Several times in the past few days people have said to me: “Give the guy a chance.” They are annoyed that I jumped out of the box to criticize President Trump only one day after his inauguration. They have pointed out that I am usually more open-minded, and that I did, in fact, say I…
Author: gary1164
I'm an advertising executive and former actor/producer
The Price of Freedom
There are several signs around town that read: “Freedom isn’t free.” Often that is followed by: “Thank a Veteran.” I agree wholeheartedly with that entire statement, but when I use the phrase I might be using it in a slightly different context. Service men and women are part of the equation to keep America free, but, as…
Tom or Ted? You Decide
What does it mean to be free in America? I believe it means that in the United States of America, no citizen will be denied services, opportunities, benefits, goods, transactions, acquisitions, access or mobility on the basis of their race, creed (religion), color, gender, or sexual orientation. In fact, if there were distinctions to determine…
Intercourse With Foreign Nations
We need to create a Foreign Policy Constitution. A document we hold up to the light to reveal how we should approach every foreign engagement. We can refer to this document so that America can consistently carry the moral authority expected of this free and powerful nation without compromise. Am I being facetious? Not really. …
The Heritage of ObamaCare
Who knew that the concept of an individual mandate to purchase healthcare was initially proposed by the conservative Heritage Foundation? During the George HW Bush administration the conservative think tank devised an alternative to the single-payer health care being proposed by Democrats. It followed the reasoning that was proposed by President Richard Nixon in 1974 (and…
The Tail Wags the Dog
I had an interesting experience speaking to a first year government class. I began the hour by asking the students this question: “What form of government do we have in America?” No response. “I mean is this an oligarchy, a monarchy, a theocracy…?” Finally, a young man in front, probably no more than 18 and clearly…
Power to the People (Right On!)
The ascension of a corporate-welfare bleeding, amoral, overrated host of a reality show to the Presidency of the United States was not the result of a populist movement alone, but was supported by an addendum to that populist movement. How else can we explain the contradiction that saw voters, terrified of oligarchic takeover of government,…
“Stand By Your Manor”
With Republicans taking the majority in both the Iowa Senate and House there are going to be several Republican-based initiatives that have been waiting (im)patiently in the wings for several years, that will become front and center as the legislature reconvenes. One such issue is going to be Castle Doctrine. Castle Doctrine has been around…
Run, Block, Pass, and Catch
Mark Twain famously observed: “We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it-and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again — and that is well; but also she will…
All This Aggravation
Life has a way with endless random collisions to occassionally produce a juxtaposition that is so uncanny it seems cosmically intended. At the very least, it arrests our attention and we draw relevant conclusions from the coincidence. While reading Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography, and contemplating his List of Virtues, I found myself most interested in “Industry” and “Silence.” Franklin urged…