Earl R. Smith II's Blog, page 34
March 20, 2019
An Evolutionary Tale
Chief@Dr-Smith.info Dr-Smith.info There is a tendency to frame the argument over evolution in historical terms. Darwin’s description of how organisms evolve and the great, if rather random, experiment of evolution was focused on genetic modification over time. Antagonists to this theory, principally on religious grounds, refused to accept the implications of the Origins Of Species.…
March 19, 2019
A Tale of A Mentoring Client
Earl R. Smith II. PhD Chief@Dr-Smith.info Dr-Smith.info We are not who we say we are. We are who others say we are. Your reflection in the eyes of those who have come to know you is always more accurate than the image you strive to put there. —— This is a tale of three clients.…
A Deeper Reading
Chief@Dr-Smith.info Dr-Smith.info To the extent that most Americans have heard about de Tocqueville, he represents a European traveler who occasionally said nice things about the emerging nation. But a deeper reading of this insightful author can produce an uncomfortable feeling that the apprehensions he had about the future of Liberalism and the American experiment may…
March 16, 2019
Can the Republic Survive?
I recently came across the following: “an avaricious society can form a government able to defend itself against the avarice of its members” by enlisting the “interest of vice … on the side of virtue.” Lasch, Christopher. The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy (p. 94). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle…
So close to the finish line – the Republican Realization
It began in earnest with the election of Richard Nixon in 1968. Prior to that, the Republican Party had, at least theoretically, been based on two central premises. Limited government and fiscal responsibility. But, beginning with Nixon’s inauguration on the 20th of January 1969, those foundation stones were replaced by two new ones. The first…
March 13, 2019
A Leadership Mentor – Finding the Right One
Earl R Smith II, PhD Chief@Dr-Smith.info Dr-Smith.info Leadership mentoring can make a huge difference in the career prospects of an up-and-coming executive. The delays and risks of learning by experience – by your mistakes and successes – can put you seriously behind your competitors. There is a sense of gambling about letting fate take the…
March 12, 2019
A Question of Identity
Earl R Smith II, PhD Chief@Dr-Smith.info Dr-Smith.info According to many modernist social theorists, questions of identity center on an ‘authentic knowledge’ of the ‘self’ and of the shelves of others. It was generally accepted that there was a unique core within each person which formed the very foundation of who they ‘were’. According to these…
March 5, 2019
It’s Not Partisan – It’s a Shared Disease
This week brought a reminder that Washington DC is a swamp that infects visitors with a disease – a combination of arrogance, self-righteousness, a dogmatic view of the world and a tendency to self-appoint as the arbiter of reality. Messiah complexes. The Administration has been a constant source of reminders of how this claim of manifest destiny is a requirement for success in getting a ticket to the swamp and a source of much that…
It’s an anchor, not a life preserver
I read with amazement an analysis which contended that, as a result of the negotiations to keep the government open, one of the losers was Sen. McConnell. I’m not sure what planet this analyst lives on, but, as far as I can see, the Senator was one of the clear winners. Does anyone believe that you can pull the rug out from under an experienced politician like McConnell and not pay a price? Based on…
Hysterical stupidity may finally be abating!
It was Ronald Reagan who announced that Medicare, which he and his cronies defined as socialized medicine, would destroy American freedom. Clearly that was a load of crap. Medicare not only did not destroy American freedom it is one of the most popular government programs – second only to Social Security. But Republicans were engaging in a hysterical dance that was designed to connect the idea of a strong social safety net to a potential…
