Reason, Faith, Politics & Art

A Lesson in Free-Market Economics, Medical-Style

2012-11-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

What happens to prices when you kick both the government and insurance companies out of the medical market? Are doctors and hospitals then free to gouge patients even more deeply than they would otherwise?

The answer might surprise you, but if you know the power of the free market, it shouldn't.

This video should be a lesson in economics that everyone, and I mean everyone, should watch. In the impending implementation of ObamaCare, you can get a sense here of how much more badly any increased government interference in the medical market will mess things up.

(This comes from ReasonTV, with a hat-tip to Breitbart TV.)

An Urgent Conversation with Jay Richards on Economics

2012-11-04T18:21:00.002-07:00

With only days to the election some are in desperate need of a good primer on basic economics, since most schools no longer teach it in the most classical sense, leaving our population to flounder in a pool of bad economic ideas and leadership.

This podcast (the one listed as "Money, Greed and God," in case this link goes whacky) from Frank Turek's "Cross Examined" radio program contains a commercial-free conversation with the Discovery Institute's Jay Richards about capitalism and socialism, what the two systems are, which is better, and why.

You, and everyone you know, needs to listen to this immediately. Send the link to all of your friends, especially fiscal liberals who think "just a little socialism" is what our country needs to set things right.

I'm hoping some lights will begin to illumine some long-dark attics and libraries within the minds of potential voters who need to hear this.

Conservatism Is Calling...

2012-11-02T14:21:00.001-07:00

As the election looms in just 5 days, please remember what the president campaigned for just 4 short years ago, and ponder exactly how many of his promises he kept.

This devastating video makes the conservative case simply, fearlessly. You will find no racism here. No sexism. No discrimination of any kind, except distinguishing between those who choose to be victors, or victims. If you have an open mind you will watch to the end, then make your choice.

When Did Condi Rice and Darla Moore Stop Being Female?

2012-08-21T14:49:00.002-07:00

This week the legendary Augusta National Golf Club decided to open its membership to its first two female members. Let me get this straight, it's not a victory for women unless it's a victory for LIBERAL women? What blatant hypocrisy!

Read David Zirin's bigoted, poorly reasoned (not to mention fact-challenged) polemic in its entirety and see the two-faced liberal mindset in all of it's elitist glory:

Condi Rice's Membership at Augusta National Is Nothing to Celebrate

Finally, A Little Acknowledgment of Our Situation by the Mainstream Press

2012-08-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

With the liberal/progressive phalanxes claiming that Obama really has fixed a mess that he inherited, and that the president didn't really increase the budget deficit to record levels, fearfully compounding our already grave national debt, it's difficult to arrive at what is really going on in our troubled economy over the white noise of propaganda.

Today, however, the mainstream media, through the AP story linked below, finally rises above the static with some cogent, uncolored reporting on the true state of things as we, who are living in it, know to be true. Read on...

"US economic recovery is weakest since World War II"

If This Does Not Disturb You...

2012-07-24T10:53:00.002-07:00

With a tip 'o the hat to Hugh Hewitt, please view this full clip. If you think the "Arab Spring" had a good outcome, just observe the violence and hatred that emerges when these Egyptian guests are told that they are on Israeli television. Sure, it's a "Candid Camera"-style prank, but you wouldn't be able to tell from the guests' reaction. This hatred is real, and is the reason peace remains an insurmountable goal in the Middle East.

I would say, "enjoy," but not this time. This is like watching people playing pranks on Nazi prison guards.

The "You Didn't Build That" Fallout Continues

2012-07-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Charles Krauthammer is arguably journalism's most intelligent commentator.

This incisive couple of lines from his latest Washington Post column is a proof-text:

"We don’t credit the Swiss postal service with the Special Theory of Relativity because it transmitted Einstein’s manuscript to the Annalen der Physik. Everyone drives the roads, goes to school, uses the mails. So did Steve Jobs. Yet only he created the Mac and the iPad."

Please read his whole analysis of the president's latest gaffe:

Did the state make you great?

In Order To Find The Higgs Boson, Physicists Had To Have Faith

2012-07-16T05:27:00.001-07:00

Particle physicist Gerald Myatt says, "We have every reason to believe that it is real. Although we have never actually seen it, we see its effects." Read this exploration by Christian Post guest columnist on what faith it took for scientists to discover what they believed to be there.

Faith Found the 'God Particle'

Cable/Satellite Wars Show True Disconnection From Reality

2012-07-13T13:25:00.001-07:00

I "cut the cable" over three years ago. That said, this Forbes article accurately points out that the current kerfuffle between Viacom and DirecTV & Dish is a symptom of a much deeper illness in the television distribution and production industry.

Read on:

Battle Royale Between DirecTV, Viacom, Dish and AMC Pushes TV Closer to Irrelevancy

What The Higgs Boson Discovery Doesn't Do

2012-07-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

Many talking heads, including physics-popularizers like Dr. Michio Kaku, are claiming that last week's announcement of the discovery of the Higgs Boson will revolutionize particle physics and even "disprove God." Nothing could be further from the truth, as Dr. William Lane Craig explains to the writer of an email question submitted to Dr. Craig through his "Reasonable Faith" web site:

Q&A—Higgs Boson Discovered!

Why Do We Permit This?

2012-07-02T12:06:00.002-07:00

This CBS report echoes what the Taliban did to the Bamiyan Buddha in Afghanistan. When will we learn that radical Islam deserves no protection since they have shown a complete repudiation of civil behavior, or of civilization for that matter.

Now, when was the last time you heard or read of "radical" Jews or Christians defacing and destroying archaeological, cultural or historical artifacts? Does this not seem to be behavior symptomatic of a particular world-view?

