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(Macro Level) Excessive (government) spending and higher tax rates negatively impact long-term economic growth by withdrawing (potential) capital from the private to the public sectors. It reduces productivity growth rates by inhibiting innovation and capital formation. Increased (government) spending increases interest rates which decreases private investment. It creates market uncertainties which reduces the return of long-term investments. Higher tax rates reduce incentives for employees to work longer hours or small business owners to expand their operations; that is to say, it reduces participation in the labor force by creating disincentives to work. It makes labor markets more rigid by hampering the efficient flow of workers from declining to expanding industries. It encourages ―rent-seekers‖ to waste resources by currying political favors; thereby distorting (economic) markets, reducing economic growth and undermining the Free Market Ethic. Such are the opinions rendered by the Joint Economic Committee.
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(Micro Level) Excessive (government) spending, especially over the last half century, has instilled unwholesome habits among Americans whatever their social or economic station; individuals who, from whatever walk of life, are unwilling or unable to concede its ―entitlements‖ that many perceive to be a ―right of passage,‖ who have grown indifferent, perhaps, to fiscal restraints however often (many) feign their pretended support for balanced budgets on the political battlefields, if not in their parlors. It is easy to support abstract spending initiatives provided such measures do not directly impact an individual‘s ―sacred cows.‖ Our society has reached a point of no return where far too many of us have come to rely on Big Government to foot the bill for our extravagance. Unqualified 45tendencies to accept what is ―freely‖ given, once carried to an extreme, becomes a self-filling prophecy; conditioned as many of us have become to living beyond our means, leaving it up to nameless/faceless (taxpayers) to foot the bill. Such are the opinions rendered by Al Baldi.
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Politicians are routinely elected into office on the basis of their (presumptive) promises to deliver the goods, to bring home the bacon, not the elimination, however, of goods and services the public has come to rely upon. In some respects, government assistance has become an extension of our paychecks. Some people may argue that they are merely receiving their proper due; that is to say, receiving in kind what they themselves have already paid into the system. Perhaps, but ―reciprocity‖ as such doesn‘t hold water when disbursements consistently outstrip receipts otherwise referred to as Deficit Financing.
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The search for Truth must necessarily extend beyond an individual‘s immediate consciousness or sphere of (self) awareness although such is arguably a good starting point. (Know Thyself.) At some critical juncture along this extraordinary journey, however, the traveler will (inevitably) be required to scale the guarded barriers of determined designs intended to protect that individual‘s intellectual and moral assumptions. Truth seeks its own inestimable rewards. It avoids convenient or simple solutions to complex questions or easy expressions for hard-nosed assumptions that require testing, at every level; prepared to accept in whatever manner, the pretentious challenges of misleading or presumptive propositions whose attainment is (sufficient) reward in itself.
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Immigration Reform is unlikely to occur anytime soon for the (very) simple reason that such measures designed to quiet the tides of illegal immigration must necessarily conflict with the efforts of corporate lobbyists and their political minions in conjunction with private enterprises that have come to rely heavily on cheaper sources of labor to operate their businesses and who have repeatedly demonstrated their calloused indifference to rules of law and native born working men and women and are willing to operate outside the law if that‘s what it takes, at the expense of Native Americans for the ―benefit‖ of Illegal Aliens who are ―here‖ to collect a paycheck if nothing else, who routinely flaunt our nation‘s laws while abetting an underground economy injurious to open markets.
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Assumptions by modern revisionists seeking to belie historical traditions, avidly supported by special interests with political axes to grind, however discredited such assumptions oftentimes are, may further promote muddled-headed thinking by ultimately winning the battle of ideas, however questionable their premises, by perpetuating falsehoods that, on the surface, oftentimes appear plausible to variable, ―discerning‖ young minds armed with partial knowledge, but sufficient enough to receive distorted impressions at their face value, rendering many vulnerable to questionable or unlikely propositions that bear little or no resemblance to the truth; advanced by (political and social) deconstructionists alienated from their (hated) customs, offering in exchange, contemporary standards predicated on historical fallacies, deception, inflicted reasoning and ignominious viewpoints.
