Category: Two Cents

On Entitlements III

Skyler J. Collins (Editor)

Human sacrifice to the gods for the promise of blessings differs only in degree to the sacrifice of liberties for the promise of entitlements. Both require unjustified acts of coercion by the sacred authorities against your peaceful neighbors. Both disregard the preferences of those whose lives or liberties are to be sacrificed for your security. Both require manipulation or coercive indoctrination from an early age to make the sacrifice acceptable (superficially, at least) to most people so that the practice persists over generations. Both look at your fellow human beings as expendable cattle to be milked or butchered for the supposed benefit of everyone. For these reasons, and probably more, both are evil and wrong. And that’s today’s two cents.

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On Diversity

Skyler J. Collins (Editor)

The desire by so many for racial diversity seems to trump all other types of diversity. Can it be said that those who clamor for racial diversity “only see color”? Can it also be said that in their pursuit of racial diversity that they are tokenizing individuals as representatives for their race? If the goal is to produce a mix of different skin tones and facial features, then how can the goal also be to respect each person as an individual with individual merit and an individual perspective? What gives a person value in this mix is not their individuality, who they are on the inside and what they have accomplished, but rather, something superficial and virtually uncontrollable, who they are on the outside. It’s as if their only worth is as a member of a certain group (race, gender, sexual orientation). This seems strange to me at best, very cruel at worst. What do you think? And that’s today’s two cents.

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On “Land of the Free”

Skyler J. Collins (Editor)

Every sporting event in America is started with a recital of the National Anthem, the latest Super Bowl was no different. The National Anthem ends with, “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” With so many entitlements saturating the country, this phrase is utter bullshit. Of course, when it was written, chattel slavery saturated the country, and it was utter bullshit then, too. America is not “the land of the free”, and neither is it “the home of the brave”, when you consider how much liberty has been violated and how many Americans tolerate it. And that’s today’s two cents.

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On Tolerance II

Skyler J. Collins (Editor)

It’s just a tad (just a tad) ironic that the supposedly most tolerant places in the world, places like London, San Francisco, Toronto, and New York, are also the most heavily regulated and taxed. Why is this ironic? Because advocating for and permitting your government to impose such heavy burdens on your neighbors is one of the most intolerant things you can do. Think about it: you can’t abide your neighbors charging market-based rents, so you push for and accept rent control; you can’t abide your neighbors building and keeping all of their wealth, so you push for and accept heavy income and wealth taxes; you can’t abide your neighbors speaking their unpopular (with you, anyway) opinions, so you push for and accept infringements on absolute free speech liberties; you can’t abide your neighbors collecting and enjoying their firearms, so you push for and accept gun control. When considering all aspects of tolerance, not just skin color and sexual preference, these and many other places suddenly become the most intolerant places on earth. And that’s today’s two cents.

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On Toxic Masculinity II

Skyler J. Collins (Editor)

The most apparent forms of toxic masculinity that no one is talking about is what goes on with the armed forces and law enforcement. Invading and occupying foreign countries is incredibly toxic to peaceful men, women, and children who become “acceptable” collateral damage. Targeting, arresting, and imprisoning peaceful people who consume or trade something “prohibited” is also incredibly toxic. These and other forms of toxic masculinity are destroying lives and cities. Any time a man engages in aggression or coercion against another peaceful person or people, for any reason, child or adult, toxic masculinity is rearing its ugly face. Yet, nobody seems to give a shit about the bigger problems. I guess stopping men from mansplaining or from flirting and hitting on women, or boys from playfully roughhousing is more important. Talk about a distraction. And that’s today’s two cents.

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On Freedom II

Skyler J. Collins (Editor)

There is a sense that I agree with the statement, “Freedom is not free“. Everything we want has a cost that must be paid. Who is forced to pay for the things we want determines the amount of freedom we have. Under total freedom, our welfare, security, wants, needs, and desires must be paid for, in some fashion, by ourselves. Freedom for me means freedom for you, and so we can understand that the costs of freedom are all the costs associated with existence. Freedom begins to disappear the moment we plead for others to be forced to fund our lives. Yes, freedom is not free, but neither is freedom forcing others to fund your military or police squad. And that’s today’s two cents.

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