The New Culture War in America: Statism vs. Individual Liberty

May 26th, 2010

This article is an excellent read and clearly paints the new culture war in America, the forces of European style Statism vs. individual liberty and economic freedom.

To win, the [defenders of economic freedom] must come together around core principles: that the purpose of free enterprise is human flourishing, not materialism; that we stand for equality of opportunity, not equality of income; that we seek to stimulate true prosperity rather than simply treat poverty; and that we believe in principle over power.

The author gives a clear explanation why individual liberty and economic freedom are the foundation of “the pursuit of happiness”.

The goal of our system should be to give all Americans the greatest opportunities possible to succeed based on their work and merit. And that’s exactly what the free enterprise system does: It makes earned success possible for the most people. This is the liberty that enables the true pursuit of happiness.

He also makes an interesting point that the Statists are the materialistic crowd.

The irony is that it is the 30 percent coalition, not the 70 percent majority, that is fundamentally materialistic. What do they consider the greatest problem of poor people in America? Insufficient income. What would be evidence of a fairer society? Greater income equality. For the leaders of the 30 percent coalition, money does buy happiness — as long as it is spread evenly. That is why redistribution of income is a fundamental goal and why free enterprise, which rewards some people and penalizes others, cannot be trusted.

Again, a very good read to refresh and renew your understanding of what makes America great.

My New Robot Website, RobotBox

May 21st, 2010

So, I’m working on a new website for robot builders. It’s called RobotBox. It is a community website for robot builders to show off their projects and inspire other builders.

Check out some of the new robots added to RobotBox. You can add your robot here.

AIMEC:3 robot

My First Robot

Peanut Tin of Terror

Walkin’ Sticks

HaloBOT

MiniEric

Follow Me on Twitter

February 10th, 2010

You can now follow me on Twitter. Username gallamine. Most of the robotics related news will be posted to gorobotics on twitter. RobotBox news can be found here on twitter.

What are you willing to do for the rest of your life?

June 2nd, 2008

I just finished reading the The Monk and the Riddle. The following quote sums up the book, and is about all you need to know (or read) about it. The rest was just fluff.

Work hard, work passionately, but apply your most precious asset – time – to what is most meaningful to you. What are you willing to do for the rest of your life? does not mean, literally, what will you do for the rest of your life? That question would be absurd, given the inevitability of change. No, what the question really asks is, if your life were to end suddenly and unexpectedly tomorrow, would you be able to say you’ve been doing what you truly care about today? What would you be willing to do for the rest of your life? What would it take to do it right now?

The Monk and the Riddle, pg. 156

Wedding Pictures

May 19th, 2008

We’ve survived almost an entire year of marriage! Hooray. God is gracious.

Here’s a link to the professional pictures from the wedding. It’s under the albums entitled “Wedding”. They were taken by Kristin Byrum Photography. Highly recommended.

You can also see lots of photos taken by our good friends Jim and Rhea.

Moving to new server

March 8th, 2008

I am moving all of my websites to a new (better) server. Thanks to Tranquil Hosting here in Raleigh for the new digs.

Land of the Free …

August 17th, 2007

More info here.

When …

December 4th, 2006

… will Christmas be happy again?

September

September 18th, 2006

There are no grapes this year.

I think they miss dad.

He loved his grapevines.

define:genius

September 9th, 2006

Watch this video. This guy is an autistic savant. Freaking amazing.