Radical Islamists lay waste to Timbuktu heritage

"The Boys of Pointe Du Hoc"

2012-06-07T09:02:00.003-07:00

Since the current Commander-In-Chief chose to pass over the 68th anniversary of the D-Day invasion without a mention, here's a president who knew how to honor "the boys of Pointe du Hoc." Enjoy this tribute to true heroism, spoken by a true statesman:

THIS is About the Cheesiest Election Year Stunt Yet

2012-03-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

OK, so you've got this incumbent president ready run on his stellar record in office, right? If so, why bribe the voters with a chance to have dinner at the White House? Can there possibly be more blatant Oprah-esque manipulation of the electorate? Watch for yourself and try not to gag on the saccharine:

How Often Does THIS Happen?

2012-03-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

This past week something unprecedented happened in the realm of left-leaning journalism. Rather than bury a correction or retraction on Section Z, page 29, the producers of This American Life used an entire hour retracting a January 6 episode featuring an account by Mike Daisey telling of abuse and deplorable conditions in Apple's Chinese Foxconn factory.

I guess we should take retractions and corrections where and when we can get them, since much of the left's narrative is half-truth and spun anyway, but I'm gratified that when the chips were down This American Life had the guts and integrity to take an hour of broadcast/podcast time to set the record straight.

Here is a Bloomberg story about the retraction to the Foxconn story:

Apple, Foxconn Report Retracted by 'This American Life'

The Tiresome "Debate" Between Science and Faith, an Aging Red Herring

2012-03-11T14:21:00.001-07:00

Apologies for having not posted for a while.

This NPR story, an interview with Christian philosopher Dr. Alvin Plantinga, is several weeks old, but recently addressed in a podcast I regularly listen to ("Reasonable Faith"). While the interviewer is somewhat clueless about the issues and terminology, Dr. Plantinga's clear genius rises above it all. Enjoy!

Exploring The Real 'Conflict': Science Vs. Naturalism

Republicans Racist? Check Your History.

2012-02-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

As we are in the midst of Black History Month here in the US, it behooves us to separate what is history and fact from that which is myth and fallacy. From my FaceBook friend, Lori Penner, comes this astonishingly thorough list of US historical landmarks dealing with racial equality, and the efforts to prevent it. See for yourself who the worst offenders are:

History of racism in the United States and the roles the Democrats and Republicans played.

Fact Checking—Hey, We Can Do That, Too!

2012-01-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

President Obama made some pretty bold assertions last night about how companies and individuals are or are not taxed. Americans For Tax Relief took the burden on of setting the President's assertions straight. (Hat tip to "Wintery Knight.")

State of Obama's Tax Assertions—ATR Fact Check

A Year Later: A Look Back at the MSM's Cluelessness on the Tucson Tragedy

2012-01-11T10:13:00.002-07:00

Dr. Jason B. Whitman's post at Big Journalism digs back at what the New York Times had to say immediately after the Tucson shootings, the anniversary of which we just observed. Have a look:

The New York Times: A Convenient Memory Hole Concerning Tucson

A Few Links To Keep You Busy

2012-01-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

I ran into some items of interest today. First is an interesting story out of Maine, where a small community has passed a "Food Sovereignty" ordinance in response to draconian federal and state regulation over local produce:

“Food Sovereignty” law passed in small Maine town to allow sale of locally produced food without interference of regulators

Second, also from Health Impact News Daily, a related story about how big government regulations hurt small independent farmers in a big way:

FDA Shuts Down Family-run Raw Milk Cheese Operation

Here are some details from a blog supporting the Estrella Family farm:

Help the Estrella Family Creamery

And, finally from NewsBusters, an amusing story laying out for all to see the cluelessness of MSNBC talking-head Rachel Maddow:

Rachel Maddow: SDI Can't Work Because Missiles Can't Shoot Missiles Out of the Sky

Enjoy!

The Debt Limit—Brought Down To Our Level

2012-01-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

Here's Brian Stepanek's brilliant short film dramatizing our nation's "little problem." (Remember: if we don't have the income, we have to cut our expenses!)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

May 2012 bring you health, happiness and prosperity.

A Fitting, Respectful Tribute to the Departed Christopher Hitchens

2011-12-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

In his December 17 eulogy in the pages of the New York Times, guest columnist and blogger Ross Douthat states:

"At the very least, Hitchens’s antireligious writings carried a whiff of something absent in many of atheism’s less talented apostles — a hint that he was not so much a disbeliever as a rebel, and that his atheism was mostly apolitical romantic’s attempt to pick a fight with the biggest Tyrant he could find."

Read on: The Believer's Atheist

Rest in peace, Mr. Hitchens. Intellectual discourse is now diminished in your absence. And I speak as a believer who sincerely misses all that you added to the discussion.

What Planet Is Paul Krugman From?

2011-12-31T09:25:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe, after so much negative evidence has piled up, that there is still a serious Keynesian left in the public square. Yet, here is Paul Krugman, insisting that,

"Unfortunately, in late 2010 and early 2011, politicians and policy makers in much of the Western world believed that they knew better, that we should focus on deficits, not jobs, even though our economies had barely begun to recover from the slump that followed the financial crisis. And by acting on that anti-Keynesian belief, they ended up proving Keynes right all over again."

Keynes Was Right

Read for yourself and judge how deeply Mr. Krugman is addicted to the "blue pill."

Holiday Movie Attendance Crashes

2011-12-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

Is it symptomatic of mediocre movie-making, or of bad economic times, or... maybe both? Here's an AP story describing this grave Hollywood crisis.

Movie audiences shrink below post-Sept. 11 level

Merry Christmas, One and All!

2011-12-25T06:21:00.000-07:00