Glibertarians.com 2019 Archive

Author: Florida Man

  • Pascal’s Wager

     

    For those unfamiliar with Blaise Pascal, he was a brilliant 17th century French mathematician who is famous for many contributions including Pascal’s Wager.  Lifted from Wikipedia, “Pascal argues that a rational person should live as though God exists and seek to believe in God. If God does not actually exist, such a person will have only a finite loss (some pleasures, luxury, etc.), whereas he stands to receive infinite gains (as represented by eternity in heaven) and avoid infinite losses (eternity in hell).”  In my childhood I had been admonished with similar arguments and it always struck me as artificially binary.  Let us examine some other possible outcomes to this game of life.

    Scenario one (the most rosy scenario):  god exists and you believe.  The assumed payout is going to heaven and living for eternity.  Pascal assumed an infinite good, but is he correct?  Perhaps endless bliss for eternity could be appealing to some, but the idea makes me weary.  I don’t want to go on for an infinite amount of time.  What makes life special is that it is fragile, fleeting and rare.  If I learned anything from Zardoz, it is that being an eternal sucks.  

    Scenario two:  god exists and you didn’t believe or believe correctly.  The punishment for guessing wrong is an eternity of hell.  Pascal assumed this as an infinite bad.  Again, anything for an eternity gets boring.  I only have so many orifices in which a pineapple can be forcibly inserted.  

    Scenario three:  belief in a god and no afterlife.  No harm, no foul.  Pascal assumed you only forgo a few luxuries and pleasures to follow his religion, but that is too narrowly focused.  How many people struggle with who they are because their religion tells them they are imperfect sinners and they need to atone with money and supplication?  Different religions demand different amounts of sacrifice of time and money, so I won’t dwell on the details, but the costs are not insignificant.  Suffice to say that money and time diverted to religious purposes is wasted if the religion is incorrect.

    Scenario four:  you don’t believe in god and there is no afterlife.  You get to be responsible for your own life and choices.  There is no hope for a deus ex machina.  There is no cosmic justice or divine inspiration.  No fellow travelers or community to share your burdens. There is no moral objection to debauchery, but there are social consequences.  Cheating on a spouse will usually end a marriage.  Heavy drug use will cost you a job.  Being a dick still gets you uninvited to parties.  Shame, guilt and feelings of inadequacy are just as painful when generated internally versus externally.  The only benefit of atheism is freedom to define your own morality.

    These are the four possible outcomes of Pascal’s Wager:  god exists/faith, god exists/no faith, no god/faith and no god/no faith.  This is where I take issue with the wager.  It simplifies religion/god into a binary, when there are countless religions and beliefs that are all in opposition to one another.  The choice isn’t really god vs no god, the choice is a rejection of all religions or choosing one of thousands.  Even limiting the thought experiment to the most popular religions, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, you only have a twenty percent chance of picking correctly.  One in five odds to gamble eternity.  This assumes all Christian denominations are interchangeable even though there are dozens from which to choose.  Even in Islam, which prides itself on fidelity to the word, you must chose between Sunni and Shia.   Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, and Vajrayana Buddhism are all competing for your attention.  Hinduism brings its own complexities with polytheism.  Which of the gods are real?  All?  Some?  None?  How do you know which to make an offering?  I haven’t even scratched the surface of the old gods and long forgotten religions.  Choosing any of these religions is de facto rejection of all others.  You haven’t really placed a wager of god vs no god, you have placed a wager of one belief vs thousands of other choices.  

    Pascal was clearly brilliant, but he engaged in a practice I find disturbing and increasing in modern society.  He took a complex decision and condensed it into right versus wrong.  His wager assumed Christianity or atheism was the correct answer and never considered that they could both be wrong.  Alternatively, they could both be correct.  There is no way of knowing if what you believe when you are alive, shapes your fate after death.  It is a debate with no possible resolution.  

