Hypocritical conservative who does transactional law (research contracts, IP) for a government-owned entity. Worse yet, 3 of 4 family members are associated with Big College (none private). Sorry.
Besides law, diplomas in business and nursing, plus almost 20 years in the military-industrial complex. I am hopelessly compromised.
My favorite Minnesota preacher, Greg Boyd, is a lefty, and he pastors a megachurch, by almost any definition- suburban, lots of people, multiple services, etc. A megachurch- not my own style- is perfectly compatible with devout and Kingdom-centered Christianity. There are as many perfectly acceptable ways to “do church” as there are hairstyles for Christians.
Platt’s story (which I have not read, but is likely to pretty well reflect a very good book by Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson- both worked for Jerry Falwell and became convinced that religion-as-politics is wrong, whether originating with James Dobson or John Shelby Spong) speaks to the personal, not the organization. Dr. Boyd, something of a pacifist, wrote a less useful book with a similar theme in 2006. The commenters above who pointed out that true New Testament Christianity is completely compatible with American market-based capitalism are quite correct. Yet Boyd is also correct- God really does not care whether you are a Republican or (gulp) a Democrat.
This debate is as old as Christianity and the first medieval “vow of poverty”. One wise theologian said “true humility is the act of being nothing”- neither arrogant in self-aggrandizing nor self-righteous in how humble you are. And true Christianity is neither making a god of riches nor a pride of poverty and generosity by redistributing the resources of others.
Since the rise of Oral Roberts and “Abundant Life”, there has been a strain of Protestantism that actively promoted the “prosperity gospel”- e.g., Kenneth Copeland, etc. Generally, these people tend to be pretty conservative, and all associated negatives inferred by secular writers are thus imputed to all conservative Evangelicals. The latter day Christian Left (yes, there really is such a thing, and I do not doubt their sincere Christianity) has been drumming on this issue for years; a popular lefty bumper sticker when I was younger (that doesn’t limit the time range much, does it?) said that “Jesus was a socialist, long-haired Jew.” Shane Claiborne preaches poverty as a requirement of “true” Christianity. Other lefties- Tony Campolo, Jim Wallis, live comfortably while promoting government re-distribution in the great tradition of the “Jesus the Socialist”.
Frankly, I am not bothered about musicians freely electing to put their performance of PD works into the PD. If people decide that they like that performance better than the same piece by John Williams and the Boston Pops, or Osmo Vanska and the Minnesota Orchestra, fine. Bad musicians like me play for nothing all the time, and some people even deliberately listen. No accounting for taste.
I see no difference between this and Microsoft getting outraged that some hacker writes a freeware routine and distributes it under a GNU license, or thousands of people blogging stuff out there free when Newsweek had always counted on being able to charge for content. If the performers are not violating the composer's copyright, fine. Just because we had hopes of forestalling unfavorable business models doesn't mean that said models are illegal, immoral, or (non-)fattening.
That said, the DMCA "Mickey Mouse" act, and the Bern Convention copyright provisions we live with are flat-out ridiculous at 70 years plus, and far more (120 years, if I recall correctly) for a WFR project done for Disney. Jefferson would throw up on the current law.
Grrr. That's where parent involvement is crucial because we don't depend on the system for our salaries. They can't fire us and they can't make us go away. · Sep 5 at 2:26pm |
Of course, there is always a way if you are determined enough. Borrow a Sunday School classroom from a local church, schedule class for 5:00, tell students when and where, and blow the rest of the school away. Sometimes you can't get the locally-union-owned schools to do anything.
In Minnesota, we are lucky- our post-secondary-educational-options (PSEO) program lets students in good standing take classes at local colleges instead of high schools. My kids both went through community colleges for two years before graduating from HS, all I needed to do was provide transportation.
It is indeed true that many institutions, including my own, made a conscious shift in the last decade toward being "more selective", which included stiff tuition hikes. It was perceived as a win-win- more tuition from the rich guys, use the marginal increased cash to give scholarships to the favored new students (either metaphysically brilliant or needed to meet diversity goals). The side effect was that higher tuition leaves the impression of being more selective.
Of course, when everyone does it, the idea is canceled out and all you end up with is being more costly.
This thread perfectly illustrates why we will find a way to blow it yet. This earnest and heartfelt statement is uselessly hyperbolic: "Castle, if elected, will vote with the Dems 99.9% of the time. He could even likely switch parties."
Remember- the GOP, including the Maine senators, voted 100% against that law. Saying that control means nothing betrays ignorance of Senate rules and procedures. When you control the Senate, you control the agenda- what bills get voted on and what is in them (the "manager's amendment" process let Harry Reid write the "health care" bill).
Castle has not said he supports ObamaCare- he said that the effort for full repeal is fruitlessly tilting at windmills with TVG in the WH- purely symbolic:
"You're not going to be able to repeal this legislation," says Castle. "Now maybe we could if there's an election for a new president and you have a couple of elections for Congress. I'd be willing to consider it. ...
Show moreI am concerned, as are others who have memories, that we are not finding the right balance between ideological purity and political viability. If Harry Reid, of all people, the least attractive, and essentially corrupt, little lizard has a good shot at re-election in Nevada over a marginal candidate like Angle because Lowden was called a RINO by the purists,
I see a good chance to repeat the glorious triumphs of the 1998 off-year election. We'll know better if this is all a mirage after the Delaware primary.
