"The Brownies: Their Book" on iTunes

The Adam Smith Academy is proud to announce that its first produced AudioBook, "The Brownies: Their Book" is now available on iTunes. You can access The Brownies iTunes area by clicking here: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=326603214&s=143441

For those that are unfamiliar with Palmer Cox's "The Brownies: Their Book," it follows a merry band of Brownies that love doing good deeds in the middle of the night. It was one of the most famous children's books of it's day.

For those interested in downloading some of the poems, you can go to the Adam Smith Academy website to read along and listen to these delightful poems with your child.

Social Studies Teachers: Time to Teach Ricardian Economic Theory

Okay, there is a lot of enthusiasm among teachers for the stated educational policies of the new president. But, social studies teachers, who take their job seriously and like to incorporate current news with their teaching, need to start acquainting their students with Ricardian (and Nonricardian) Economic or Fiscal policy governments.

What defines a Ricardian or NonRicardian Government? Who was David Ricardo? What were his ideas? How do his ideas of government fiscal policy apply today to us?

Dow Since Election

The day Obama got elected the Dow was at 9625.

Today, the Dow is at 8000.

Since Obama was elected President, the Dow has lost 1625 points, or roughly 17%.

It's good to keep in mind the faith the market places on economic policy proposals.

Look at California - On the Verge of Collapse

For those that are in favor of this massive "stimulus" [spending] bill, take a look at what is going on in California.

California is close to a $42 Billion (that's a B... Billion) deficit. They have run out of money, and are going to send IOUs to the taxpayers in the state.

How are the government workers reacting? Instead of pitching in to help in a crisis, that they themselves may have helped create, what do the union employees do... Why, they are suing the state. They're protesting and getting the newspapers to write sob stories about how the two days off a month will change their lives forever.

And, here's the kicker: The state can't lay off workers, because it costs more in time and money than just getting them to cut back.

So, when you hear that more government spending and programs will stimulus the economy, ask yourself: For how long? How long will it be before the stimulus of employing more government workers flips to a drag on the economy when they are paid for with your tax dollars and won't leave? They won't cut back... and you can't fire them.

Remember, they are unionized. The People's employees are unionized. Ain't that a kick in the pants.

Economic Policy Bi-Products

You have to wonder if the powers in Washington have any idea what they are going. Seriously.

On the one hand, President Obama implores Congress to pass a $800+ BILLION "Stimulus Bill" that has little hope of stimulating anything, but more government spending. Because, for anyone that knows anything about Congress, he has effectively created a new baseline. Baselines are never cut. And, interestingly enough in the Orwellian speak of Congress, not increasing it enough from year to year is called a "budget cut." For example, if you only increase the baseline 1%, when inflation is 3-4%, it's considered a "cut" to our friends in Congress. And, within this spending Bill, that is larger than the combined amount spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, all the people in the nation are now responsible for covering the irresponsibility of state and local governments that can't pay their bills -- based on their overspending. But, somehow, someway, this "stimulus bill" is supposed to create jobs.

But, on the other hand, President Obama signed into law today the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Now, while on its face people may say, this is wonderfully fair. But, for anyone that has run a business, you immediately understand the ramifications of such an act. He has effectively unionized the private sector. Every person a large or small business hires will effectively have to be paid an equal amount, or you could be sued.

Now, if you haven't run a business, let me clue you in: All employees are not equal. All employees are not equally productive. It doesn't matter if they are in the same department or do the same job. There is always one more productive than the other. One that you can't do without, and one that you are willing to keep for a particular pay. There are even some that you really don't want to keep, but the cost of re-training another to do the job may outweigh his/her lack of production, so you eat the cost.

As I stated in the post below, the more government intervention, the less business is interested in hiring. But, with this new wrinkle, businesses right now could be out of compliance. They could be sued today. And, in these economic times, the cost of the current and potential lawsuits will force companies to outsource labor. They will shed jobs. New workers will be Temps. You pay a bit more, but you won't have to deal with health-care issues, potential lawsuits, etc. etc. Companies will keep their core employees that they can't do without, and fill extra positions with independent contractors. Downsizing is inevitable.

Sooner or later, people will come to understand that "feel good" policies of "fairness" only hurt the very people they are designed to help.

Republicans Bail on Spending Bill

I guess this one is all Obama's and the Democratic Leadership. It will either make him a hero or a goat. History has not been kind to Keynesian economic policy. But, perhaps, the old saying is true: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." -- George Santayana

If and when this fails, I see Obama wrapping himself in a sweater, like Carter, and talking about a "national malaise"... Then history will really be repeating itself. Won't happen for a couple of years. But, if history is our guide, businesses won't hire in 2010 when the tax rates go back up. Government demands for universal healthcare will take their toll. There will be more unemployed. And, if they aren't unemployed, they'll be "self-employed," since businesses will use temp agencies to fill vacancies. Make work public projects will kick in for those that can't go the independent contractor route, and commodities will go through the roof. All of which leads us to a televised "national malaise" speech, where it's not the government's fault, or that of it's economic policies. But, rather, the people's fault for not being upbeat about their prospects.

