Econo-Thermodynamics?

I have often compared economies to thermodynamically ideal engines in order to explain, by analogy, lost efficiency of the economy due to government taxation and waste, but this article goes much further and actually defines economies in thermodynamic terms.  In doing so, the authors of the study make the case that economies are inherently unpredictable, similar to the point mathematicians make when describing economies as chaos systems.  In other words, pursuing the perfect planned economy is as fruitless as trying to invent a perpetual motion machine.  Both are physical impossibilities.

Second Law of Thermodynamics May Explain Economic Evolution

(PhysOrg.com) — Terms such as the “invisible hand,” laissez-faire policy, and free-market principles suggest that economic growth and decline in capitalist societies seem to be somehow self-regulated. Now, scientists Arto Annila of the University of Helsinki and Stanley Salthe of Binghampton University in New York show that economic activity can be regarded as an evolutionary process governed by the second law of thermodynamics. Their perspective may provide insight into some fundamental economic questions, such as the causes of economic growth and diversification, as well as why it’s so difficult to predict economic growth and decline… read full article

None of the Above!

This past April 15th was the first Tax Day I have ever actually enjoyed. I was a part of the local Tea Party march. A few thousand people attended. There were some great speakers, and a lively, patriotic crowd who’s spirits could not be dampened even by the sudden rain storm we endured.

As exciting as was this new awakening of our Country, however, I am very concerned about some of the “next step” questions now being asked.

Some are wondering if this movement will revitalize the Republican Party. Others ask if we should all join the Libertarian or Constitution Party. Still others anxiously propose the formation of a new party.

I humbly but resolutely disagree with the premise all of these questions. To quote the Father of Our Country on the matter…

“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people, and to usurp for themselves the reins of government; destroying afterwards the very engines, which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”
– George Washington, 1796

It is the Party system which is the core of the problem. So, what choice is there? Allow me to paraphrase Richard Pryor from the movie Brewster’s Millions… “None of the Above!”

You Tea Party revolutionaries are part of a new grass root movement and you need a new paradigm. Heed the warnings and concerns of the Founding Fathers. Abstain from the party system.

Find a person in your district who is A) willing to run for office, B) willing to renounce all party affiliations, if such exist, C) will swear to uphold, promote, and live by the Founding Values and Principles of our Country, including promoting a less powerful and expensive national government.

Once you have found this person, build a grassroots campaign around him or her. Canvass, campaign, fundraise, and get this person elected. Once elected, hold his or her feet to the fire and make sure the promises are kept.

Above all, do not allow this movement to become another political party. That would be the death of this effort to return our Government to the people and save our Country.

If every part of our Country which is hosting a “Tea Party” would do this, the shift of power in Washington would be significant. It may not result in a new majority, but it need not do so in order to change the debate and the direction of our Country.

Either this, or we can become even more like Europe, with hundreds of small, chattering parties vying for attention and votes. Not a winning strategy in my book.

In the eternal fight between Individualism versus Collectivism, the cause of Individualism is best fought for by individuals.

British PM Recovering from G20 Incident

 

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is recovering from an incident in which he nearly suffocated during the joint news conference with President Obama at the G20 conference. 

During his address to the press, Prime Minister Brown said “President Obama, you have given renewed hope not only to the citizens of the United States of America, but to all citizens in all part of the world. And I want to thank you for your leadership, your vision and your courage, which you’ve already shown in your presidency, and congratulate you on the dynamism, the energy and, indeed, the achievements that you have been responsible for.”

Apparently, following this statement, Brown’s head became lodged in President Obama’s rectum and his breathing was severely restricted.  Paramedics responded quickly and extracted Brown’s head from the Presidential colon just moments before Brown lost consciousness.  The Prime Minister is now resting comfortably.

President Obama, when asked about the incident, responded, “I didn’t even notice him back there.”  The President and the First Lady both expressed concern for the British head of state.  The First Lady ordered an aide to have an assistant tell someone nearby to buy a few coloring books from the hospital gift shop and present them as a get-well gift to the recovering Prime Minister.  An un-named source at the hospital claims the Obama’s forgot to include crayons in the gift. 

 

April Fools (but just barely)

 

…

So, why did we fight the Cold War?

I can’t believe that Socialists and Marxists have taken over our country, and I never once got to stand on a hilltop with my rifle raised over my head and defiantly shout “Wolverines!”

Life just isn’t fair

They didn’t parachute in from Cuba.  They didn’t fire ICBM’s or make amphibious landings on the Atlantic shore.  All they did was worm their way into our schools and universities, our newspapers and talk shows, our cinemas and TV’s, and finally into our government.  They have controlled enough of the information we see and hear to change conversations we have.  

They conquered us with an armful of lies and a pocketful of votes to the sounds of cheering crowds.  They have already begun to addict the people to the gateway drugs of government subsidies, socialized medicine, and envy of wealth.  Before long we may well look like any other socialist regime, right down to the mile long lines for bread and four story banners depicting our Dear Leader. 

