Few things make me want to vomit like political correctness does. Institutional racism, sometimes. Multiculturalism, other times. Globalisation and the delusion that we are all alike, with the same needs, same desires, is a very close second. We are not all alike and you can’t prove that we are. We naturally find affinity with those who…
I’ve just been reading an article from the excellent Quartz site about why seemingly mundane worker types (as opposed to colourful hippie types) flock to Burning Man each summer. This quote required me to re-read it three times before I could move on. Hmmm…. For many people, in day to day life our freedoms are…
I quite like this comparison of the two novels by author and critic Neil Postman: What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive…
It is astonishing to me that New Zealand’s parliament, by a vote of 107-10, today increased the powers of the SIS, or Security Intelligence Service. They used the World Rugby Cup as a catalyst for this. The powers include improved ability to deal with high-tech communications like computers and mobile phones. In short, they have…
Let’s all take a deep breath and take a look at what loyalty cards do. They identify us and our spending habits to companies who want us to spend more money at their stores. They lure us into believing that if we spend more, we will get some sort of freebie or another. A bit…
I ran into this story on Wired today and was encouraged by 21-year-old Aaron Tobey’s sense of resolve. Honestly, I am encouraged by any ordinary person in the U.S. who does not appear to be domesticated by federal and state policy (they are legion). When we’re young and educated, we tend to be dreamers, activists,…
Another silly piece of legislation that our favorite silly Senator has up her sleeve: I want to let you know about the Taxpayer Fairness Act (S.2994), which Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) and I recently introduced in the Senate. Our bill would impose a tax on large bonuses paid by Wall Street banks and other firms…
It’s astonishing to watch Barack Obama’s presidency flame out so loudly and so quickly. With his contemptible health-care reform evaporating like a glass of water in the desert, all eyes are on what he’s done in the last year, and what he plans to do in this critical mid-term election year.
From Barbara to my junk-mail folder: I am pleased to let you know about Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s recent announcement of a new rule to protect airline passengers’ rights. The new rule includes much of the Boxer-Snowe legislation, the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights, which addresses limits on tarmac delays. I first introduced the Airline…
I participate in political discussions at a handful of online communities, dedicated to economics, individual rights, and other libertarian concerns. Although I had hoped to stake in the heart my impulse to write further about gay marriage, it just keeps coming back to bug me. The following is an interesting exchange I had with a…