"Imagine the Potential" Video

I'll let this stand on its own without the need for additional comment.

"Watership Down" by Richard Adams (film links)

"Watership Down" is a wonderful tale about a small group of rabbits, written by Richard Adams. I read it as a child, and loved the movie. I was remembering it today after seeing a couple of rabbits in a nearby wood, and thought about it again. For those that haven't either read or seen it, the novel recounts the rabbits' odyssey as they escape the destruction of their warren to seek a place in which to establish a new home, encountering perils and temptations along the way. It may be a great novel to assign, and even watch in class. Here are the other links to other sections on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2o9QWGrSJ8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgtUnfb2VqM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_HqTm7sEcU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkU1lyvPn_A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZDo6SNOb4c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DIwRB7Z9KE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-V_Pak7A2I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voFBwK_Y18I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9KSIeQUgT4

"Global Cooling" in South Carolina

It's snowing here in South Carolina! Seriously. In South Carolina! Here's proof... my dog, "Dr. Yuri Zhivago" (Yes, that's his full name on his AKC license) chillin' in the snow at the nearby baseball field. I'm begging for a little of Gore's "Global Warming." Beggin'!

Free Audio: Saki's "The Interlopers"

"The Interlopers" is a fantastic short story written by Saki. It's a must-read for 9th Graders. You can read and listen to the free audio - text here.

PLOT SUMMARY:
"The Interlopers" is a story of two men, Georg Znaeym and Ulrich von Gradwitz, whose families have fought over a small strip of forest in the eastern Carpathian Mountains for generations. It's kind of like a Romanian Hatfield's and McCoy's story. Ulrich's family legally owns the land, but Georg – feeling it rightfully belongs to him – hunts there anyway. One winter night, Ulrich catches Georg hunting in his forest. The two would never shoot without warning and soil their family’s honor, so they hesitate to acknowledge one another. As an “act of God,” a tree branch suddenly falls on them, trapping the men next to each other under a log. Gradually, they realize the futility of their quarrel and become friends to end the family feud. They call out for their men’s assistance, and after a brief period, Ulrich makes out eight to ten figures approaching over a hill. The story ends when Ulrich realizes who the "interlopers" are.

Social Studies: American Form of Govt Video

This a wonderful video discussing all forms of government, where they land on the political spectrum, what we have here in the United States, and why it was chosen over the others. Please feel free to pass it along.

Free Audio: "The Seven Ages of Man" by W. Shakespeare

To listen to Wiiliam Shakespeare's "The Seven Ages of Man" free audio - text, click here.

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel,
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose well sav'd a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

Free Audio: "To Build A Fire" by Jack London

You can now have your students be able to read and listen to Jack London's "To Build A Fire." The free Audio - Text version, can be found here.

PLOT SUMMARY:

"To Build a Fire" is about a man on the Yukon Trail on a very cold day (Seventy-five degrees below zero). His only traveling companion is a husky wolf-dog. The story describes the hardships the man is going through at starting a fire and trying to keep himself warm. The cold does not faze the man, a newcomer to the Yukon, who plans to meet his friends at an old junction. He walks along a creek trail, mindful of the dangerous, hidden springs, because getting wet feet on such a cold day is dangerous. The man continues on and, in an apparently safe spot, falls through the snow and gets wet up to his shins. He remembers an old-timer who had warned him that no man should travel in the Klondike alone when the temperature was less than fifty degrees below zero.

After having this accident, the man becomes scared and immediately starts a fire to dry his wet clothes. He foolishly starts the fire underneath a spruce tree, which is covered with snow, and keeps pulling twigs from it to feed the flames. The agitation eventually upsets the loaded boughs, which dump their weight of snow onto the fire and extinguish it. He then tries to start a new fire, aware that he is already going to lose a few toes from frostbite. He gathers twigs and grasses, then tries to light a match with his frozen, numbed fingers. He grabs all his matches and lights them all at once, then sets fire to a piece of bark. He starts the fire, but accidentally pokes it apart while trying to remove a piece of green moss. The man decides to kill the dog and to put his hands inside its warm body to restore his circulation. But due to the extreme cold, he cannot kill the dog because he is unable to pull out his knife, or even throttle the animal. He lets it go.

In a desperate attempt to keep himself warm, he starts to run, trying to let the exertion heat his body. However, he has no stamina, and soon he stops and sits down. He imagines his friends finding his dead body in the snow, then himself telling the old-timer that he was right: It was foolish to travel alone. A warmth covers him and he falls into a deep, deadly, relaxing sleep. The dog does not understand why the man is sitting in the snow and not making a fire to warm them. As night falls, the dog comes closer to him and smells death on the man. It trots away "in the direction of the camp it knew, where were the other food-providers and fire-providers."

