Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Saturday, May 9. 2009

"Go out there and make a bunch of money."

As we enter graduation season, it's time to re-post P.J. O'Rourke's 2008 Commencement speech. His first piece of advice:



1. Go out and make a bunch of money!

Here we are living in the world's most prosperous country, surrounded by all the comforts, conveniences and security that money can provide. Yet no American political, intellectual or cultural leader ever says to young people, "Go out and make a bunch of money." Instead, they tell you that money can't buy happiness. Maybe, but money can rent it.

There's nothing the matter with honest moneymaking. Wealth is not a pizza, where if I have too many slices you have to eat the Domino's box. In a free society, with the rule of law and property rights, no one loses when someone else gets rich.



Read the whole thing.

Posted by Bird Dog in Education at 14:10 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

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The Obama Admin, starting at the top, has not one person who has provided any kind of inspirational leadership to the average, working stiff American. Maybe it is because there are so few true private sector achievers in the lot, most of them being career political hacks who have fed at the government trough their entire lives.

The only inspirational leadership they have provided are the payoffs to their various interest groups/ voting blocs. But these are not the businesspeople and entrepreneurs needed to lead an economic recovery. They are fast rivalling the Carter Admin for being over all downers but many say it is just part of their game plan to make government the primary provider in our lives.

The role of a President is to inspire and lead all American citizens in a common effort. Obama gives no indication that he has the slightest interest in being a leader of all the people. The only thing that got him elected was the fact he wasn't Bush. Hopefully that dog won't hunt in 2012.
#1 greenmtnpunter on 2009-05-10 08:09 (Reply)
Brilliant! And he throws in the importance of the Tenth Commandment.
#2 NJSoldier on 2009-05-13 14:35 (Reply)

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