Our problem is not "moderates" such as Castle or Kirk running in blue states- it is government by the perpetual political class (e.g., Murkowski).
| Diane Ellis, Ed.: I think a far more interesting question is whether it's worth paying a quarter of a million dollars for a degree from a school that's ranked 75th or 100th. Because loads of people do that, and I've always wondered why. Some Comparisons: Princeton -- Rank 2 -- Tuition & Fees/year: $36,640 American University -- Rank 79 -- Tuition & Fees/year: $36,697 Clark University -- Rank 86 -- Tuition & Fees/year: $36,420 University of San Diego -- Rank 94 -- Tuition & Fees/year: $37,378 · Sep 7 at 9:38am Edited on Sep 07 at 09:38 am |
I violently disagree with the so-called ranking of any undergraduate schools. Learning is entirely up to the student. You cannot make a meaningful distinction among any of the 50+ state public universities and the Ivy League, etc. You get just as many bad lectures by lower division TAs at Harvard as you do at Michigan State, you just pay more for the privilege. You can also get as many good ones.
Graduate school rankings may be valid by subject area, though the law rankings also tend to measure political correctness and networking as much as academic quality.
If you're a Washington insider, you might call it "The Wisdom of the Wrong Crowds"
1) Robert Higgs (talking with Russ Roberts) argues that WWII did not end the Great Depression
2) The "stimulus" (Steyn's American Recession and Redistribution Act) didn't do much for infrastructure because they didn't devote much to infrastructure- too many middle-class men involved; there were other priorities.
3) I doubt that we will ever have data that can be segregated to definitively show that Keynesianism is a workable principle. What we do know is that, in practice, it is impossible to keep it out of the realm where it will always be corrupted by market-distorting politics. That is enough reason to avoid it.
4) There is a solid case for prioritizing needed infrastructure projects during a downturn, as long as they are not make-work. Hoover Dam and the interstate highways were needed, CCC was make-work. In Minnesota I have a strong hunch that the football stadium will get a jump start of some sort; I'm not a big fan except to the extent needed to make Steve Hayes very unhappy.
5) There are always ways in which the nation and the economy benefits by changing regulatory policy- both positive and negative.
"The Ursula Hennessy Sports Letter", subscriber-based. Not about daily scores, but about sports and life in larger society. There are lots of potential customers out here.
C'mon, don't be so modest.
| Kenneth: I just read the Brooks piece. He becomes more irrelevant by the day. Honestly, a fantasy thumb-sucker in which he imagines Obama behaving like a wise, temperate leader? Noble and standing above the fray? Rejecting political opportunism? The tone of the piece implicitly suggests that Brooks actually believes that Obama has it in him to behave differently than he consistently, obdurately does. What a sad, sad passage for a man who owes his entire career to the sainted William F. Buckley. · Sep 3 at 6:29pm |
Well look at Chris Buckley, who owes even more to WFB, and is even worse than Brooks. Gleep.
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A bad case of Fulsome Prison Blues.
And, Kenneth- you said: "In a perfect world, people would be hanging on Claire's every word, while wondering if Palin is wearing a push-up bra."
I guess we can pretty easily infer from this what you think of Claire's appearance? We have a case of the pretty one vs. the smart one? :-O
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I repeat an oft- stated theme. A president needs to be able to articulate and follow a clear set of beliefs, and manage the experts who provide policy advice. She need not be a personal genius or expert on everything, as Carter tried to be and thought he was.
One can make as good a case that Palin's stepping down in Alaska was for the good of Alaskans because of their asinine "ethics" law, as opposed to being a "quitter". Just as DeLay resigned for the good of the party because of a ham sandwich indictment in Texas (DeLay was guilty of every sort of hubris, but not guilty of what he was charged). ...
Show more Edited on Sep 07 at 09:31 am| Claire Berlinski: Daley's mob is the exception to the rule. · Sep 7 at 8:58am |
Currently the exception is ruling us all, to no one's benefit.
I admit that I am more worried about public employee unions, which really hold the ugly whip hand in US politics these days.
Well, this can be stopped if Washington gets a few people who went to state schools who will hire someone besides Ivy League grads. For most, though, the networks still obtain, don't they? It doesn't help when Cleveland's Hugh Hewitt writes a book advising kids that if they want to have influence they should go to Harvard or Yale.
For the record, my kids both did 2 years at community colleges, then state universities, then, somehow, still got graduate fellowships and did OK without student loans. So it can be done.
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Re: The American Dream versus The Gospel
My own pastor says “If your Gospel isn’t applicable anywhere in the world, it isn’t right.” If physical comforts and temporal riches were true “abundant life”, someone in Haiti or Somalia who professes and lives Christianity would be hard-pressed to explain why God isn’t paying attention. The Apostle Paul and almost all of Jesus’ disciples were martyred; even John, who wasn’t executed for his faith, wasn’t living in great comfort on the prison colony of Patmos.
The prosperity issue evaporates down to the basic question: Where is your heart? Are you seeking gold, or are you simply applying “all thy might” to “whatsoever thy hand findeth to do”? (conservatives quoting the KJV…) If thy hand mightily applied generates wealth, God, who provided the blessings, expects you to generously apply the wealth to good things that further His cause, but He does not tell you to become John the Baptist. The key: don’t let those possessions take over your life- a very real concern because we are greedy, envious, fallible, weak humans.