“Our free market system is usually termed capitalism and by that definition capitalism has hardly been around long enough to deserve all the evil for which it is being held responsible. … Actually, all systems are capitalistic. It is just a matter of who owns and controls the capital—ancient king, dictator, or private individual. We…
Posts
Another Way Home
I’ve been reading John Horne’s excellent online novel, “Another Way Home,” and highly recommend it.
Stubborn Facts and Stubborn People
Ronald Reagan once said, “Facts are stubborn things.” And he is right. Sometimes, the truth becomes almost impossible to ignore. I think we are seeing that now in the national debates over climate change and health care. Yet, even more stubborn than facts are people. It is a person’s worldview, more than the facts that…
Calvin, the Bible, and the Western World
Some good thoughts by Doug Wilson on Calvin and Scripture during the celebration of Calvin’s 500th birthday:
Our Expensive Energy Future
This is a glimpse of the future under the energy efficiency regime being pushed in Texas and across the U.S. The picture shows a new home in the SOL neighborhood, three miles east of downtown Austin. It is being built on the premise that energy efficiency is the cheapest option for “new” energy. A new…
At Least One Nobel Prize Make Sense
The recent awarding of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences shows that at least one of the Nobel prizes is based on common sense. The prize was awarded to Elinor Ostrom at Indiana University and Oliver E. Williamson at the University of California, Berkeley for their work on the “tragedy of the commons.” As John…
Quote of the Day
“Why squander your presidency on trying to turn an economically moribund feudal backwater into a functioning nation state when you can turn a functioning nation state into an economically moribund feudal backwater?” – Mark Steyn, commenting on President Obama’s apparent retreat in Afghanistan so he can spend his political capital in the U.S on domestic…
Facts–and People–Are Stubborn
Ronald Reagan once said, “Facts are stubborn things.” And he is right. Sometimes, the truth becomes almost impossible to ignore. I think we are seeing that now in the national debates over climate change and health care. Yet, even more stubborn than facts are people. I tell the interns at my office when I meet…
Plano Lowers the Cost of Living
It is not often that governments voluntarily reduces fees or taxes. So when one does, it is worth taking a closer look. Last month, Plano voted to eliminate impact fees on developers building new homes and businesses. The fees were charged based on the size of the water meter for the project, and typically ran…
Quote of the Day
So long as men accepted the basic affirmations of religion — that there is a God of all people with whom each individual has a personal relationship — our liberties were basically secure. Whenever there was a breach in them, we possessed a principle by which we could discover and repair the breach. But when…