    Modern wagers aren’t all about religion, but they do suffer from the same limited mindset.  Activists still frame complex problems in a simple binary matrix.  Abortion, homelessness and crime are issues that require real thought and nuanced thinking.  However, people claim there are simple solutions to these complicated issues.  Total abolition of abortions versus absolute choice until birth.  Giving the homeless a home versus chasing them out of the city.  Rehabilitation of convicts versus a police state.  I understand this desire to simplify the world.  We all want to do the right thing, but what is right is not often clear.  Everything has costs and benefits and even those are subjective for every individual.  Knowing what is right is difficult because we are all working with imperfect knowledge.  What troubles me is the people who are so certain that they are on the right side of history.  There is a smugness that comes with absolute faith that they are correct.  It leads to polarization and divides too deep to bridge.  Othering people leads to dehumanization and makes violence that much easier.  I only ask you to consider that when encountering people with different beliefs and ideas, do not dismiss them out of hand.  Just because you listen doesn’t mean you have to agree or change your position.  Everyone is not good or bad, wrong or right, but they are humans trying to make their way through a chaotic world.  Life is a cosmic crap game.  We hold our collective breath as the dice bounce, praying we placed our wager wisely.

    “For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong”

    – H. L. Mencken

  • This coffee sucks

    For those of you that followed my series on coffee and coffee related products, you’ll note there is a sizable gap.  I was undergoing a home remodel and had engaged an dishonest contractor.  I spent most of my time attempting to get satisfaction and destroy said business.  I am happy to report nearly all the work was completed and the company is out of business.  Now, time for coffee

    Today friends we will be exploring vacuum brewing.  Fans of Breaking Bad may remember Libertarian Gale’s coffee brewing contraption, which he claimed made the best possible cup of coffee.  Walt seemed to agree.  That was an overly complex representation of what is a simple brewing method.  A Vacuum brewer or siphon brewer is composed of two chambers connected with a tube, covered with a filter and sealed with a gasket.  Course ground coffee is placed in the upper chamber and fresh water poured into the lower chamber.  The contraption is place on a heat source (burner) and as the water temperature rises, pressure forces the water into the upper chamber where it saturates the coffee grounds.  Give the coffee slurry a little stir and wait one minute before removing from heat.  As the lower chamber cools, a vacuum is created which draws the brewed coffee back into the lower chamber.  It is a mesmerizing process as you anxiously wait for the water to boil and exhilarating to watch the coffee magically pulled back into the lower chamber.  To serve, remove the top chamber and place it in its holder.  The lower chamber is now just a regular pot of coffee.  Put on your ‘Flo’ name tag and top off everyone’s mug.  The unit I bought is made by Yama for $62, serves 8 cups and looks like meth making equipment.  All but your most jaded friends will be impressed by this bad boy.

    Personally I’m a function over form kind of guy and don’t give a darn how something looks if it does not work.  So does it make good coffee?  Absolutely.  Vacuum brewing extracts coffee at a lower temperature than traditional brewing methods and is sort of like a hybrid between cold brew and drip coffee.  So if you like the low acid, sweeter taste of cold brew coffee, but don’t like waiting a day or two for the process, a vacuum brewer may be the choice for you.  Once you learn the process a vacuum brewer is idiot proof.  Vacuum brewers don’t have many variables other than you can adjust grind and steep time, but that is it.  Water temp is controlled by the atmosphere and I have no idea how this method works at different altitudes. The cup is very clean thanks to the cloth filter, which to my palate is between a metal mesh filter and paper filter for preserving origin flavor.  If you like to make quick coffee with little clean up, this is definitely not the method for you, because it make a big mess every time I use the Yama.  It is also the slowest brew method with the exception of cold brewing.  A hack I have learned is to pre-heat the water in a kettle and then place the brewer on the stove.  Another strike against the Yama is that it is big.  I have to store it in a separate cabinet away from all my other brew methods because it is so tall.  Despite these short falls the Yama is in regular rotation for when guest are present.  It is the largest volume coffee maker I own and it never fails to grab people’s attention.  The Yama is unique in aesthetics, taste and function and definitely the most impressive to behold while working.

