Average Joe Think Tank

Just for kicks – let’s see how an ordinary person can relate to the number “one trillion”.

To put things into perspective we ask: Who was living in Europe one trillion seconds ago? How many trillion days old is the universe? Which is better, a 100,000 mile or a one trillion inch power-train warranty? How many space shuttle launches would it take to generate one trillion horsepower? Read on for the answers to these questions and a host of interesting facts as we explore one trillion.

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The New Jersey Supreme Court (NJSC) ruled on May 24th that New Jersey must spend $500 million more on education in 31 specific historically under performing districts (labeled “Abbott” districts). The basis for these rulings is a state constitutional mandate that requires a “thorough and efficient” education be provided to the state’s children.

Defining “Efficient”

Efficient – achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.

New Jersey, at $17,537, spent the second highest amount per pupil in the nation in 2009. The national average in 2009 was $10,539 per student – nearly $7000 less per student. Ten out of the top twenty academically performing states spent less than the national average. New Jersey also had the second highest cost at $16.83 per academic performance point compared to the national average of $10.48.

There may be several states who can claim to provide an “efficient” education to their students. New Jersey isn’t one of them.

Why then does the New Jersey Supreme Court continue to enforce spending mandates when increased spending clearly isn’t solving the problem?  The only arguments that present themselves lean toward mental impairment of a faction in the court or a court agenda at odds with sound fiscal and academic policy.

Let’s examine these arguments shall we? Read the rest of this entry »

In this blog I will attempt to analyze the ramifications of two profound statements relating to freedom, one from Dennis Prager and one from Milton Friedman, and draw some meaningful conclusions from them.

Dennis Prager made a statement on his radio show recently that “there are many people who prefer security over freedom”.  This simple yet profound acknowledgment brought additional clarity to my thinking on equality and freedom.

In his book Capitalism and Freedom, Milton Friedman made the statement, “Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself”. Again, a simple yet profound statement that speaks volumes about the human condition.

Let’s work with these concepts and see where we end up.

Refresher

As noted on our Equality page there are major differences between how liberals view the world compared to how conservatives view the world.

Liberals see the world as having three types of people:

1. Victims
2. Victim sympathizers
3. Oppressors

Conservatives also see the world as having three types of people:

1. Those who yearn for security
2. Those who yearn for control
3. Those who yearn for freedom

Read the rest of this entry »

What in the world did the Founding Fathers have in mind when they talked and wrote about “Unalienable Rights” and “Freedom”? These terms get tossed around a lot lately but what is the meaning behind the words?

Let’s explore shall we?

Unalienable Rights

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

So begins the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. Read the rest of this entry »

The other week I heard a local conservative radio talk show host say when discussing the extension of the Bush tax cuts, “Hey, if I’m well off and the government wants to give me another $600 a year I’m not going to complain!”. Or something very similar – like I said it was a few weeks ago.

Yes friends, the deception is that ingrained. Read the rest of this entry »

A plea and rallying cry for a new generation of freedom lovers! Now this is a slogan I can get behind! (Unlike the self serving plea of, “Don’t tase me, bro’!” shouted by a student who was resisting arrest)

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not an anarchist. I just want to limit the government’s infringement on my life to those purposes outlined in the Constitution. And nothing more. Read the rest of this entry »

While walking a precinct with a candidate yesterday evening a couple of gentlemen saw the candidate’s flyer on their door and rode out on their scooters to find him and discuss various topics. The discussion eventually turned to Civil Unions. Since precinct walking is the candidate’s forum and not mine I kept my thoughts to myself. However this blog is my forum and now I get to empty my head on this issue.

So dear reader, I ask you:

• What constitutes a marriage?
• What constitutes a union?
• What historical precedents are there for alternative marriages and unions?
• Is history and/or religion important in defining marriage?
• Should national or state values be set and rigid or moveable and flexible?
• If we redefine marriage from traditional to non-traditional where should the new line be drawn?

I’ll look into these questions using our logical and economic tools and provide my thoughts and analysis. Read the rest of this entry »

Elena Kagan has just been sworn in as President Obama’s second addition to the Supreme Court. If this choice is anything like his first choice, and her official record – thin as it is – makes it hard to tell, we can fully expect a Justice more than willing to peek out from under the blindfold. You see, Obama likes his Justices to be like the kid who peaks out from under the blindfold before taking a swing at the piñata. The better the peek the better the chance of getting the piñata to disgorge the candy.

The problem for us is that:

• small businesses are the piñata
• investors are the piñata
• successful students are the piñata
• big businesses are the piñata
• hard working employees are the piñata
• Average Joe’s are the piñata

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