When fear, ignorance, and evasion mix with politics, bad and costly things happen. Financially speaking, the mismanagement of the coronavirus panic is more costly than 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis combined. This, I believe, is the greatest political blunder of this century. However, there are thoughtful writers such as Joseph Ladapo amid the hysteria….
Personal
Systemic Racism
Whites-only bathrooms. Whites-only hotels. Blacks unable to get jobs reserved for whites. Lynchings. These evils have occurred in American history. In 1930s Germany, the Nazi government was committing even greater evils against Jews, black people, and many other “undesirables,” prohibiting them from buying homes, owning businesses, or getting jobs. Eventually, the state attempted to murder…
Wonderful Movie and Literary Treats
Lisa VanDamme (of VanDamme Academy, and who I consider the poet laureate of Objectivism) and her husband Chad Morris (a personal trainer extraordinaire) came to dinner at my home with close friends, Craig Biddle, and his wife, Sarah. There’s richness in these relationships. Lisa recommended a wonderful movie called Warrior starring, among others, Nick Nolte….
Paycheck Protection Program
I have never paid my “fair share” of taxes. I’ve always paid infinitely more than my “fair share” (which is zero). I’ve paid loads of taxes. While I don’t agree in principle with taxes, I comply with the law, and I take any deductions that my CPA can find. When the “Paycheck Protection Program” (PPP)…
In Defense of America
In the Wall Street Journal on July 7, 2020, Gerard Baker, the journal’s Editor-at-Large and former Editor-in-Chief, wrote a brilliant article titled “Defend America’s History—and Retake Its Institutions.” He begins: “That was quick. “At the end of the 20th Century, the U.S. had won World War II and the Cold War, liberated half the planet…
An Englishman Celebrates America’s Declaration of Independence
King Gavin Newsom of California (otherwise known as “Governor”) prohibited gatherings to celebrate America’s Declaration of Independence, so I was unable to have a large party at my home. Nonetheless, I celebrated with a few close friends. We decorated for fifty guests but only had four. Many people are writing about the meaning of The…
Lockdowns Destroy Lives
There are many small business owners and entrepreneurs who may be wishing they were dead. Their businesses are being ruined and their lives destroyed. The political lockdowns (not the virus) have hit black business owners hardest: 41% are no longer in business according to an analysis by the National Bureau of Economic Research. The total…
Evils of Racism
We need to understand that the current lawlessness and the raging, rampaging mobs are a product of their teachers. As author Cynthia Ozick notes: “A vengeful mob is a fearsome thing, but the true monsters are its teachers.” I recommend this brilliant, well-written article, Anti-Semitism and the Intellectuals, because it identifies the source and cause…
Riots, Looting, Mayhem, and Destruction
“Things fall apart; the center cannot hold. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” W.B. Yeats wrote those lines in the bleak aftermath of World War I—they resonate today. About 140 cities have been subject to riots, looting, and wanton destruction. Many are calling for police forces to be abolished or defunded. What is going…
Announcement: Mailing List Problem
Dear friends, I apologize for the inconvenience, but I’ve had a minor hiccup with my mailing list and anyone who signed up between May 15 and May 22 was not successfully added to the list, despite the confirmation message you may have seen. If you signed up between these dates, please do so again—the problem…
