The Selfishness of Sharing

John Stossel crushes the flawed reasoning of annointed. I hate sharing as everyone truly does because its based on the predication that it will make everything better for everyone in all situations. The idea that "Society would clearly be better off if we all shared more."

if kids get Tori Haidinger in high school, they learn a different lesson. The California teacher invites kids to experience basic economics firsthand: "You are the head of a family that is fed by catching fish," she says. "Our fish are Hershey's Kisses. You will get to eat them." Each table gets a beaker of Kisses. She tells the kids, "Share them with your friends. You can take as many as you want, but any left over will reproduce, just like fish, because I will double them." What happens? The kids quickly empty their beakers. No more Kisses.

That's what has happened in the real world, too. The supply of fish in the world's oceans has dropped because the oceans and the fish swimming through them are public property — shared property. The oceans are full of fishermen who know that if they don't catch a fish, the next guy might, so they have very little reason to cut back on fishing: The fish they leave behind aren't feeding their own future — they're feeding their competitors. As one of Haidinger's students said, "I was thinking ... I probably should share, but I didn't think anybody else was sharing, so I took more." Economists call this "the tragedy of the commons."

Then, Haidinger tries a different tack. She gives each student a private beaker of Kisses. "What this has actually done," she says, is establish "a sense of privatization." It's as if each student had a private pond and owned all the fish in it.

"Privatization" has a bad reputation, but this time, no student overfishes. Kids leave enough in their ponds so the teacher can double their number, and so new generations of chocolate Kisses are born. "So," asks a student, "are you saying that if it's ours, we will care more about it?"

"Yup." Owning is caring.

It only sounds weird because we have been taught just the opposite. Consider Yellowstone National Park for instance, which has become a bastion of bad environmental policies. People have wanted to put pollution warning into effect. Snowmobiles have supposedly caused a lot of damage too. However, if Yellowstone was owned by private individuals they would have incentive to keep the area clean and preserve it, even if they decide to use some of the natural resources there.

Goal: Retire before 30

My goal is to retire before 30.
Ok, stop laughing. Believe me, I've got this all planned out. Not long after I retire I'll become an expat and move to small town in Mexico or Costa Rica to spend the rest of my days scuba diving and reading books. I'd probably start a small pawn or secondhand shop to keep me busy when I feel I've been too lazy. No boss, no job, no worries just days filled with digging my toes in the sand. :)

First time for everything

My first time was an interesting one. I got lost, turned around, had to ask for directions, and eventually found the wrong place, only to find the right place after a bad turn of events.

I write, of course, of my first time in a Pentecostal church.

I had met my Bible study teacher in the cafeteria, tried to get either her or her friends number, only to find myself scheduled for a Bible study. When the time came around I quickly realized that it was more serious then I thought. She had a full Bible study typed out just for me. As she began going through the study, however, I found myself quickly becoming interested in the material, most of which I had never heard before. We continued the Bible study for several weeks, but try as I might she would not let visit her church. She wanted to make sure I was ready.

After a month or two she said there was a visiting preacher coming who talked especially about the Holy Ghost. She couldn't stop me from coming this time. I got directions and the next Sunday night I was on my way.

The directions were simple enough, but I was never good with following directions and eventually found myself lost in an unknown area. I stopped for directions...more than once (yes, some men will ask). First from some Mormon girls I mistook for Pennys and then some cashiers. Eventually, I thought I had it right, "simply follow this road" said the cashier and there it is.

I followed the road and found myself in front of an old deteriorating building, which was emanating loud music. This must be the place, I thought.

I walked through the door and was really surprised. I had never been in a place like this before. The music was pumping (albeit badly), some guy was speaking loudly through a silver mike, and there were plenty of places to sit in the back.

No one approached me so I found a seat and began looking for my Bible study friend. I didn't see her. Dang! So I asked the girl next to me if she knew her. "Who?" she said over the noise. It was at this point that I noticed an older lady look at me with a scowl. I'll never forget the face, bunched up, eyes narrowed, lips unbroken. It wasn't nice and I was going to get out of there AFAHP(as fast as humanly possible). The girl yelled that I was at the wrong Pentecostal church and the one I wanted was at the end of the road. And out the door I went.

Somehow, I found the right church and was greeted by people who knew I was coming and ushered me next to my friend whom I then realized was the pastor's daughter. Everybody was friendly and the service was great. Some girl ran off the platform sreaming and throwing her arms wildly (to this day, everyone says what the heck was that!) and some other happened that I'll never forget, but on the whole I really liked it. I never, ever visited the other church and after a year it was no longer there. I continued to go to my friends church and recieved instruction by some of the best Bible study teachers around.

Today, I make sure to never give anyone the same look that I was given because had I not kept looking for the right church I would never have come back at all.

A Little Perspective

Joseph Farah, a man whom I admire for his gumption, gets a little out of focus on the whole polygamy thing.

The next domino to fall to the confused, relativistic mind is the institution of marriage.

It's easier to keep things in perspective when you have a good knowledge of history. For instance, last night I was reading about the ancient culture of Olmecs who believed that the end of the world could only be prevented by huge amounts of
human sacrifice. They sacrificed infants, children, and adults at about 250,000 a year. In some cases they would cannibalize the sacrifice and other times they would oil themselves up, slip into a skinned human, and run through town like a madman.

Now, aren't you glad people aren't walking around in your skin.

