If you are curious as to the origin of my name, click here. I hate it when city folks make fun of country folks, especially when they do not see their own faults. I'm far from a rube, but I like the name Rubin. I am a Baby Boomer. I'm not exactly country. I'm not exactly city either. I'm American.

Recent Thoughts - Fear: Fear sells. Look at Drudge and this virus. How about some comparisons:

Based on information provided by the Centers for Disease Control, the odds of being struck by a car in the United States is about one in 4,292. The odds of dying as the result of being struck by a car are about one in 47,273.

Oh No! I'm not going to cross the street!

Fear, going back to 9/11. We gave up a bunch of liberty and in return for, maybe, some security. All because of fear.

Fear on the playground; apparently children can't walk to and from playgrounds unattended these days without parents getting in trouble with authorities. There's even a movement, among the non-fearful, call free-range children.

There's fear in what we eat and drink. Entire industries exist based on these fear. Natural, organic, vegan, whole-food, supplements, etc., all designed to ease your fear of eating and drinking.

Fear of Speech - This is a special conservative fear. We don't speak our minds because we fear not being liked, or losing our jobs, etc. Rats don't have this fear.

Fear of illegals, fear of crime, fear of FBI, fear of socialism, fear of ...

Solution: Stop being afraid and live your life. Are you afraid about the virus? Wash your damn hands and keep them out of your mouth, nose, eyes, ears, etc. Then don't worry about it. Go on with life.

Afraid of Moooslim terrorists? Tell our government to kill them without rebuilding their damn counties and leave our freedoms and liberties intact. Then don't worry about it. Go on with life.

Afraid of illegal immigrants? Build the damn wall. Exclude illegals from your life, your business and your consumption. But don't worry about it. Go on with life.

Afraid to speak you mind? Do it here on FreeRepublic, then tone it down a little and do it freely in public. Then don't worry about it. Go on with life.

Get the idea? Don't be afraid. Solve problems. Go on with life.

Political Philosophy

My basic philosophy on government is simple. It should exist solely at the pleasure of the people and for the primary purpose to protect the rights of the people. Rights come from God, not government, and as such government cannot pay for a right.

I am an ardent civil libertarian, but I do not support the Libertarian Party. For instance, I believe in life from the moment of conception to natural death. That means I am 100% against murdering unborn babies. This alone prohibits me from being a Libertarian.

I believe in small government and capitalism, leaning towards the classical definition of pure competition. Government has a constitutional role in commerce, namely to make it regular between states, foreign and domestic. This is achieved via uniform weights and measures, uniform contract law, and laws/regulations that allow markets to be easily entered/exited, perfect information to be known about the makeup of goods and services (know what you are buying) and price (know how much it will cost you.) That's the limit. Government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers.

More to come ...