The Ten States That Restrict Personal Freedom (And Those That Protect It) - 24/7 Wall St.

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I saw this Web article as I was surfing the Web today. I thought it was enlightening. They rank the 10 states that are the least restrictive and the 10 most restrictive on personal freedoms. I knew my state would make the most restrictive list..but I won't tell you which one it is!

Anyway, check it here:

The Ten States That Restrict Personal Freedom (And Those That Protect It) - 24/7 Wall St.

then come back here and let us know your thoughts. If you live in one of the 20 states highlighted in the article, do you agree or disagree with your rank and listing? Have you taken any action to increase (or decrease) personal freedom in your state regardless of the list it's on (if either)? Are we headed to a future filled with nanny-states?

Voice your opinion below! Let out some steam!

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TV Review: 30 Days

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30 Days was a short-lived series by Morgan Spurlock, the producer of Super Size Me, which was reviewed here.

There were 3 seasons comprised of 6 episodes per season. Each episode took a willing participant and immersed him/her into an alien environment to explore a culture/lifestyle that was the opposite of what he/she knows to see if how it would affect him/her. Basically, it took the old saying "To walk in someone else's shoes" to the test.

I've only been through the first season, but I've found the series interesting and enlightening - more so by watching the participants reactions to their new environments than by my own reaction to the events depicted. The topics covered in the first season were living on minimum wage, a Christian living among Muslims, anti-aging, straight man in a gay world, off the grid and binge drinking Mom.

Two of the episodes that popped out at me were "Off the Grid" in which two New Yorkers were sent to a commune that is totally self reliant and uses no power sources from the outside world (they use biodiesel for cars, grow their own food, etc). The woman seemed to embrace the lifestyle while the man was a little more hesitant. In the end though they decided to try to be more mindful of their resource use and would try to change for the better when they got home.

The other one was Binge drinking Mom. The 43 year old mother had a 19 year old college student daughter who was a binge drinker so the episode had the mother become a binge drinker for 30 days.  It was rather painful to watch the Mom become a binge drinker - the changes in her body, attitude and routines. In the end, she didn't quite change her daughter's mind about binge drinking but seemed to have an impact on her 9 year old son who decided that drinking wasn't for him.

Overall, I can recommend checking out the series. It's an interesting concept and may enlighten you!

I'll try to update my reactions when I finish the series, but for now, let me know if you've seen 30 Days and what you think about it. Haven't seen the series? Do you think you might check it out? Let us know - leave a comment below!

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Facebook Update - I'm totally hooked and now I need help!

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You may remember this post I made a while back about Facebook. In re-reading that post, I can see the beginnings of the obsession I find myself in now. It's really not so much Facebook itself (I still don't care that my friends think "It's a beach day!") but the social games - specifically Farmville and Cafe World.

I am totally hooked - and while I feel I can walk away any day, I don't! And I don't want to! I dunno what it is about those two games (I've tried at least a dozen Facebook games off and on) that keeps me coming back. Well, they do tend to update them, continually adding more depth which sucks me in even further. A few years ago, I swore to myself I would never "pay to play" yet since then I've sunk in at least $20 of my own money (I know, it's not a lot of dough  but considering I have nothing to show for it except a few fake trees on a fake farm, it's a lot!!) and $20 of gift money...UGH!

And the time I've wasted - hours and hours...it's insane. I have piles of books to read, movies / T.V. shows to  watch, etc that I don't get to because I'm constantly playing Farmville and Cafe World! Luckily, I don't skip work to play! Whew!

Well, I just thought if I let the world know of my obsession, that would be a start on the road to recovery.

Is there any hope for me? Have you been sucked into social games - Facebook or otherwise? Were you able to control your obsession? Share your experiences by leaving a comment!

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Congrats Boston Bruins!

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Just a short post to congratulate the Boston Bruins hockey team on a job well done! They won their sixth Stanley Cup (the last one was in 1972!) by defeating the Vancouver Canucks, 4-0 in Game 7, on the road in Vancouver, on June 15th, 2011!

The Bruins accomplished at least one first - they were the first hockey team to win 3 Game 7s in the same playoff season.

Boston became the first city to have all four of its major sports teams win a championship in a 7 year period.