Such are their abuses and usurpations:

• Socialized Medicine hidden in “Stimulus Bill”
• Welfare un-Reform hidden in “Stimulus Bill”
• Political paybacks and pet projectscomprise the bulk of the $787 Billion ”Stimulus Bill”.
• Power Grab to politicize the 2010 U.S. Census.
• Pushing a gun control bill (HR 45) which would require licensing, testing, and fingerprinting of all gun owners.
• Pushing for rules and regulations to silence critics and opposition.
• Trillions in deficit spending and monetizing the debt, risking hyperinflation.

…and that is all in just the fist month!

They didn’t even give anyone in Congress or elsewhere time to read the final bill (less than 12 hours from finalizing to vote) because it was such an “emergency”, yet the President went on vacation the day after it was passed and did not sign it into law until four days after passage.  Real sense of urgency that is.

Time to start stocking up on torches and pitchforks.

Go tell the Spartans!

Sparta, Lacedaemonian city state in the southern Greek peninsula. The year was 480 B.C. It was the Classical age… a savage age… a golden age. An age when men were Real Men, women were Real Women, and politicians were vile, lascivious, treacherous, narcissistic… OK, so the politicians haven’t changed much.

The movie “300” is an adaptation of comic artist Frank Miller’s graphic novel of the same name. It tells the story, albeit in a fanciful way, of one of the greatest battles in history. The Battle of Thermopylae is taught in nearly every military academy and military history class in the world for both its military and its moral virtues. On the one hand, it is an excellent example of the benefits of training and discipline, and of the excellent tactical use of terrain. On the other hand, it is a shining example of dedication and sacrifice, of free men volunteering to give their lives to protect their homeland, their people, and their way of life.

At the Battle of Thermopylae (greek for Hot Gates, because of the tight passages and hot springs), 300 Spartans, including the Spartan King Leonidas, and a few thousand other Greek soldiers fought the invading army of the Persian emperor Xerxes, which some estimates put at over two million strong. By the third day of battle, most of the other Greeks withdrew and only the Spartans and a few hundred others remained. The Spartans died to the last man to give the other Greek city states time to mount defenses strong enough to hold against the remainder of Xerxes’ army.

The Greek poet Simonides of Ceos (556 BC-469 BC) engraved an epitaph for the 300 Spartans on a stone at the site of the battle. It reads “Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie.” This passage is considered by scholars to be the noblest phrase ever uttered by man. It does not ask for glory or accolades, only that they be remembered as soldiers who did their duty.

The movie “300” is not the most historically accurate depiction of this famous battle. There were no elephants or rhinoceroses at Thermopylae. The movie’s Xerxes looks like a Goa’uld from Stargate SG1, whereas the real Xerxes was more likely closer to Usama Bin Laden in appearance. Many other details were exaggerated and fantastical. However, the movie does get right the central points of sacrifice, heroism, honor, and love of freedom. The Spartans may have been brutal by today’s standards, but they were free people living in a brutal world.

Besides, the exaggerations and fantasy would have pleased the ancient Greeks who often idealized their heroes in plays, art, and literature. Also, many famous moments and phrases chronicled by historians, like “(Persian) arrows will blot out the Sun“, “Then we shall fight in the shade“, “Tonight we dine in hell“, and the “Go tell the Spartans…” epigram are faithfully included.

The combination of history, heroism, and fantasy makes this movie a wild ride and a must-see. I believe it is also, to a great extent, a parable for our times. Take a look…

Sic Semper Tyrannis

Another one bites the dust…

Foreign Policy 101

Now, boys and girls, pay attention…

Before the election:
Bush says Democrat approach in Iraq is ‘terrorists win and America loses’

“However they put it, the Democrat approach in Iraq comes down to this: the terrorists win and America loses. That’s what’s at stake in this election…

Retreat from Iraq before the job is done would embolden the enemy and make us more vulnerable to attack.”

After the election:
Iraq al Qaeda Leader to U.S.: Jihad not over

[Abu Hamza al-Muhajer] vows that al Qaeda in Iraq will not stop its jihad “until we sit under the olive trees in Rumiya after we blow up the wicked house known as the White House.” He says the first phase of the jihad is now over, and that the next phase — building an Islamic nation — has begun.

“The victory day has come faster than we expected,” he says. “Here is the Islamic nation in Iraq victorious against the tyrant. The enemy is incapable of fighting on and has no choice but to run away.”

OK?  Does everyone get it now? 

Class dismissed.

The Hydra Re-grows Another Head.

Daniel Ortega, the Marxist thug who ruled Nicaragua in the 80′s, has been elected president of that country thanks in part to oil money from Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.  This is a dark day for freedom, and another international failure by Clinton’s State Department.

