Expanding the underperforming K–12 system “down” a year earlier to include publicly funded preschool naturally benefits the education unions. But what about the kids?
CULTURE
The Pacific Railway Act and the Interstate Commerce Act
In 1887, Congress created the first federal regulatory agency by enacting the Interstate Commerce Act. As has often been the case since that time, the act was a response to the problems created by previous government interventions. Under the Pacific Railway Act,...
Supply and Demand in Education
In recent years, it has become increasingly popular to argue that government should be operated more like a business. As an example, a manifesto written by sixteen public school executives explains how to fix public schools: Let’s stop ignoring basic economic...
Education: “The Unfolding of the Human Soul”
The most important thing for a parent to remember is to teach his or her child to think. A reader once wrote me a note in which she elaborated on how she teaches her child to think in all kinds of ways. She discusses moral or other kinds of dilemmas in everyday life....
It’s Good—But Hard—to Be Selfish
Most people think that it is unethical to be selfish. They have been taught that we should always put others’ interests ahead of our own and that pursuing self-interest is immoral. That is why they also think that business—which by definition pursues self-interest:...
The Case for Optimism About America
Dear Dr. Hurd: I have been a fan for years – of your website and your books. I read “Grow Up America!” at in college and it was like spiritual fuel for a frustrated and misunderstood young man. I want to comment on the value of philosophy in moving the direction of...
Income Inequality is Moral
I was listening to the radio on the weekend and heard a leading Canadian socialist, Stephen Lewis, lament about the big income gap between the rich and the poor as one of the worst ills in society today. Reflecting on that and on the exodus of millionaires from France...
Three Reasons to Learn a Formula
At a humor workshop I attended recently, Judy Carter taught us a formula for creating a joke around something mean that someone said to us. The steps were: 1. Remember exactly what words were used, plus the tone and body language, so you can act it out. 2. Backtrack:...
Visiting Nixon’s Birthplace
“I was born in a house my father built.” So said Richard Nixon (1913-1994) about his birthplace in Orange County, California. A recent visit to the home, located on the grounds of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, and museum (which opened in 1990 with...
Giving is Not a Duty
At this time of the year, many of us are giving presents out of benevolence, goodwill, appreciation, and love—I hope. Gifts are a means of showing that we value their recipients in some way, whether friends, loved ones, causes, or charities. Giving gifts out of duty...
Movie Review: V for Vendetta
An allegorical warning against tyranny.
The Bum, the Cop and the Facts
This is about the barefoot Times Square bum bestowed with a pair of boots on a cold November night by a policeman whose act of charity was photographed by an Arizona tourist. The bum, it turns out, was seen last Sunday on the Upper West Side. The new boots, valued at...
Fear: The Great Inhibitor
Fear is the great inhibitor. When rational, fear is life-serving and life-protecting. However, the purpose of fear is avoidance. You rationally avoid things in order to obtain what life has to offer. You avoid an oncoming car when crossing a street in order to survive...
Why Humility is Not a Virtue
According to conventional morality, humility is a virtue. We are taught to think not too highly of ourselves or not to take credit for our achievements. Whatever we accomplish is due to collective effort or the grace of a higher power. A group of Executive MBA...
Envy is Bad For Us
I am writing this post in Finland where I am working for a month. Last week the Finns marked their annual unofficial “National Envy Day” when the Finnish Revenue Service publicized the income taxes and income of every tax-paying citizen. That in itself is a shocking...
Taking Words Seriously Can Help You Get Things Done
"I need more time." That is what a client told me was the solution to his grueling work schedule. We say such things without thinking about it, but it's worth pausing for a moment to focus on the thought. How could the solution possibly be more time? There is no such...
Art, Business, and First-Handed Productiveness
I recently heard a panel discussion by some accomplished professional artists about a variety of topics, ranging from the motivation to paint to the creative process to commercial success. It made me think of parallels between art and business and the role of...
State of the American Nation: September 2012
Let's look at the facts: In July, unemployment rose in 44 out of 50 states. According to the Fed, industrial production fell 1.2 % in August, and that was the steepest decline since March 2009, a number we experienced at the bottom of things. Left-leaning analysts had...
Stealing Food To Feed The Poor
Two weeks ago, the mayor of a Spanish town in Andalusia was orchestrating raids to local supermarkets for the purpose of stealing food to feed the poor. He was quoted as saying: “Someone has to do something so families can eat.” Mr. Sanchez Gordillo, an avowed...
Sam Harris is Wrong On Free Will
Harris’ erroneous assertions are easy to refute.
Paul Ryan and Ayn Rand
Vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan has reportedly had favorable things to say about Ayn Rand, author of “Atlas Shrugged” and the philosophy of Objectivism, which stresses the absolutism of reason, reality and individual rights (including laissez-faire capitalism)....
Obama’s Pro-Islamic Rewriting of American History
Barack Obama said the following at a recent White House dinner: Of all the freedoms we cherish as Americans, of all the rights that we hold sacred, foremost among them is freedom of religion, the right to worship as we choose. It’s enshrined in the First Amendment of...
Your Life is Your Responsibility
If you were alone on a desert island you would not be able to escape the fact that you must work to sustain your life. Alone on the island you could spend your days in any activity of your choosing—hunting, fishing, building a home, swimming, or napping. But you would...
Two Wrongs and Rights: Chick-Fil-A, The Thought Police and Gay Civil Unions
Cathy and the politicians deny that individuals have the right to contract freely, and marriage is a contractual agreement. Cathy would deny this right to gays. The politicians would deny this right to Cathy, property owners, and consumers.
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