Many say voting is a critical and vital civic responsibility. I believe that premise is flawed. It’s not voting that’s the civic responsibility, it’s being informed if you intend to vote. That’s the responsibility. In our society, there are those who are tuned into the issues of the day and those who aren’t. There are those who try to follow candidates and issues closely and those who couldn’t tell you who they are or what they stand for. It’s a self-selecting process, and that’s fine. There are those who don’t like politics and have no interest. There’s no shame…
Socialism vs capitalism
There are books upon books about the differences between and the merits of both Socialism and Capitalism. I’d like to simplify it a bit. Socialism exists under the premise that rights come from government, or man. Under Socialism, the government controls the economy and society lives to serve it. People rely on the collective for everything and the governing body attempts to impose – not equality of opportunity, but equality of results. American Capitalism presupposes that rights do not come from man, but from a higher power. And the rights are not specific to conditions like being employed or…
The origin of playdates
More than one set of parents has rolled their eyes at the idea of a playdate. That we’ve evolved to the point where our kids have scheduled play times with friends, much the way we’d schedule a work meeting with a vendor, is yet another way we’ve taken the spontaneity out of childhood. Who do we have to thank for the playdate? Well, like most things, it’s not an entirely simple answer. Working parents. Helicopter moms. Over-scheduled kids. These are all contributing factors. But logistically, we can thank the smart phone. Back when land lines were common, a kid…
Friend groups
Social media was supposed to make the world smaller and help us all connect. Predictably, it’s had, in so many ways, the opposite effect. If you want to talk in terms of quantitative data, you can argue we communicate more, and with more people. But qualitatively, people’s preferences to communicate via social media and their mobile device is seriously hurting our ability to connect, as humans. This is especially true for teenagers, who’re still developing their social skills. (Or, in this case, still stunting their social skills.) With the help of apps like Snapchat, friends are organizing their conversations…
Why conservatives don’t like government
It’s an idea we take for granted, but do people truly understand the issues conservatives have with government. 1. Government workers are not accountable. We think of government workers as the politicians we elect, but that’s a small fraction of government workers. Most government workers are bureaucrats that work behind desks creating or enforcing rules with no accountability. In the private sector, business thrive or fail based on how well they serve their customers. A business can deliver a great product, but if they fail on customer service, it could put them under. One unforeseen twist of fate can…
The answer to everything: state rights
There’s been years of reporting on how divided our country has become, and it’s so unnecessary. We’re always going to have disagreements, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But the source of our current divide is that people have lost the ability to disagree. We don’t know how to have debates, if not arguments, but realize that, in the end, we’re all on the same side. We need a solution, and I’m confident I have one. This will remove all of the bitterness and resentment between liberals and conservatives. The answer to all that ails our society is right…
The conservative perspective on charity
There’s two ways to dole out charity: Lower taxes so people can keep more of their own money. Then let those people give some of their money (and time) to the charity they choose to support. That charity, which usually knows best how to spend that money, will make sure to get the most for that dollar, or.. Allow the government to forcefully take as much money from people as they decide is right so they can redistribute that money to the people they decide need it most, while tying up a greater percentage of every dollar in the…
Ode to Rush
Today, Rush Limbaugh made the absolutely stunning announcement that he has stage four lung cancer. My reaction was instant: How in the world could I ever get by without Rush Limbaugh in my life? I first heard Rush on the radio in June of 1989, about nine months after he started. I was 19 and about four years into developing my conservative political thoughts. That Summer was already memorable because I joined a construction crew to try and make as much money as possible for studying abroad. The construction company knew I was a “college boy” and gave me…
The secret history of conservatives and race relations
Perhaps the greatest ongoing miss by the Republican Party’s marketing department – the worst marketing department in the history of marketing departments, is on race. It’s not a stretch to say nearly no one knows the conservative history as it relates to racism. As we head into the 2020 election, now would be the perfect time for President Trump to address race in this country. By sharing the Republican history on race, he could single-handedly change the Democrat narrative that all conservatives are racist. Did you know Martin Luther King was a registered Republican? Were you aware that Lincoln,…
Eliminating all problems
I once read an online article in the news that told of a male porn star who, feeling wronged in his line of work, took a machete and killed some co-workers. This was the first comment someone had posted on the article: “[paraphrasing] Our first moves need to be to lock away all porn stars and ban the sale of machetes.” In one sentence, this person had completely summed up an aspect of liberalism – the constant, and very unrealistic, pursuit of making sure everyone has a life in which nothing bad ever happens and where there is a…