Paperback: $15.95 USD
Hardcover: $28.95 USD
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 His party was the Brotherhood of Brothers,
and there were more of them than of the others.
That is, they constituted that minority
which formed the greater part of the majority.
Within the party, he was of the faction
that was supported by the greater fraction.
And in each group, within each group, he sought
the group that could command the most support.
The final group had finally elected
a triumvirate whom they all respected.
Now of these three, two had the final word,
because the two could overrule the third.
One of these two was relatively weak,
so one alone stood at the final peak.
He was THE GREATER NUMBER of the pair
which formed the most part of the three that were
elected by the most of those whose boast
it was to represent the most of most
of most of most of the state -
or of the most of it at any rate.
He never gave himself a moment's slumber
but sought the welfare of the greatest number.
And all the people, everywhere they went,
knew to their cost exactly what it meant
to be dictated to by the majority.
But that meant nothing - they were the minority.
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How much government should we have? Do we really need all these laws and restrictions on our personal liberties?
Those questions are the essence of a Classic Liberal (now called Libertarian) position. BTW, the reason it can no longer be referred to as "Liberal" is because that label has been usurped by the Socialists (excuse me, they're called Democrats in the US now, but still called Socialists in Europe).
All this name-calling can get confusing, but there are essentially two schools of thought: Let's call them "A" and "B", so as to avoid offending anyone. People seem to get offended easily these days.
"A" says the responsibility of government is to protect the life, liberty and property of the individual. It is upon this principle that the US was formed. The Founders were careful to NOT form a strong central government, preferring a union with limited powers (All powers not vested in the central government were retained by the states and the people).
"B" prefers a strong central government, capable of providing complete security for its citizenry - even at the expense of individual liberties. This concept is based on the assumption that government knows best, while the individual does not. This form of government is responsible for mandating warning labels such as the one on hair dryers that says,
"WARNING: Do not use while showering!"
Now, I am going to make some generalizations - realizing fully that by doing so, I risk offending the sensibilities of any number of people - but, here goes....
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Many people are dismayed by the disappearance of company pensions as if one’s inalienable rights are being withheld, but should we expect to be paid for not working?
Accepting employment constitutes a contract between the employer and the employee. The employer agrees to pay for services rendered by the employee. As long as the employee continues to perform the agreed-upon services the employer is compelled to continue to pay for those services.
If the employee stops performing those services, the employer has to pay someone else to perform those services and has no obligation to continue paying the first employee for services he/she is no longer providing. In other words, if you don’t show up for work you can’t expect to get paid. Everyone understands that.
When an employee terminates his/her employment to seek a better job, the employer has to hire and pay someone else to replace the first employee. The employer certainly can stop paying the ex-employee. Everyone understands that.
If the employee terminates his/her employment, but instead of taking another job, decides to stop working altogether the employer still needs to hire and pay someone else to replace the employee who has decided to stop working. Why should the employer be expected to continue paying the ex-employee?
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Fourteen states have passed laws prohibiting sex offenders from living within a specified distance from schools. The distances vary from state to state, depending upon the severity of the perceived threat that sex offenders may pose to our children. Since we still do not feel safe, some have suggested that the distances should be increased.
Most people think of sex offenders as a threat to our children, because when most people think of sex offenders they think of pedophiles. Wanting to protect our children from this horrible aberrant behavior is only natural. Are all sex offenders pedophiles? Are they all a threat to children?
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The term creates an image of the entire planet heating up until all life is destroyed, as if we were on a collision course with the sun.
Some parts of our planet are, indeed, warming. As this occurs, climactic patterns are changing that will result in a cooling of other parts of our planet. The Earth is not doomed, but our way of life may be!
In the US, the Midwest has always been the “breadbasket” – the place where most of our food is grown. The climactic changes that seem inevitable will make that part of the world barren, but Canada may become better suited for agriculture. Africa will be uninhabitable, but Iceland and Greenland will be far more pleasant than they have ever been in recorded history.
The climate is changing. There will be regional warming – and regional cooling. Much of Europe will see a decline in average temperatures. Those living there may want to migrate south.
We can adapt.
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Everyone has a quest for knowledge.
This may sound like a false premise because people have different interests. Everyone seeks knowledge about something, but not everyone seeks the same something!
When I am curious about a particular subject, I will find a book on that subject and devour it. I don’t want to spend a semester sitting in a classroom. I want to learn it now. As long as I am interested, I will learn – quickly and thoroughly. If I have no interest in a particular subject, no amount of books or lectures or courses will help me master that subject. I will remain both disinterested and ignorant on that topic.
I am not unique in this. Everyone finds learning easy when studying a subject of personal interest, but struggles to master subjects for which they have little interest.
The primary problem with education today is our insistence that everyone must learn essentially the same things in order to be considered educated.
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Which is your favorite book?
61 votes
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