Commentary

Dennis Prager explains why big government means small citizens

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I noticed this article by Dennis Prager that I highly recommend to all my readers. (H/T Muddling Towards Maturity, The Pugnacious Irishman)

The title is “The Bigger the Government, the Smaller the Citizen”.

Excerpt:

Here are five reasons why bigger government makes less impressive people.

1. People who are able to take care of themselves and do so are generally better than people who are able to take care of themselves but rely on others.

[…]2. The more people come to rely on government, the more they develop a sense of entitlement — an attitude characterized by the belief that one is owed (whatever the state provides and more).

[…]3. People develop disdain for work.

[…]4. People become preoccupied with vacation time.

[…]5. People are rendered more selfish.

What does it say about us, that were are willing to give up our own freedom in order to live off our neighbor’s hard work?

Here’s more stuff from Muddling:

News

New CDC study says that gay/bisexual men 50 times for likely to be HIV-positive

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Story from NPR. (H/T Neil Simpson)

Note: CDC = the Center for Disease Control, a US government agency.

Excerpt:

Before doctors knew what HIV was, they referred to the virus as “Gay Cancer” because it overwhelmingly affected gay men.

More than 25 years later, AIDS activists say the CDC’s finding that gay and bisexual men are 50 times more likely to contract the virus is the first time the government has given a concrete view of HIV’s effect on that population.

“The CDC has never been willing to issue rates before. So we would only have absolute numbers, and whether these numbers are going up or down.”

Walt Senterfitt is an epidemiologist and board chair of CHAMP, the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project.

“Starting with the facts and the truth, and then digging down into why these particular facts might be the case, is the best way to generate good public policy.”

The CDC declined to be interviewed for this story, saying the statistics are preliminary.

Neil Simpson comments on this story here. Nearly 100 comments have been posted there, so far.

NOTE: Comments will be strictly filtered for this post. Neil is a lot more lenient than I am, so you may want to comment on his site instead if you think your comment is too harsh.

News

Sen. Tom Coburn takes a hostile question at a town hall

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Video from Robert Stacy McCain. (H/T ECM)

Telling it like it is.

McCain writes:

I’m nearly in tears. No joke. This guy bears consideration for President, if he’s interested, and a straight-ahead draft as POTUS if he’s not.

He has more grasp the Constitution, and what this country is really about, than just about anyone else I’ve heard currently holding public office.

This is why he is one of my favorite conservatives.