Check-in Is it really necessary for an airline to charge an extra $50 for a bag that’s 2 pounds too heavy? The per bag charges drive me nuts too, but probably not for the reason you’d think: Everybody tries to avoid the per bag charges, so you see people get on the plane with carry-on [...]
“The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance.” – Thomas Jefferson
Saying that “Freedom isn’t Free” is a cliché statement that is made by everyone from Flag-Waving Politicians who support the use of war in some faraway land in the name of defending Democracy, to Flag-Waving Politicians who support the use of ramming through bad legislation to support an ill-conceived Health Care Legislation, or Stimulus Program, or “Cap and Trade” Legislation, or pork-filled Omnibus Spending Plan. They argue that the price must be paid to stop some foreign threat or some domestic crisis. Those who are promised some benefit by these actions support them, regardless of the impact that it might have on the Nation or the World, because they claim that whatever the cost may be, it is simply the “Price of Freedom.”
But that action defies the answer that Thomas Jefferson has already given us.
Are we, as a Nation, really on the verge of giving up on the chances of winning in Afghanistan? Is the idea of not increasing troop levels, or worse, pulling out and leaving an unprepared Afghan government to fend for themselves really an option? A Brief Bit of Afghan History On December 24, 1979, the [...]
As this Veteran’s Day comes to a close, I’d like to once again thank all of our veterans, Past, Present, and Future for their sacrifices to make our world a better place. Without you, and the support of your families, this country, indeed, this world, would be a very different place.
Typically, in nations that have a “plurality” based voting system (also called “winner take all” or “first past the post” voting), the likelihood is that there will become two strong political parties, and all other parties will be incidental. Proportional voting systems (such as those used in much of Europe) tend to result in situations where multiple parties control portions of the distribution of power.
We’ve had a long line of Political Parties in our Nation’s history. According to Wikipedia, we’ve had 62 parties that no longer exist, not to mention the 53 national parties that are currently active. The list of extinct parties include such gems as the National Women’s Party (1913-1930), which was active prior to women even having the right to vote, the Farmer Labor Party (1918 – 1944), which represented farmers dislocated as a result of World War 1, and the American Vegetarian Party (1948 – 1964), which, apparently, pursued a national Vegetarian agenda. But what do these examples have that our Republican and Democrat Parties do not currently exhibit? Simple Answer: Truth In Advertising.
I’m thoroughly disgusted that the House of Representatives passed this Health Care bill. The issues related to this bill have been discussed here on multiple occasions (and will be discussed more in the future, I’m sure). But right now, I’m not really going to talk about the content of the bill. I’m more interested in [...]
Odds are that you’ve heard the parable of the Scorpion and the Frog, an ancient Chinese Proverb that tells the tale of a Scorpion that asks a Frog to allow it to ride on the back of the Frog across the river. Halfway across, the Scorpion stings the Frog, and, as it is dying, the Frog says, “Why did you Sting me? Now we’ll both die?” and the Scorpion replies, “It’s my Nature.” The lesson you are expected to learn from this Proverb is two fold: 1) Everyone does what is in their nature to do; and, 2) No Good Deed Goes Unpunished! (OK, lesson #2 is just my perspective on it, so we’ll move on.)