     

    Fresh Grounds and water

     

    Place over medium heat

     

    Once water reaches top chamber give a stir and wait one minute

     

    After one minute remove from heat and wait for coffee to return to lower chamber

     

    Serve ONLY in Glibs branded mug

     

    Pros:

    people will think you’re a mad scientist

    you friends will be impressed

    good coffee

    Makes enough to serve multiple people or yourself multiple times

    Cons:

    expensive

    fragile and bulky

    slow to brew

    clean up is difficult because of shape and number of parts.

     

     

     

  • The Big Things

    If you read my previous post, you will know that I shared some of my favorite little things: fresh coffee, good whiskey and hot shaves.  I truly believe that the small things in life are what make us happy, but unless the big things are properly managed, we won’t be able to enjoy them.  The big things may not be exciting, but they are important.  Here are some of my big things.

    Three years ago my wife insisted I go to the doctor.   The fact that I work in healthcare pretty much guaranteed that I would not see a doctor unless a loved one forced me to go.  Because I value a happy wife, I acquiesced and made the appointment.  As I am sitting in an assess gown on the exam table that is covered with butcher paper I am reminded why I don’t like to go.  The assistant enters the room and asks me to step on the scale, which I assume has not been properly calibrated because the number is far too high.  She then takes my blood pressure, which I assume she is not practiced in, because yet again, the number is way too high.  Thankfully, the incompetent assistant leaves and I can finally speak to the ARNP.  

    “You are too fat Mr. Man and I want to run labs,” says the ARNP dryly?  

    I think to myself, “Run labs?  I am in my early thirties, why would I need labs?”

    I assume they are likely running up the bill, but what do I care, I have insurance.  Thanks Obamacare! I get a call a week later informing me that I need to come in to discuss my lab work as soon as possible.  The primary care provider explains that my good cholesterol is low, my bad cholesterol is high, and my very bad cholesterol is immeasurable because my triglycerides are dangerously high.  The PCP recommends several medications and lifestyle changes. I respond completely rationally and tell the PCP, “NO DEAL!”.

    I make a bargain for a three month reprieve and promise to make lifestyle changes. I will retest and if I am still high, I’ll concede to the medications.  The PCP reluctantly agrees, sharing that when TGs are as high as mine, he has never seen diet alone correct the problem and it is most likely genetic. I decline to share with my wife the seriousness of my visit, because I don’t want her to worry, and make no mention of the risk for pancreatitis with which I was cajoled.  

    I confess, to enjoying the finer things in life, especially rich food, wine, beer, cocktails, whiskey and lazy days lounging by the pool.  The day I left the doctor’s office, I cut all calories out of my drinks. No more booze, sodas or sugary coffee drinks. I greatly restricted my carb consumption and drastically reduced my portion sizes.  I fasted one day per week for 24 hours to shock my system.  In three months I had lost over twenty pounds and cut my TGs to one third of the original, which were still above normal, but good enough to avoid medication.  My PCP asked to see me in six months and if I had not reached normal levels, still wanted to start me on a much smaller dose of medication. I agreed to the terms and decided to redouble my efforts.  I joined a gym, started doing circuit machines and rowing, and then strong lifts 5×5.  Next came Mad Cow and now a strength program that Leap at the Wheel helped me design and some mixed cardio of biking and boxing.  I am proud to say I am in better shape at 38 than I was as a teenager.  I’ve keep the weight off and normalized my labs without medication.  

