In case you missed it…
Entrepreneurship
The late Steve Jobs once explained that “A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” This is clearly the mentality of a successful entrepreneur — and certainly, it is a part of what allows America and the west the prosperity we enjoy. But there’s something else that makes the kind of entrepreneurship we see in the free world possible: The freedom to fail. It’s a freedom we take for granted, but it is essential to ensuring progress and the creation of wealth. (Read more)
Individual rights
Rudy and Rennie North were an elderly couple living out their retirement in a comfortable home on a golf course in Las Vegas, Nevada. But their world turned upside down when one day a woman named April Parks barged into their home. Parks told the Norths that she had an order from the Clark County Family Court to “remove” them from their home. Suddenly, all their belongings and assets were under Parks’ control, and they weren’t even allowed to notify their family. One of the men with Parks even said that if the Norths didn’t comply, he would call the police. How did this happen? Well, unfortunately, it was not an isolated incident — April Parks had gained “guardianship” of the Norths, without them even realizing it. Guardians, as it turns out, can take unbelievable control under Nevada law over the lives of senior citizens, and can even loot their estates. (Read more)
Big brother:
We know that tech companies surveil virtually every aspect of our digital lives for the sake of targeting us for products, providing content and tailoring our online experience. But imagine a world where the government similarly watches your every move, and distills your behavior down to a single “score” that rates what kind of citizen you are. You don’t have to imagine too hard — because China is already working on such a system. It’s called a “Social Credit System,” and this Orwellian scheme is expected to be launched sometime in 2020. (Read more)
Culture
George Washington was one of the founding members of Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia. He attended the church for more than two decades, and even bought pew No. 5 when it opened in 1773. But, according to the so-called “social justice” attitude among the church’s modern leadership, none of that history matters. Last weekend, the church announced it was pulling down a memorial plaque to the nation’s first president because both Washington and another famous parishioner, Robert E. Lee, have become “too controversial” for a church that has the motto “All are welcome—no exceptions.” Understandably, the “politically correct” decision to toss this important piece of history down the Orwellian memory hole didn’t sit well with many parishioners, as the church’s Facebook page soon erupted with outrage over the issue. (Read more)