George Will
The inspections of WWI

It's hard to believe that this was actually in the Washington Post (and not the Washington Times).
A Pass on Preemption

Maybe there is hope for the future (though, if Bill Clinton were still president [ @#$%! ], I'm sure the Post would have been much more conciliatory).

The Islam Twist
Wayne Dunn

Taxation 101
Walter Williams

Jeff Jacoby: An economic lesson from the Pilgrims

"Communism failed in 20th-century Europe and China. It fared no better in 17th-century Massachusetts."

"To their credit, the settlers recognized that their problems resulted from the lack of private property, which was stifling productivity and bringing out the worst in their characters. And so in the spring of 1623, communism was replaced with capitalism."

However, the facts in the editorial contradict this quote:
"When the harvest season came, Bradford later wrote, ''instead of famine, now God gave them plenty, and the face of things was changed to the rejoicing of the hearts of many, for which they blessed God.' "
It was the labor of men (not a deity) that brought the prosperity.

The Richmond Times Dispatch published my letter to the editor today:

Next Time, Call It 'Duty'
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Your editorial, "Pay," makes a mockery of the virtuous capitalists who run our nation's corporations. You focus on the small number of corporations that failed because of a handful of dishonest men who relied on fraud instead of their intellects.
Perhaps a better title for your editorial would have been, "Duty." You deplore "the terribly bad social policy" of corporations paying their executives what they feel they are worth. "Social policy" is the equivalent of the equally subjective "public good," which is the philosophy of sacrifice to the state that created both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. A corporation's only "duty" is to its shareholders, not to egalitarianism in pay between the clerk who sorts the mail and a CEO such as Jack Welch, who increased the value of GE's stock by almost 3,000 percent.

The Times-Dispatch editorial department is often labeled as conservative. However, the belief in a duty to other men is the key similarity between conservatism and liberalism. Both of these political philosophies view altruism and service to the state as ultimate values (conservatives embrace compulsory service and the draft while liberals support punitive taxes on productive achievement). The truly ultimate value is that which our nation was founded upon: The radical idea of the self-interested individual pursuing his own happiness while keeping the property he has honestly earned. Bob Murphy. richmond.

Walter Williams' latest:
Economic Asininities

"By the way, if you disagree with me and insist that Congress and the president do have job-creation powers, then Williams has identical job creation powers. I can create lots of jobs simply by purchasing several hundred crowbars, distributing them to my George Mason University students and instructing them to go smash automobile windshields.

"Think of all the jobs that would be created at auto repair shops. But those jobs would come at the expense of other jobs, because people having to spend a couple hundred dollars getting their windshields replaced wouldn't have the same dollars to take their children to Disneyland, thereby reducing Disneyland jobs."

An excellent article that easily debunks government regulation for "the public good":
An Ominous New Era
"Pity the poor Environmental Protection Agency. Regulating industries is a slow and cumbersome process, frustrating for officials because it often fails to achieve the results they want. So the agency has come up with a new strategy, one that turns the Constitution on its head and gives unelected regulators the power of the sovereign. It's called regulation-by-litigation, and a lot of industries had better watch out."

From A. Barton Hinkle’s column in the Richmond Times Dispatch on Tuesday - he was discussing candidates for Richmond City council:

“A write-in fourth candidate – Silver Persinger – says he would stress ‘government for the people rather than giving the keys to the city to big business.’ Perhaps he is one of those fellows who likes full employment but dislikes employers.”

I submitted the following letter to the Washington Post on September 19 (to read the column to which I am referencing, check it out on my website):

I reject Richard Cohen’s false premise that envy is good and that “enough is enough” concerning the earning of wealth. The flaw in Mr. Cohen’s logic is that he is unable to separate wealth earned through honest, productive work from the fractional amount of wealth that is gained (and soon lost) through fraud. Envy is an unhealthy and irrational emotion which leads to wasteful government investigations and subjective regulations such as the antitrust laws. As a result, there are no “excesses of capitalism” in America. On the contrary, capitalism and wealth creation are not permitted to flourish.

I agree with Mr. Cohen that perception matters. Consequently, Jack Welch’s actions are worthy of condemnation. However, the actions to which I refer are Welch’s refusals to defend his moral right to honest compensation. To paraphrase philosopher/writer Ayn Rand: We have to save capitalism from the damned capitalists.

The Left's New Idea
By Daniel Pipes

"The hard left, having failed to prevail through the democratic institutions of American life -- the executive branch, the Congress, the court system, state and local governments -- is doing a dangerous end-run via the United Nations and other international institutions."

