Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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Most of the time, those of us who write columns address fairly specific issues and have only a little space to call upon general principles. But it is such general principles that guide the thinking behind the comments on special topics. Even the most pragmatic among us, who think principles are a myth, implicitly invoke principles, if only the principle that power is the ultimate arbiter of right versus wrong. In my own reflections and comments, I do invoke certain basic principles of political life and perhaps it will be...
Most of the time, those of us who write columns address fairly specific issues and have only a little space to call upon general principles. But it is such general principles that guide the thinking behind the comments on special topics. Even the most pragmatic among us, who think principles are a myth, implicitly invoke principles, if only the principle that power is the ultimate arbiter of right versus wrong. In my own reflections and comments, I do invoke certain basic principles of political life and perhaps it will be...
Recently a woman identifying herself as calling for the Rasmussen Group asked my views on President Obama’s current and expected performance. I answered pretty much as anyone who knows me would expect. I said, in essence, that his economic policies sucked. I was also asked a bunch of questions unrelated to my views, having to do with my ethnicity, age, income, etc. I reluctantly answered these except for one I lied about. When asked my race I said “other” instead of “white.” That was in my effort to discourage the outfit fr... Full story
When people voice fear of the American government, they are often accused of being irrational or paranoid. But there are good reasons not to dismiss such concerns under current circumstances. When society is considered a collective, those who see themselves as its leaders can quite easily slip into a mode of thinking that construes all opposition a form of betrayal. If, for example, the federal government wants to set goals for us all, resources and hard work are needed. Dissent may threaten the ability to collect those...
When people voice fear of the American government, they are often accused of being irrational or paranoid. But there are good reasons not to dismiss such concerns under current circumstances. When society is considered a collective, those who see themselves as its leaders can quite easily slip into a mode of thinking that construes all opposition a form of betrayal. If, for example, the federal government wants to set goals for us all, resources and hard work are needed. Dissent may threaten the ability to collect those...
Now and then one hears or reads reference to “the American Dream,” as if there were just one such thing. What is uniquely American is just that Americans are supposed to be free to dream their own dreams, pursue their own happiness as they understand it. Very loosely, the American dream refers to a certain measure of prosperity, including home and vehicle ownership, along with what makes this possible — a decent line of work. These are broadly enough definable so they do not amount to a one-size-fits-all idea for one... Full story
Now and then one hears or reads reference to “the American Dream,” as if there were just one such thing. What is uniquely American is just that Americans are supposed to be free to dream their own dreams, pursue their own happiness as they understand it. Very loosely, the American dream refers to a certain measure of prosperity, including home and vehicle ownership, along with what makes this possible — a decent line of work. These are broadly enough definable so they do not amount to a one-size-fits-all idea for one...
Freedom New Mexico The ongoing debate over the White House health-care plan has revealed the ugly dark side of this administration. We now see that behind President Barack Obama’s soothing words and talk about ameliorating differences is a man and his allies who disdain their opponents and have little tolerance for freewheeling public debate. We’re shocked by the White House’s call for Americans to forward to the authorities any Web-based information about the health care plan they deem to be “fishy” (check out the White Hou... Full story
Freedom New Mexico The ongoing debate over the White House health-care plan has revealed the ugly dark side of this administration. We now see that behind President Barack Obama’s soothing words and talk about ameliorating differences is a man and his allies who disdain their opponents and have little tolerance for freewheeling public debate. We’re shocked by the White House’s call for Americans to forward to the authorities any Web-based information about the health care plan they deem to be “fishy” (check out the White Hou... Full story
Although I am no historian, I do have an interest in what happened and why, especially involving big economic events of the past. One such event is The Great Depression. I just attended a superb weeklong conference at Cato University, where not only did I present a couple of lectures in the field of political philosophy but listened to quite a few others mainly about history. Usually I am surrounded by writings and broadcasts that fawn over President Obama’s policies and the philosophical and economic ideas surrounding t...
Although I am no historian, I do have an interest in what happened and why, especially involving big economic events of the past. One such event is The Great Depression. I just attended a superb weeklong conference at Cato University, where not only did I present a couple of lectures in the field of political philosophy but listened to quite a few others mainly about history. Usually I am surrounded by writings and broadcasts that fawn over President Obama’s policies and the philosophical and economic ideas surrounding t...
The idea that sound revolutions rest on the past may appear to be an oxymoron, but it isn’t. The seeds of a sound revolution do not come out of a vacuum. Although the American Founders did upend the previous practice of entrusting countries into the hands of monarchs, czars and other potential despots, the roots of the individualism with which they achieved this were already in place. It all came out of the idea of personal responsibility, something the ancient Greek philosophers, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle embraced and ch...
