Author Archive

Snooping on Another Conversation

Posted by Eric B. on January 21st, 2010 under Small Government Tags: , ,  •  2 Comments

I was walking yesterday and overheard a single sentence of a conversation between three guys.  The first guy said, “They don’t understand that the only way to restore freedom is to temporarily take away all their rights.” The other two guys agreed.  I have no idea of the context of this sentence, but I would [...]

10 Business New Years Resolutions

Posted by Eric B. on January 14th, 2010 under Uncategorized  •  No Comments

Read an interesting article about a “turn-around expert” named George Cloutier who just released a book called Profits Aren’t Everything, They’re the Only Thing. Naturally, a title like this is going to stir criticism from the same people who will attack the “Greed is Good” theme. But after reading about him more, I like what [...]

Ruminations

Posted by Eric B. on December 17th, 2009 under Uncategorized Tags:  •  2 Comments

I’m on vacation = I’m in a really good mood.  Further, as has been discussed in emails between site authors, I have not been following the news that much = in a really good mood.  Strange??
But to keep with the theme of blurtdaily, I’d like to do some complaining…
1. I hate it when my laziness [...]

The Public Sector

Posted by Eric B. on December 11th, 2009 under Government Spending, Small Government, budget Tags: , ,  •  1 Comment

Haven’t really posted in a bit due to 80+hour work weeks and if I hear the words “health care” again, I’ll throw up.  But today, I was inspired. Wait, wrong word… today I was motivated.  Wait, still not there… today I was incensed!  There we go.
The cover of USA Today reads “For Feds, more get [...]

Robots

Posted by Eric B. on November 24th, 2009 under Technology, Uncategorized Tags: , , ,  •  No Comments

If there is one thing I can absolutely say I support President Obama on… its his commitment to technology.   I think electronic medical records are a great idea even if they do not provide any cost savings (as recent studies suggest).   I think non-gasoline based cars are a great idea, even if they [...]

Who Owns What?

Posted by Eric B. on November 19th, 2009 under Economics, Uncategorized Tags: ,  •  3 Comments

Late night commercials are the best!  Natural remedy healing, sell us your gold, sell us your ten-year settlement payout for a lump sum NOW, and the Snuggie (shout-out to Jason and Elise)!
The settlement payout commercials always get me thinking, which is not very productive that late at night:

I wonder what rate they use to discount [...]

Someone Else’s Money

Posted by Eric B. on October 29th, 2009 under Economics, Healthcare, Politics, Small Government, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , ,  •  1 Comment

Let’s talk about what its like to do business with the government versus the private market.

Example 1:
The WSJ today (non-Op-ed for once ) discusses recent government involvement in the management of GM.  For example, as part of the plan to cut costs, GM proposed to close and cut ties with 1,300 under-performing dealerships.  But [...]

When I Grow Up, I Want to Work for the Government

Posted by Eric B. on October 28th, 2009 under Government Spending, Small Government, Uncategorized Tags: , ,  •  1 Comment

Socialism-based societies should not be seen as those where the government makes every decision for you, but where its citizens are fully reliant on the government for everything.
The crux is that the government is not powerful, in and of itself, but that it gains its power indirectly from your need for it. [...]

The Easiest Healthcare Solution of All: Placebos

Posted by Eric B. on October 22nd, 2009 under Healthcare, Uncategorized Tags: , ,  •  2 Comments

I propose that we secretly replace all medicine in America with placebos.  This will solve the health-care crisis as prescriptions and medicine can be distributed for free.
How can I make such a ludicrous suggestion?
First, as demonstrated by several recent drug trials, the placebo effect is becoming stronger! In fact, in several studies, as many patients [...]

Will Any Politicians Act Responsibly?

Posted by Eric B. on October 21st, 2009 under Government Spending Tags: , , ,  •  1 Comment

Sorry about the rant, but I’m just angry.
I was reading about the plans to “extend” pieces of the stimulus package.  Mind you, this is not a “new” stimulus package (cause that would be political suicide), but simply an extension of the first one.
Proposed items include extending and increasing the homebuyer credit, extending unemployment benefits and [...]