Monthly Archives: July 2012

More Tips For Gaining

Posted by Tim on

We live in the age of instant gratification. We want it all and we want it now. Forget about saving up for a new TV or computer – just put it on the credit card and pay it off $50 a month for the next 2 years. Forget about learning how to cook, buying healthy tasteful ingredients – just go down the street to Burger King and stuff your face. I’m hungry NOW! And when it comes time to lose the weight you’ve gained by eating junk food and watching that expensive TV – lyposuction to the rescue!

The same mentality goes for the muscle gaining, weight lifting, meat-head community. Instead of studying the best way to train, learning about diet, and understanding rest and rehabilitation cycles, let’s just find the newest coolest supplement that the bodybuilding magazines are pushing this month. It has your favorite athlete endorsing it so it must be legit, right? Wrong! The supplements that have been proven to work have been around for decades, and unless you plan on switching to the “dark side” (steroids), there isn’t much else out there besides your basic whey protein and creatine.

There are other options available to help gain muscle, though. And you’re in luck. Since you’ve just spent all of your money on that new TV you couldn’t afford, you’ll be happy to know that these ways to increase muscle gains are free. That’s right! FREE! Here’s a couple tips that might not be on your radar, but could really help speed up gains.

1. Carb loading. There are plenty of new supplements out there that promise to give you the energy to get through your toughest workout. Most of the time these are just simple carbohydrates and/or caffeine, which gets you about halfway through a tough workout until you crash. Hard. And you don’t want to crash when you’re trying to go for a new PR. Instead you’ll need to load up your muscles with glycogen, giving your muscles enough energy to last a long workout. An hour or so before you plan on working out, eat some pasta, potatoes, or rice.

2. Spike your insulin. Insulin is what moves nutrients into your muscles. The way to spike your insulin is to eat simple sugars – fruit juice, for example. Your body’s blood sugar will go up, and to even out the ratio your pancreas will spit out a bunch of insulin. Along with the simple sugars you consume, drink your whey protein shake and follow it with a good meal about an hour later. Just consuming protein won’t do your body any good if it can’t use it. Spike your insulin after your workouts to get the most of your post-workout shake.

3. Rest. A lot. Too many young trainees think that they’re invincible. They don’t need to rest or sleep, and they can workout multiple times a day. This will work for a while, but your body’s central nervous system will begin to shut down after a few weeks of this. Your muscle gains will stall, and your strength gains will disappear. That’s right – you’ll start getting weaker. Time your workouts. A heavy deadlift workout can easily take a week to fully recover from, and you don’t want to deadlift again until after that point. Its for this reason that I only deadlift once a week, sometimes only once every 10 days or so.

4. Red meat. As much as we all love our chicken and fish, its important to eat plenty of red meat too. Beef has been show to increase testosterone levels in men, and its also a natural source of creatine. Because it takes your body so long to digest, you can actually go a while after eating it without worrying. Your body won’t shrink – it’ll have plenty of cow to live off of. A huge meal of steak, salad, potatoes, and cheesecake can be enough to boost your gains. Sometimes it just takes a huge meal to get off that plateau.

Conservative Hope

Posted by Tim on

I’m a bit of a pessimist. I tend to see the world (and my country in particular) going down the drain right before my eyes. I take a bit of comfort in knowing that everything is a part of God’s plan, and that even the Bible talks about the world becoming more and more evil until the day of reckoning is finally upon us. If we look at history, things have really only gotten worse. Obviously we’ve made tremendous technological advances, but the morals of the world are certainly no better than they were 300 years ago, and many people (including myself) would argue that they’re actually worse.

With all that negative thinking, I still sometimes try to see the best in life, and look for a glimmer of hope. Its hard to find, but I found something. It may not be much, but perhaps its a sign that my country will be able to continue walking in the footsteps laid by our founding fathers for at least another century or so. The hope comes from this – knowing that people change, and that some of the most influential people in Western civilization once had views opposite to what they’re known for.

In particular, I’m referring to John Locke, the philosopher who inspired our Founding Fathers to create a nation based on the power of the individual and his God given rights to pursue his own self interests. During the Constitutional Convention no man was quoted more than John Locke. The idea that men were created by God with certain unalienable rights – to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; this was John Locke. Men are not tools of the government, nor are they tools belonging to each other to create some collectivist goal. They are individuals, who can live their own lives, raise their families as they see fit, and own their own property.

