Required Reading

11/28/05 Washington Post Sebastian Mallaby, who is on the WP editorial board, writes a fantastic piece on Wal-Mart. I wonder if they will let him stay on after this... :) (For more see 'Wal-Mart, Aiding America's Poor')

Posted 2/26/06

Should Wal-Mart Reduce Wages (Required Reading)

2/23/06 Alan Reynolds nails another one.

Posted 10/23/05
Political Virus / Why there's only one drug to fight avian flu.
10/22/05 Wall Street Journal Editorial

Similarly:

GSK Aims to stop Aids Profiteers

2/21/05 BBC

Posted 12/7/05

Jobs bank programs - 12,000 Paid Not To Work Big 3 and suppliers pay billions to keep downsized UAW members on payroll in decades-long deal. (Similar to this article, describing how the city of New York pays 400 incompetent, racist, dangerous, public school teachers $20 million a year not to work)

Posted 10/21/05

The strange business of protesting jobs that may be better than yours

9/14/05 Las Vegas Weekly

They're not union members; they're temp workers employed through Allied Forces/Labor Express by the union—United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). They're making $6 an hour, with no benefits; it's 104 F, and they're protesting the working conditions inside the new Wal-Mart grocery store.

The Union criticize Wal-Mart for not paying high wages and then the same Union hires people at $6 an hour with no benefits?

Posted 7/30/05

Ten Most Harmful Government Programs

76/29/05 Human Events Excellent! I highly recommend you check this out. Every single one of these hurtful programs should be abolished.

Top Ten Reasons to Privatize Public Broadcasting

7/26/05 Cato Institute My favorite is #5

"For God's Sake please stop the Aid" REQUIRED READING

7/4/05 Der Spiegel African economist James Shikwati (who claims to have been tossed out of 'public university' for being a 'capitalist') nails it perfectly. He mentions everything I've mentioned on this site and more. Short and sweet and to the point. Der Spiegel is shocked. I almost posted this entire article verbatim. An African Libertarian! We need more.

Dairy Gets Squeeze by the Feds

6/1/05 The Seattle Times. In its 85 years of existence, Smith Brothers Dairy in Kent has survived all manner of misfortune and mistakes. There was the Depression, when milk sales plummeted. There were cow-killing floods. There were modern times, when it appeared the old-fashioned idea of fresh milk delivered to the doorstep had died. "None of that compares to this," says Alexis Smith Koester, 60, dairy president and granddaughter of the founder, Ben Smith. "This is the biggest threat we've ever faced." She's talking about the federal government. Again, in the name of 'helping small farmers', government does the opposite. Power corrupts. We've seen this pattern play out countless times. And another one.

How Racial PC corrupted the LAPD

June 2005 The American Enterprise Long, but interesting read on how political correctness, affirmative action etc... is hurting more than helping. And another.

Empire (Posted 5/26/05)

12/27/05 Bill Whittle. Looked through most of his stuff and think this is the best one besides Sanctuary. Great analysis of American culture. Says that our culture (via films, music etc..) represents out values: good versus evil, rebellion versus authority, and, of course, happy endings. Here is another gem: When France passes laws saying that some minimal percentage of their television programming must be produced in France, then that is an admission – and it must be, if you will pardon the pun, a galling one – that huge numbers of their people prefer our culture over their own. Also, this essay about guns is pretty good. Interestingly, before guns, everyone was at the whim of any thug who had good training in sword play. Guns were the great equalizer and forced respect for the average citizen along with an advance in law and order. The fact that at one point almost every American was armed, probably had a large influence on the unique formation of our culture and government.

Sanctuary (Posted 5/21/05)

5/18/05 Bill Whittle...... ... ... ... ... ... .. WOW! Some people commenting on this, here, here and here, said it was the best thing they had ever read on the Internet.

Posted 4/16/06

9/11: Debunking The Myths / PM examines the evidence and consults the experts to refute the most persistent conspiracy theories of September 11

March 2005 Popular Mechanics

Heart Surgeon makes Tee time, misses Clinton
9/6/2004 CNN - Humorous story with an hidden message about equality in America.

Meditation gives Brain a Change study finds
1/3/2004 Washington Post - One of the most understudied areas in all of science, the great benefits of meditation are gradually becoming solidified in scientific literature. The ongoing Mind and Life Series (meetings and talks between eastern and western practitioners and scientists) that this article references was instrumental in raising public awareness. I've read several interesting books detailing these series of meetings as well as books by the Dalai Lama and other eastern practitioners. Why God Won't Go Away is a highly recommended read detailing the biological similarities between meditation and prayer.

