Current Events Ramblings, October 11

We had a holiday last week, no classes, but I stayed pretty busy working anyway.  The Chinese students here have never taken U. S. history or Western Civilization, so I'm having to adapt--and simplify--my course material somewhat.  Their English seems to be good enough that they understand what I say; they usually laugh when I crack a joke so I assume they understand me.  How much they are getting of it, I don't know.  Exams are coming up soon, so I'll find out.  I've been told that, over the years, about one-half the students, on average, flunk American history the first time they take it.  I can understand their difficulty--a new subject, a foreign teacher, an American textbook, college level work required of youth just out of high school.  It's a challenge for them, and me. 

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Baseball.  I'm guardedly optimistic about the Texas Rangers' chances to win the World Series this year.  They lead the Tigers now, 2-0, and I do think they have the better team.  And I really think they match up well against either Milwaukee or St. Louis.  My biggest fear is that the team is from Texas.  "Texas" and "baseball" over the years--at least on the professional level--have mixed like oil and water.  I can't help but figure the Rangers will find a way to blow it.  But, frankly, of the four teams left, I believe they have the best team.  But the Cardinals are hot, so they are a concern.  It's an interesting October in Texas, baseball-wise, and that's a rarity.  There certainly isn't much to cheer about in football. 

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As the reader might expect, I have absolutely no sympathy for the rodents who are "occupying" Wall Street, nor do I have the least bit of respect for their intelligence.  It's a bunch of propagandized, class war socialists, and there is no excuse for any of that any more.  150 years ago, it might have been undestandable.  The Industrial Revolution was young, it had a lot of "bugs" to iron out, and there was cause for reform.  But, after 200 years, the evidence is in.  Capitalism has been, far and away, the most successful economic system in history at relieving poverty and human misery, and the track record of socialism in the 20th century was exactly the opposite.  Look at the mess in Europe right now.  Look at what has happened, economically, in the Far East--Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore.  For all their hype about "communism," China is more capitalistic right now than America.  They tried socialism under Mao, and millions died.  Now this is an extremely prosperous country because, economically, the government has loosened the bonds significantly.  The problems America is having economically are not caused by capitalism but a retarding of it by the federal government!  Those idiots in New York ought to be camped on the White House lawn, telling Obama to get out of the economy and stay there.  But, they are too blind--I hate to use the word "stupid," but I must admit, it comes to mind--to see it.  And, again, there's no excuse for it any more.  Everywhere and everytime socialistic principles have been applied, they have failed, including America in the 1930s and in the last three years.  Socialism cannot work, for it violates the economic laws that are necessary to build a successful economy.  That is now historically proven fact.

But history teaches us that men learn nothing from history.  So the mindless camp out in a park in New York and berate the very thing that can give them economic salvation.  If that's what they really want, which, come to think of it, probably isn't.

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Have you ever wondered why there seems to be more liberals in government than conservatives?  It's because liberals believe in the collective, and that means government, while conservatives believe in individual responsibility, which is the very antithesis of government.  A "pro-government conservative" is a contradiction of terms.

And with those thoughts, here are some from Ronald Reagan:

"The most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"

"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem."

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases:  If it moves, tax it.  If it keeps moving, regulate it.  And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

"Government does not solve problems, it subsidizes them."

"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves."

Viva Ronald Reagan.