Some of this is based on my understanding of scientific research. Some of this is based on my understanding of various philosophers. Some of this is based upon my personal observations. I’m certain it is flawed. I am also certain that it has been a useful model for me in trying to understand other people. We are a species in the Great Ape family who have developed the ability to understand and internalize an untold number of concepts, and to use them as tools to improve decision making. [Read More]

Our way of life is clearly unsustainable. Full stop. But that’s daunting, so we ignore it. Painting by Marie We pretend we’re not buying mansions in flood plains right before the ocean rises. It’s a culture of limited liability. You cannot shift liability on a global scale. It doesn’t go away, it merely moves. When the rich make risky bets, enabled by government, home owners pay the cost when it inevitably bursts. [Read More]

The American Dream has always been an unachievable ideal. Prosperity is never evenly distributed. Even without it being achieved it is useful. Without the ideal to measure against, it’s difficult to tell when we’ve strayed. All of this is moot if we don’t agree on what the Dream *is*. Do you see the difference? President Trump is talking about the opportunity of anyone to succeed while Adams was talking about the the opportunity of everyone to succeed. [Read More]

Without regulations, we will be exploited by people who believe that since morality is subjective, anything that is legal is fair game. If it is too difficult to work for yourself instead of someone else, the more power and money will be in the hands of people who are focused on gaining more power and money. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. [Read More]

Our government has been broken for a long time. The GOP has told us we cannot expect accountability at the top, so it’s time to go after those who follow illegal orders. It did not start with Trump. I think most of us are aware that special interest groups have been pushing things in the favor of business for a very long time. Regardless of best intentions, the government has been helping the rich squeeze the poor for decades through business friendly policies. [Read More]

I view economic freedom as the ability to control your own work life on a daily basis. To choose where you want to work and what you want to do. To choose if you want to work full time, or if you’d rather live simpler and work less hours. You can get rich if you learn to leverage the skills of others, but you can take ownership of your future if you can figure out how to become self-reliant. [Read More]

The Ends of Beginnings I wrote this two years ago at the start. Indecision A misled life Struck down with a mortal blow The American dream rejected In favor of the unknown I rewind my life Tearing down success Setting fire to all I desired But never needed This understanding eludes me If this life is all wrong Then something must be right… Right? I have love, success, comfort Shouldn’t that be enough? [Read More]

It appears that I have a different understanding of leadership than a large portion of the country. My former employers spent a lot of money making leadership training available to us. A real leader would let their actions lead. A real leader is willing to put in the effort to learn a much as possible in order to be able to make an informed decision. “Book: The Wisdom of Confucius” by John Drake Flickr is licensed under CC BY-ND 2. [Read More]

A few months back I worked with a friend to create a short video collecting information from a variety of sources that tell a really dark story of attempts to steal an election. “cambridge analytica” by Book Catalog is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Copy rich text Below I’ve collected some of the original source videos, as well as other material that influenced me even if I didn’t include footage. [Read More]

The best way to help is to try. Look for resources that you have that other people may be able to use, and find people who need them. Money is the easiest resource to spread around. I have a fair amount of cash on hand that was going to fund my business. Now, I’m using it to help resource strapped individual make it through isolation. I’m surprised to hear about landlords still threatening evictions, but they’re apparently out there. [Read More]