Musings of a Patriot

Category: culture

  • The Other Side of the Sentiment

    As I was walking to the bus stop this morning I saw an image attached to the garage door of one of my neighbors. I’ve heard/seen that sentiment before, but with all my thinking about the flag and the meaning of patriotism lately it struck me differently. I appreciate the sentiment that we are not…

  • Patriot Day

    I appreciate the idea of Patriot Day as a way to mark our modern “day of infamy.” It is unfortunate that the event has been used so effectively to manipulate our politics. Once upon a time, America represented more to the world than simply a big bully who was allowed, because of might and wealth,…

  • IOUSA

    With bailouts such as Bear Stearns and Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac there could not be a better time for the Peter G. Peterson Foundation to come along with the backing of $1 Billion (from Peter G. Peterson) and the insider expertise of David Walker (former Comptroller General of the United States) to help citizens and policy…

  • Funding Fire Departments

    As we drove through heavy smoke that seemed to be blowing north from the fire in Draper last night, our girls started asking about firefighters and how we (as a society) support them. It got me thinking about firefighters as a service of government. Although they are every bit as legitimate and important a service…

  • Public Discussion

    Obi wan Liberali recently asked others if he was considered liberal. Apparently some of his liberal friends thought he was not liberal enough because he is not inflammatory. The discussion that followed in the comments got me thinking about different sites that I have visited and my perceptions. I try to follow sites across the…

  • Why We Vote “No”

    Two weeks ago I suggested that our tendency as voters is to vote against the subject of any given election. This morning my brain supplied me with a possible explanation as to why that might be. Scott Hinrichs has written on various occasions about the fact that we expect more from our president than could…

  • American Debt is No Accident

    The fact that Americans have allowed themselves to be led down the rosy path of false economic hopes for a rosy tomorrow – where we can borrow now for anything we want with no thought for the fact that we are paying more by mortgaging our futures all the time – is not surprising. What…

  • A Universal Dream

    Is there anyone who could not support the dream shared by Jess: it’s my dream that the citizens of our country renew their interest in politics half as much as they love the olympic games. . . to preserve the posterity of politics in our country, the greatest country in the world, we need to…

  • Taking Ownership

    Yesterday I helped my brother move into his new house (like me, he changed jobs and relocated over the summer). I am looking forward in the next couple of weeks to completing a home sale (this week) and a home purchase (next week) so that he can return the favor (actually, him returning the favor…

  • Living a Statistical Anomaly

    It seems that our more recent history (the last 50 years) has clouded our perceptions of immigration, integration, and what it means to be an American. Though we still talk about our nation being a melting pot, we seem to be treating those of other ethnicities as if their presence is a handout from those…