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Latent aptitudes oftentimes conceal, however invariably reveal, underlying potentials that an individual will (hopefully) develop in his or her (own) good time; provided sufficient encouragement and support; that such emerging currents essential to that individual‘s moral and intellectual standing must first discover a suitable outlet for his or her natural expressions.
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The effectiveness of any performance measure is (ultimately) determined by its results, not by its intentions; in which case, an idea would simply be an idea whose (intrinsic) merit(s), if any, would reside in a state of potential animation.
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The federal government‘s half-hearted attempt at reducing budget deficits is tantamount to a terminally ill patient disengaging his or her life support system. Which of the two requires the most courage, I wonder?
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Governments do not reduce spending; they may (sometimes) reduce (accelerated) levels of spending understood as ―rates of growth.‖Attempts at reducing growth rates, however, are oftentimes perceived as spending ―cuts‖ by political party opponents (who otherwise favor more spending) although spending has actually increased, however at a declining rate.
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Discredited Arguments often seek refuge in Ridicule!
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A thoughtful society is understood in the manner it treats its elderly and disabled; whose kindly and compassionate measures will ultimately achieve its (own) loftiest rewards.
46
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That certain societies encourage thoughtful expression(s) allowing the private concern(s) or interests of an individual to take precedence over their own generic interests should never supersede in whatever manner, however, the critical requirements of those societies.
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Engaging in irrational behavior in an environment that has ceased to be rational or ―normal‖ is considered rational whenever such behavioral patterns either conform or comply with the (otherwise) irrational standards of that environment.
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Whenever I am watching a silent film, I am (often) struck by the economization of dialogue thereby reinforcing the notion that a picture is (indeed) worth a thousand words!
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Security should always take precedence over Rule of Law. Safety first, Freedom second! The former pre-conditions the latter!
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Television, I believe, has assumed the role of surrogate parent for a number of children which is not a very good thing. I believe its (television) automated influence over the impressionable minds of young boys and girls has produced a crippling effect on our children‘s imaginations. Many need to step outside their virtual environment and interact more with other children their own age; engaging in recreational activities and ―doing‖ rather than ―watching.‖
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There was a time not so very long ago when families routinely convened at the diner table to eat and talk about the day‘s events.Typical conversations were oftentimes ordinary and uneventful……..unless a daughter announced that she was pregnant, in which case all hell would break loose…..otherwise it fulfilled its (dual) purpose of recharging our nutritional batteries while engaging family members in casual mealtime conversations that brought the family (closer) together as a unit. Among the more traditional households,
―formal‖ arrangements as such were seldom optional; they were expected, rather. Table talk was not always pleasant; it could be confrontational or trying, at times. Nevertheless it provided an opportunity for everyone to sit down and interact; kinda get to know one another better or iron out some of the rough spots. Unfortunately, in today‘s faster paced environments, with working parents working longer hours, spouses and their children, alike, have become (virtual) strangers living together under a common roof however alienated on a number of very important levels.
