A Return to the Armchair

Once again a long hiatus (okay, extremely long) and again I will state that I could not care less.  I write strictly for mental relaxation/stimulation and thought organization.  The fact that you get to read it (if you choose) is simply a by-product of this great development of man known as the internet.  So let's get it started.  First on the docket, a personal story about new opportunities and challenges. I'll segue from that into a little Constitutional commentary and wrap things up with a few tidbits of Austrian Economic Theory.  Shall we dance?  If not, just click here.

Okay, so you may be a little curious as to why I haven't written in like 5 months.  Turns out that when you move your family to a new state, a new house, new schools, and a new job you get a little busy!  At the beginning of June I accepted a transfer with my company to join their startup in the state of Indiana.  It was (and is) an incredible opportunity for me to both advance and also to apply more of the principles I talk so often about.  The fact is, in Illinois I had some pretty serious job security and a very comfortable living. I was in a union, had protection, a mostly guaranteed income, awesome health insurance, kick-ass retirement plans, and a pile of vacation.

So why mess with a good thing?  There are two main reasons.  The first is that I had advanced about as far as I was going to go in Illinois without moving to Chicago.  Quite honestly, I saw no value in that.  Chicago is a cool city, it's just not for me at this point in my life.  In my mind, the cost to value ratio of Chicago seemed rather off balance.  The second reason is that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to start up a whole new state and tackle the challenges that come with it.  These far outweighed the seemingly posh existence I have enjoyed for the last 6 years.  Call me crazy (and some people have) I couldn't have been happier to make the move!

Now my wife, being the rice to my beans that she always is, took all of this in stride.  Of course, she got to "retire" once we moved which helped cushion the blow a bit.  We also get to live in what CNBC recently called "One of the Top 10 Cities to Move to"!  Only time will tell if we will be able to maintain this one income arrangement.  It turns out that owning 2 houses, and schooling 2 children is costly!  Not to mention covering a much more significant portion of our own health care (and it figures to get harder thanks to the so-called "Affordable Health Choices Act").  But anyway, you make choices and accept the consequences.  So far, so good!

On the job front, I am once again (as I was in Peoria) blessed with a magnificent group of individuals with which to go to battle.  They are good-natured, witty, and sharp.  I told them last week at a meeting how much better I feel when I am around them.  It really helps with the pressures of the job to be able to laugh with your teammates.  Our organizational structure is still very much in flux and probably will be for about another 4-6 months.  Our industry is not one for the inflexible or weak-minded!  We have started to make our mark on the Indiana market by raising the service level and not allowing our competitors to dictate our behavior.  As I tell my team, "I don't care what they do, I only care what we do!"

And there is the segue I have been waiting for (how about you?)  I continue to read a lot about "hate" speech, mosque building, gay bashing, etc.  It seems like there is always a "they".  Newsflash...if they are not violating your rights, why do you care?   I personally could do without a lot of it.  However, it's all protected by The Constitution!  It's pretty simple really.  You cannot have true freedom if freedom only exists for those who think like you.

Take for example the folks from that "church" in Kansas protesting at military funerals.  Pisses a lot of us off right?  Guess what, it is still their right to hold their asinine signs and shout their idiotic dogma.  We don't need a law.  We need more folks like the Patriot Guard Riders who exercise their rights to form a protective ring around the grieving family.  See the difference?

Here's another one for you.  A lot has been shouted about marriage being between a man and a woman.  Guess what? Marriage exists between two people who believe that it exists between them!  The state has no business in it except to recognize the contract.  Marriage is a contract (a covenant for you religious types out there) between two individuals that should be recognized by society as a whole. The only laws we need defining it are contract laws similar to a limited partnership.  Too unromantic for you?  Tough.  Marriage is about commitment and partnership not about wine and roses.  It's fucking tough, and who is anyone to say that two men or two women can be less committed than a man and a woman?  I love my wife.  Yes, we have some wine and roses (more wine than roses) but what it is really important to us is the partnership we share in building our lives, raising our children, and enjoying each other's company.  So there you go.

Moving on...ever hear of the Mises Institute for Austrian Economics?  It's motto is "Tu ne cede malis sed contra audentior ito"  Which translates to "do not give in to evil but proceed ever more boldly against it."  If you are a fan of liberty and of free markets, I invite you to check it out here  There is a ton of material there regarding one basic premise:  leave man unrestricted with his own mind and self-interests and all will benefit in the end.  In other words, leave Zuckerberg alone!  Leave Gates alone!  Leave Jobs alone! A monopoly can only exist if the government creates one!  Say, for instance in the health care market, the home mortgage market, or perhaps the retirement market. I'm just saying....

Good night Romans, citizens, and countrymen.  Feel free to comment.  I need the exercise!  I'm very out of shape.  And to the Desolation Angel, sorry for being light on data, charts, and such!  Really just felt like picking up the electronic quill for a few...