I jumped into libertarian philosophy as soon as I discovered it. Finally, I felt like I found a home for my political, economic, and philosophical beliefs. Too bad I was so late to the game. I wish I'd discovered it a lot sooner. But it didn't take long though to discover that there are many factions that fall under the libertarian philosophy. And it's not just about the minarchist and anarcho-capitalist variety either. There's are whole new factions emerging, and the debate among them is … [Read more...] about The Libertarian Snob Factor
Good Reasons to Lie
I'm occasionally confronted with the conflict of when it is okay to lie. Some suggest it is never okay. In general, I don't believe it's okay, but there are, on rare occasions when I think it's acceptable. Here are some rare, but somewhat realistic examples that meet that criteria for me:You've just lost a loved one to an accident. You have to call siblings, children, or parents to tell them. Some children are more capable of dealing with such things than others in the immediate shock. … [Read more...] about Good Reasons to Lie
Vows
I went to a wedding last weekend. I'm a stereotypical man. I don't like weddings and I only go to make my wife happy. This time something happened that made me reflect on my own marriage. Instead of zoning out during the ceremony, I actually listened. When they got to the vows, which included the standard "in sickness and in health," it reminded me of the depth of those vows. I'll share why by relaying a personal anecdote.About six or seven years ago, I decided to undergo a rather … [Read more...] about Vows
The Suitcase
The following is a thought experiment wrapped in a story. While the idea seems unlikely, if it were to happen, most of us would not find it unbelievable. Nevertheless, you have to admit you'd like to know what would happen if someone actually did this. Despite the title, this is a story about economics. Not just local economics, but an the entire body of macro-economics as it exists in our country today. But please don't let that boring subject scare you away. I promise there are no charts, … [Read more...] about The Suitcase
The Health Insurance Paradox
or Why the Economics of Healthcare is Failing Healthcare insurance has evolved into an unsustainable enterprise. The why is different than the how, but it's important to understand both. It is however a paradoxical result that what has essentially become a Ponzi scheme has yielded some of the most amazing innovations the world has ever seen. But only those like me who believe in free market enterprise would see this as a paradox. Statists, socialists, and progressives (forgive the redundancy … [Read more...] about The Health Insurance Paradox