Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Tom Tancredo
Tom Tancredo is best known (where he is known) for his position on immigration. That led me to expect very little from him as a candidate. I was pleasantly surprised to find a candidate who seems to have a very down-to-earth perspective. From my perspective he would be a capable president who would tackle the…
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Transit Options in Less Populous Areas
One of the problems that I have been thinking about with the growth taking place in Utah County is the balance that we need to strike between addressing the current needs and preparing for future needs, all with current resources. I am a vocal proponent of getting good transit here now and in the future,…
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Ron Paul
Outside of the three leading candidates from each of the two major parties I have heard more about Ron Paul in political discussions online than any other candidate. I have heard members of three distinct political parties interested in his candidacy. For that reason I have been very eager to learn more about him. Honestly,…
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James McCall
James McCall has the desire, but not the preparation to be President. Many of the issues he identifies are not centrol, and sometimes not even on the radar of the average voter. He recognizes the discontent of the citizenry, but seems to lack the ability to inspire others to make the changes that our country…
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Commercial Zones
I was pleased to see my view on city planning represented in yesterdays Transportation Watch. That view being the need to make space for commercial areas in order to lessen the need for commuting – that is the number one way to reduce traffic in the long term. That article also mentioned a good example…
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Candidate Catch-Up
For my latest installment of falling behind I will simply report that I have James McCall, Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo, and Tommy Thompson left from last month. In addition we have Steve Adams, John Bowles, Jim Gilmore, David Koch, Raymond McKinney, and Donald Allen to consider. I swear this thing gets longer all the time.…
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Looking to Europe
I do not look favorably on many of the traits common among many European countries (higher taxes to fund broader social programs, shorter workweeks, that kind of thing). However a brief mention of Europe in Transportation Watch reminded me that there is one area where we could learn from Europe. They have learned to make…
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John McCain
As with all of the major candidates, my evaluation of John McCain simmered in the back of my mind for a long time. The roller-coaster of my feelings about his candidacy was hardly unusual. I have long liked the fact that McCain seems to be functionally independent of his party affiliation. As the campaign season…
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Balanced Government
I have long believed that Utah needs balanced government. I have made most of the same arguments on this issue as were raised in that article. Having a single party in power does not generally provide the give-and-take, compromise-and-entertain-new-ideas environment that is the strength of a democratic society. One of the problems that encourages the…
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Potential Candidate
I think I would make a great elected official. That is, I think I have the qualities that I would like to see in candidates and elected officials at all levels of government. I’m intelligent and interested in learning a wide variety of new things, I care about our government and society, and I like…
Got any book recommendations?