Celebrity Wisdom & Economics

Do celebrities deserve our attention when they choose to pontificate on global economic matters? Why not? They certainly have proven, in many cases, that they can perform well and/or take on the personalities of various characters. Well, okay, that's not really relevant. So, then, what qualifications does the typical celebrity have to speak on matters of national import? If you answered "none," you'd be right nine times out of ten (and maybe more).

How does this relate to limiting the size of government, you ask? Why should you care? Well, it's always been very interesting to me that big government folks have Hollywood in their pockets. Anytime there's a chance that government can grow, politicians can count on celebrities to speak up in favor. Why? Why is it that they're first in line to suggest tax increases on everyone, including themselves in order to grow government in some way or another?

Why are most of us less-famous Americans more hesitant to part with the money that we earned with our labor? Part of the reason may lie in the fact that we make, on average, only a fraction of what most celebrities earn annually. Further, as Dave Smithee points out, "The ordinary burdens of regulation, taxation, and other realities of high-bracket economics that impact other segments of the wealthy simply don't apply to them."

While they rally around the "Grow Government, Grow!" crowd, with loud voices and lots of air time, we commoners are watching the rubber hit the road daily and recognizing the realities of life. That's the real difference.

Washington's Farewell Address: UPDATE

UPDATE: The formatting for this publication on Kindle is now corrected. So, borrow and buy to your heart's content!

Whether this becomes at all popular isn't my concern. I'm more excited that it actually happened, meaning that I've published something that I believe may help others in studying the events of the founding of the USA.

Comments? Questions? Feel free to post!

-Matthew Nielesn

Washington's Farewell Address

This morning a new publication went live on Amazon.com: George Washington's Farewell Address of 1796 with periodic headings and summaries. The aim is to increase accessibility of the address for those who care to study and review it. If you have a Kindle, it's free to "borrow" for a limited time. Have a look and tell me what you think. I'm anxious for feedback on its layout and format. Let me know if you have suggestions for improvement!

Matthew Nielsen
-IVLG

P.S. I do think there may be an issue with the paragraph formatting.