Charles Krauthammer :

"When the case for war is made purely in terms of American national interest -- in terms of the safety, security and very lives of American citizens -- chins are pulled as the Democrats think it over. But when the case is the abstraction of being the good international citizen and strengthening the House of Kofi, the Democrats are ready to parachute into Baghdad."

"Daschle's insistence on the centrality of a U.N. stamp of approval is puzzling. How does this work? In what way does the approval of the Security Council confer moral legitimacy on this enterprise? Perhaps Daschle can explain how the blessing of the butchers of Tiananmen Square, who hold the Chinese seat on the Security Council, lends moral authority to an invasion of Iraq. Or the support of the Kremlin, whose central interest in Iraq is the $8 billion that it owes Russia.
Or the French. There can be no Security Council approval without them. Does Daschle imagine that their approval will hinge on humanitarian calculations? If the French come on board it will be because they see an Anglo-American train headed for Baghdad and they don't want to be left at the station."

"My point is not to blame France or China or Russia for acting in their national interests. That's what nations do. That's what nations' leaders are supposed to do. My point is to express wonder at Americans who find it unseemly to act in the name of their own national interests and who cannot see the logical absurdity of granting moral legitimacy to American action only if it earns the approval of the Security Council -- approval granted or withheld on the most cynical grounds of self-interest."

Is This the Way To Decide on Iraq?

Unsustainable Anti-Biotech Protests

"Simply stated, the raw stuff of the universe becomes a resource when human ingenuity and intelligence, e.g. science and technology, are able to transform it to further human endeavors. This theory of resources led to practical policies that have allowed humans to lift themselves above the level of mere subsistence, while the fixed, finite view of resources serves only to sustain poverty."

I sent the following letter-to-the-editor to the Washington Post last week:

September 11 shouldn’t become just another holiday where businesses are closed and the mail doesn’t get delivered. President Bush feels that the day should be set aside for prayer and sacrifice to others. This is an injustice to those who lost their lives that day while pursuing what they value (trading stocks, fighting fires, etc.).

It is no coincidence that the terrorists chose the World Trade Center as a target: The towers represented capitalism, which is the only system that truly frees Man to produce and improve his life. September 11 should celebrate this production. States should suspend their sales taxes, stores should have special sales, and businesses should launch new products.

Praying and sacrificing to others while ignoring our own need for productive achievement does not build a great nation or win a war against terrorists. We must stop being ashamed of profit and start being proud of production.

The Richmond Times Dispatch published my latest letter today:

It is ironic that some of the loudest calls for a U.S. attack on Iraq are not coming from within our own government but from Israel. Even though they would be a likely first target of a desperate counterattack by Saddam Hussein, Israelis understand the threat posed by dictators who do not let their people live in freedom.

Because of the philosophy of multiculturalism, there are many who feel America’s interests are at stake only if we are first met with a devastating offensive attack. Since multiculturalism teaches that all nations and cultures are equal, these opponents say that we should not make judgments about the intentions of maniacal dictators. Rather, we should get approval from those who hate America and its freedoms, such as the U.N.

This moral relativism persists in light of the evidence that not all cultures are moral equivalents: The civilized nation of Israel transformed a Middle Eastern desert into an oasis of freedom and technology, while oppressive monarchies like Saudi Arabia use oilfields stolen from the West to finance hatred for the U.S.

While he is leading this war to preserve America, let us hope that President Bush follows the example of the rational thinking coming from Israel, and not the irrational philosophy of the multiculturalists.

It's so rare when a member of Congress takes a rational moral stand. This is one of the best speeches by a government official that I've heard or read in a long time. For now, at least, Tom Delay actually seems to "get it" when it comes to foreign policy...you just have to ignore his typically Republican stances (like the foundation of America resting on the belief in God).

The Imperative for Action

"The U.S. State Department would do well to remember that it answers to the President of the United States, not the European Union."

"The nations across the Atlantic, countries with ample experience in the perils of appeasement are unwilling or unable to summon the resolve to confront gathering evil.
These countries reflexively oppose any exercise of American power unless it`s summoned to liberate the besieged capitals of a vanquished Europe.
Europe stands paralyzed because European leaders seem unable to grasp a very fundamental principle: There’s no moral equivalence between those defending freedom and the terrorists and tyrants who seek to deny it--first to their own people, later to others."