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Dollar Value lacks precise measurement. It‘s an artificial invention based on the number of dollars the consumer is willing to spend on goods and services based on its perceived value at some particular point in time. In this manner, a dollar is said to lack intrinsic value or worth. Not unlike other ―commodities‖, its (―timely‖) value is subject to variable supplies and demands; that is to say, its value is generally determined by the perceived impact (variable) monetary and fiscal policies will have on the supply and subsequent demand (for dollar currencies). The volume of currency in circulation, understood as ―money supply,‖ whether in paper dollars in the hands of the consumer or investor or held on deposit by financial institutions or the currency reserves of Federal Reserve Banks or the United States Treasury are indicators that will either stimulate or deflate investor confidence and subsequent consumer spending. Investment and Consumption decisions often receive their cue from the economy. When the value of a dollar has decreased in relation to its (historical) value; that is to say, if a dollar in today‘s market will purchase less of a particular commodity than it would have, let‘s say, a week ago, the consumer, everything being equal, will either purchase less of that commodity or seek (product) substitutes at a lower cost. The price inelasticity of certain, much needed or desired commodities, such as gas or cigarettes, (for those who have acquired the nasty habit) will often compel the consumer to purchase them at whatever cost. Such commodities could be said to possess an―indispensable‖ value to the consumer. Such isn‘t lost on producers and manufacturers of such commodities or tax extortionists, for that matter, who artificially increase prices on their own accord by simply reducing supply (while increasing profits) because of its negligible impact on consumer demand. Government price supports is a prime example of artificially induced prices, scaling back on the supply of oil by pumping less of it, is another. ―Sin‖ Taxes is yet another. The possibilities are endless so why belabor the point?
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In planned economies, ―unlike‖ our own, foolish or whimsical policy decisions adversely impacting the economy have generally created multiple market disequilibrium‘s in which case all hell breaks loose. Wage and Price controls and excessive regulations are prime examples that have produced dire consequences on the open market. Then again, aren‘t such Keynesian practices still being routinely championed by legislatures in our own country?
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It remains a mystery to me how the mind is oftentimes influenced by initial impressions. Perhaps it‘s because the sudden awareness of something or someone does not provide ample opportunity for (pause) or thoughtful reflection; that is to say, having been taken off guard, it is ―reduced‖ to (merely) observing and/or reacting willy nilly, rather than properly perceiving (and assimilating) new 47impressions. Such impressions (or events), for that matter, are more often than not, either circumstantial or incidental to what is (actually) perceived to be their essential characteristics. Initial impressions, however, are not ―necessarily‖ subject to critical thinking.
A well-ordered, unbiased mind, properly conditioned, will likely regard such impressions intuitively as well as ―factually‖ rather than accepting them at their face value. Modifying uncritical impression(s) of someone or some idea requires open-mindedness rather than intellectually binding assurances. It also requires a level of (intellectual and moral) honesty allowing an individual to systematically revisit original assumptions formerly thought to be true. Such efforts further require a remaking of one‘s (own) Self by discarding ancient prejudices likely to color our impressions. It is not uncommon, however, that many of us are neither able to see nor understand
―things‖ beyond the limits of our conditioned preconceptions; that is to say, beyond our conditioned mode or state of ―being.‖ Our unwillingness to reconsider them as they actual are rather than how they appear to be by testing our (presumptive) assumptions is rooted in intellectual arrogance or fear which are hard to overcome.
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Whether or not ―hate crimes‖ have increased in recent years as a matter of fact or (by definition) is not necessarily a function of diverse impressions, (although they might be) especially when there is nothing of material value to be gained other than the perverse enjoyment derived by inflicting harm on someone considered socially or morally offensive or inferior in some manner or for no other (apparent) reason than someone‘s race or ethnicity. Our society has been conditioned to trivialize the ―root causes‖ of violent crimes committed by one race (Black) against another (White) by advancing abstract arguments centering on ―institutionalized racism,‖although such crimes are oftentimes incidental to race. Such arguments are often advanced to score political points or are simply the by-products of ignorance. There is no question, however, that such perception(s) often provide irrational motives for individuals bent on committing some arbitrarily violent action for its own sake. For such individuals, race is simply a triggering mechanism that justifies (latent) violent behavior. As indicated elsewhere in these pages, many of us seek convenient targets to justify our hatred and fears. What such arguments conveniently overlook, however, is the disparity of intra-community assaults committed against members of some community by members of