    Another key to a healthy life is reducing stress.  A major source of stress for many Americans is debt, which brings me to my next story.  In July of 2010, I got married and significantly increased my debt.  I graduated from the University of North Florida the year before with six figures of college loans.  My wife had graduated not long before the wedding with nearly six figures in debt as well. On the bright side, I was able to pay for the ring and honeymoon in cash and her parents helped pay for the wedding, so at least we had no matrimonial debt.  I purchased a Tacoma after graduation, due to having crashed my RX-8, but luckily my wife was still driving her paid-in-full Jetta.  We shared an inexpensive apartment while my wife looked for work and I worked long hours at the trauma hospital.  

    Then we got robbed.  Cash, computers, televisions, and several firearms were stolen.  Most heartbreakingly, my wife’s camera, with our honeymoon pictures, was gone.  Needless to say, we no longer felt safe in our current lodgings, so we sought new accommodations.  It was the end of 2010 and the housing market had mostly finished collapsing, so we decided to buy a bank-owned home.  We found a home that needed some TLC and made the purchase in January 2011. I had just turned 30 and now had a mortgage, car payment, two grad schools worth of loans and a home depot credit card maxed out to pay for flooring and a new AC unit for our home.  

    Looking back, I have no idea how we made those payments, especially in the summer when my wife was not earning a paycheck.  In 2012, we added a new RAV4 to the family as we felt life was too easy with only stifling debt, instead of crushing debt.  I wish I could tell you when or why my interest sparked in finance, but I can’t remember. I do know it started with Benjamin Graham’s The Intelligent Investor and more books than I can remember going forward.  The wife and myself decided to get debt free and paid the Home Depot card and closed the account.  Then I paid the Tacoma off and focused on the student loans. Luckily I had avoided conventional wisdom and had not consolidated my debt nor my wife’s, so we could pay the fourteen loans off smallest to largest.  With each reduction in minimum monthly payments we could save to tackle the largest loans.  

    In 2015, I refinanced our mortgage to a 15 year loan with a 3.5 percent rate. In 2016, we made the final payment on my wife’s car, leaving only the mortgage.  It took a lot of sacrifice to get out from under our debt and years later our home is still mostly empty as we chose not to use credit to fill the house with furniture or pay for the remodel.  We may not drive the latest cars or wear the fanciest clothes, but we do not fight over bills we can’t pay either, and not fighting with a wife is priceless.  

    July 2020 will be the tenth year spent with my wonderful wife.  We have decided that a vow renewal is in order and we will be inviting friends and family to celebrate what is increasingly becoming a rare event.  I attribute our longevity to similarity in personality, compromise and luck. My wife and I have different politics, religious beliefs and ethnic backgrounds. Our mutual respect for each other’s differences, while focusing on shared values is crucial.  I am an atheist, my wife a catholic, but she doesn’t try to convert me and I accompany her to mass whenever she likes.  Politics is the third rail in our family and is best left untouched, however on occasion we remind ourselves why we don’t discuss the topic.  Regarding our ethnic differences, with her being a first generation American with South and Central American parents and me a white redneck/southerner, we still have common values.  Thrift, work ethic, honesty, politeness, and kindness are shared values that are much more important than skin tone or nationality. 

    It was blind luck that after we married we discovered we have similar spending habits and agreed where we should live.  We have learned to compromise, communicate and give each other space to be individuals within our marriage.  She meets friends for movies and book clubs, while I do poker nights with the boys and Halloween Horror Nights.  We still have our fights about house chores and little annoyances that are unavoidable when you live with someone, but we are fortunate that we have no big problems in our marriage.  That part didn’t just happen through blind luck. It came with hard work and understanding that no one person can be your everything and no one is perfect. We are all humans with insecurities and imperfections.  You have to be able to forgive and move on or ill feelings fester. I am no relationship expert and am probably the last person you want to listen to, because without my wife it is very likely I would be a hermit due to my social anxiety.  I do know if you are unhappy with a relationship, whether it be family, friend or lover, you must make an honest effort to improve the relationship or chose to lose the connection.  Doing otherwise just leads to heartache.