"Toppling Saddam would, they say, 'seriously jeopardize, if not destroy, the global counterterrorist campaign we have undertaken.'
Ladies and gentlemen, these critics are dead wrong.
Removing Saddam from power and liberating the Iraqi people would do more to advance the war against terror than any step we’ve taken yet.
Removing Saddam would send a clear and unambiguous signal to every other state sponsor of terror: 'Shape up, because the price of subsidizing terror is now more than you can afford.' "

Reparations buffoons on the Washington Mall by David Horowitz

Read my latest letters-to-the-editor (alas, unpublished thus far):

Keep the Forests Private - The Richmond Times Dispatch

Profiling the Producers - Newsweek

Dubya as dream Democrat by Martin Sieff

"Is George W. Bush the best Democratic president we have seen since Jimmy Carter? Consider the evidence."

Robert Novak: Did the Clinton administration deceive the public about the state of the economy? (What?! Clinton and deceit? I won't believe it!)

Sunny Clinton forecast leaves cloud over Bush

Brace yourself - government intervention in airport security is not having the intended consequences. Shocking, I know.

Airlines, airports fault U.S. on security

Some good tips from Wendy McElroy on communicating and listening/observing:
Practicing 'intellectual virtue'

"Intellectual simplicity means using ideas and language as tools of communication, not of social status. Be simple and direct about your beliefs and your language. Don't "dumb down" your conversation or lose the subtlety but also don't try to become part of the intellectual elite, complete with buzz words and tangents into German philosophy."

Thomas Sowell:
At what cost?

"True zealots say that 'if it saves just one human life,' any measure for the sake of safety is worth whatever it costs. But what if its costs can include other human lives?

"Wealth saves lives. The miners who were trapped underground in Pennsylvania would have been dead in many Third World countries, because the costly technology and the highly trained specialists who rescued them would simply not have been there, and could not have been gotten there in time over dirt roads or through jungles.

"An earthquake that kills a dozen people in California will kill hundreds of people in a less affluent nation and thousands in a truly poor country. Not only does wealth enable buildings and other structures to be built to more earthquake resistant standards, wealth also provides more advanced rescue equipment and more elaborately equipped hospitals with more highly trained personnel to treat the injured."

More evidence that our "brilliant" politicians are once again derailing commerce...this time it's the availability of Virginians' choice for electricity supppliers.
It seems that a politican never met a businessman he didn't like...to regulate.

Let the Competition Begin?
Dominion Virginia Power faces no rivals as deregulation comes to Richmond

"At his committee's last meeting in June, Norment asked an SCC official whether the regulatory atmosphere in Virginia might be deterring competitive suppliers from entering the market. The question was pointed because the SCC, by state law, regulates the utilities.

But while some power plant developers have been unhappy with the SCC's environmental review of new power plants, the biggest barriers to the development of competition appear to be certain provisions in the state's deregulation law and the lack of an independent, regional organization to manage access to Virginia's transmission lines."

"Competitive energy suppliers and organizations representing companies that own or are building competitive power plants in Virginia said the lack of an independent transmission organization, which would ensure fair access by competitors to power lines, is a major obstacle to competition.

Moreover, the Virginia Energy Providers Association, which represents companies planning to build power plants, said the need for those additional plants, which could provide electricity to competitive suppliers, is also a barrier to competition. The group criticized the SCC for taking actions that discouraged the construction of new plants in Virginia."

"Another barrier to competition is the current caps on the electric rates charged by incumbent utilities, said some competitors and at least one incumbent Virginia utility, Allegheny Power. The rate caps, which the General Assembly put in place until mid-2007, should be allowed to rise to create room for competitors to enter the market, Allegheny said."

Charles Krauthammer has a good column on how liberals and conservatives see each other.
Stupid vs. Evil?

"To understand the workings of American politics, you have to understand this fundamental law: Conservatives think liberals are stupid. Liberals think conservatives are evil."

Jeff Jacoby's latest column - the success of Reaganomics and why we need to do it again.
Bring back Reagan's Rx

The Washington Post published my letter to the editor today:
Ralph Nader's Solution

Click here to go to my website and read the editorial to which I am responding as well as the unedited version of my letter:
Ralph Nader's Fascism

Thomas Sowell's latest column:
Indignation, Inc.

"The sad irony is that it is the self-righteous activists who are exploiting Third World people -- politically -- and the much demonized employers who hire them who are providing the poor with much-needed income.
According to The Economist magazine, multinational corporations typically pay about double the local wages in Third World countries. These wages are usually still well below what workers receive in wealthier countries. So is the productivity of Third World workers.
A study by an international consulting firm found that the average labor productivity in the modern sectors in India is 15 percent of that in the United States. In other words, if you hired an average Indian worker and paid him one-fifth of what you paid an average American worker, it would cost you more to get a given amount of work done in India than in the United States."