another community, racial, ethnic or otherwise, in relation to those committed by individuals living inside their (own) community; that is to say, violent crimes are often committed against individuals living within the same community. Such communities have been historically poor. At the turn of the present century, many Whites were similarly threatened by predacious White Gangs living in their own communities. This sociological phenomenon owed more to circumstance rather than bias. That crime rates have increased dramatically over the last forty years doesn‘t alter the principled argument that crime is indifferent to race or ethnicity. It may be further argued that the rapid increase in urban crime, quickened in large measure by the gradual departure of (mostly) working and middle-class families to outlying regions, exacerbated the conditions of those who were unable to exercise similar options. Stable neighborhoods, however poor; that is to say, neighborhoods whose residents share a common interest in its overall health and prosperity, have traditionally, as far as may be expected, been able to hold crime reasonably in check. Families residing in traditionally ethnic neighborhoods were often able to acquire, in some measure, the resources required to promote safer neighborhoods. Once opportunities beckoned, however, the more talented or determined among them departed for
―greener pastures‖, leaving in their wake neighbors and friends lacking similar opportunities for a variety of reasons. Many of those left behind possessed neither the (financial) nor (political) wherewithal to preserve the integrity of their communities. Following this massive withdrawal, a rapid decline in innovative and entrepreneurial attitudes (and moral) purpose become apparent. The alienated poor have seldom felt the need for developing such attitudes. Despair will often do that to people. (Some of my conservative colleagues will undoubtedly take issue with me) Be that as it may, many of those left behind, law-abiding in every respect, were/are destined, it seems, to share a common environment with criminal elements and other (social) misfits who continue to create havoc in their lives, whatever their skin color.
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…each with something meaningful to offer, each providing the (essential) ingredients to meet present requirements, each reflecting wholesome attitudes, each rejecting single-mindedness …….each embracing remote influences….in conjunction with their (own) determinant efforts….. each indifferent to intangible sensations vaguely perceived or understood……..each disregarding aggregate notions whose material effect(s) are upsetting or puzzling to (singular) designs…..or conditions…. (whose) experience is (correctly) understood within the context of plausible events…. joined with the present…… each summoning propitious visions for the future…
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Specialization in the Workplace…intellectual designs superseding muscle and rote…adaptation (American Worker) …will become the critical requirement for many…retraining…acquisition of new knowledge and skills…modernization…cost efficiencies…rendering traditional descriptions obsolete…(faster paced environments) the ―culprit‖…velocity of change unsettling to most…(to the swift go the spoils, however)…especially for those firmly adapted in their ways…adaptively (inelastic)…unlike their younger counterparts… more adaptable to change…(faster paced environments) operating beyond (human) endurance…(Toffler)…witnessing, perhaps…the second coming of the Industrial Revolution…or an extension thereof, perhaps…or substitute Service in its stead…amounts to the same thing…History repeating itself?…anomie, displacement, broken homes, social diseases, political unrest, gradual erosion of moral values…meaningless…hyperbolic…perhaps…in whatever manner…(good) jobs remain the cornerstone of a stable society…provides dignity to the worker…as well as a paycheck…provides leisure (time) to develop sound (moral) values…provides (time) for family and friends…provides (time) to pursue other interests…provides (time) for introspection, (time) to develop into thoughtful human beings…or (time) to do absolutely nothing at all…. however insufficient (time) to promote mischief…Progress…necessary and inevitable…should proceed with caution, however,…lest unfavorable (social) side effects…override its stated (economic) advantages…48
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It‘s no longer a game! The modern athlete, caught up in the whirlwinds of big business and long-term contracts and commercial endorsements, playing up to fans but not for the fans, not really, and highlight reels that burnish self-serving credentials, begs the question, how about the love for the game for its own sake that has (seemingly) become secondary to self-centered attitudes and inflated egos; where gamesmanship has superseded sportsmanship? Bizarre behavior, taunting and jeering an opponent, especially common in higher profiled sports, has (sadly) provided the modern athlete with a receptive audience. Such mannerisms that, in a more congenial era, would have been properly frowned upon by a politer society, are now routinely encouraged in today‘s bread and circus―sporting‖ environments that ‖vicariously‖ indulge an athlete‘s baser instincts. Have (true) sport legends ever truly existed or were/are they merely figments of our boyish imaginations? Or has our society simply grown more cynical, its own egos requiring its own vicarious outlets? The athletes of my youth, not unlike many of us, were flawed individuals. They weren‘t altar boys. At least they had dignity enough not to carry their flaws on their sleeves or flaunt them as something to be proud of!
