Burt Walker

My Universe

A Call for Free Market Solutions to Our Addiction Problem

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In April, 2016 my then 23 year old daughter told me she was an addict and asked for my help. This began a journey of heartache, frustration, fear, and anger. My desperate search for information yielded a vast array of quackery, fraud, greed, and sometimes well-meaning individuals spewing opinions based on little evidence. After careful consideration and copious research, I completely reversed my opinion about how to deal with our problems with drug abuse. Below is part rant, part pleading, but … [Read more...] about A Call for Free Market Solutions to Our Addiction Problem

Using Brand Names in Fiction

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I went down a rabbit hole and now I'm climbing out.One of my editors recently warned be against using brand names in my current manuscript, including the names of social media brands. Kudos to her for doing so. That's part of her job, but it got me to thinking. If I can't safely use the name of Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube without fear of some kind of action being taken against me, why is it that this is only a fear in the realm of fiction. I realize the likelihood of this happening to me … [Read more...] about Using Brand Names in Fiction

Bad Manners, Bad Trends, Bad Public Policy

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   Why is a post about manners in my public policy category? Read on a little and I think you'll agree it's appropriate.  The definition in the graphic above is from the Cambridge online dictionary,  A search online reveals many other definitions, but let's face it, we all know what the meaning is, right?  At least from my generation it was fairly clear. Much of the concept had to be taught, because as toddlers struggling with learning to communicate, our instincts … [Read more...] about Bad Manners, Bad Trends, Bad Public Policy

The Health Insurance Paradox

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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

There’s Nothing Wrong With a War on Drugs – We’re Just Doing it Wrong

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I am a proponent of legalizing all drugs. Not just marijuana, but everything including heroin, cocaine, meth, etc.  Those of you who know me, know that addiction has become a sad part of my family's life with a daughter who is addicted to opiates and opioids.  You might ask, how could I possibly be a proponent for legalizing something that has been the root of so much pain in the lives of my family?  The answer is,  drugs are not the root of the problem.  They are merely a symptom of a much … [Read more...] about There’s Nothing Wrong With a War on Drugs – We’re Just Doing it Wrong