Days after Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates announced he would be leaving his full-time position at the software giant to focus on his charitable foundation, billionaire Warren Buffett announced he would donate the vast majority of his fortune (about $37 billion) to Gates' foundation.

Socialists everywhere cringed.

This is a perfect example of how capitalism helps the poor, contrary to what ignorant anti-Capitalists would have you believe. Here we have the two richest men in the world, both of whom amassed their respective fortunes through markets and sheer entrepreneurial drive, fighting against poverty- and doing it more effectively than world governments.

These two men have shown the world what Capitalism is really about. Ignorant liberals think that because one man gets rich, another must become poorer. In effecxt, they believe the world operates as a zero-sum game.

When someone like Gates or Buffett becomes rich, they believe, everyone else must get proportionally poorer. Not only is this false, but in reality, the opposite is true. When someone becomes wealthy, especially someone with the genius of Gates or Buffett, he/she is able to open new markets, create well-paying jobs, and make the world better for everyone.

Still, those obsessed with Socialist theory and full of hate for Capitalistic forces will try to poke holes in these facts. That's because Socialism works in theory (which anti-Capitalists confuse with viability), but not in practice- that is, in the real world, where centrally-planned economies result in starving citizens.

In the real world, free markets promote equality and allow those with the most wealth to use their entrepreneurial skills to help those who need it most.

That is what Capitalism is all about.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of talking to best friend back home and we got to talking about some deep issues, as we always end up doing.

We are both pretty much in the same situation. We know what we want to do with our lives- it involves helping those who can't help themselves, namely the poor and the oppressed- we just don't know the exact path yet.

He's currently working for a non-profit law firm and I'm in the Navy. We are in very different spot, yet we seem to share a vision, a passion, and a goal. We've been pondering what that means exactly, and how we can achieve our common goal. We often disagree but we are respectful of each other's opinions and we often learn from each other. More interestingly, we often end up at the same place.

We also have often wondered why more people are age don't seem to care about the world and just seem to live phony lives with no purpose. They have phony relationships- full of buddies but no true friends, full of transient pleasure but no purpose. Everything in their lives is phony. We wonder how we can change this world for the better... how we can lift up those who suffer.

The answer remains illusive, but we know our purpose. We struggle with life but know that as long as we keep our hearts in the right place, we'll one day make a difference.

I look forward to the day when my people stop suffering. When they are no longer oppressed. Too often, we think life is about us... we choose to live phony lives and pretend it's all about us. We laugh and we choose to ignore those who cry. We waste our lives when others have had their destroyed. We judge rather others than show them compassion... and we make excuses instead of helping those who need us.

But all is not lost, and though our people have lost battles, the war is far from lost. After talking with the man I've grown to see as my brother and closest ally, I once again have hope that all is not lost and that we can still make a difference.

A former teacher of mine writes on his blog:  

"People are buzzing about Gore. 'Who could we find who's just as good,' they ask, 'if he refuses to run?' Sorry, but there's no one that can take Gore's place right now." 

Well, I think his assessment that Al Gore is the man of the hour, and the reasons behind that- namely, that he is unrestrained and detached from the political world- is right on. But I believe the reason he's acting this way is a sure sign that he does not, in fact, intend to run.

Even if he did run, however, I'm not sure that he would win. Al Gore, like the rest of the Democrats is focusing on one issue instead of a broad agenda. And he, like most other Democrats, remains cold and static.

When the election season rolls around, the Democrats must find a likeable, candid, refreshing, and most of all, strong candidate, with a realistic but contrasting agenda that can truly challenge the Republicans.

Honestly, I don't know if that's going to happen. When I see Republican Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney signing a bill that requires Massachusetts citizens to purchase health insurance on one side and Democratic California Sen. Diane Feinstein co-sponsoring the flag desecration amendment on the other, I wonder if our government is playing a sick joke on us or if we really only have one party with a split personality.

The New York Times reports:

"What really happened in Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005?

On that day, Marines killed 24 Iraqi civilians, including 10 women and children and an elderly man who used a wheelchair. But how and why it happened and who ultimately bears responsibility are matters of profound dispute."

How/Why: http://www.lewrockwell.com/margolis/margolis35.html
Who bears responsibility: both the Marines who pulled their triggers and the architects of this war.

Ken Pollack of the Brookings Institution says of the Iraq mess:

"The problems in Iraq have become so pervasive and extensive that the only solution is a long, slow, grinding struggle to create security in Iraq's population centers, build political and economic institutions capable of meeting the basic needs of the Iraqi people, and thus provide the Iraqis with a realistic alternative to the militias." -National Journal; 6/9/06 as quoted on brookings.edu.

That's a sobering analysis. The sad fact is that we will not see a solution to the mess created in Iraq any time soon. The current situation is dire. The political debate has focused on whether we should pull out, but no matter what we do, it's going to be ugly. We're damned if you do and damned if we don't.

If we "stay the course," more American service members will die, as will many, many more innocent Iraqis. If we pull out, we will leave Iraq in a state of civil war, which already exists but could be more widespread without American forces there, although many will argue (the valid point) that our presence there fuels many on both sides to commit unspeakable acts of violence.

Ultimately, a decision will have to be made on the part of Americans as to how much we are willing to sacrifice. That’s how the Vietnam War ended.

USA Today reports that only one vote is needed in order to pass the Senate's constitutional amendment banning flag desecration.

What a waste of time.

First of all, let me say that I hate seeing our flag being desecreated. I'm a United States Sailor. I am proud to salute the flag and honor its meaning.

But to make it illegal to protest by desecrating it is nothing short of paradoxical. The flag is a symbol of the freedoms we have as Americans- of the many people who have died so that we can remain a free society where dissent fuels a true democracy.

That it is a unique and even sacred symbol to most Americans is a given. But just because most of us find flag desecration a disgusting and disrespectful thing to do does not mean we should ban such practice.

I truly hope they don't find that last vote.

I'm tired of hearing people complain about the price of oil.

First of all, it is too cheap if you ask me. I say this because I know market forces would force us to start using cleaner, more efficient sources if the price of oil became truly unaffordable. That will happen, I'm sure- but not yet.

Robert L. Bradley, Jr. of the Cato Institute recently wrote in a brilliant piece about the "problem" of oil prices. A problem which can only be solved, he says, by market forces. His arguemnt is solid and makes perfect sense.

People love complaining because, well- people love complaining. Politicians (who are not people) love complaining because it makes them look tough on "big oil," which in turn, wins them votes.

The fact is that compared with much of the world, our prices are cheap- but for the sake or the argument, let's say it really is expensive. How do we fix it? Well, we don't. We let it fix itself. Let prices go up. That's a good thing. Eventually, they'll go up so much that we'll have to find a new way to fuel our vehicles and heat our homes. Innovation comes through entrepreneurship, not government meddling.

Those who are eager to tax "big oil" out of business or artificially reduce prices with anti-price-gouging laws are either ignorant of the way the economy works (bad) or don't care and are simply looking to win a few more votes in the mid-term elections (worse).

I started a blog to post my thoughts on the news, politics, culture...whatever's on my mind.

Expect strong opinions and unconventional commentary.