Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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One of my colleagues at Chapman University told me how much he favors the following sentiment expressed by former President Franklin D. Roosevelt: “I am not for a return to that definition of liberty under which for many years a free people were gradually regimented into the service of the privileged few.” What kind of liberty was FDR talking about? Presumably the kind of liberty that would prohibit anyone from interfering with the actions of others unless those others endeavored to coerce their fellows, unless they vio...
One of my colleagues at Chapman University told me how much he favors the following sentiment expressed by former President Franklin D. Roosevelt: “I am not for a return to that definition of liberty under which for many years a free people were gradually regimented into the service of the privileged few.” What kind of liberty was FDR talking about? Presumably the kind of liberty that would prohibit anyone from interfering with the actions of others unless those others endeavored to coerce their fellows, unless they vio... Full story
I recently decided to check out “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart, given that it is a popular left-of-center offering totally devoted to Barack Obama and virulently contemptuous of the American Right. Sure enough one segment featured a stream of clips and stills of various Right wing luminaries, including Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller. At the clip with O’Reilly, Stewart stopped and embarked on a fairly lengthy lecture about values. This is because O’Reilly was depicted saying that yes, now and t... Full story
I recently decided to check out “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart, given that it is a popular left-of-center offering totally devoted to Barack Obama and virulently contemptuous of the American Right. Sure enough one segment featured a stream of clips and stills of various Right wing luminaries, including Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller. At the clip with O’Reilly, Stewart stopped and embarked on a fairly lengthy lecture about values. This is because O’Reilly was depicted saying that yes, now and t...
In his inaugural address, our new president averred that “Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.” I take some exception to Barack Obama’s implicit assertion that what matters in a good society is there be some kind of large scale ambit...
The Oakland Worldwide apartments in California do not ban smoking around the pool frequented by renters. John Birke thinks the smoke his child is inhaling there is hurting her. But instead of taking the trouble of moving to a place where no smoking is permitted by the pool, of which there are plenty, he has decided to sue the owner. At first a lower court tossed the lawsuit but then an appeals court gave it a go ahead. No word yet how it will fare. But assuming the rule was in place when Birke moved in, just to get a chance a... Full story
The Oakland Worldwide apartments in California do not ban smoking around the pool frequented by renters. John Birke thinks the smoke his child is inhaling there is hurting her. But instead of taking the trouble of moving to a place where no smoking is permitted by the pool, of which there are plenty, he has decided to sue the owner. At first a lower court tossed the lawsuit but then an appeals court gave it a go ahead. No word yet how it will fare. But assuming the rule was in place when Birke moved in, just to get a chance a...
Mostly I write on topics I suspect concern a wide enough audience. Columnists don’t just write on anything that pops into their minds but need to do a bit of service to reader-clients. But I think it’s OK, now and then, to indulge myself with a topic or two that’s more personal. In that spirit, I am going to take the risky step of laying out some of my pet peeves as we look back on 2008 and ahead to 2009. These are not the most serious complaints I have about culture, politics, religion and other human institutions. Instead,...
When you’re bombarded with information about events on which the history is ancient and so complex hardly anyone commenting makes sense of them, it is tough to judge. That’s how it is with me and the current upheaval between Israel and Hamas. The news reports at the beginning said Israel took military action after hundreds of missiles were being launched at it from Gaza. So to rid the Gaza Strip of the missile launchers, Israel began to target various areas from which the missiles were being launched, presumably centers whe...
As I listened to reports from India with reactions of people to last month’s terrorist attacks, I noticed that nearly every civilian interviewed — other than government officials — raised the issue of why the Indian government didn’t prevent the attacks. The concerns resonate with me because wherever I have encountered government failures, they tend to be about security, meaning freedom from violent crime and foreign aggression. And that makes sense to me. As I understand the proper role of government in a soc...
Some lessons are learned at great expense. For decades, editorialists, pundits and other commentators have implored us to stop the Christmas commercialism. They said people focus on purchasing goodies instead of the spirituality of Christmas. The relentless blather went on, year after year, even in the midst of reports on how good or bad were holiday retail sales. This hypocrisy could be hidden from the consciousness of a great many people for a good while, but now it is no longer possible to disguise it. Fact is, what is...
Some lessons are learned at great expense. For decades, editorialists, pundits and other commentators have implored us to stop the Christmas commercialism. They said people focus on purchasing goodies instead of the spirituality of Christmas. The relentless blather went on, year after year, even in the midst of reports on how good or bad were holiday retail sales. This hypocrisy could be hidden from the consciousness of a great many people for a good while, but now it is no longer possible to disguise it. Fact is, what is...
