Thoughts.com

November 25, 2011: I have been fortunate to have married two intelligent women. My first wife, who passed away 16 years ago, was a very effective middle school principal, who understood that, as she remarked more than once, in reference to her teaching staff, "you have play buy the rules, and only then, can you bend the rules". She didn't say 'break', but 'bend'.

Which leads me to the 'fracas' over Newt Gingrich's remarks about illegal immigrants who have been here for twenty-five years, and have contributed to our society. Too many conservatives have taken a strict ideological stand against his statement, a statement which makes a heck of a lot of sense. When Conservatives become locked into an 'all or nothing'stance, they are as bad as progressives who do the same thing.

The business of politics is that of understanding how government bodies should be run efficiently and fin the best interest of the populace. An efficient, and therefore, intelligent, politician knows how to bend the rules, not break them. And since one who works in politics is a politician, Newt Gingrich is one of those intelligent kind. So far, he appears to be the only one out there who is not afraid to say what intelligently and in a practical manner has to be said - again, like Commodore Perry (not the Texas Governor), he damns the torpedoes and full steams ahead.

It will be interesting to see if any of the other current candidates show what Nietzsche called 'chest' - that is, the real strength to do what needs to be done/said. I certainly hope so, for the good of the Republican party, and for all of us. As I said, we'll soon find out.

Nov 22, 2011: I just noticed that stamped on the Western belt I'm wearing, the word CHINA. Wow, I said to myself, that's a hell of a thing - Western outfitters are having goods made in China?

Of course I recognize the value to a manufacturer to have production off-shore, but it really bugged me that iconic American clothing - Western wear (cowboy clothing for the unaware) - is not being made in this country. I know, it's less expensive for off-shore manufacturing, union contract costs (in non-right-to-work states) increase production costs, and the buying public benefits from lower production costs.

Labor cost in China is reported to have increased three-fold; manufacturing quality is reportedly down, and delivery times are reportedly inconsistent. Look, when you buy a belt for $30.00 or more, jeans for $29 and up, and so forth, I find it hard to believe that those items cannot be manufactured here, and sold for the same price.

A number of years ago I bought the same jeans I buy today from the manufacturer's store (a pretty common thing in past days) for about $10/pair less, and I could count on the fit being the same every time, something that does not exist today. As far as labor cost, that will be more than in China, but the overall product won't, or shouldn't have a higher selling price. Labor - there are plenty of people in this country who would really like to find a decent job. To work is better than not - the pay may be less than he or she would like these days, but there would be a paycheck every week or so.

Walter E. Williams writes in 'Race and Economics' that those who want a job should negotiate with the possible employer, which means he or she would be willing to start at a lower rate than offered, which would provide a reason for the employer to consider the applicant, especially if it s believed that the applicant would be a good employee. That is not a novel idea - it has worked in the past, and will work again, as long as those seeking employment are willing to understand practical economics. 

Nov 01, 2011 2:19:39 PM

This post is another is the 'An Informed Conservative' program to continue our visitor's education on the pathway to producing cogent arguments with those who believe that a constitutional liberal democracy should be replaced with one more "socially just".

Vaclav Havel, as you probably know, was at one time the persident of Chezchoslavakia, and prior to his presidency, was one of the most visible dissenters against the Soviet regime running his country. Francis Fukiyama, in his powerful 1992 book, 'The End of History and the Last Man', refers to statements from Havel, statement which are as relevant today as they were when originally made. In fact, what Havel states is relevant to today's OWS protestors, and their desire to equalize between haves and have nots (like Obama's plans):

"Dignity and its opposite, humiliation, are the two most common words used by Havel in describing life in communist Czechoslavakia...The seedy post totalitarian states of Brezghnev era tried to make everybody morally complicit not through terror but, ironically enough, by dangling before them the fruits of modern consumer culture...(O)n the contrary, it did offer them these things in a Faustian bargain, requiring them to compromise their moral worth in return. And in making this bargain, thevictims of the system became its perpetrators, while the system took on a life of its own independently of anyone's desire to participate in it." [Francis Fukiyama, The End of History and the Last Man, pp. 168-169, Free Press, 1992]

The above reminds one, of course, of the famous (infamous?) video of the woman in South Carolina who, when asked about voting for Obama, was excited, because, as she said, Obama's election would mean her mortgage will be paid, and she'll get a new car. Dignity? Self-Worth? Must be cheap stuff to some people.

Read Fukiyama's book. Take your time when doing so, since every page is an eductaion in and of itself, and should be reread and studied.. I'm half-way through, and it's only been about 2-3 months... « 

You are invited to visit, and join, my 'An Informed Conservative' discussion group.

Click over to http://connect.freedomworks.org/node/157429 for discussions and other info.

If you really believe that all  of  those "spontaneous revolutions" which have been happening since Bosnia and Egypt are a sudden uprising of the people, you may have another thought coming. Take a look - and download - this video from Journeyman.tv:

http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpXbA6yZY-8. 

You should find it pretty interesting, if not unexpected.

Now, I have a question for you. The first five (5) responders with the correct answer will win a certificate exemplifying his or her knowledge of  American History:

Who was the first president of America? Send you answer to gont(at)jcsl2.s.com (use symbol for the at).