World Poverty is in retreat
11/17/04 The Gaurdian - The World bank announces a 'spectacular' drop in poverty largely due to the implementation of free trade policies. Unfortunately, they then digress into minor critiques and call for more 'aid' to developing countries. Rising prosperity, brought about by political reform, is the best way to improve standards of living across the globe. Notably, they don't quote any anti-globalization organizations or comment on the massive protests that often accompany the economic meetings that are helping to defeat global poverty... Also of interest, The World is a Safer Place according to 4 different groups that study international conflict and reported by the Scotsman on 9/11/04. The number of conflicts and conflict deaths have continued the drop from the 80s to the 90s into this century. Pax Americana?

'Brain' in a dish flies flight simulator
11/2/04 CNN - Pretty amazing. The possibilities are endless.

Sen. Reid Will Negotiate on U.S. Asbestos Fund
11/16/04 Reuters - It comes out that 140 Billion dollars is the agreed upon sum to settle Asbestos claims. This is about $470 dollars for every living person in the United States. The article details how many businesses have been bankrupt by Asbestos claims. Even more amazing, groups are claiming this isn't enough!

In China's Cities, a Turn From Factories / Labor Pool Shifts As Urban Workers Seek Better Lives
9/25/04 Washington Post - Wages are rising in China and factories having to raise wages or they will loose workers. Capitalism and the free market are bring prosperity to China. Where are all the 'sweatshop' critics now?

In new quest for space, danger is embraced / Unlike NASA, SpaceShipOne and other private pioneers can afford to take some risks
Houston Chronicle - The risk adverse and pondering government is always outperformed by the private sector. Only in the USA would you see a spaceship being towed by an old pickup truck. Gotta love these pics!

What I am
10/20/04 Full page advertisement in the Washington Post - by George Esseff Who is George Esseff? He's just an American citizen and I'm sure he'd take that description as a compliment. (disclaimer: I don't agree with all of what he says, but I like the way he says it)

A Friendly Drink in a Time of War
Dissent Magazine - Paul Berman writes a devastating critique of the Iraq war, from a liberal perspective.

Iraq Combat, What it's really like over there
Knight Rider newspapers - A moving account of a soldier's experience in Iraq.

Why We're all the Way with the USA
Sydney Morning Herald - From the land down under - why they're with us in the war on terror and their surprisingly similar political battles. (excerpted)

Lost nuclear bomb possibly found
CNN - A underreported news story detailing that an estimated 50 nuclear weapons lie at the bottom of the oceans.

General Franks Doubts Constitution can Survive WMD attack
Newsmax - A non-reported glimpse at what a real terrorist attack would bring.

Posted 7/15/05

New Congress Warning on EMP threat

6/20/05 World Net Daily An under reported story: EMP attacks are generated when a nuclear weapon is detonated at altitudes above a few dozen kilometers above the Earth's surface. The explosion, of even a small nuclear warhead, would produce a set of electromagnetic pulses that interact with the Earth's atmosphere and the Earth's magnetic field. <.> "Their effects on systems and infrastructures dependent on electricity and electronics could be sufficiently ruinous as to qualify as catastrophic to the American nation."

Policy Disputes over Hunt paralyzed Clinton Aids
Washington Post - Fighting terrorism, the traditional way... Versus the new way (USA today) CIA plans riskier, more aggressive espionage - notice how this reporter editorializes twice how 'dangerous' and 'risky' it is.

How To Slash Your Tax bills
Cato institute - Alan Reynolds writes a humorous article on taxes and Social Security.

Confessions of a Rich Businessmen
American Enterprise - A 'rich' businessmen confesses to his crimes. On taxing the 'rich'.

Another Vermont town considers Seceding
Local News - Tax tired Vermonters make a run for the Granite State.

How the Unions Killed a Dream
Time magazine - Joe Klein details the sad story how inner city Detroit schools lost $200 million.

Speeches

Constitution Class taught by Michael Bandarick - 7 downloadable hours of class on the Constitution from the 2004 libertarian presidential candidate. I've only seen the first four hours thus far but it was very, very interesting and thought provoking! I highly recommend the 2nd hours.

Living within our means - Video - A great interview from the 70s with trail blazing Conservative thinker Milton Friedman. Good take on the minimum wage. Must see!

Newt Gingrich gave a speech on April 22, 2003 at the American Enterprise Institute outlining American Foreign Policy and criticized the State Department for it's institutional failures and worldview. The speech is followed by an informative question and answer session and links to related articles. Newt Gingrich led the Republican House takeover in 1994 and has been very active and productive on a vast range of subjects from limiting spending to Welfare Reform to Health Care and Social Security.

Text of Gingrich speech

Ronald Reagan's 1964 "A Time for Choosing" electrified conservatives and laid the seeds for Reagan's national career. It is a great speech emphasizing the virtues of conservatism.

http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/A%20Time%20for%20Choosing - text
http://www.npr.org/news/specials/obits/reagan/timeline.html - audio

Ronald Reagan's Farewell address in 1989

http://www.medaloffreedom.com/RonaldReaganFarewellAddress.htm - text

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/mediaplay.php?id=123&admin=40 - audio

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