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  • Green Police

    Green Police  

    Cheap Trick was my favorite band when I was a kid. It all started with the "I Want You to Want Me" song that I first heard blaring at a gas station in South Carolina while on vacation. Maybe it had to do with all the pretty girls around. Maybe it was Robin Zander's voice. At any rate, they quickly became a favorite, and I stayed with them through the 8-track (I was young, VERY young, diapers, practically), vinyl, cassette, and CD years. For this reason, when the "Green Police" commercial came on during the Super Bowl, I was at first distracted with a blast from my past. As the commercial wore on, however, I awoke.

    It seems the commercial is an attempt at humor from Audi, which can be taken one of two ways.

    Way #1: Audi is as fed up as most of us with the legalistic approach of government-worshippers who want to enforce responsible behavior through the power of the state. In a good stab at such misguided beliefs, Audi basically tried to sell an awesome car to people fed up with getting in trouble with the viciously politically correct. I am okay with this view, though the imagery was still very scary.

    Way #2: Audi agreed with the stance that would require governmentally enforced global eco-wacko-ism and thought it was funny to poke fun at people who don't share the extreme "granola" viewpoint. 

    Perhaps there is a third interpretation, one that would indicate that the advertising gurus over at Audi are geniuses because they managed to inflame a controversial subject to the point where a blogger would waste some of his precious time writing to his 3 loyal readers about a commercial! 

    Obviously, the commercial was so controversial because, like good humor, it rang close to the truth. Many of us share the viewpoint that ecological hysteria is being used to increase statist's power at the expense of individual freedom. Just like wars, if a government can get people freaked out enough (i.e. the world is coming to an end, we will be nuked in five minutes, the earth is going to overheat, the polar ice-caps are melting, global warming, and now, the ever-flexible "climate change"-allowing people to freak out when temperatures trend in either direction) then they can justify taking emergency, draconian measures to enforce their "protection." It used to be that this protection was from enemies in war. Now the protection is against ourselves and neighbors who dare to flush their toilets a bit too often.

    This is tragic. 

    Why?

    Because the loss of individual freedom will kill everything else. The parasite in totalitarian government always ends up killing its host (usually millions at a time). 

    But there is another tragedy, too. It is the tragedy that will certainly befall our environment if the extremists succeed in giving something like the Green Police the power the commercial showed us. What some don't seem to understand is that totalitarian, tyrannical, communistic, socialistic governments have a very consistent track record of being the worst polluters.

    For those of us who truly enjoy nature and care about passing a clean, well-cared-for planet on to our grandchildren, and who also realize that the private sector is more effective at administering nearly anything when compared to pervasive governments, the issue is a hot one (no pun intended). There is no way a statist power of even the most invasive kind can effectively control the behavior of 6 billion people. It is up to individual responsibility and stewardship. This has always been accomplished best through community activism, social norms, private enterprise, proper incentives aligned to reinforce the correct behavior, and the like. None of these are perfect, and we have a long way to go, (if only all the effort toward empowering government toward this end were being used to empower the private sector) but, rest assured, they will far surpass the efforts of any government to make a difference, and, they come with the additional benefit of individual freedom instead of its opposite.

    Government is like a sledge hammer. It is only good at one thing, and the use of a sledgehammer is obvious. However, when you are a sledgehammer, every problem tends to look like a cinder block in need of smashing. A sledgehammer can be used to cut a board in half, but it will do a messy and destructive job of it. (Don't even get me started on how the sledgehammer works on the economy!) The board may eventually be pulverized into two pieces, but not as effectively as it would have had the correct tool been used.

    The question isn't whether or not we should be responsible stewards of planet earth. Of course we should. The question is rather which tool is most appropriate to bring about the most effective results. History is clear that individual initiative and the private sector properly incentivized are consistently far superior to the government sledgehammer. The people who don't believe this don't read history, I guess, or haven't traveled enough to third world countries. Or maybe, just maybe, they simply want the power and prestige governmental decree in service to a worthy political correctness can bring.

    In the words of Cheap Trick in their opening song from the At Budakon album: "Ain't That a Shame."

