The CEO’s of our nation’s largest oil companies have recently been called to Capitol Hill to answer for their “record profits.” It seems quite ridiculous that today you might actually have to stand before congress and explain yourself for being too successful. Those in the panel of congress, mostly Democrats, have sat across from these oil executives hurling accusations and showing their disdain for anyone in this nation who is more successful than themselves. They even had the guts to accuse the oil companies of not giving enough money to Myanmar for relief? Not giving enough? First of all, some reports have shows that a few of these oil companies alone have given more than 50% of what the entire United States government has given. Secondly, since when is it the right of a congressperson to scold someone for not giving enough? According to Thomas L. Friedman in his book, “The World is Flat,” “Communism [is] a great system for making people equally poor.” This seems to be the road that these Democrats would like to take. The gist of the Democrats’ argument seems to be that the oil executives are exploiting poor Americans and in the meantime making too much money. I would ask the question, “How are we being exploited?” Do we have a right to oil that legally belongs to the oil companies? If we stole it from them, would that be just? Although these congressmen fancy themselves modern day Robin Hoods – in this day and age, Robin Hood goes to prison and the rich man gets back what is rightfully his.

"And it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." Barack Hussein Obama “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” John Adams “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the affairs of men, more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.” President George Washington First Inaugural Address “For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system, which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interest.” Alexander Hamilton "It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution.” James MadisonFather of the Constitution

A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words redistribution of wealth. She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Republican, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his. One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father. He responded by asking how she was doing in school. Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying. Her father listened and then asked, 'How is your friend Audrey doing?' She replied, 'Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties, and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over.' Her wise father asked his daughter, 'Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct a 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA.' The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back 'That's a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!' I have never understood why it is "greed" to want to keep the money you have earned but not greed to want to take somebody else's money. Thomas Sowell

The world will be “...eleven degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age,” - Kenneth Watt, speaking at Swarthmore University, April 19, 1970. What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to reminisce on the first ever Earth Day. The hysteria was much the same then. Although, one interesting difference is that a rise in pollution then was predicted to block sunlight from reaching earth therefore causing a new ice age. Today pollution is said to be holding earth’s heat in, resulting in warming - same cause, different effect. One might wonder if this round of predictions will be any more accurate. See more predictions from the first Earth Day...

Do you think that perhaps global warming fanatics have gone too far? ...

In 2001, a group of activist student at Harvard wanted a “living wage” ($10.25 a hour, plus benefits) for all Harvard employees. The “living wage” movement is obvious. Life is hard for workers trying to support families on $7 an hour. Greg Mankiw said in response to the students’ movement that if we could wave a magic wand and help those at the bottom of the economic ladder move up a rung or two, we should do it. But enacting a social reform is not like waving a magic wand. It is more like prescribing a drug with a long list of side effects. Sometimes the side effects are worse than the disease . Most prices are set by the market force of supply and demand. The major difference between high-wage workers and low-wage workers is productivity, which drives the demands for their services. The living wage campaign wants to repeal the law of supply and demand. One effect of higher wages is a reduction in the amount of labor the employers demand. ( See Hillary disproves her own position, posted Sunday, April 6, 2008 ) Living wage supporters argue that Harvard’s large endowment could afford to pay higher wages. Yes, that is true, but that’s not the point. Like all employers, Harvard is always making cost-benefits calculations, weighing the benefits of one project against others. For example, hiring more janitors to clean chalkboards more often or hire more professors to reduce class sizes. The living-wage protest also raises the issue of Harvard’s mission in society. Supporters who give to the institution do so to support education, not income redistribution. Throughout history, students have been drawn to utopian social reforms. But history teaches that such social reforms often fail to yield what the reformers promised. The living wage campaign happens to be a most recent example.

Report: Many U.S. Parents Outsourcing Child Care Overseas

Like many politicians seeking to connect with voters, Hillary Clinton appeared on the Tonight Show. She told a story of the child of a working-class, single mother who had recently received a pay raise due to an increase in the minimum wage. The problem was that the mother was required to work fewer hours to offset the higher pay. I guess Hillary just explained one of the most important rules of economics, TNSTAAFL (There's no such thing as a free lunch.) I would be interested to know what amazing policy she plans to enact that will somehow allow us to get that free lunch.

Here is a more complete analysis of Hillary's comment.