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The increasing demand for skilled labor has gradually rendered (traditional) labor requirements obsolete…hastening the departure of (un))skilled workers…commitment and loyalty no longer the (corporate) virtues they once were…workforce(s) composed of interchanging parts…expendable in many cases…always have been…time sensitive…constantly changing…faster paced environments…job requirements more broadly defined, …..intellectual resources… skill specific…… giving rise to…material disparities…technology rapidly progressing……….unable to keep up..…the new quickly superceding the old…in a heart beat!....challenging…securing plum jobs…transitory…restricted to the ablest and brightest…although not (necessarily)….the American Dream under siege, novel propositions challenging antiquated assumptions…no longer valid…
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The Beast is not a co-partner in Nature with Man. Man was given dominion over nature‘s bounty including everything that walks on four legs, crawls on its belly, swims in the oceans or flies in the air, to put into use for his own material comfort; responsibly and humanely; neither abusing nor mistreating (God‘s) creatures entrusted to his care, while administering to his needs.
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Humankind and Beast both share a common characteristic, the Survival Instinct. Of the two, Humankind, above all earthly creatures, is (the) more adaptable to its immediate environment by virtue of its superior intellect and remarkable ability to manage change by utilizing the tools of Reason. Humankind, not unlike the Beast, is guided in part by Instinct. Unlike the Beast, however, Humankind enjoys the singular advantages of native reasoning to promote its survival. The Beast, on the other hand, must rely on its instincts alone in order to ensure that it too survives. A conscious ―awareness‖ extending beyond the ―imagined‖ limits of its immediate environment is questionable, to say the least. The Beast is unable to make provisions for its long-term survival for the simple reason that it lacks the necessary predicates required in making reasonable long-term decisions. In other words, the Beast cannot plan for the future. Its long-term survival is owing entirely to chance or custodial designs . Furthermore, The Beast lacks the intellectual dexterity needed to anticipate, if not directly control, the dynamics of change. Humankind, however, possesses another ―remarkable‖ attribute uncommon to Beast, the capacity to render extinct, members of its own species for reasons (oftentimes) considered dubious at best.
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Whenever the cost of labor becomes prohibitive or (comparably) higher in certain markets in relation to others, most businesses will likely gravitate toward (the) cheaper sources of labor. In modern times, with the exception of importing cheap(er) labor from (Mexico) or migrating to friendlier working environments in (Right to Work States), a growing number of companies are fulfilling their labor requirements by (Outsourcing) abroad. This not so extraordinary phenomenon, that seeks the path of least resistance, does not bode well for America‘s blue collar workers whose jobs are being systematically eliminated at alarming rates exceeding the market‘s ability to replace them, if such is its intent, which it is not, I feel. The comparative advantages most companies seek are not unusual in competitive market environments. In fact, everything being equal, (healthy) competition is a necessary requirement for strong, prosperous economies. Supply and Demand cuts both ways, and in most instances will (actually) generate higher salaries for workers in conjunction with their job‘s specific skill requirements. Everything, however, is not equal and therein lays the rub. The American Worker is likely to face (unfair) competition from overseas markets whose (worker) salary ―structures‖ are anything but competitive or balanced as one might expect in a planned market economy (China) or fledgling, sweatshop economies (Everywhere) whose (native) pay scales, ―good‖ for the native(s), perhaps, whose alternative lies in sleeping on city sidewalks, has given rise to salaries and wages that American blue collar workers could never hope to (viably) compete against. Although I don‘t object to salary/benefits reductions in principle, (such measures are sometimes necessary in order to keep a company solvent), I nevertheless object to workers being paid $1 an hour, let‘s assume for argument sake, for a pair of sneakers selling for $100 on the American Market. This is beyond the pale. Such practices, prompted by sheer greed rather than (simply) profit, are contemptible and should be properly regulated. Any (American) company operating abroad and selling cheaply made products at ―home‖ at an exorbitant profit, should, in my opinion, be hit with the stiffest import tariffs imaginable to help defray the social costs incurred by the taxpayer for individuals who have otherwise lost their jobs or are (under-employed). A society that measures its economic output in terms of per capita GDP, a useless indicator in many respects, without regard to its components (people), may ultimately discover its social costs equally prohibitive.
