The July 14th issue of Time magazine contains an article titled “10 Things You Can Like About $4.00 Gas”. The author touches on a variety of beneficial side effects, ranging from reduced obesity to lower insurance rates, but the most interesting idea put forth is that high oil prices will bring manufacturing jobs back to [...]
I’ve always defended Bill Gates whenever anyone criticized Microsoft for it’s virtual monopoly in PC operating systems and desktop applications. I remember the days before MS-DOS and Microsoft Office, and the total lack of standards made it virtually impossible to share documents with anyone who wasn’t on the same system. One of the major reasons [...]
In the 35 years since the Arab oil embargo of 1973, we as a nation have had ample opportunity to adjust to the reality of a world where efficient use of our natural resources is no longer optional, but instead of taking advantage of this opportunity, we have done virtually nothing. In addition to making [...]
Recently I’ve become fascinated observing the way my son interacts with other children. At the age of three, he is developing distinctive personality traits that remind me of myself, and it leaves me wondering whether personality types can be inherited. Thanks to Mr. Mendel and his peas, we have a pretty complete understanding of the [...]
Inventing new rights has always been a favorite pastime of liberal politicians, and Senator Obama recently pulled a new one out of his hat when he declared that a college education was the birthright of every American citizen. This proposition is absurd on so many levels that it is impossible to refute them all. I [...]
During all of the years that my wife and I tried unsuccessfully to have a child, we were one of those couples who lavished all their attention on dogs. My sister once told me I wouldn’t love them the same way once we had a “real” child. I refused to believe her at the time, [...]
My wife and I have always been at opposite ends of the political spectrum, but when she read my post last week on same-sex marriage, her first reaction was that I was beginning to sound like a progressive. Anyone who knows me well would laugh out loud at the mere suggestion. While I don’t identify [...]
A recent ruling by the California Supreme Court to overturn the state’s ban on gay marriage virtually assures that our upcoming national elections will be decided once again on the basis of a divisive wedge issue, rather than on the real problems we face as a nation. Apathetic voters may not feel the need to [...]
Conventional wisdom says that the close results in our recent presidential elections indicate that we are a deeply divided nation. I believe it actually tells us something quite different. If American voters were not constantly and deliberately distracted by divisive fringe issues, I believe we would find that we have more in common than not. [...]
When my wife and I moved to Roanoke in the late fall of 2002, we were faced with a real challenge finding a home. Searching for a house involved driving roughly 1200 miles back and forth from Lockport, NY, and we made the trip twice before we found something we could agree on. There normally [...]