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.
And just think, Great Courses doesn't even have a football team, an endowment, a diversity coordinator, a Title lX administrator, a sustainability Czar, an admissions office, or a water feature. Any by issuing no diplomas they can make sure that you are there only to learn.
What I discovered is that the Modern Liberal looks back on 50,000 years, 100,000 years of human civilization, and knows only one thing for sure: that none of the ideas that mankind has come up with--none of the religions, none of the philosophies, none of the ideologies, none of the forms of government--have succeeded in creating a world devoid of war, poverty, crime, and injustice. So they're convinced that since all of these ideas of man have proved to be wrong, the real cause of war, poverty, crime, and injustice must be found--can only be found--in the attempt to be right.
Mass multicultural immigration is a highly disruptive, if not destructive, event to an established, stable culture. These things used to be called invasions because, even without force of arms, the power of masses of unwanted people can be difficult to resist (see Mexico/US).
Regular people know that mass immigration will assimilate with difficulty, even if they want to. Regular people know that they will not value or respect their history, their legacies, their traditions, as they do. This is why regular people do not welcome mass multicultural invasions.
For us ordinary people, it's much more about preserving a culture and a neighborhood than it is about economics.
Like so many regulations (manicurists? barbers?), I understand that part of the impetus comes from protection of existing guilds, but why can't government just leave people alone to pursue their honest trades?
I had been hearing how good it is for a while, so I have been giving them a try.
There are two versions of Crossfit - the Fitness version (general full-body fitness - "functional movements at high intensity") and the Sport (the cultish, extreme, heavy weight-lift) version. I do the Fitness version. It is a tough, exhausting group workout where people of all ages (I see age 16 to age 80) and all levels of fitness (fat ladies) do the same thing like a team, but each at his or her own level of ability.
In one of the sessions I like to go to, we have a blind guy. Also, a guy who had a stroke, and a couple of guys who have had heart attacks. It is good fun, bonding, and everybody helps and supports each other. It is also inexpensive, and a good place to meet gals. One of the cool things about the program is that you never know what they will have you doing. It's varied, so it stays interesting and challenging.
It has been surprising to me how quickly your body can respond to these sorts of demands. There are now 10,000 Crossfit "boxes" in the US.
It's the inner totalitarianism of the worldwide Left. There is always an excuse to control and oppress the people, and to take their money. For the Greater Good, of course.
There has been some strange collateral damage in the Republican War on Women. We taught them that cooking and cleaning are for squares and they shouldn’t know how to do either. This has left young women today with apartments that are complete pigsties. There is nothing in the fridge and a mountain of clothes in one corner and a futon on the floor. This means millennial males end up having to do the cooking and cleaning themselves. Oh well, you can’t win them all.
The
growing importance of social skills in the labor market - See more at:
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2015/08/the-growing-importance-of-social-skills-in-the-labor-market.html#sthash.3m0UeYyV.dpuf
Like most conservationists, I believe that Smokey The Bear is obsolete. He was, in fact, an agent of the lumber industry as administered and subsidized by the US Forest Service. Lives and money should not be spent to combat a necessary natural process. As that article notes:
"What we're getting now are much more intense fires because of all those years of suppression," said John Freemuth, a Boise State University professor and a public lands expert. "Those kinds of intense fires are usually not allowed to burn."
Government fire-suppression policies, like so many government policies, have unintended consequences which are worse than the original problem. If you must have a house in the woods or fire zone, get fire insurance and hope for the best. Or don't. Monitoring fires from the air is a worthwhile government - or private -warning service, same as storms.
And let the trees burn. That restarts the natural succession which produces an abundance of wildlife and biodiversity. Brave as they are, these firefighters die horribly for no good reason at all.
If you want to see what unlimited immigration (against the consent of the people) looks like, take a look at Europe. Mezzican immigrants now amount to what had been 1/3 of the Mexican population. That is an invasion, and it is without our consent. If we want to consent to that, then fine. However, I can say that there is not a single job I had while growing up which is not occupied by immigrants. What work would I do today as a 13 or 15 year-old eager beaver?
Citizen government was the original idea, not professional careerists looking for an easy unskilled government job for life. Thank God she's not a lefty. Quick as a whip, compelling and highly likable. I do not agree with her on everything, but so what?
She is an effective spokesperson, which is what she is running for.
The gals of UA's Alpha Phi strike back. Yes, they are in college, but they want friends, fun, dates, and a good husband at the end. But do not be fooled: some of them are math majors. I met one from this tribe, every bit as smart as the grouchy, unfeminine, poorly-dressed northern girls but full of charm, optimism, good cheer, and humor.
Is the Fed Necessary?
Fallen firefighters remembered as heroes