat politicians and activists call them, and the media passes it on to the public. Conservatives, with the worst marketing department in the history of marketing, do a horrible job of addressing this or defending themselves. But if you understand conservatism, it makes perfect sense. Here’s an example: Members of the lesbian and gay community often call out conservatives as being homophobic. It gets hostile. It’s said with vitriol, and it’s very accusing. Every day conservatives go on about their day, as every day conservatives do,…

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Open workspaces don’t work – that’s why we keep making them

Yesterday, I wrote about the growing use of noise cancelling headphones in the workplace, and how they’re serving to further isolate people from one another. In the workplace, this is happening due largely to open workspaces. Between all of the conversation, the mechanical keyboards with the incessant clicking and clacking, the sounds of people clinking bowls and plates as they eat, and other constant interruptions, it’s really difficult for most to produce their best work. It used to be that many people had offices, or at least high-wall cubes, so we had some sound blocking, and at least the…

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Are we advancing or regressing?

As a species, we have a long tradition of watching our technology advance exponentially while lamenting that society is falling apart. Our medicine keeps us alive and active longer than ever before. We have instant access to more knowledge than ever before. Fewer people are marginalized, and even our poor (at least in America) are relatively richer than ever before. This progression has been marching on for some time now. So why do we always feel like it’s getting worse? Here’s an example: All around me, at work, on the streets, in public transportation, at family gatherings, and in…

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Abandoning common sense for the sake of rules

The other day, I pulled up to a four way lighted intersection at 5:15am. There were no other cars visible. When I arrived at the light it turned green so I could drive through. Because there wasn’t anyone standing there when it turned, the walk light didn’t change. Just after the light turned, and I started driving through, a man walked up to the light with the intent of crossing with the green. However, because he didn’t arrive in time to push the button to enable the walk light, he didn’t get the walk light. Instead of walking anyway,…

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The perils of gift giving

Gift giving is a treacherous thing. There are many different philosophies. Some make a list and want something directly from that list. Others want to be surprised and purposely don’t tell people they want anything. Still others truly don’t want anything. As for the gift-giver, some want that list, others just want a hint, and still others rely on what they know about the person and wrack their brains to come up with something creative and interesting. Some want to purchase the gift, while others want to give an experiential gift that one could never buy on their own….

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