My mind has many nooks and crannies ... like an english muffin
If We Close Our Eyes - Libertarian Edition
· ☕ 909  words politics  · ✍️ Peter Hiltz
I was browsing some libertarian social media sites trying to understand the different variations of libertarians and I was struck by the similarity with religious converts. If you believe in the invisible market hand, then everything will be fine is the same as if you believe in my version of God, then everything will be fine. When asking about exploitation, I was pointed to this quote: “With the State - biggest, baddest exploiter of all time - out of the picture, exploitation, in terms of aggression, would all but vanish.
Its not Capitalism v. Communism, Its Corruption v. Everyone
· ☕ 595  words politics  · ✍️ Peter Hiltz
It is painful to watch the echo chambers missing what is happening right in front of their faces because they are so fixated on the enemy they have been brought up to hate. Is it that corruption is okay if its the guys behind our cheerleaders engaged in the corruption? I see people point to the problems in Venezuela as demonstrating the evils of socialism. No, the problems in Venezuela demonstrate the evils of corruption.
Woe is You
· ☕ 402  words politics life  · ✍️ Peter Hiltz
Terry Pratchett once said “Satire is meant to ridicule power. If you are laughing at people who are hurting, it’s not satire, it’s bullying.” I absolutely agree. At the same time, I want you to think about the phrase “people who are hurting”. Let’s assume that someone is hurting but it is not “justifiable” in your mind. Have you now decided that they aren’t really hurting? There seems to be a tendency by both parties to a disagreement to deny the reality of any hurt feelings by the other side and claim that they are the only side that has the right to feel hurt.
RIP Ruth Bader Ginsburg
· ☕ 80  words politics  · ✍️ Peter Hiltz
RIP Justice Ginsburg. From a pure power politics perspective I can understand why the Republicans said that they will bring the next nominee to a vote before the US election. I can’t make people care about other people. But don’t for a second believe that there are any morals or ethics left in the bloody carcass of a once respectable party. As usual, feel free to disagree using this contact link.
When The Disgusted Have Left
· ☕ 119  words politics  · ✍️ Peter Hiltz
Apparently there is an old French proverb that says “When the disgusted have left, only the disgusting remain”. Painful, but true. There does become a point where leaving someplace because you cannot continue to work there and keep your integrity creates the danger that the place will get worse. However, if you have been sidelined and are no longer effective in trying to keep some integrity, morals, ethics there, then staying doesn’t help and maybe society is better placed for change from the outside.
Oh Look, A Squirrel! Christopher Columbus Edition
· ☕ 9131  words politics  · ✍️ Peter Hiltz
Introduction (because this will be long) There is an old proverb that you should never meet your heroes or heroines. If you do, you will see their feet of clay. How you do react? If you have idolized and attached a sense of yourself to the hero or heroine, people often either hide the issues and double down on the hero/heroine worship or they are so upset they throw away the good with the bad.
Counting Coup in an Echo Chamber and Other Wastes of Time
· ☕ 429  words politics  · ✍️ Peter Hiltz
I watched Ed Miliband’s speech in the UK Parliament and then watched all the social media posts from the “Remainders” congratulating each other. A typical title started “Boris Johnson’s humiliation by Ed Miliband…”. The same thing happens on the other side. It doesn’t matter whether it is in the UK, the US, India or elsewhere and it doesn’t matter what the subject is so long as there are at least two extremes on the position.
What is Respect?
· ☕ 662  words life  · ✍️ Peter Hiltz
I was reading an interchange on social media the other day about a shoplifting incident at a Lowe’s. In the discussion was a short interchange that got me thinking. One commentor said don’t bother reporting it to the police because they won’t do anything. Another commentator responded this is what happens when people don’t respect the police. My first thought was “What does respecting police have to do with shoplifting”. Then I wondered whether the second commentator was saying you don’t respect the police the police will not respond i.
To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme
· ☕ 1985  words songwriting  · ✍️ Peter Hiltz

One of the questions that comes up when writing a song after you have settled on the idea and the feel is whether you are going to rhyme or not. We all know songs that rhyme, don’t rhyme, have near rhymes etc. Each has their pros and cons and the strength of those pros and cons can differ depending on the music genre.

Tax Law Quotes
· ☕ 551  words tax law quotes  · ✍️ Peter Hiltz
The problem is not just that the law is overly complex. The problem is also that we change it all the time. We [Judges of the U.S. Tax Court] have from time-to time complained about the complexity of our revenue laws and the almost impossible challenge they present to taxpayers or their representatives who have not been initiated into the mysteries of the convoluted, complex provisions affecting the particular corner of the law
Beliefs, Opinions and Personalities
· ☕ 505  words politics philosophy  · ✍️ Peter Hiltz

I will posit this as my opinion - it is easier to change opinions than it is to change beliefs. The line drawing between opinions and beliefs is probably fuzzy, however. I would also suggest that your own personality will affect whether seeing facts contrary to your own opinion will cause you to change that opinion. I think this opinion of mine gets some support in a recent paper (abstract published at Close Minded Cognition).

That paper determined that people scoring high in the desire for order, structure and preservation of social norms tend to be less successful at correcting erroneous beliefs when confronted by new information. For those people, a close-minded cognitive style negatively influences belief updating. (click on the title to see more)

Dark Stone Wall
· ☕ 323  words Memorial War 4/4 

My only obviously autobiographical song. Families pay a price for the
games that politicians play that those politicians never pay.

Flanders Fields Rejoined
· ☕ 190  words conflict 4/4 

The poem “Flanders Fields” was written by a Canadian doctor during
WWI. It is patriotic and, unfortunately, glories in the continuation
of conflict. Must so many people insist on having an enemy to unite
and fight against?