Recently I’ve been reading up a bit on Locke’s life before he became the man we revere today. Before he was sternly against an all powerful government, he was for it. That’s right. During his tenure at Oxford University in England he agued for authoritarian rule. It wasn’t until years later that he worked and reworked the philosophy that we know and love – Americanism, in many respects. He spent many years working closely with the Earl of Shaftesbury, a man who changed Locke tremendously. The two of them bounced ideas off each other, and Locke developed a keen sense for politics and economics, as well as religion and morals.

So, if the man most responsible for the basic principles that America was founded on was a converted authoritarian, then anyone can be converted. After reading this, I thought about other great minds who were once on one side of the aisle but settled along the side of liberty, property rights, and individualism. Among them are Thomas Sowell, perhaps my favorite author. The strong conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was once a devoted statist, looking for government to “right” history’s wrongs. Ronald Reagan, who is often considered the greatest conservative in modern history, was once a democrat. Even a number of local conservative talk show hosts, Vicki McKenna and Mark Belling, were once democrats.

This all gives me hope. Everyone can change, there is no such thing as destiny or inevitability. America is not certain to fall just because “even Rome fell”. We can change our path, change the morals of our country, and allow America to remain the only beacon of hope and freedom that the world has left. It takes work, and it takes sacrifice, but lets remember that we’re no ordinary population. America is the freest, most prosperous nation in the history of the world. We built this country, and just because it needs a little fixing doesn’t mean that we should let it go in the trash.

Rules of Grip Strength

Posted by Tim on

Anyone who has ever spent a lot of time in the gym and under the bar knows that after a certain point strength is almost useless in day to day life. Sure, being strong makes opening pickle jars easier, an will help you win and arm wrestling match or two, but by and large, being strong isn’t that necessary in today’s world. Oh, you can run a marathon? That’s great. I can drive a car and get where I’m going faster and without breaking a sweat. You see my point?

(That hasn’t stopped people from continuing to pursue their athletic dreams though. I’m not a competitive lifter, and I don’t even discuss my personal records with anyone, but I still keep track of my heaviest lifts and I train so that every couple months I can put up a bigger number. It may not be useful, but I do it for myself.)

One part of lifting that is often overlooked is grip strength. It also happens to be something that is actually useful in everyday life. Every once in a while someone at work will need something ripped apart and they call on me. It seems so easy to me, but no one else could do it. I’m not bragging – I’m just pointing out that my grip is stronger than most people’s. The thing is – I never focused on training my hands, on strengthening my grip. How did it get strong then?

Rule #1 – I am adamantly against wearing gloves, and using lifting straps or lifting hooks when working out. The reason is simple. These tools are aids. They aid you by allowing you to lift the weight more without the bar slipping out of your hands. The natural way to do this is to increase your grip strength, which will come naturally if you don’t use these aids. Want to increase grip strength? Throw away your gloves!

Anyone who says that lack of gloves or lifting straps is inhibiting their rows or deadlifts needs to be patient. Grip strength increases rapidly, and soon enough your grip strength will be able to handle the level of any weight you want to lift. Its foolish to let a weak grip hold you back. Just suck it up, grab the bar like a man, and lift it. Like Mark Rippetoe says – “If you insist on wearing gloves, make sure they match your purse.”

Rule #2 – Free weights are almost always better than machines. Machines limit your range of motion and steady the lift – aiding it. Not only does this mean that your grip doesn’t need to be as strong, but it means that many of the stabilizing muscles are not being used. A bench press (assuming proper form) of 150 lbs will deliver better muscular stimulation than a press machine of the same weight.

Rule #3 – Diversify. Its sad to see so many guys standing in front of mirrors at the gym constantly doing bicep curls. (One of the reasons I left commercial gyms.) As much as I argue that bicep curls are by and large a waste of time for any sport other than bodybuilding, if you insist on doing them try to switch things up. The standard curl is all fine and dandy, but try some reverse curls. Not only will this target the long head of the biceps, giving your arms a better overall shape, but it will really engage your forearms.

Not everything we do in the gym will transfer to real life, and after a certain point, very little of it will. Grip strength is one thing that is always useful, whether its tying a really good knot, opening a jar of pickles, or winning at tug of war. Avoid using aids that inhibit growth and strength gains, go for free weights instead of machines, and add in some reverse curls. Do this and you can throw out your lifting straps and never look back.