  • Twitter Highlights

    In our increasingly fast-paced digital world, it seems more and more thought is compressed into short little sound-bites. Lengthy, well-developed tracts are hardly read by a busy public. It is becoming more and more true that, if you want someone to read something, keep it short.

    In that spirit, I guess, Twitter has taken off as a social networking device. I have personally enjoyed its interactivity and 140 character limit. If you would like to follow me on twitter, click here.

    Someone recommended that I list some of my recent Tweets here as a summary. I hope you enjoy them! (And don't worry, I'll keep this list short!)

    Government: the only place someone could get away with saying they're going to spend their way out of their spending problem.

    Politician's prayer: Give me this day someone else's daily bread.

    We are human beings, however, most of us only look like human doings.

    You can tell a lot about a person by what it takes to make him/her mad.

    Excellence is unwrapped by the hands of courage.

    The annual US budget ought to say: "As much as we want." It would save paper, at least.

    Never mistake gentility for character.

    Most people don't really know what they want until they see someone else with it.

    Life has no rewind, but it is being recorded.

    They call it the human race, however, many people aren't even jogging in it.

    Many people appear to be tip-toeing through life trying to get to death safely.

  • A Bloody Mess!

    Giant leechesConventional wisdom has a way of looking barbaric once proven wrong. 

    Take, for example, the bleeding of patients a little over a century ago. Here's how it went. Someone would be sick with either the common cold or colon cancer or anything in between, and the prescription would almost always involve removing quantities of the patient's blood (in which the Bible tells us resides the very life of the person, hence the phrase "life's blood.") The "knowledge" said that "bad humors" had found their way into the blood and needed to be removed before they killed the patient.

    After such a genius approach, when the patient weakened even further, the only appropriate thing to do was what? You got it: drain more blood. And what if the patient didn't revive at that point? Yup! Drain away even more. This would be done either with incisions and/or leeches, believe it or not! Sometimes, amazingly, a patient fortunate enough to receive this kind of "care" would actually recover, heaping thanks and praise upon the knowledgeable physician.

    Which brings me to our government and the economy. 

    Unable to see beyond their barbaric "knowledge" of how an economy works, the physicians at the FED and throughout Washington know darn well what the patient needs. Blind to the debilitating affect of their "care," these all-knowing physicians of prosperity do the exact wrong thing to the patient at the exact wrong time. Bleeding it through borrowing and spending, they await the expected recovery. When the patient seems to get even worse, what do they conclude? Of course! Even more treatment is required! So they bleed it some more with more borrowing and spending! Surely the patient will revive soon!

    Just how much blood has been sucked out of our economy at the hands of these government leeches (I crack myself up) and from the cuts of their stimulus package knives? Consider the budget for this year:

    $3.8 TRILLION!!!!

    I said $3.8 TRILLION!!!  For ONE YEAR'S worth of spending!

    Just a handful of years ago that was the sum-total of all accumulated US debt from its entire existence! Now we spend that kind of money in ONE YEAR!!!

    But don't worry, $2.4 Trillion of that comes in from tax revenue, so they only have to borrow $1.4 Trillion of it!! (really quickly, calculate your share of that debt: just divide $1.4 Trillion by 300 million people. Oh, and, uh, that's just for 1 year. That doesn't include the national debt, and it doesn't include the interest that kind of borrowing is going to require. But, then again, I was never THAT good at math!)

    This has gone beyond bleeding the patient. I mean, come on, we've got bucketfuls of blood all over the doctor's office: blood in the sink, blood on the floor, blood all over the walls. We've bled the economy so drastically with this "treatment" that it's become too gory for even the worst of Hollywood's B movie producers. It is a fact in special effects: too much blood and nobody will believe it. That MUST be where we are as a nation! It's so ridiculous people can't even believe it! It doesn't even look real! It's UNREAL! These geniuses aren't merely bleeding the patient now, they're chopping off limbs!

    Even worse, at least the physicians of old were trying to cure patients of ailments they had nothing to do with causing. In the case of our economy, the very "physicians" who so arrogantly drain more and more blood out of the economy were actually responsible for causing the ailment in the first place!

    Oh, if only our policymakers and quacks in Washington would just DO NOTHING!! Our patient is amazing! It has survived 20+ years at the hands of economic barbarians! Maybe, just maybe, it is made of robust enough stuff to still come back from the brink of death. But this can only happen if we can keep the "doctors" away from the patient.

