Quote of the Day
Think for yourselvesand let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.
Voltaire
From the Conservative Side of My Politics
A recent news report noted that our national fertility rate has reached record lows and in an unbroken string since 2008, 40-odd percent of babies had unwed mothers. (As a pro-lifer, I appreciate choices for life made by single women whom find themselves blessed with preborn children. I just find it troubling that the institution of marriage has radically eroded during my life time. At the time I started my MBA part-time, the percentage of unmarried mothers was half the current rate.)
A couple of personal notes: most of the relatives in my family tree are happily married--lifelong marriages. But I recently learned a second nephew has separated from or divorced his wife. (I don't know the stories, except I believe that my nieces-in-law wanted to date other men.) In a different case, I was taking over from a predecessor on a DBA assignment. We had a phone interview, but it never got personal. He transitioned out before I started. My supervisor suggested that I look for anything of professional interest (notes, tips, etc.) in his home directory. Just to provide context, there is a major sport among DBA's and Unix administrators over naming computer servers. So I don't bat an eye over a document named, say, 'Orpheus'. So I opened this document expecting to find a discussion about standard procedures in configuring or maintaining a computer server, but what I found a heartrending letter from what I infer is a single father to his daughter. (I don't know if he is a widower or divorced.) I'm inferring that he had come to a decision that it was in the best interests of his daughter to leave her with his parents. From the context of the letter, I would think she's in grade school (e.g., talking about things like sticking her artwork on the refrigerator or in his den), but he later gives her dating advice, no drinking and driving, etc. He wanted her to know she's an amazing girl, for her to call him at any time for any reason, and he reserved the right to bring her back home if things don't work out. I found it to be a compelling, loving father-daughter moment. I think any guy would love to have a son, but my heart melts over baby girls; I think that my family knows it because I have 3 goddaughters but no godsons, even though I have more nephews than nieces. (We were tied 3-3 when Mom announced #7 was on the way; my sisters all wanted a baby sister, my brothers wanted another brother--and I wanted a baby sister. And the youngest was a girl. I don't think my brothers ever forgave my outrageous gender betrayal.)
The Statist Execution of Kelly Thomas
Facebook Corner
(John Stossel). 'Repeal Day'...the best idea to come out of Australia since Crocodile Dundee. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/repeal-day-to-target-government-red-tape/story-fn59niix-1226800230408
We need 'Repeal decade'...
(Catholic Libertarians). As Catholics and as libertarians, we welcome trolls here, because as St. Josemaria Escriva said, "The Christian should love other people and therefore respect opinions contrary to his own, and live in harmony and full brotherhood with people who do not think as he does."
I want to take a moment to thank our current resident troll Conor McLeod for taking time out of his day to spend with us, as he could be spending it elsewhere amongst less positive influences. Please join me in praying for Conor as we all welcome him with nothing but love, tolerance and respect. Take a moment to ask St. Augustine and St. Paul to pray for him as well, that he may follow their footsteps and eventually come to know the Creator of his life, liberty and free will, and return to His voluntary covenantal family, the Catholic Church. We love you, man. ~Mark
Please don't waste your prayers on me; rather, please pray for those who need it - the starving, the homeless, Obama, Bush, the military, the pope and bishops who molest innocent children, aborted fetuses, tax collectors, bankers, Christians who are hypocrites, liars, thieves, murderers, rapists, et al. I do appreciate the time you spent typing about me, though. And I am flattered that I was recognized by you guys administering the page - you who are free of sin, you pure souls who have never done anything wrong ever. I hope to one day have a soul as pure and as open as yours, for you are great and wonderful. Please let me learn to be respectful and tolerant as the Catholics on this page who never wrong, who attend mass every Sunday, who give 20% of your pay to the Church, who wed virgin women, who accept other religions as Jesus advised, for being tolerant and accepting.
We Catholic Christians welcome fellow sinners. We hope someday you'll join the rest of us judgmental hypocrites--and the world will live as one....
Quite frankly, you're a pathetic amateur. Anti-Catholicism is part of American history, and we've heard a lot worse than your nonsense. You aren't even that original. Do you expect us to retreat from your pedestrian insults like a vampire from a cross? You are simply manipulated by yellow journalists and gullible for every crackpot theory out there.
(Illinois Policy Institute). About 2.1 million Americans “enrolled” in the ObamaCare exchanges through Dec. 28. That number is far below the Obama administration’s impending goal of enrolling 3 million people by the end of December and 7 million by the end of March.
In Illinois, only 61,000 people had enrolled in ObamaCare exchanges through year’s end. Federal officials had hoped to enroll more than 100,000.
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| Via Illinois Policy Institute |
This guy is a progressive troll whom hasn't got a clue how far government meddling has exacerbated sector cost pressures, engages in economically illiterate price-fixing schemes, and has retarded true innovation in health products and services. The Democrats, with their economically perverse policies of community rating and guaranteed issue and other policies turning the concept of insurance into grossly expensive prepaid service bundles, are building on decades of failed Medicaid and Medicare programs. Government empire building always ends in failure because it's intrinsically unsustainable.
(LFC). I am a fan with a question. Let us say we were to live in anarchy and all products and services that the government "provides" would be made available on the free market. What would stop larger business powers, such as corporations, from forming oligopolies and agreeing to enslave us with high, unfair prices. For example, some road companies set toll equally high or electric/gas companies have monopolies over certain areas.
A few free-market economists like DiLorenzo have debunked classic examples of so-called natural monopolies. Mises provides a compelling case for the impossibility of central planning without true market competition. Roads, for example, charging too high tolls would have a difficult time attracting customers and maximizing profits and would invite competition. The nature of the competition would be driven by context and technology, but consider how Internet services do not require a patch cord or other wired connection; there could be multiple modes of access to a residence.
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of Jerry Holbert and Townhall |
Heart, "Alone". As a pro-lifer, I'm not happy about their politics, but I do like some of their hit material. This track is brilliant pop; I loved it the first time I heard it: the lyrics, the arrangement, the vocals. On my personal top 20. I think every season of American Idol one or more contestants sing the song. Unfortunately, when I sing the song, others leave me "alone".
