I am a subscriber and on balance am gratified that somebody is still trying to do their effing job, as I put it. I was raised to do my job--whatever it was, and it would not matter even now--ethically, as well as I could, and to take pride in those facts.
What I will suggest is that Bari and others read two books: The Fatal Conceit, by Fr…
I am a subscriber and on balance am gratified that somebody is still trying to do their effing job, as I put it. I was raised to do my job--whatever it was, and it would not matter even now--ethically, as well as I could, and to take pride in those facts.
What I will suggest is that Bari and others read two books: The Fatal Conceit, by Friedrich Hayek, and "Intellectuals", by Paul Johnson. There are certain aspects of your world view, as I see it, that will not stand those shocks, but will nonetheless be better for it.
By today's standards I am extremely right wing. But I see myself as a middle of the road moderate, in a world that has lost its effing mind. There is so much crowding at the far left that people's brains seem to be popping from the congestion.
In my own view, the "right wing" is monarchism and theocracy. It is kings, and compulsary membership in one church or another. The Iranian theocracy, for example, is right wing, as are most Arab governments.
And the left wing is dictatorship, and utopianism, which are equally oppressive, but which, rather than point to a religious text or history, simply decide each and every day what reality is going to be that day for the world, and it punishes anyone stubborn enough or who lacks agility, for the "crime" of momentarily getting out of step with their Dance of the Dead.
Everything in between is Liberal. Functionally, Liberalism in our world is the CAPACITY to engage in honest and open conversation, knowing at the outset that the ending will likely remain disagreement, but with understanding added on both sides, and the implicit promise that we will both think about it, and possibly move closer over time.
My particular liberalism is rooted in the work of Hayek, Thomas Sowell, Paul Johnson, Murray Rothbard, and a few others. And my views on science are rooted in SCIENCE. The Global Warming Cult is not science at its political roots. And the COVIDIan madness was not science either. If you understand the scientific method, you understand that data speaks, and anyone who does not listen is not practicing science. And anyone saying they are scientists but not adhering to data based positions is corrupt. Fauci is not stupid: he is corrupt. He is a paid liar, for whom mass death was not even a factor. Just not something that was going to cause him to lose sleep.
But I will say again that, while I wish this place would go farther on stories like the Biden family corruption, you all are still doing vastly better than most of your competition. In some respects, you have a niche that has no competition. Kudos for that.
I don't know where here is, but loneliness is definitely a defining trait of our culture and nation. Our wealth means most of us live alone. I certainly do.
I don't know what to say, other than hang in there, and take social risks. Wherever you are you could probably find a pickleball league or trivia or something.
I'm with you except that climate science is sound, and Fauci is anything but corrupt. Fauci is aspie enough to be tone deaf politically. I know him a bit. Every decision he made was understandable. Perfect? No. Hell no. But... Fauci wasn't really the guy who was supposed to play that role. Trump's nitwits had shot the CDC pandemic response team in the head because, "Hey, we haven't had one.!" So, the knowledge of things like how lockdowns really work was gone.
This cut it all! Mantra of the silly "right" is wrong. Government is the only thing that can maintain a military or a public health crisis system over the generations of time that might pass in between. There's a reason past generations bequeathed to us military rank to the Surgeon General. They had seen it. Even over a century of time, more Americans die of diseases than in any wars. Doesn't matter which century.
I am going to publicly acknowledge you said those things, and that I profoundly disagree. I am trying to wean myself from political, and in this case scientific, argument, so I won't respond further today.
I am going to permit myself to link a commentary I did 15 years ago, the basis of which remains untouched. None of this passes muster scientifically, but if you have not figured that out, I won't convince you here.
If you do want to take the time to read something that even then was the product of hundreds of hours of study and debate, and comment on it, I will respond substantively.
I have read Hayek and Sowell at length. Hayek is challenging but powerful and worth the effort. A good beginning is The Road to Serfdom. For those who might not know Hayek is a Nobel Laureate in economics.
I am a subscriber and on balance am gratified that somebody is still trying to do their effing job, as I put it. I was raised to do my job--whatever it was, and it would not matter even now--ethically, as well as I could, and to take pride in those facts.