    So here's my idea: Let's get them out there campaigning, right now, all the time, without ceasing. I know, I know, it will be hard for us to stomach, but it will still be better than letting them anywhere near our patient!

    And with that I've got to stop. 

    My eyes are bloodshot. 

  • Debunking the Myths of the Great Depression

    It was an average sized college classroom with round tables and cheap plastic chairs. People of all kinds filed their way into the crowding room, glancing around, searching for seats. By the time the modest program began, the room was full, with people standing in the doorway. There should have been more. Thousands more. 

    Had the speaker been addressing issues of entitlement, or government handouts, or the easy money policies of socialism and central planning, no doubt, the place would have been mobbed. Instead, this speaker was giving truth: proven economic principles time-tested again and again. Truth may not be so quick to attract throngs, but it burns purer, and eventually, brighter. What happened tonight in a classroom at Florida Gulf Coast University was an indication of the tiny fires being lit by understanding around the country. It was warming, to be sure.

    Lawrence W. Reed, the President of the Foundation for Economic Education, first came to my attention through my friend Terry Woychowski, who gave me a publication authored by Mr. Reed and entitled Great Myths of the Great Depression.  It's clarity and research were sparkling. I was an instant fan. Imagine my surprise when I learned that he would be making a public speaking appearance within an easy drive of my home! That's how I happened to find myself in a cheap plastic chair with other concerned citizens of southwest Florida.

    I was not to be disappointed. Mr. Reed's talk was excellent; filled with clear illustrations and well-researched commentary.  Most importantly, it presented the complicated and oft-misrepresented Great Depression in clear economic terms. My twelve year old, in attendance with me, totally understood it. His notes read like those of a college kid majoring in economics. That's the beauty of a good teacher: the complicated becomes clear. This, in a very unarguable way, is exactly what Mr. Reed accomplished this evening.

    If you have not yet become acquainted with the work of FEE, I encourage you to view their website and download the many free materials available. By all means, get your hands on a copy of Great Myths of the Great Depression, and prepare to throw away the falsehoods of "conventional wisdom" you've likely been taught about one of the most trying times in world economic history. As usual, the official spin is totally wrong.

    By the way, getting informed about economics is not an academic exercise. Proper understanding of economics is germane to the preservation of freedom. We cannot defend what we don't understand.  

  • Caption Contest 2010.2 Winners Announced

    Carcrashforblog  

    You guys continue to outdo yourselves! This contest was even better, even funnier, and more tightly contested than the last! Great job to everyone! Thanks for providing the rest of us with so many good laughs!

    As you may have guessed, choosing a winner was very, very difficult! There were so many great entries that our selection committee decided to honor the top 3.  Dean Clouse wins 3rd place, BJ Jones gets 2nd place, and John Halambeck wins the overall. See their entries below. (John, please comment on here with your address, which will be kept confidential, and we will mail you an autographed copy of Launching a Leadership Revolution). Congratulations!!

    I blame Bush.

    Posted by: dean clouse | January 20, 2010 at 08:16 AM

    Did everyone miss the squirrel?

    Posted by: BJ Jones | January 20, 2010 at 03:13 PM

    Gov't intervention with healthcare. Any questions?

    Posted by: John Halambeck | January 20, 2010 at 06:37 PM

  • Economist Battle

    Click the following link for an entertaining video. The battle between economic theories is both interesting and tragic. Strangely, after the theories of Keynes were totally debunked, they have somehow roared back into the main thanks to President Bush and Obama. This humorous but accurate video explains both sides very clearly. In case you're wondering, Hayak has it right. Enjoy!

    http://www.wimp.com/economistbattle/

  • Habit-Forming Creatures

  • Do Nothing Leaders and Heroes in Obscurity

    Leadership is an odd thing. It is better “caught than taught.” Still, authors like Orrin Woodward and myself still labor to teach it the best we can. Often, in the course of doing so, we call upon illustrations of leaders both historical and contemporary who have demonstrated worthy leadership characteristics. There is a problem with this approach, however, one that goes beyond the obvious disclaimer that all humans are flawed and no one can truly serve as a perfect example of leadership. The bigger problem with this approach is that, often, high-profile and/or famous leaders also exhibit some really poor qualities.


