"There are some people who say that they want Socialism, but do not want bureaucracy. Such persons I leave in simple despair. How any calculating creature can think that we can extend the number of Government offices without extending the number of Government officials and the prevalence of the official mind, I cannot even conjecture. Some people look forward to a splendid transformation of the general human soul. That is a good argument for accepting Socialism – and, when one comes to think of it, an even better reason for doing without it." G.K. Chesterton in Illustrated London News January 2, 1909, quoted in Gilbert Magazine Vol. 20 # 1 (Sept.-Oct. 2016)
"People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy after." Oliver Goldsmith, quoted as "Thought du jour" in Globe and Mail September 27 2000
If you're in the area I really hope you'll join us for "Meeting the Climate Change Challenge", the 2017 annual conference by the Economic Education Association of Alberta, in Calgary this coming Friday and Saturday March 17 and 18. We've got a terrific lineup of speakers including climatologist Dr. Tim Ball and Friday lunch keynote speaker Marc Morano. And I'll have something to announce during my own talk on March 17. The time is right to stand up to the hysteria, confront bad science and assess policy rationally. So please join us for two days of outstanding presentations and timely discussion on this crucial issue.
"Doubt comes at the window, when inquiry is denied at the door." Benjamin Jowett
"Man must bow down to something." Fyodor Dostoevsky, quoted in Philip Yancey Soul Survivor
The audio-only version is available here: [podcast title="Ask the Professor, March 11"]http://www.thejohnrobson.com/podcast/John2017/March/Ask_Professor_83.mp3[/podcast]
"I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it." Widely attributed to Groucho Marx but in 1962 he denied saying it in real life on leaving a party; he may have used it in a comedy routine but it almost certainly did not originate with him
If you're wondering, yes, the digital elves did something weird to my National Post column today, inserting three paragraphs of a news sidebar as though they were part of my copy (grafs 4-6, from "The Liberal government plans to request..." down to "Read more..."). The online version is correct.