What I will suggest is that Bari and others read two books: The Fatal Conceit, by Friedrich Hayek, and "Intellectuals", by Paul Johnson. There are certain aspects of your world view, as I see it, that will not stand those shocks, but will nonetheless be better for it.
By today's standards I am extremely right wing. But I see myself as a middle of the road moderate, in a world that has lost its effing mind. There is so much crowding at the far left that people's brains seem to be popping from the congestion.
In my own view, the "right wing" is monarchism and theocracy. It is kings, and compulsary membership in one church or another. The Iranian theocracy, for example, is right wing, as are most Arab governments.
And the left wing is dictatorship, and utopianism, which are equally oppressive, but which, rather than point to a religious text or history, simply decide each and every day what reality is going to be that day for the world, and it punishes anyone stubborn enough or who lacks agility, for the "crime" of momentarily getting out of step with their Dance of the Dead.
Everything in between is Liberal. Functionally, Liberalism in our world is the CAPACITY to engage in honest and open conversation, knowing at the outset that the ending will likely remain disagreement, but with understanding added on both sides, and the implicit promise that we will both think about it, and possibly move closer over time.
My particular liberalism is rooted in the work of Hayek, Thomas Sowell, Paul Johnson, Murray Rothbard, and a few others. And my views on science are rooted in SCIENCE. The Global Warming Cult is not science at its political roots. And the COVIDIan madness was not science either. If you understand the scientific method, you understand that data speaks, and anyone who does not listen is not practicing science. And anyone saying they are scientists but not adhering to data based positions is corrupt. Fauci is not stupid: he is corrupt. He is a paid liar, for whom mass death was not even a factor. Just not something that was going to cause him to lose sleep.
But I will say again that, while I wish this place would go farther on stories like the Biden family corruption, you all are still doing vastly better than most of your competition. In some respects, you have a niche that has no competition. Kudos for that.
I wish I knew you. It gets pretty lonely out here.
I don't know where here is, but loneliness is definitely a defining trait of our culture and nation. Our wealth means most of us live alone. I certainly do.
I don't know what to say, other than hang in there, and take social risks. Wherever you are you could probably find a pickleball league or trivia or something.
I'm with you except that climate science is sound, and Fauci is anything but corrupt. Fauci is aspie enough to be tone deaf politically. I know him a bit. Every decision he made was understandable. Perfect? No. Hell no. But... Fauci wasn't really the guy who was supposed to play that role. Trump's nitwits had shot the CDC pandemic response team in the head because, "Hey, we haven't had one.!" So, the knowledge of things like how lockdowns really work was gone.
This cut it all! Mantra of the silly "right" is wrong. Government is the only thing that can maintain a military or a public health crisis system over the generations of time that might pass in between. There's a reason past generations bequeathed to us military rank to the Surgeon General. They had seen it. Even over a century of time, more Americans die of diseases than in any wars. Doesn't matter which century.
I am going to publicly acknowledge you said those things, and that I profoundly disagree. I am trying to wean myself from political, and in this case scientific, argument, so I won't respond further today.
I am going to permit myself to link a commentary I did 15 years ago, the basis of which remains untouched. None of this passes muster scientifically, but if you have not figured that out, I won't convince you here.
If you do want to take the time to read something that even then was the product of hundreds of hours of study and debate, and comment on it, I will respond substantively.
https://moderatesunitedblog.com/2008/01/
Well said, Barry!
Intellectuals and Society, by Thomas Sowell.
Brilliant. Like The Road to Serfdom, this book made the scales fall from my eyes.
Bravo. Great comment.
I have read Hayek and Sowell at length. Hayek is challenging but powerful and worth the effort. A good beginning is The Road to Serfdom. For those who might not know Hayek is a Nobel Laureate in economics.
WE ARE SERFS , most work to pay off debt be it a house with a death-gage or a car ++++++
But we still can choose our intellectual pursuit shown by the TFP. Even Dave Ramsey has a way out of debt.
Hear! Hear!