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49The Freedom of Choice, within acceptable limits, is the cornerstone of a Free Society. With choice, however, comes (privileged) responsibility. The choices that we make say a lot about ourselves and the society in which we live. Many of us, unfortunately, have proven ourselves unworthy of such ―rights‖ by the choices we oftentimes make. This is the inevitable outcome, perhaps, of a society that fails to pay proper attention to its choices; that is to say, to the consequences of its choices. The litany of abuses predicated in the name of free expression, or proxy ―decisions‖ made on behalf of others who are unable to make informed decisions, are understood by the hordes of mentally ill people roaming the streets, who should be otherwise institutionalized for their own safety, if not for the safety of our society, for that matter, who remain on the streets, unable to properly care for themselves, mandated by civil rights organizations fearful that their rights may be jeopardized, people otherwise incapable of making a rational assessment of their own condition; not to mention conferring legitimacy to sexual deviancy in all its varieties that many of us have casually resigned ourselves to as ―simply‖ alternative lifestyles or championing (equal) protection under the law, that, in some instances, should call for censorship, or implausible assumptions regarding the ―unborn,‖ (Abortion) remanding millions of innocents to an early grave, a convenience for women fretting over their figures or professional careers, abetted by spineless politicians, who for expediency sake, continue advancing legislation denying them (―unborn‖) their own inalienable right to choose, had they the means, or encouraging a culture of death (Euthanasia) for the convenience of (the) would-be custodians of the terminally ill or perhaps to (simply) reduce the increasing costs of Healthcare, or the legalization of drugs because that too is a convenient alternative for a number of individuals who have seemingly lost the will to rid our society of rampant drug abuse and therefore justify such (hare-brained) schemes from the vantage point of opportunity savings or reduced social costs, or movements to eliminate God from the public consciousness lest society be reminded of its sins or perhaps because many of us have (conveniently) chosen to become our own gods. This is the inevitable outcome of a society that exercises choice without the benefit of proper moral guidance.
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The bankrupt policies of both major political parties (in many ways two peas in a pod) may soon usher the emergence of a (major) third party although old habits are difficult to break.
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Economic challenges pose the greatest threat to family unity, its dignity, moral values and purpose. Although gainful employment does not (necessary) guarantee a loving/supportive family environment, eliminating (financial) worries, however, increases the odds of families remaining closer together.
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Right Thinking should be properly encouraged, if not in its particulars, then certainly as a general rule.
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Virtue seeks its own reward(s) for its own sake in harmony with First Causes.
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There appears to be among Men of Science a Will towards God but nothing approximating the traditional Godlike Qualities that typify the faith of true believers but rather the assumption of godlike features originating from Reason‘s assault on Faith, that, having shaken its resistance, seeks to discredit the conventional propositions of Eternal Wisdom.
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Meaningful immigration reform is unlikely to occur anytime soon inasmuch as such efforts must necessarily conflict with the determined pursuit of higher profits by corporate interests at the expense of increasing numbers of underemployed (American) Workers forced to compete against cheap(e