Out of the mouths of nurses: During a recent hospital stay, I had an interesting conversation about government with a nurse, Kathleen Brazil. In the middle of the dialogue, she suddenly said, "Government is a way of not having to think." And in those eight words, she wrapped up neatly the seduction of government for so many people.

Is there a problem in society? No need to think about how people can solve it. Just have the government do it.

Is there a need for money to rebuild New Orleans? Don't bother wondering where it will come from. Just have the government pay for it.

Did someone attack the World Trade Center? No need to figure out how to capture the bad guys. Just have the government go to war with some country.

Of course, this isn't the only reason people turn to government. But it is an attractive option for the many, many people who have no interest in public problems. Hey, what's the big deal? Just have the government do it.

We will overcome this attraction only when we can present, in a very few words, a private option that is so much more beneficial that it's worth giving a few moments' thought to it.

Government is a way of not having to think. So let's figure out how to make it more attractive to think.

My medical condition: In case you haven't heard, this past June I developed a neurological illness that had apparently been evolving over the previous year. The illness has rendered my right leg helpless and confined me to a wheel chair. Although I have been examined by over a dozen doctors and undergone MRIs, CAT scans, PET scans, spinal taps, and more, no one is sure what the cause is. I have undergone treatment for the most likely possibilities, but with no apparent improvement so far.

I have decided against undergoing any air travel for the foreseeable future — which means that I won't be able to give speeches far from home. That's one reason I'm looking forward to the Advocates for Self-Government celebration this weekend, October 14-16. Pamela and I can drive there from our home near Nashville. You can get details on the celebration and register at http://www.theadvocates.org/20th.html.

August 25, 2005
 

Keeping liars off the streets: Martha Stewart's house arrest finally ended on August 11. However, she's on probation until March 2007. The terms of the probation are rather silly, given that she was convicted of lying to federal investigators. For instance, she's subject to surprise home inspections (which might catch her lying to federal investigators), and she has to write a monthly report detailing all expenditures over $500 (which might catch her listing items that were only $478). But we can all sleep better now  — knowing that federal liars are being closely watched by the feds.

August 22, 2005

Killing sprees: I keep hearing that the Arabs won't be satisfied until they've killed all the Christians — and thus it doesn't matter whether we were right or wrong to invade Iraq. The war against terrorists must continue.

Well, let's see. So far the Muslims have killed around 3,000 Christians (or Jews) in New York in 2001, and they've killed around 1,700 more in Iraq — for a total of 4,700. Meanwhile, the Christians, in the form of the U.S. and British armies, have slaughtered at least 40,000 Iraqis, most of which were civilians. That's at least 8 times as many.

So which side seems to be the most intent on killing the other?