Aurora Sparks the Gun Law Debates

Posted by Tim on

To make myself feel morally superior to the talking heads on TV, I decided to put off politicizing the Colorado shootings. Well, at least I tried. Giving respect to the families who have been affected by this event, and NOT making it into a political argument is really what we should do. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have both insisted that now is not the time to talk about gun control laws. Let broken families heal before we turn their tragedy into our campaign slogan.

Almost immediately following the shooting, politicians and the media were spewing talking points on how America needs stronger gun laws. If only Americans weren’t allow to own guns, then things like this wouldn’t happen. Its easy to come to such conclusions after a massacre that killed 12 people and put over 50 more in a hospital, but laws should never be made to deal with emotions. The natural way for people think is this: Something is wrong >>> We need a law to fix it. These laws however never really solve the problem.

In this case the problem is psychopaths killing people. These shootings have happened at schools, churches, and now theaters. The way to deal with them, however, is not to ban all people from owning weapons, but to let our criminal justice system work. Every day violent criminals are let out of prison early only to steal, rape, and murder again. Keeping people locked up for their full sentence (even if it means they die in prison) is a proven way to lower crime rates. Crime increases when criminals know they can get off the hook easy.

Banning weapons has been proven not to work time and time again. For instance – Washington DC and Chicago both have had outright bans on firearms and both cities have disturbing crime rates. Germany has tough gun laws as well, but they have been subject to some of the worst shootings in recent history. Even our neighbor to the north, Canada, has tougher gun laws than we do, their most gun-controlled city (Toronto) has the highest gun crime in their country. Gun control does not work. Period.

But not everyone is calling for outright bans to weapons. As I’m writing this, MSNBC is calling for simple bans on assault weapons – rifles that can hold 30 or more rounds, each fired with a single pull of the trigger. While it was one of these weapons that was used in the shooting in Aurora, statistics show that assault weapons account for about 1% of weapons used in crimes. Banning assault weapons simply would do next to nothing to solve the problem.

It is important to realize that many of these mass shootings take place where concealed carry is banned – schools, for example. The shooters know that no one will be firing back at them, and they feel more confident about carrying out their plans. The theater in Aurora is such a business where concealed carry is not allowed. Obviously, that didn’t stop James Holmes. But what if the theater allowed people to carry concealed weapons. Perhaps one person would have been there who could have killed James Holmes before he took the lives of 12 innocent people.

These knee jerk reactions to tragedies are to be expected, but that makes it vitally important for gun rights advocates (like myself) to set the record straight. This was an awful incident that took place, we can all agree, but now is not the time to start making wild calls for gun bans. Certain things in life cannot be avoided, no matter how much we prepare for them. No matter what laws we have in place, violent psychopaths will find a way to kill people. What we can do is allow people to defend themselves, minimizing the loss of life.

Recommended Reading (7/21/12)

Posted by Tim on

The 60s are thought of as an era of progressivism – the hippies, the anti-war crowd,  the civil rights movement. The 80s were of course seen as a decade of strong conservatism. Reagan owned the White House and ran America well; by lowering taxes he raised revenue which he used to build up our military into the most powerful Army on the planet, which hadn’t been the case since a few years after WWII. But if we go back a into the 60s, we see that what Reagan capitalized on was started 20 years earlier.

In 1960, Arizona Senator, Barry Goldwater, wrote his timeless classic, The Conscience of a Conservative. At the time, Goldwater was one of the only true conservatives in the Senate. He gave the guidelines of how to get America back on track. At the time we were a nation weakened tremendously by the days of the New Deal. People were being taxed as high as 90%. Government was growing and spending recklessly. The way back was to embrace the US Constitution and let the free market work.

Goldwater explains the problems with labor unions. He explains problems with the federal government encroaching on state’s rights. He spends considerable time talking about America’s foreign policy towards the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Showing strength and consistency are extremely important, and aiding the allies we have over the enemies we’d like to turn into friends is vital. Above all – our leaders must not be naive when dealing with people who do not intend to be our friends, and are only looking to destroy us.

Goldwater also makes the case for less taxation. People do not work to serve the government, and the government ought to live within its means. Our money is used most wisely when we use it ourselves, not when the federal government spends it for us. Furthermore, the programs that government spends it money on are often destructive – welfare in particular. There is nothing moral about taking by force from X to give to Y. Charity is best left to individuals, private organizations, and churches.

The principles that Goldwater taught – liberty, limited government, constitutionalism, individualism, and the free market – have impacted countless conservative politicians for decades. Goldwater’s book led him to an unsuccessful presidential run in 1964, but 16 years later, Ronald Reagan would apply his teachings and change America forever.