Why blame Clinton’s people?  By the early 1990′s, freedom and capitalism were on the rise in South America.  Some fledgling democracies like Nicaragua needed our help to grow and become stable, free nations.  But the Administration in the 90′s turned their arrogant backs on these friends and now monsters like Ortega, Chavez, and Evo Morales of Bolivia have bullied and bribed their way back into power; and they appear ready to join with Cuba to push their Communist ideology into the remaining Latin American nations, by bullets or bought ballots.

For over forty years, America and her allies fought the dark tide of Communism.  After nominally winning the fight, we have walked away and neglected the fragile world we liberated, letting the evil take root again.  Now Latin America appears ready to build a new “Soviet Union.”  Not on the other side of the world, but only miles from our shores.

We now face Islamofacist terrorists and nations who want to force the world to live under their laws, neo-communist dictatorships in our own hemisphere who enthusiastically support the terrorists’ agenda against the west (because they do not yet consider each other a threat), and a State Department filled with Clinton era leftovers incapable of even seeing the threat, much less do anything meaningful about it.  To top it off, this Tuesday, we may end up with a Congress even more myopic and clueless than the State Department.

I am normally a fairly optimistic person, and I hate to seem such a pessimist, but these are very dark times.  Perhaps America will reawaken before it is too late.

Check, please.

I have been very concerned recently to see that even very intelligent and politically engaged conservatives have considered “sitting out” this election to show their displeasure over the performance of the Republican Party. I do understand and share their feelings of disappointment over the GOP’s lack of direction and nerve. The GOP representatives and senators have been spending money like college freshmen with their first credit cards. Many have been spineless on confirming judges, waffling on the War, and clueless on border security. However, letting the opposition win just to prove a point is crazy.

Protesting the vacillation and ineptness of the Republican party by allowing a crazed and hopelessly corrupt “Democrat” party to sweep into power is akin to protesting the bad service at a five-star restaurant by going on a hunger strike. Politicians are narcissistic by nature. They believe they have the right ideas and personality to make a difference and/or get elected indefinitely. Failure to win an election does not invalidate their worldview; it just means you did not understand their message. They will just move on to a consultant, lobbyist, author, or speaker career to get the recognition they crave.

If you want to show your dissatisfaction and make a difference, the time to make your stand has already come and gone. Only 15 percent of eligible voters turned out for the Primary elections this year. That beats the record low of 19 percent set by the last two primary elections. Which leads me to wonder, if you are so unhappy with the current Republican candidates, where were you?

The Primaries are where you get to decide who will represent your party in the general elections. If you believe your Republican representative is too moderate, too liberal, too corrupt, to inept, or just downright stupid, then the Primary election is where you should make your opinion known. Waiting for the General election means you get to make your point by allowing an even more liberal, corrupt, and/or stupid candidate to represent you. Is that the message you want to send? If it is, that’s great, because you will definitely get more of the same.

What if there is no opposing candidate in the Primary, or the other candidate is worse? Then find someone who will make a good candidate, start a grassroots effort to get that person on the ballot and work together on getting that candidate elected! In other words, get off your butt and do something constructive! Surrender is not a strategy.

Vote Republican (or Independent) this November, keep the unhinged leftists out of office, and start working now on a new generation of Republican candidates for the 2008 Primaries! Or, if you prefer, you can start weaving more hand baskets in which to carry the crumbling bits of our country to Hell.

A Blog, by any other name…

It is funny how odd little words enter the popular lexicon. When motion picture projection was first invented and the presentations became popular, they were called “movies” by the press and the cute name stuck. When sound was added to movies, the press called them “talkies”, but that nickname died a well-deserved death. Even the name “press”, usually referring to print journalism, is itself derived from the name of the device that made print journalism possible, the printing press.

When the Founding Fathers decided to enumerate specific protected rights in the first ten Constitutional amendments, among the first was “freedom of the press.” However, were the Founders concerned about an organized industry of credentialed professionals, or the right of the people to use the device to put their ideas and opinions in printed form for distribution among the citizenry? I am fairly certain it was the latter. That being the case, the Founding Fathers would be elated to know that an even more powerful technology was created two centuries later capable of extending the reach of the people to publish their thoughts. Yes, I’m referring to the Internet, and “blogging” to be specific.

The cute name “blog”, derived from the word weblog meaning a type of personal diary posted on the Internet, is today used to describe a wide range of informative websites. From personal diaries, to point of view commentary on topics ranging from popular culture to science to politics, to sites presenting some of the best investigative journalism in the field, blogs take on many forms.

It is that last category, the Citizen Journalist, that I believe would make the Founding Fathers most proud. These “citjays” are mostly bold, talented individuals investigating the issues of the day and exposing facts to the public that often would have remained hidden. They daily post informed analysis on current events to fuel the public debate. It seems inadequate, even trite, to describe such resources as “blogs.” These citjay websites are what freedom of the press is all about!

However, this site is not one of those. I have neither the time nor the resources to be a Citizen Journalist, though I may reference their works from time to time. This site exists solely as a “soapbox” from which I can comment on topics that fascinate or frustrate me. So, this is my blog… and I hope you enjoy it.