"Higher wage levels do not just happen. Workers are paid more where their output is higher. "

"Differences in labor productivity are not just a matter of how hard people work. Workers in more affluent countries typically have more and better machinery, training and managerial organization. To the extent that multinational corporations come in and introduce more advanced ways of producing, Third World people not only have more jobs today, but more experience in modern methods that can pay off for the country as a whole in the future."

John Leo has an excellent column on the cultural relativism and subjective moral values that are prevalent in today's universities. Another reason why the war for the future must be fought on the battlefield of ideas. The universities are the first place to start.

At Postmodern U., professors who see no evil

I tend to agree with Jeff Jacoby 99 percent of the time. And he's got it right again:
"Crooked businessmen have been much in the news lately, and if some of them end up behind bars, I won't complain.
But the current business scandals should not be allowed to eclipse an important fact about the relationship between capitalism and moral virtue: They usually reinforce each other.
As a rule, it is not possible to make money in a market economy without providing a service to others. You benefit yourself when you benefit your customer; when he is rewarded, you are rewarded. Capitalist societies tend to be prosperous not only because of economic forces, but because of moral forces, too. Without honesty, sympathy, trust, cooperation, and concern for the needs of others, markets cannot work - at least, not well.
Does that mean that all businessmen are ethical paragons? Of course not, no more than all politicians or journalists or entertainers are. But the necessities of business tend to encourage exactly those traits that the moral order depends on. That is more than can be said for politics or journalism or show business."
Random musings

"The problem with the White House's position on climate change is simple. It has abandoned the scientific debate to focus on what it believes is its strength: the economic debate. Only it doesn't marshal the important economic points either. "
Bush's Climate Echo
"The administration believes it can abandon the scientific debate because even if it doesn't have the environmental science on its side, that's no problem because it has economics on its side. That's why President Bush never discusses the science of climate change and instead maintains he won't do anything that will harm the American economy. The problem with this tack is that after abandoning the science, the administration's economic arguments have become muddled as well."

Jack Kelly's column has some great arguments against the International Criminal Court...
The ICC tramples on rights Americans take for granted
(you can check the bottom of his column for his archived columns)

Last week, there was an arrest of some pilots who were drunk in the cockpit. Why have we not heard calls from Congress for hearings and more regulations on pilot drunkenness? Isn't it the government's job to "restore confidence" in the airline industry?
Or maybe Ted Kennedy felt this was an issue that was too close to home.

Capitalism Magazine published my editorial today:
Rebuilding the WTC – the Greatest Tribute Possible

Dave Barry has a great column on farm subsidies.
Making America Safe for Mohair
It's fun to be able to laugh at politics for once (instead of scream...or cry).

Walter Williams has an excellent explanation of "rational self-interest", even though he doesn't specifically call it that...
Does it count?

Read Jeff Jacoby's latest column: To secure the homeland, go on the attack
I love this man.

There is an amazing design that has been proposed to replace the World Trade Center. It is essentially a mini city that would also be the world's tallest building...
A cyber city for the new millenium
The man behind the project is Australian. Why is it that so many of the defenders of liberty and the purveyors of capitalism come from Australia and not the U.S?

Dr. Hurd has an excellent commentary on why the U.S. should proudly assert its moral superiority - with no apologies.
On Tolerating the Intolerable

What should be done with the former site of the World Trade Center towers? Here's my opinion:
Rebuilding the WTC: The Greatest Tribute Possible

Those poor anti-capitalist, anti-globalization protestors. They just just can't catch a break (or catch the right facts).
Global Warming Fears Must Cool Down
"Another protester said: "It's unfortunate that we have to drive a van. It would definitely be our preference to be able to take alternative forms of transportation, but unfortunately today, we had a lot of gear with us" (sort of like the vegetarian who had a cheeseburger because, unfortunately, she got hungry)."

The Richmond Times Dispatch published my latest letter today (with some slight editing). They titled it "Freedom, Prosperity Rely on Property Rights". Clicking on that link will take you to the original letter on my website, where you can also read the letter to which I am responding.

Note: If you wish to be notified by email when this web log is updated, you can register and submit your email address on www.spyonit.com. It's a "nifty" free service.

