I define a Christian as someone who believes and has faith that Jesus Christ: Is the son of God, Died for our sins on the cross, Was raised and resurrected from the grave after three days, and Will return to judge the world offering eternal salvation to his followers Something that irritates me is a lot of well meaning people will expand the definition of Christianity and say something like, "Well, we have a Biblical world view". You hear it all the time on conservative talk … [Read more...]
Twenty Years Ago, in 1990 …
August 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I was in first grade, having lunch at the El Dorado Springs Christian School. Representing it old style, folks. This was a point in my life when I didn't own a single share of stock. It was about this time my Scrooge McDuck obsession started with the comic books, DuckTales, and the NES video game. Do you know why my first grade lunches were memorable? Because every single day my mom hid a note in my lunchbox, written on an index card, telling me that she loved me, why I was special, and … [Read more...]
Which Supreme Court Justice Are You? (I’m Anthony Kennedy)
August 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I just took the test rated highest for accuracy answering the question "Which Supreme Court Justice Are You?". Turns out, like the famous world's-smallest-political-test I took the other day, I really am a centrist. I match Justice Kennedy 72% of the time, and he is the swing vote on the court that makes most of the decisions. Justice Thomas, Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts were close runners-up based upon my answers. The criticisms from the far right of Kennedy are that he … [Read more...]
My Analysis of Judge Walker’s Proposition 8 Ruling, Perry v. Schwarzenegger, Legalizing Gay Marriage in California (and Possibly the Entire United States)
August 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I finally got through the ruling from Judge Vaughn Walker in Perry v. Schwarzenegger which overturned Proposition 8 as unconstitutional and it is scathing. I have never read anything worded this strongly other than Scalia's dissent in Lawrence v. Texas where you could virtually hear the man shrieking with fists flying (and I say that having tremendous, enormous respect for Justice Scalia's intellect, which at times, soars to the level of an apostle preaching legal gospel). Perry v. … [Read more...]
Is the Phrase “Unelected Activist Judge” an Insult or a Compliment?
August 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I've been too busy to post my reaction and thoughts on the Perry v. Schwarzenegger ruling from the district court that struck down Proposition 8 as unconstitutional and made gay marriage legal. I'll try to get to that in the next few days but the businesses must come first. (You know my rule: Unless I've read something completely, I try not to discuss it or give an opinion. I wanted to get through the entire 136 pages of Judge Walker's opinion before commenting.) UPDATE: My analysis of the … [Read more...]
Response to What Is Probably the Most Ignorant Message I’ve Received In 10 Years of Writing Finance Articles
July 26, 2010 By 2 Comments
A reader named Medusa wrote me and, to keep it short, explained that I shouldn't believe people should be rich because the Bible is against rich people, that I was going to die a miserable, lonely old man with no one who loved me because I saved my money instead of spending it, and that after reading a profile I wrote based on Federal Reserve data of the Capitalist Class in the United States, she was starting to consider the possibility that the rich were nothing but oppressors who steal from … [Read more...]
Is There a Separation of Church and State in the United States?
July 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A friend from college and I have been discussing whether the separation of church and state is what the founders intended and whether it is a good or bad thing for society. After a few years of studying the issue, here are my conclusions. I'll keep it as brief as I can. I despise intellectual dishonesty more than almost anything else. The simplest definition of intellectual dishonesty is when someone knowingly excludes information or data that would hurt his or her own point of view … [Read more...]
My Reflections on Christian Legal Society Chapter of University of California Hastings College of Law v. Martinez Supreme Court Ruling
June 28, 2010 By 1 Comment
Back in college, when I was the student body treasurer and chairman of the finance board, a Christian group known as Campus Crusade for Christ threatened to sue the university because they wanted to be officially recognized. The problem was they required that their elected leaders leaders sign a personal "Statement of Beliefs" pledge that included a provision affirming that homosexuality was a sin and the leader did not engage in immoral sexual conduct. This went against the university's … [Read more...]
The Supreme Court Is On a Roll Today … Rulings on “Guns, God, and Gays” All In a Single Morning
June 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
In addition to the Kagan confirmation hearings this morning, did anyone notice the opinions the Supreme Court of the United States of America released today? Two major ones that have been watched very closely in conservative and liberal circles alike were decided on 5-4 decisions. McDonald v. City of Chicago: The court ruled that laws banning gun ownership in private homes for self-defense go too far and are unconstitutional under the second amendment. I have to agree with the majority on … [Read more...]
Shocking Facts About Abortion In America (And the Drop In Christians as a Percentage of the Population)
April 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Instead of writing the next chapter of the book I'm working on, as I should be, I am playing We Rule and studying statistics and demographic data from various nations around the world. I'm not exactly sure how this began, but somehow or another, I ended up in databases and that started my research. What I found was fascinating. Apparently, the per capita and absolute abortion rate in the United States has been dropping like a stone for the past 20 years. In fact, as recent as 2008 (the … [Read more...]
I'm a private investor who loves architecture, furniture, clothes, history, philosophy, books, cooking, and music as much as I do finance. 