The Westside Method

Posted by Tim on

Sometimes without trying we can end up all agreeing on some things. During this heated political climate its nice to take a break from the various campaign news and get back to what I know, or at least what I thought I knew – weight lifting. I heard before that really we all end up coming to the same conclusions about weight training after a certain amount of time. For me, I came to these conclusions years ago – big weights, multi-joint movements, constant progression. It turns out I was also following a famous training guideline without even knowing it.

Louis Simmons, founder of Westside Barbell in Ohio, has been using this method for decades. What is now called the “Westside Method” actually dates back to the old Soviet Union – Russia and Bulgaria in particular. Simmons read all he could about these guys and how they were training and applied it to himself and his trainees. The results were off the charts, and led to lifters setting new records, staying injury free, and competing for more years.

The Westside method is divided into three parts – “Max Effort”, “Dynamic”, and “Repetition”. Max Effort is a day of training where you’ll work your way up to your 1 rep max, doing short sets of 1-2 reps with as much time as needed between sets. Dynamic days focus completely on speed. Heavy weights are not needed, but with sets of only 3 reps or so, rest periods should be short – about 1 minute. Repetition work is just about everything else. Repetition movements are to be done on both Max Effort days and Dynamic days.

A (very) simple template for a schedule would look like:
Monday – Max Effort Squat/Deadlift
Wednesday – Max Effort Bench Press
Friday – Dynamic Squat/Deadlift
Sunday – Dynamic Bench Press

Turns out that I’ve been doing this for some time already. Focusing on heavy lifts one day (max effort), then light but fast lifts (dynamic) another day. Each training day includes extra repetition work to improve whatever weak points I feel I may have. Using these three methods a trainee can maximize strength and speed, the keys to creating power – hence power lifting.

Now, I don’t claim to be an expert (or even knowledgable) about the Westside method. Louis Simmons has done the research and experimented with this method for a long time and he’s without a doubt one of the smartest men on the subject of power lifting. But its interesting that without knowing it we came to the same conclusions about the way to arrange a training schedule. For more info visit Westside Barbell’s website.

Romney’s Week was WEAK

Posted by Tim on

For the past few weeks I feel like I’ve been pulled back in time to earlier this year. It wasn’t too long ago that Newt Gingrich was attacking Mitt Romney for his experience at Bain Capital. Of course, when Gingrich did it, he took immediate heat for even thinking of bringing up Romney’s private sector life as a negative. Low and behold, only a few months later, Obama is pulling the same card – attacking Romney over his private sector record.

It wouldn’t be enough to just talk about Bain Capital though – because really there isn’t much to talk about. Bain takes struggling companies and turns them around. Sometimes that may mean laying off employees, but in the long run Bain and Mitt Romney created hundreds of American jobs. But that isn’t interesting. So let’s make some stuff up! “Romney kills jobs!” How’s that sound? Oh, wait – and Romney said he left Bain in 1999, but here he is in 2001 with the same company? Mischief is at hand!

The Romney/Bain record has been cleared repeatedly by numerous nonpartisan fact checkers. He’s clean. Sorry Obama. The real story here isn’t that someone lied, or that someone was trying to cover something up. The story is that someone – Barack Obama – is trying to divert attention away from his miserable record as President. Almost 4 years of unemployment over 8%, Obamacare (or Obama-Tax, as some are now calling it), and continued economic uncertainty. Obama has a crap record to run on, so he’s attacking Romney however he can, even if it means lying to the American people.

And Romney’s response… *crickets*. He’ll deny, and move the conversation back to the economy. Boring! I mentioned this when I endorsed Rick Santorum earlier this year – Romney will attack his Republican opponents but will refuse to do the same to Barack Obama. Romney attacked Santorum, Gingrich, and Rick Perry relentlessly for months. But now that its time to turn his attention towards the real enemy he doesn’t have the guts. This is exactly what I was afraid of. Come on, Romney! Grow a pair!

Perhaps his Vice Presidential pick (rumored to be announced as soon as this coming week) will be a better fighter. VPs traditionally throw harder punches than their Presidents. But once again, Romney has me worried. Will he go with a fighter like Marco Rubio or Paul Ryan, or will he settle for a bland milk-toast pick like Rob Portman. Ugh. I shutter to think of that. Then again, both Romney and his running mate will be made of the same stuff – wood.