Free Audio: "The Rocking-Horse Winner," DH Lawrence

You can now have your students be able to read and listen to D.H. Lawrence's "The Rock-Horse Winner." The free Audio - Text version, can be found here.

PLOT SUMMARY:

"The Rocking-Horse Winner" describes a young middle-class Englishwoman who "had no luck". Though outwardly successful, the family's lifestyle exceeds its income (sound familiar in today's economy?), and an unspoken anxiety about money permeates the household that her children, especially her son, Paul, sense acutely.

The rocking-horse magically gives Paul advance knowledge of the winners of important horse races. Paul's uncle and friends place large bets on the horses Paul names. After winning several times, they arrange to give the mother a gift of five thousand pounds. Unfortunately, the gift only lets her spend more. Disappointed, Paul tries harder than ever to be lucky, and we learn that his secret is to ride his rocking-horse until he "knows." You have to read the rest to find out how it ends.

Fleeing California & the Northeast

As a California-expat, who moved away from high taxes, high mortgages, and reduced quality of life issues (traffic, crime, etc), I'm not remotely surprised by this article, "Californians Look For Exit." But, what I have found incredibly frustrating from some of my neighbors here in Fort Mill, South Carolina, many of whom have moved from either the west coast or northeast, is that the move hasn't changed their ideological or political outlook.

Ask any Ohioan, New Yorker, Pennsylvanian, or even Californian why they moved away from their home states to either North Carolina or South Carolina (for those that don't know Fort Mill, SC is just outside of Charlotte, NC), and they will tell you to a person, lower taxes, the opportunity to own a home, and a better quality of life.

But, what really drives me insane is that many of these same people don't make the connection between what they left, why they left it, and what they want out of their government when they get here. Let me give you an example...

My neighbor is a wonderful guy. He moved down here from Philadelphia last year with his wife to purchase a home and (soon) raise a family. For a new housing development, like ours, the same house would have approached $1 million. In his words, "it would have been impossible in Philly." And, having lived in Southern California, I can echo that sentiment. I figure our house would still be worth 2-3 million in the area of Los Angeles where my wife and I lived, even with the declining home values.

But, as we tend to our yards, visit, or watch football games on weekends, we occasionally delve into the taboo conversational topic of politics. Actually, he more than me. (What is it about liberals and political proselytizing?)

Anyway, in almost the same breath that he rails on the politicians in his home state for ruining it, he decries the fact that here in the South Carolina there are fewer programs and less government. I'm not kidding. The second time we ever talked, he actually said, "South Carolina needs to raise taxes."

When I asked, "For what?"

He didn't really know. But, they were too low all the same. And, for that matter, he went on "So are our homeowner's association fees." I didn't know whether to laugh (in case this was some sort of East Coast humor) or cry.

Over the last couple of months, however, I've learned that he was indeed serious. And, I have grown to love ribbing him about his conflicting personal and political philosophies. Truth be told, he's one of my better new-found friends out here.

But, lately, whether it be in business relationships or at some of the places I frequent, I find the same phenomenon among other migrants to the South. It must be some sort of fetish. They loathe the pain that the policies of their ideology have caused. They flee it. Then, while in paradise, they long for a return to the same. It's unbelievable.

If I were a liberal, I'd enact a law requiring all those that voted for the politicians that created the problems be forced to stay and live with the results. Take a little responsibility and be accountable. Don't come down here and look to mess things up.

I like the low taxes. Waving and saying, "Hi" to those that I pass on the neighborhood streets (I would have been locked up in LA doing that.) Only paying 1.40 for gas. And, living in a huge, brand new home for less than the rent of one-bedroom apartment in Westwood. And, lest anyone in the Northeast or California think I'm missing out on anything there, we're not. We have every store, every restaurant, pro football (actually, we didn't have a team in LA), pro basketball, and a AAA baseball team -- which I think is more fun to watch anyway -- within in a 15 minute drive. Not to mention 10 times more golf courses. I can hit a golf ball to the closest one to my house.

But, I didn't mean any of that by way of advertisement. For you out-of-state liberals, stay where you are!

"Tobermory" by Saki free Audio version

A lot of teachers and parents believe that "Tobermory" by Saki is beyond most high school students. They're wrong. This was previously thought to be a children's short story. High school students can certainly read this. But, just in case you are concerned, we decided to put up a free audio version of the "Tobermory" at our Audio-Text pages.

So, please feel free to have your students listen and read Saki's "Tobermory" here.

"The Gift of The Magi" free Audio version

Ask and you shall receive. We have been getting requests from teachers all over the nation asking for our Audio version of "The Gift of the Magi," and we couldn't resist. While, it has always been our hope to have students watch our video version of the story. If it helps students, we're in.

So, please read and listen to "The Gift of the Magi" here.

Ayn Rand for Treasury Secretary

You wonder if Stephen Moore, who wrote the following Wall Street Journal article: 'Atlas Shrugged': From Fiction to Fact in 52 Years, was reading one of my posts from a couple of weeks ago. At any rate, it's nice to see the sentiment gaining traction.