The English Language

English is the language of the world because the British Empire was once very large and also because English is the language of the U.S. which was unquestionably the dominant country in the 20th century. 

This does not mean that the English language is a good language.  It has it good points, such as exactly 26 letters used in all words.  But it also has its bad points.

One of the bad points is that there are three versions of the word there.  For some reason when I proofread a post (I do that on occasion, btw.) I often find that I used the wrong version of there.  Trust me: I know the difference between there, their, and they're.  But for some reason I often use the wrong version until I proofread a post.

Its not just those three words, but they exemplify the fact that the correct use of  the English language does not come easily.  Its probably not the worst language but it does not come naturally.

And please do try and ignore my poor spelling and grammar.  I catch mistakes when I can, but it is undoubtedly my least favorite school subject.

Anti-Gun Politicans Making Money From Guns

Last Saturday I wondered if the anti-gun politicians and gun manufacturers were teaming up to make money.

There's a story at National Review about the money being made by anti-gun politicians thanks to gun manufactures.  The evidence that they show is weak in regards to showing that there is deliberate collusion, because the anti-gun politicians simply own index and mutual funds that invest in lots companies, and some just happen to be gun manufacturers.

But anti-gun manufacturers are making money because of their opposition to guns.  And gun manufacturers are also making money because of the anti-gun politicans.

One more point to note: many politicians have their money in index and mutual funds.  They should know more about the economy then us regular peasants, because they make the market's rules, and yet they still invest.  Perhaps this is evidence that our economy won't be doomed in the very near future.  (I mean if you have a job.)

A Book List

The Free Northerner has a book list: Free Man's Reading List.

If I did not literally have a half dozen unread books on my end table and three more in a newly arrived, and as yet unopened amazon.com box, then I'd be ordering a few of those right now.

I've already read a fair few of the books on his list and have one quibble: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephan Covey is too well liked by the wrong sort of people to suit my taste.

I don't like the idea of calling anything "must read," but if I were to make a list of my absolute favorite books and those that I hold most responsible for the basis of thinking the way I think then these are it (in alphabetical order, and I'm aiming for a short list):

Heart of Asia by Roy Chapman Andrews
Bell of Africa by W.D.M. Bell
Macau by Daniel Carney
Jian by Eric van Lustbader
Elephant Hunting in East Equatorial Africa by Arthur Neumann
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
A Hunter's Wanderings in Africa by F.C. Selous
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Liberty Defined by Ron Paul
Bourbon for Breakfast by Jeffrey Tucker
Its a Jetsen's World by Jeffrey Tucker
Bang by Roosh V
Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa 

As I look at my list, it strikes me that:

• Three include "Africa" in the title 
• Six were written in or about people in China and/or Japan  
• Bang, who's author advocates traveling abroad
• Atlas Shrugged who's author advocates leaving socialist countries
• Two by Jeffery Tucker (I haven't read his third one yet) and one by Ron Paul and both of those author's favor freedom, which is unlike what we have here

Since we are not free in America anymore and this is my reading list, I think that I should travel more.

Unemployment is High

What the Labor Pool Collapse Means by Jeffery Tucker

excerpt:

Think back to 100 years ago. Unemployment was practically unknown. Why? Because there was (and there still is) stuff to do and people to do it. So long as employers and employees could negotiate without a gigantic state interfering with them, everyone was happy. There was no income tax. There were no added benefits. There were no impositions on the right of association. People bounced from job to job, taking 100% of their earnings in the form of real money.

That was a great system while it lasted. It initially came about after the end of the feudal period and with the rise of the capitalist middle class. Average people actually made money for the first time in the history of the world, and it was pretty cool. There was no shortage of jobs.

That whole system came to an end during the Great Depression and World War II. It began when the government dared to decide who could and could not work and under what terms. This was the first step in what amounted to the nationalization of the labor pool. Kids could not work. No one could work apart from a government-dictated wage. The amount of time they could work would be regulated.

Then, in World War II, two additional changes came about. Taxes would be taken out of the paycheck by the government, and the taxpayer would get back later whatever the government didn’t keep. Millions of people began to think of the government as their benefactor. Wage controls then led some large companies to pay employees in benefits like health care, a practice that was later pushed more broadly.

This is not the way the free market works. Workers prefer to be paid with money, plain and simple. That’s because money is the most liquid good. It can be converted to anything else. It is what gives choice and personal empowerment.

Today, the government’s system is pretty well locked down and super sticky. The costs of bad hires are very high for employers, so they are super cautious. The clarity of the work contract is gone. The market is not being allowed to operate.

Adding to the problem is the issue of housing. Many of the millions of people who have dropped out also own homes they can’t sell at a profit, which means that they are not in a position to move. The house works as a kind of brake on personal progress.

This is a story of demoralization created not by a few government programs, but by hundreds, among which is the boom and bust cycle itself. The excluded workers are victims, and no less so because of their privilege of drinking unlimited amounts of soda at your expense.

Ending this problem is going to require doing far more than cutting food stamp allocations and cleaning up disability graft. It will require a complete dismantling of 100 years of attempts by government to do things to help American workers.

The 2016 Presidential Nominees

Its fairly easy to narrow the possible 2016 republican presidential nominees down to a few because the republicans usually elect someone who is well known and who has been around for a while.

My guess is that the 2016 republican presidential nominee will be one of the following:

• Paul Ryan
• Chris Christie
• Marco Rubio
• Rand Paul
• Jeb Bush

I'd bet on Marco Rubio being the nominee in 2016.

Note that I'm not endorsing any of these guys.  I'd like to see my governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin or governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana become the republican presidential nominee.  They both have actual accomplishments.  And actual governing experience.  Other than their support of Mitt Romney I haven't heard anything about either of them that I was very opposed to.

The democrats are much harder to guess the presidential nominee for, because they seem to pick the flavor of the moment.  My guess is that we have heard of whoever it will be, and would recognize the name, but we cannot narrow the options down to a few.

Some things about the 2016 presidential race that I am sure of:

• It will be the most importantest election ever
• I won't like either of the two nominees
• Joe Biden is a doufus
• Nothing important will change

170 Million Dead Thanks to Gun Control

thanks to the Patriot Perspective:

(Take note of the defenseless in America starting at 30:00)

Just a thought...

This is an odd idea.  And I'm not saying that I believe it.  But I haven't heard it anywhere.  And its a novel thought.

A lot of people have been buying a lot of guns recently because we fear pending gun control.  Is it possible that the gun manufacturers have a hand in encouraging a possible gun control to drive sales?

I'm skeptical of the idea, but there is an awful lot of crony capitalism in every other industry, why not here?

The possible gun control has driven up the gun prices, gun part prices, and the stock prices of the publicly traded gun manufacturers.  A lot of money has been made.

I don't like being this skeptical of every thing and everybody.