Florida Congressman Allen West

Florida Congressman Allen West

Someone pulled a few strings over at the Drudge Report and managed to figure out that Condoleezza Rice was on Romney’s list of top VP picks. Once again – come on! Someone who hasn’t ever run for political office, has W. Bush baggage tied around their neck, and is Pro-Choice? Is this really who Romney would pick? I doubt it, but none the less it got a lot of attention recently.

I can only hope that Romney will start swinging for Obama’s head soon. Romney has the ability to tear his opponents to shreds, as we saw in the Republican primary. He just needs to use those skills on Barack Obama. If he continues to refuse to do so, he’ll need to pick a VP that will – someone along the lines of Rubio, Ryan, or Bobby Jindal. Personally I’d love to see Allen West fill the spot, but there are many great choices. The fight is far from over, and things are sure to get messier throughout summer into November.

Recommended Reading (7/9/12)

Posted by Tim on

The whole Fast and Furious scandal is a bit of foreshadowing on what is to come should America re-elect Barry Obama. Despite what some may say about Obama neglecting to pursue any major gun control measures, his record is perfectly available to anyone who wishes to learn more. Obama and the 2nd Amendment just do not go together. It is because of this that its important to re-educate ourselves on the gun control issue.

Perhaps it is in our favor then to read a book that was written in the height of Bill Clinton’s anti-gun era in the 90s. Guns, Crime, and Freedom is the book to read. Written by Wayne LaPierre (Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association), this book provides the reader with the know how to argue for freedom and against gun control.

When this book was written America had just passed the “Brady Bill”, which banned certain weapons – especially so-called “assault weapons”. LaPierre lays out the facts in clear English. Assault weapons account for about 2% of crimes. The ban on assault weapons wasn’t designed to lower crime, but to get the proverbial “foot in the door”. Brady Bill II showed exactly what was coming, (an virtual ban of most firearms, thereby eliminating the 2nd Amendment) and luckily it never passed.

LaPierre exposes just about every gun control fallacy, from waiting periods to licensing, concealed carry to children and guns. He then takes on the root of our crime problem in America – our lax justice system. Account after account is brought forth where criminals are placed back into society before they have serve their time, only to murder and rape again. Prisons DO work, and its time we thought about society more than of the criminal’s “feelings”.

Going back and looking at where we came from in the 90s can help us see the signs of another Brady Bill coming in the next four years should Obama be re-elected. The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen. Don’t think that the 2nd Amendment isn’t on their hit list. It is the 2nd Amendment that insures the rest of the Constitution, and you better believe they’re planning on attacking it.

Wisconsin US Senate Endorsement

Posted by Tim on

The Wisconsin US Senate race is in full swing right now. The Democrats are sticking to their strategy of running Tammy Baldwin against whoever the Republican nominee will be. Although Baldwin is a far left whacko from Madison, she is semi-known and will have all the support of Wisconsin’s liberal media. Does she have a chance? In my opinion, no. Wisconsin is on such a role for conservatism, I doubt she’ll beat her opponent, no matter who he is.

The Republican nominees are four strong candidates, any of whom would make a fantastic Senator. Each candidate has their issues, and here’s how I’ve been breaking it down thus far. Tommy Thompson is a former Governor of Wisconsin. With that title, he earns the top seat as far as popularity goes, and a Thompson vs Baldwin ticket would be an very easy win. Unfortunately, when we take a look into Tommy’s past, he’s not the most conservative candidate. He was a moderate (at best) governor, and when he left to work for the Bush administration in 2000, he managed to help Bush throw on tons of debt.

Mark Neumann is a former Republican representative, and he has a strong backbone when it comes to issues. He’s a proud conservative, a private businessman, and has a good record to run on. But in the last 2 elections he’s lost. He’s kind of seen as a loser at this point, someone who cannot capture the attention of independents or Democrats. He also really ticked a lot of people off when he badmouthed his opponent for Governor – Scott Walker, thereby giving Walker the victory. As much as I like Neumann, he may need to work on his politics.

Jeff Fitzgerald… honestly, I don’t know where he is! I don’t see TV ads for him. I don’t hear radio ads for him. I haven’t gotten any phone calls from his campaign asking for my support. He is far behind in the race, and I’m about ready to count him out. Not just because he lacks publicity, but because I don’t know anything about him. As a voter, I shouldn’t need to dig through Google to find out about someone. Fitzgerald should be pandering to me. Since he hasn’t, I don’t know where he stands on the issues, and he’s at the far back of my mind.