Sadly, some idiots started rioting over the loss. But, there's no need for Canadians to apologize - the world knows that the houligans that started the rioting would have done the same thing had the Canucks won it all. It was basically an excuse for them to go on a rampage and pillage, loot the city.



Canuck fans be proud of your team for all it accomplished this season - don't let the loss or the rioting tarnish an otherwise great season and proud hockey nation.

Thoughts? Comments? Leave them below!

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Book Review: Never Enough: America's Limitless Welfare State

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William Voegeli's Never Enough: America's Limitless Welfare State takes a look at the welfare state that was basically created during the New Deal era. On the one hand, you have the Liberal Loons (my term, not Voegeli's) who insist that the welfare state must grow larger to help those in need. On the other hand, you have the fiscal conservatives who equally adamantly insist that the Federal government must get smaller, thus lowering taxes and enabling the private sector to expand and create more jobs.

This see-saw from large to small and back is examined by Voegeli. He lays some ground work in the first half of the book, comparing the US to other countries in various ways. In the second part of the book, he takes a look at the liberal and conservative viewpoint of how things should be.

He basically comes to the conclusion that conservatives have to admit that the welfare state will never go away so it's best to deal with it and manage it as is while liberals must admit that society will never cross a certain threshold of taxation to allow a complete security blanket of government programs supported by high taxes.

The conclusion is fairly depressing for a small government advocate such as myself - of course, my mind agrees with him, but my heart fights on for a smaller Federal government. While a little dry in parts, with a sobering conclusion, I would recommend reading Never Enough: America's Limitless Welfare State

Share your thoughts below - are we doomed to supporting a massive welfare state forever? Is liberty truly lost?

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Book Review: Liberty Defined by Ron Paul

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It's not often I tell readers to STOP reading my blog and to read something else. In this case, I urge you to grab a copy of Liberty Defined, turn off the PC and read it. It's absolutely fascinating. Ron Paul takes 50 issues, in alphabetical order, and gives his reasoned views on them. He touches on a wide variety of issues such as abortion, defense and terrorism. This stuff isn't for the faint of heart. It's hard core libertarianism - traditional conservatives will recoil at some of his views, especially on drugs and defense.

But, if you have an open mind, a libertarian attitude and/or the ability to read other viewpoints on current issues, then this is the book for you. I really recommend adding it to your personal library. Top quality stuff. It was a real eye-opener for me. While I knew I'd agree with many of the issues presented, I was surprised to be in total agreement on his views on defense after reading that chapter. I'm a sucker for high priced gizmos and flying machines...but he put a realistic stamp on that viewpoint and I've changed my mind (though my heart still loves a good air combat fighter!).

Read it, think about it, then comment on it below. You'll be glad you did!

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Movie Review: Super Size Me

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I finally got around to watching Super Size Me, the semi-controversial look at McDonald's food and its effect on your health. I rather enjoyed this documentary. I know there are some issues out there surrounding the movie, but overall I thought it was very good. Apparently, it had such an impact that McDonald's eliminated the Super Size!

It was rather disturbing to see Morgan, the producer and subject of the documentary, not only eat all that McDonald's food, but also the changes that it wrought on his body. At the end of the documentary, they state that he was back to normal in about 8 weeks of healthy eating.

I recommend catching this movie along with Food Nation that was previously reviewed here.

Have you seen Super Size Me? If so, leave your thoughts below!

Do you have a favorite expose-type documentary you can recommend? Leave a comment below - if it sounds interesting, I'll check into it!

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Has the world (or just San Francisco) gone mad?

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I haven't been following this very closely, but apparently the voters of San Francisco, this November, will vote on whether to ban circumcision, religious or not, within city limits. To add fuel to the fire, anti-Semitic comic books are being created by the anti-circumcision forces.

This is all very frightening. This is PC run amuck. What will be next? I can't imagine, but I'm sure it will be another frightening step toward a future I'd rather not be a part. Where in the world do activists get the notion that they can ban a religious practice that dates back 1000s of years? All for some twisted beliefs about foreskins and circumcision?

Let's hope this is soundly defeated by the voters of San Francisco.

Please add your thoughts to this issue by leaving a comment below.

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