Liberty Drip

  For the longest time, I’ve said that if you want to lose what little faith in humanity you may still have, spend a little time on Twitter (X.com). As I subjected myself to this torture this morning, I was reminded of why I say this. Sure, there are positive things on the platform, the occasional cute puppy or funny cat video, and some other stuff, but I gravitate toward the political. My hope for the future of my country erodes every time I log on. After President Biden’s abysmal, but not at all surprising, performance in last week’s debate against Donald Trump, many on the left have called for his resignation, hoping he will be replaced by someone more capable of defeating Trump. I think at this point, they’ll settle for someone capable of stringing together enough words to complete a sentence. As if to add more pressure to the candidate, they want the words to all come out in the right order. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be such a tall order. These are interesting time

In Florida, our preferred grocery store chain is Publix, "Where Shopping is a Pleasure." The stores have always been bright, clean, and well-stocked. The employees were always friendly and helpful. They smiled when you spoke to them. They cared... these people are a memory.  Publix was the last best hope for people like myself, who worked in customer contact positions all their lives and were trained to treat customers well, to underpromise and overdeliver. We were trained to be good to our customers, or we were shown the door. I miss those days. I miss walking into a place of business and not being treated like an inconvenience. I'm here to spend my money and help you keep your job so you can have money, too. Don't be so ungrateful about it. I was aware of a steady, subtle decline in the quality of not only Publix's service, but the quality of their products, too. I was prompted to sit down and write this because the half & half I bought from Publix not a wee

 My generation was among the last of the free-range kids. We played outside. Our parents had no idea where we were unless we were hungry, hurt, or in trouble. We were out with the sunrise and in with the streetlights... sometimes. We were free in a way my kids can only imagine and my grand-kids will never believe possible. Times were different, they were simpler. We really were free. All in one lifetime. All in one lifetime. We didn't know it but we were bobbing in the wake of the 60's counterculture revolution and Vietnam and Watergate. I remember the Iran Hostage situation being on the TV at night and on the front pages of newspapers and the covers of magazines. I remember the image of a blindfolded man and each day, the number was higher. And then there's Ron. He turned it around, didn't he? Well, maybe not but he got the hostages back and gave America hope again. He put us on the path to prosperity. At least, that was how it felt. Reagan was cool. He was happy and o

By Adolfo Jimenez I am a small business owner. Small, of course, is a relative term. While my business is not as big as Amazon or AT&T, it is pretty big to me. I own two corporations with four distinct lines of business. I work quite hard, even when things are slow and there is not much to do. In my life as a business owner, I have created jobs, and I’ve fired people or let people go. I have created millions of dollars in value, I have served countless customers, and I have, of course, paid more than my fair share of taxes. It’s okay, I’m happy to help those less willing than myself.  I can live with the taxes. No, I can’t. No need to lie, it doesn’t further the story or prove anything. I pay taxes because I would rather not have the problems that come with not paying taxes like going to jail or having my stuff seized by the state. Makes sense, right? But taxes are only one of the unfair burdens placed on business owners in the land of the free. The burdens people don’t talk about

  A pharmaceutical company creates a drug. They spend a lot of money to do this. Millions. Tens of millions. Sometimes hundreds of millions. All this before they have a single customer. Not a single pill sold. They’re operating in the red on this particular product. It’s a problem. A corporation exists to make money. It is not tasked with making the world a better place. Sure, there are many socially conscious entrepreneurs out there and there is no denying that they are doing more to make the world a better place than the governments they are regulated, taxed, and restricted by. Pharmaceutical companies are not among these kinder, gentler corporations. They are an enemy of humanity. Back to the development of the latest miracle pill. Big Pharma creates a pill without a single customer existing for it. They need customers. Lots of them. Fast. So they advertise. They produce high quality commercials depicting people enjoying their lives with friends and families. These people go water s

Ravi Kopparapu and Jacob Haqq-Misra's thought provoking opinion piece in the Washington Post May 26, “We’re asking the wrong questions about UFOs,” suggested a redirection of the recently piqued public interest in answering the question of what unidentified aerial phenomena are, to how we can figure out what they are.  I concur that the latter question is more immediately important than the former; however, two more peels of this onion are necessary. The questions which must come before all others are whether we can figure out what they are and so what if we do? The reason these questions are so important is that the authors and a number of other leading thinkers are advocating the dedication of public resources to the matter of answering the how question. Were they merely putting their own time and energy to the question, I would gladly cheer them on.  Bravo!  After all, who doesn't root for the underdog?  But betting money on the underdog is a different matter, especially whe