    For instance: Abraham Lincoln may be known for strong war-time leadership, preserving the union, and freeing the slaves, but he also ushered in America’s first dose of federal Income Tax, ran nearly his entire Presidency above the law and in violation of the Constitution, launched a fiat money system, and saddled the young country with a debt 100 times its previous peak.


    Or take Winston Churchill: he is generally known for standing in the gap in “Britain’s finest hour” and staunchly defying Hitler, mobilizing the English language and sending it into battle, but there is also strong evidence that he baited the Germans into sinking passenger ships and thereby pulling the United States into the war.


    Finally, consider George Washington: he is credited with throwing off the shackles of English tyranny and shepherding the young Unites States onto proper footing in its years of infancy; but he also led an army of the government against its very own citizens to put down a tax revolt.


    Do these obvious concerns detract from the strong leadership characteristics for which these leaders have come to be known? Maybe. They do, however, illuminate the challenge with attempting to teach a changeless principle using the illustration of high-profile human examples.


    Where else should one look, then, for effective examples of honorable and effective leadership in motion?


    The answer to this question gets to the root of our book, Launching a Leadership Revolution, in which we claim that effective leadership can be found at all levels of human endeavor, not simply at the top. In fact, it is likely that the most impressive, contributory, productive, purpose-driven examples of true leadership are to be found in relative obscurity.


    Take for instance the so-called “do nothing” presidents of the United States; the Franklin Pierces, the Grover Clevelands, the Gerald Fords. These men didn’t earn the high mantle of fame, the high prominence of academic admiration, nor the widespread remembrance of a thankful people, rather, they receive an obligatory earmark mention, at best, in lists of presidents.  But is it not true that these men, and the many more like them, managed to continue the ship of state chugging along in its course, successfully avoiding expensive and fatal conflict with other nations, allowing its citizens a respite of high-profile heroics and providing instead a period of peace and prosperity, where families were free to live in freedom and go about their business uninhibited by the intrusion of a nationalized government agenda?


    So much for presidents, whom, no matter how unrenowned, could still be argued to be high-profile. But further down into the depths of obscurity are the everyday “common people,” those working and living “in the trenches.”  What of these? Represented in this group are fathers leading a family, mothers nurturing children, workers dependably running the engines of industry, small business owners expanding the economy, and servicemen and women standing at the ready? I would suggest that it is here, far away from the limelight, where true leadership can best be observed.


    For heroes of leadership, many of us need look no further than our own parents or grandparents. Some of us have seen it brilliantly embodied at work or at church, or in some community involvement. True leadership can be found anywhere excellence resides. And it doesn’t take a “national hero” to fit the mantle. It takes an individual of character charged with a deep desire to fulfill his or her potential by “making things better.” Anywhere someone is doing that, they are providing a case study in leadership.


    Do you long for heroes? Do you appreciate good examples ? Then look around. They can be found everywhere in the quiet passage of daily life, in the schools, the shops, the banks, the meeting rooms, the churches, and even sometimes in government offices (believe it or not). 


    But a better place to look is within. Become your own best example. No one may ever know all you did to make things better and contribute your gifts to positive change, but notoriety is no measure of contribution, anyway. A life lived on purpose with an admirable purpose is the real measure, in which you fulfill your God-given calling with all your might.

    And who knows. Maybe someone will notice, send it to this blog, and we’ll make you famous!


    You never know.


    Lead on!

  • Distortion

  • The Statist’s Utopia

    Okay, okay, two bits of information you need to know about this video before you watch it:

    #1. I was "Double Dog Dared" to post it! (Don't say I don't have guts!)

    #2. It is not appropriate (in some small ways) for children.

    Also, this will certainly be controversial.

    However, the ugly truth of the results of well-intentioned but ignorant, pie-in-the-sky government distortions in what used to be a free society must be graphically considered. Freedom leads to prosperity, while regulation leads to poverty. The more we allow government handouts, meddling, programs, control, rules and regulations, special deals, special interests, organized looters, and their ilk to control our nation's policies, the more we can expect of the type of results we see in this video.