The idea that sound revolutions rest on the past may appear to be an oxymoron, but it isn’t. The seeds of a sound revolution do not come out of a vacuum. Although the American Founders did upend the previous practice of entrusting countries into the hands of monarchs, czars and other potential despots, the roots of the individualism with which they achieved this were already in place. It all came out of the idea of personal responsibility, something the ancient Greek philosophers, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle embraced and ch...
By now few who pay attention can have missed President Obama’s enthusiastic embrace of pragmatism, especially when it comes to the administration’s economic policies. Nor is it a secret that nothing much the president is proposing seems to be working. But if one understands pragmatism at its most essential level, this all is quite easy to grasp. Not only does pragmatism include the denial of any basic principles in politics, ethics, and public policy, it goes much further. Although it was the late Professor Richard Ror...
By now few who pay attention can have missed President Obama’s enthusiastic embrace of pragmatism, especially when it comes to the administration’s economic policies. Nor is it a secret that nothing much the president is proposing seems to be working. But if one understands pragmatism at its most essential level, this all is quite easy to grasp. Not only does pragmatism include the denial of any basic principles in politics, ethics, and public policy, it goes much further. Although it was the late Professor Richard Ror...
Roger Federer, the most successful tennis player in the recorded history of the game and winner of his 15th Grand Slam championship on July 5 at Wimbledon, is — contrary to suspicions voiced by Roger Cohen of The New York Times, in a column titled “Roger Federer Unbuttoned” — a human being. Cohen’s column is mildly funny but also a bit disturbing for its hint at what seems like a serious endorsement of misanthrope. Cohen argues that Federer is such a good tennis player that, well, he couldn’t be human and must be...
I don’t know what President Obama means when he says “We must all expect to sacrifice during these times.” But never mind the details. Does he want to enact laws that force us to sacrifice? Is that his job? What exactly does the president consider a sacrifice? Does reducing our standard of living amount to a sacrifice? Even if it brings one peace of mind or eventual greater prosperity? Or does a sacrifice mean suffering net losses with no gains at all? So we must expect to get worse and worse off from now on? Why? Even if in...
I don’t know what President Obama means when he says “We must all expect to sacrifice during these times.” But never mind the details. Does he want to enact laws that force us to sacrifice? Is that his job? What exactly does the president consider a sacrifice? Does reducing our standard of living amount to a sacrifice? Even if it brings one peace of mind or eventual greater prosperity? Or does a sacrifice mean suffering net losses with no gains at all? So we must expect to get worse and worse off from now on? Why? Even if in... Full story
America or Germany or any other country is often praised for superior achievements while individual Americans or Germans need to show humility lest they be deemed braggarts. Even in sports such as tennis, where there’s a dominance of individual performance, taking credit for doing well is rare. Either bona fide or feigned humility appear to be what’s acceptable and practiced, albeit sometimes with a wink. But why? What’s wrong with laying claim to one’s achievements provided one is honest about them? Yes, one can get ridiculo...
America or Germany or any other country is often praised for superior achievements while individual Americans or Germans need to show humility lest they be deemed braggarts. Even in sports such as tennis, where there’s a dominance of individual performance, taking credit for doing well is rare. Either bona fide or feigned humility appear to be what’s acceptable and practiced, albeit sometimes with a wink. But why? What’s wrong with laying claim to one’s achievements provided one is honest about them? Yes, one can get ridiculo...
The morning of this writing, I woke to a lengthy report by NASA showing alleged imminent disaster from climate changes. The report states unequivocally that some huge percentage of the change is human induced, although nothing shown demonstrates or supports this claim. The time line of many of the videos showing erosion and melting of snow is not clear and there are no comparisons to earlier changes in the Earth’s climate, no indication of whether other periods of the Earth’s history have had changes similar in size or fre...
When we talk about someone being “over-prepared,” we think of a person who is very thorough and able to handle all possible contingencies. It is a good habit to have especially if you are someone who regularly messes up and therefore must be ready to respond when you over-mess up. A case in point: My friend Robin qualifies as this particular trip illustrates. He left the Coachella Valley headed west on California Highway 91 in his newly acquired 20-year-old pickup. It was pulling a slightly older 16-foot C&W stocktrailer mis...
In matters of ethics, one is best equipped to understand when one is close up. Politics is different, as is law, although one reason for having courts is to hash out cases with all the details on view. Otherwise misjudgment lurks nearby. A recent incident brings to light how business ethics bears on our day-to-day affairs and how it is really impossible to handle these the way so many people would like to, namely via government regulation. Someone near me found a TV repairer on the Internet and made an appointment, after... Full story
In matters of ethics, one is best equipped to understand when one is close up. Politics is different, as is law, although one reason for having courts is to hash out cases with all the details on view. Otherwise misjudgment lurks nearby. A recent incident brings to light how business ethics bears on our day-to-day affairs and how it is really impossible to handle these the way so many people would like to, namely via government regulation. Someone near me found a TV repairer on the Internet and made an appointment, after... Full story
