A Paradox
Kevin D. Williamson
“Our governments and our business and political elites are not mainly made up of stupid people. One of the shocking things about getting to know people in government, whether in elected office or in the bureaucracies, is that they are mostly bright, well-intentioned, and honest. Together they represent a sterling example of one of the most important and least understood of modern social paradoxes: None of us is as dumb as all of us.”
Kevin D. Williamson from his article Davos’s Destructive Elites
Vintage Hardware
Cast Iron Chandelier at Architectural Antiques of Indianapolis
Vintage building materials have become quite popular, inspiring online catalog stores producing new “old” materials on a large scale. We have a plethora of catalogs coming through with companies specializing in this area. Restoration Hardware is probably the best known. Other companies such as Pottery Barn are providing products in this line as well, though they are not making this niche their sole product. The advantages to these reproductions are that they are made from modern materials reducing concerns about possible lead paint and about improper wiring in older electrical fixtures.
If you truly want vintage architectural items, there are firms that specialize in that as well. Firms such as Doc’s Architectural Salvage & Reclamation Services and Architectural Antiques, both in the Indianapolis area have warehouses full of reclaimed architectural treasures. These are both large scale salvage operations where you can spend hours browsing through thousands of items. On a local level, check out the Habitat for Humanity’s Restores. Locally, there is a Restore in Plymouth in the old Plymouth Lumber building on Walnut Street just southwest of downtown. In South Bend, the Restore is on South Main Street and is set up much like an old department store. You can also find the occasional architectural focal point at local antique shops mixed in with furniture and other historic items.
Investments
At an investment advisory meeting this week, an analogy was made for staying the course with your investments just as you would with your marriage. Somehow I don’t think my wife will go along with that analogy and the good investment strategies of diversification and laddering of maturities…
State of the Union
I’ve always thought the State of the Union address was a fairly worthless endeavor and actually, as an American, somewhat embarrassing to watch. Kevin Williamson put it pretty well in an article he wrote last year for the National Review titled Great Caesar’s Ghost. If you’re interested in reading it, I’ve linked it here. The first paragraph is in the box to the right to whet your appetite.
The whole idea of a State of the Union address rises from Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution describing the powers of the President which says: “He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.”
From what I have gleaned, George Washington did meet with the Congress in what was the first State of the Union “report”, but when Thomas Jefferson became President, he deemed the practice of addressing Congress too “kingly” and began the practice of sending written reports. This proved satisfactory for 112 years until President Woodrow Wilson changed the tradition to a formal address to Congress. This has morphed into the political spectacle we’ll be subjected to tonight.
Lest this be considered just Obama or democrat bashing, let me heap some of the blame on President Reagan for making things worse. He is responsible for the odious new tradition of placing “guests” in the audience which serve as props for the political messages in the speech. And as Mr. Williamson says in his article, “The next Republican president should remember why his party is called the Republican party and put a stop to this.” Hear, Hear!
Consider the Sources: Almost totally Internet; some from Mr. Williamson’s article and some from other searches.