Eric Hovde is a private sector businessman, who was unknown up until a few months ago. A good thing about candidates having money is that they can basically bankroll themselves and not need to do a lot of fundraising. Hovde has hit the ground running with nonstop TV and radio ads. Not only are there a lot of ads, but the ads are compelling. Hovde’s campaign is doing a great job thus far. He comes off as the real deal, and he is the only person who is really in the running, other than Thompson.

The choice is set – Thompson or Hovde… Moderate politician, or Conservative businessman? I have to go with my gut and give my support to Hovde. Wisconsin needs another Ron Johnson – someone from outside politics who is willing to make the tough decisions of our time. With Thompson’s history as a spender and grower of government, I cannot give him my support. Of course, if he wins the nomination I’ll vote for him over Baldwin, but now is the time to pick the person who will make the best Senator for Wisconsin – Eric Hovde.

On the Shoulders of Giants

Posted by Tim on
Walter E Williams

Walter E Williams

I was thrilled to hear a familiar voice guest hosting Rush Limbaugh’s show today. I turned the program on a few minutes late at work. I had been listening to an old Dream Theater album, but turned it off when I realized that I was missing “the fastest 3 hours of radio”. The voice belongs to Walter E Williams, an author and economist. Not long after I started listening, Williams mentioned that the great Thomas Sowell would be making a guest appearance on the show in the 2nd hour. What a treat!

I quickly texted a friend who I know would be interested – the friend who introduced me to Sowell, and economics in general. Of course he’s a busy guy, regularly working 70+ hours a week as an outstanding recording engineer (with a number of songs actually on Billboard’s lists). Its nice when talk radio can flex its muscles and show off a bit. Talk radio isn’t just pundits rambling about the latest controversy. Often times it delves deep into America’s most troubling problems. Today, for instance, Williams talked about the social security debacle; how its going broke and won’t be around for many people in their 20s and 30s.

Williams was great. I hardly ever hear him on the radio, but when I do I listen up. The first time I heard him was when he was promoting his latest book, Race and Economics: How Much Can Be Blamed on Discrimination?, on the Mark Levin Show. The two of them got along wonderful, and you could hear the mutual respect in their voices. Mark is another host who goes beyond typical talk radio. Mark Levin worked in the Reagan administration, operates a law firm, and as such knows quite a bit about law and most importantly, the Constitution. He also regularly makes references to famous political theorists such as John Locke and Montesquieu.

Without a doubt, the talk radio trifecta (Limbaugh, Hannity, and Levin) have helped shape my views of the world. Notable libertarian economists such as Milton Friedman, Henry Hazlitt, and Thomas Sowell have also all influenced me. None of what I know (when it comes to politics or economics) is outside anyone else’s capabilities. Let’s be very clear here – 95% of what I know about history, economics, and the Constitution I learned on my own after my mandatory public education.

But learning for myself wasn’t enough. I found that what I learned I wanted to express to my friends and coworkers. Its weird to just start up a conversation about price controls, Marxism, or the 2nd Amendment. I was willing to take on the challenge, however. While driving to the bars on a Friday night I might turn on Mark Levin’s show (which for me goes from 9pm-12am). Or I might loan out copies of Sowell books. Or, just this last week, I gave out copies of the Constitution and Declaration as gifts for the Fourth of July. That oughta get the conversation going.

I’ve also extended my thoughts to the internet, to this very blog you’re reading right now. My thoughts aren’t just for people who know me personally. I feel I have something to offer people, and its more than likely that I don’t actually know all of them. Whoever you are, I hope you’re enjoying my ramblings as much as I’m enjoying writing them!

Milton Friedman

Milton Friedman

But like many other people, I know I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. Those who I’ve learned from are far more famous and respectable than I can dream to be. The most I can do to pay homage to them is let you know where I get what I’m talking about. Most of my ideas aren’t mine. They’re Thomas Sowell’s, or Milton Friedman’s, or Mark Levin’s. They say I can’t list them all – but I’ll try. Here’s goes – Shelby Steele, John Locke, F.A. Hayek, William Buckley, Wayne LaPierre, Edmund Burke, John Stossel, Ayn Rand, Henry Hazlitt, David & Rush Limbaugh, Mark Steyn, Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, John Lott, Mark Belling, Sean Hannity, Victor Davis Hanson, Burton Folsom Jr, Walter E Williams, Frederic Bastiat, and Andrew Breitbart. These are the giants whose shoulders I stand on.