Why "environmentalist-friendly" corporations can never succeed (and why they shouldn't)...
Campaign ExxonMobil Caters To The Greens
The last paragraph says it best:
"Of course, we all know what happened to Enron. Instead of focusing on building a sound company, delivering a superior product to customers, and finding ways to become more efficient and cut costs, Enron spent its time and resources on manipulating electricity markets, seeking the praise of environmentalists, lavishing millions of dollars on politicians and seeing how it could beat its competitors through government regulation and sleight of hand. Even odder is the endorsement of this the type of cutthroat, winner-take-all competition by leftist environmentalists."

Think that the end is near because Man is using up all the Earth's resources? Is man destroying the environment with his selfish quest for profits? Can wealth only lead to environmental havoc?
Think again...
Unless we change our ways ... the world faces a future where things look pretty darn good
an article by Mark Steyn on 5/3102

For those who say that corporations are interested only in profits and not quality (as if the two aren't related) and that we must have government standards and regulation...
GM climbs into third spot, gives U.S. highest ranking ever
A sample: "Auto companies spend millions of dollars fixing their factories and designs to try to improve their J.D. Power scores, in some cases tying executive bonuses to making improvements. GM even calls some of the consumers who fill out the J.D. Power survey to get elaboration on their responses."

Do yourself a favor and read (or re-read) Francisco's "money speech" from "Atlas Shrugged."
The Meaning of Money

And then I dare you to try to convince yourself that Americans are "too material." Or better yet, read the following Newsweek article by Anna Quindlen, and I'll bet you'll realize why she is so tragically mistaken - why we MUST do exactly the opposite of what she proposes.
Look at What They’ve Done

An excellent analysis of what happens when you send "humanitarian aid" to terrorists.
Back to Reform School

The Richmond Times Dispatch didn't print my last letter (submitted on May 12), so here's a link to it...
AntiTrust, AntiMoral

If this report is true, the Pentagon has just signed the death warrant for thousands of American citizens who will become victims of Iraqi-financed terrorist attacks on American soil.
Iraq invasion put on hold

There was an interesting article in yesterday's Richmond Times Dispatch titled FHA loan default rate examined . The Federal Housing Administration is experiencing high home loan default rates.
This quote says it all: "The study contends that some lenders are careless with the underwriting of FHA loans because the loans are government-backed." You would have thought that something would have been learned after the same thing happened in the 80's with the Savings and Loan crisis.

Was there an exact date when the Republican party died? My representative Eric Cantor recently voted in favor of the massive farm subsidy bill while at the same time decrying that it was far from perfect but that Virginia's farmers needed the assistance. My senator George Allen tried to add an amendment to the trade promotion authority bill that would give subsidies to people who lost their jobs because of foreign competition. Where were these 2 men when Bill Clinton was raising my taxes and causing me to lose income? Where was MY assistance? I guess I just didn't lobby hard enough. A reason for campaign finance reform?? NO. A reason to strip away the power of politicans to tax and regulate with reckless abandon.

Regardless of the risks of disease and loss of quality of life, the score becomes - Mosquitoes: 1, Humans: 0.
York County Loses Weapon vs. Mosquitoes

And speaking of human health, here's an analysis of the failure of socialized medicine in Italy. After reading this, ask yourself how you'd feel if Hillary Clinton ran as a vice-presidential candidate in the next election...
Next Time, I’ll Pay

As much as I may disagree with the ulitmate agenda of Bill Bennett and Jack Kemp, check out this link to get the facts about the conflict in the Mideast...
Twenty Facts about Israel and the Middle East

I hope I'm not the only one who despises Hillary Clinton and everything for which she stands. She criticizes the president on not revealing sooner that there were warnings about al-Qaeda attacks on the U.S., yet her husband was presented with the opportunity from Sudan (of all places) to have Osama delivered into custody, and he said "No Thanks." Her memory is as selective as her choice of public interviews.
And speaking of the President, do you think he was surprised that Japan enacted retaliatory tariffs on steel? Unfortunately, I think he was.

Among so much of the junk that gets published these days, there truly is some excellent commentary out there if you look hard enough. Today, I refer you to Thomas Sowell's latest column which relates the statements of pipe bomber Lucas John Helder to comments made by today's education establishment. His columns can be found at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/archive.shtml. I strongly recommend his columns - he is a man who has a strong grasp on the concepts of capitalism (though, as a devotee of Milton Friedman, he is not a true laissez-faire capitalist). I also recommend the columns of Walter Williams, which can found at www.jewishworldreview.com.