A recent New York Times carried an item that is of some political-philosophical interest on the nature of a free society’s system of laws. In particular, it related to the discussion of whether public policy ought to be addressed pragmatically — that is, issue by issue, with no regard for general principles — or based on some system of ideas. In “The Week in News,” there was a report on something one Elizabeth Kolbert wrote on The New Yorker Web site concerning how Barack Obama’s choice for a new energy secreta... Full story
If President-elect Barack Obama is serious about admiring President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for how the latter dealt with America’s Great Depression, then America and the world may be in for some very ugly times. By the most reliable historical accounts, FDR did not overcome the economic crisis of his day by his Keynesian political economic policies — government spending and extensive government-funded public works. Instead, it was World War II that brought the economy back in shape. In her book, “The Forgotten Man...
If President-elect Barack Obama is serious about admiring President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for how the latter dealt with America’s Great Depression, then America and the world may be in for some very ugly times. By the most reliable historical accounts, FDR did not overcome the economic crisis of his day by his Keynesian political economic policies — government spending and extensive government-funded public works. Instead, it was World War II that brought the economy back in shape. In her book, “The Forgotten Man...
I read a lot of stuff, including editorials and commentaries in scientific journals. Each time there’s a new administration, many of these publications rev up their lobbying for support from the government for favorite projects. So now, Nobel Laureate Steven Chu, director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is going on record in the pages of Science News seeking “investment tax credits so that companies have an incentive to invest in long-term energy research.” One might have hoped these incentives would be suppl... Full story
I read a lot of stuff, including editorials and commentaries in scientific journals. Each time there’s a new administration, many of these publications rev up their lobbying for support from the government for favorite projects. So now, Nobel Laureate Steven Chu, director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is going on record in the pages of Science News seeking “investment tax credits so that companies have an incentive to invest in long-term energy research.” One might have hoped these incentives would be suppl... Full story
It was as if President George Bush became Santa Claus. An MSNBC anchor announced the president signed into law a bill that extends unemployment compensation payments to jobless Americans and said, without flinching, this is “good news.” Only mainstream nonpartisan media can carry this off. For starters, extending the period of time the unemployed will receive money from Uncle Sam is not such good news, even for the unemployed. It doesn’t encourage them to find a new line of work from which they could then make an hones...
It was as if President George Bush became Santa Claus. An MSNBC anchor announced the president signed into law a bill that extends unemployment compensation payments to jobless Americans and said, without flinching, this is “good news.” Only mainstream nonpartisan media can carry this off. For starters, extending the period of time the unemployed will receive money from Uncle Sam is not such good news, even for the unemployed. It doesn’t encourage them to find a new line of work from which they could then make an hones... Full story
Lenin — or was it Marx or Stalin? — is said to have observed that “The Capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them.” This means people who are in business aren’t political philosophers but have an obligation to make their firms prosper. Thus they tend to overlook possibly dire consequences of their...
Lenin — or was it Marx or Stalin? — is said to have observed that “The Capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them.” This means people who are in business aren’t political philosophers but have an obligation to make their firms prosper. Thus they tend to overlook possibly dire consequences of their... Full story
I wrote a column for the Chicago Tribune in 1992 that is even more pertinent now, with the recent publication of George Mason University economist professor Bryan Caplan’s book, “The Myth of the Rational Voter.” Here is the gist of my column, only slightly edited: From various celebrities to the radio announcer at the station to which I listen, everyone urged me to vote this coming November. But, in fact, it isn’t always such a good idea to vote. I did, actually, fill out my absentee ballot but decided not to vote in a bunch...
Freedom New Mexico The Republicans want to give tax credits to individuals and families who choose to purchase health-care coverage. The Democrats want to force most business owners to provide health-care coverage to their employees. So yes, there is a clear difference between the Democrats and the Republicans on this issue, just as there are clear differences on Iraq, the economy, and just about any other issue that weighs on American minds this election season. However, we contend that voters have more than the two...
Freedom New Mexico The Republicans want to give tax credits to individuals and families who choose to purchase health-care coverage. The Democrats want to force most business owners to provide health-care coverage to their employees. So yes, there is a clear difference between the Democrats and the Republicans on this issue, just as there are clear differences on Iraq, the economy, and just about any other issue that weighs on American minds this election season. However, we contend that voters have more than the two...