It's a little hard to think that the world is going to end because some people live together in the same house. Marriage is a Christian and Jewish institution according to our beliefs. Can a man and women be truly united in Holy Matrimony if it is in the sight of Allah or Vishnu? If they are athiest, by what oath are they adhering?

As much influence as religion has had on marriage, woman have more as it is in there best interest, over time, to have one man devoted to them for life. When jealousy flares up in both men and women you'll be hard pressed to find those who would or could be married to more than one of either sex. In fact, the only places you'll find polygamy is in remote African villages and those places where the dominant religion makes it a major practice. So even if they were to legalize it, there would be only a small amount of practioners, which I believe would dwindle over time.

For Christians marriage will remain the same, even as the debate rages between athiests and those of other religions. It's also good to remember that which can be allowed by government can also be denied. Meaning that, if the leviathan has the power to allow marriage between a man and a women, then it also has the power to deny them. It is best to realize that monogamous marriage is a Christian adherence and that we don't need the government to protect it.

E-mail Sean at 99blogger@ninetyandnine.com

Reason

I have to share this thought from Lunar Skeletons:

It’s funny, but why is it that pastors who want to build mega-churches, after having accomplished that goal, end pushing their congregations into being members of “small groups”?

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By the way, I got the go ahead to add comments. If someone abuses them, then I'll delete the comment, no problem. If you notice someone abusing them and I don't notice it, just let me know. Have fun...

Trojan horse

Rep. Ron Paul discerns the road to serfdom:

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a national ID bill last week that masqueraded as “immigration reform.” The bill does nothing to address immigration policy, however, nor does it propose deporting a single illegal alien already in our country. It does nothing to address the porous border between the U.S. and Mexico, which is the fundamental problem. In reality, the bill is a Trojan horse. It pretends to offer desperately needed border control in order to con a credulous Congress into sacrificing more of our constitutionally protected liberty.

Supporters claim the national ID scheme is voluntary. However, any state that opts out will automatically make non-persons out of its citizens. The citizens of that state will be unable to have any dealings with the federal government because their ID will not be accepted. They will not be able to fly or to take a train. In essence, in the eyes of the federal government they will cease to exist.

Speaking with a couple of friends over a game of risk the other night I had to point out their wrongheaded conclusions. If the problem is government centralization, then the solution is even more government centralization, right? In essence, the centralized states couldn't fix the problem, so now the government creates more centralization to fix the first problem, thus eliminating the problem, or is that eliminating the solution.

So what's the likely outcome:

A national ID card will have the same effect as gun control laws: criminals will ignore it, while law abiding people lose freedom. A national ID card offers us nothing more than a false sense of security, while moving us ever closer to a police state. The national ID proposal should die a well-deserved death in the Senate, and it should be denounced as authoritarian and anti-American.

These aren't the ramblings of a madman. This is from a Texas Congressman who's been reelected and can truly say that he was "the first person in modern history to author term limits legislation, then lived under them by stepping down from his seat in 1984 and returning to his medical practice." That should say everything that needs to be said.

Caesar will find a way

Caesar will always find a way to collect.

As more and more hybrids hit the road, cash-strapped states are warning of rough roads ahead.

Officials in car-clogged California are so worried they may be considering a replacement for the gas tax altogether, replacing it with something called "tax by the mile."

Seeing tax dollars dwindling, neighboring Oregon has already started road testing the idea.

"Drivers will get charged for how many miles they use the roads, and it's as simple as that," says engineer David Kim.

Kim and his team at Oregon State University equipped a test car with a global positioning device to keep track of its mileage. Eventually, every car would need one.

"So, if you drive 10 miles you will pay a certain fee which will be, let's say, one tenth of what someone pays if they drive 100 miles," says Kim.

The new tax would be charged each time you fill up. A computer inside the gas pump would communicate with your car's odometer to calculate how much you owe.

It's all to make your life better, right? As the governments increases its ability to monitor, I won't be surprised as we get taxed, on a per use basis, for the amount of bath water, toilet water, or even someday the air we breathe.

I believe that one day the libertarian system of private roads will finally come into existance again (as it did in Europe a long time ago), but unfortunately not soon enough.

E-mail Sean at 99blogger@ninetyandnine.com

Showering in the Church

My church is located downtown, on the corner, and is only one big room so there's really no place to do a banquet, wedding/baby shower, or event right. Well, this weekend was my wife's baby shower of which I managed to avoid for it's first 50 minutes.

There is nothing, I repeat, nothing like walking into a room of all women.

They know that you are outnumbered and they can smell fear. I kid you not. Immediately, I was surrounded by aunts, grandmothers, friend's wives, people I didn't know and baby stuff. Kidding aside, everyone was so nice, brought good food, and some even better gifts. Mostly gifts that I would never have thought to get ever. Ever.

I mean, a wipe warmer?

As I mentioned, our church is located downtown and the big windows in the front allow anyone walking or driving by to see every event, service, alter call, concert, or anything else. At first it might seem a little disconcerting, but after a short while you get used to it. Instead of being that brick church with solid doors, you can actually see the people inside doing what they do. I think it really breaks down barriors and removes the idea of "us and them".

Do we take up snakes - well obviously you can see that we don't.
What is our worship like - just walk by one Sunday.
What is our music like - again, just walk by one Saturday or Sunday.

The church isn't hidden behind walls or any other structures, but out in the open. I should mention that when we move into the new church it will be just like every other church in the country, but I know I'll definitely miss seeing the people walk by.

Why don't we build our churches with the big open windows so everyone can see?

E-mail Sean at 99blogger@ninetyandnine.com