    Do I like working out and restricting my diet?  Do I enjoy paying off debts instead of vacationing in Vale?  Do I enjoy the hard conversations with my wife and reflecting on my own flaws?  Absolutely not. But if I don’t make the effort, I will be broke, fat, alone and all the coffee, whiskey and hot shaves in the world wouldn’t make me happy.  I would love to hear about your big things (phrasing). Please share in the comments.

     

  • The Little Things

    I am fortunate to have been born in the United States where I was able to get an education that led to a career which affords me a comfortable lifestyle.  I have traveled to some beautiful countries, eaten some amazing meals and bought some fun toys.  However, I find the enjoyment that I receive from these expensive distractions are fleeting.  What I have found leads to the most consistent feelings of happiness is focusing on the little things.  Here are a few of my favorite things.

    Every morning, after I have crawled out of bed, I make a cup of coffee.  Not just any coffee, but coffee I have roasted myself. I place the kettle to boil, deposit the beans into the grinder and fetch my Glibs-branded coffee mug.  I listen for the water to steam and smell the beans as they grind, much like being near a waterfall, listening to the water crash off the rocks and smell the bouquet of nature.  A few minutes of quiet contemplation. Once the water has come to the proper temperature, I mix the grounds and water in my French press and begin my four-minute wait. The process in entirety takes ten minutes.  Ten minutes to myself, where I’m not concerned about the problems of the world or my own.  Broken from my quiet reflection by the timer’s alarm, I eagerly pour my magical creation into my cup and deeply breathe in my latest batch.  Did my roast yield mediocre results or the finest cup of coffee on earth?  That is the most exciting part.  Experiencing the results of your own craft.  Really tasting the coffee and noting the uniqueness of each batch.  Learning from my mistakes and reveling in my triumphs. I eschew quick coffee methods because I enjoy the ritual and its usually superior results.  After draining my cup, I move to the bathroom. 

    Before work, like many of you, I engage in a hygiene routine.  Brushing of teeth, showering of body, combing of hair and whatnot.  The one area I may differ in is shaving. Several years ago, I decided to buy a straight razor because I thought it was cool. Probably the influence of too many gangster and cowboy movies.   I am not one to waste space on useless baubles, so I decided to learn how to use the aforementioned straight razor.  I fill the sink with scalding water and douse my face.  I use my silver tip badger fur brush to whip up shaving cream in my little steel bowls.  I strop my razor on fine leather and listen to the blade sing. With razor sharp and water hot, I apply the rich lather to my face.  I will confess this, when shaving with a straight razor, your mind can be on no other task, or you will pay a blood price.  Scraping and contorting my face, I shear my face in the grain of the growth. Another application of lather and I reverse the process.  Rinsing, I inspect the results of my efforts and feel pride when no errant hairs are left or blood my blade.  A quick application of aftershave and a ritual that requires absolute attention is done. I dress and leave for work refreshed and focused.  

    Having done yeoman’s work commenting on Glibertarians, I usually arrive home before midnight.  I give my wife a hello kiss and a pat on the bottom, then steal away to the kitchen for my own heaven on earth: the liquor cabinet.  I enjoy trying new spirits, but rye whiskey is a common companion.  I take my crystal tumbler from its place and place two ice cubes inside.  I love the sound of ice clinking against the crystal.  The high tinkle contrasts perfectly with the dull thunk when I pull the stopper from the bottle of Whistle Pig.  The Pig mascot in his top hat looks approvingly at me as I pour myself two fingers of that golden brown elixir and retire to the sofa to unwind.  Swirling the glass to chill and dilute the whiskey, I deeply inhale the spicy sweet scent, recounting the day’s events.  The first sip lovingly burns my throat and warms my belly.  A pricey bottle to be sure, but well worth the expense. Another day finished.  Another ritual complete. 

    These are my half-hour rituals that give me joy and keeps me sane.  I spend money to enjoy quality whiskey, coffee and razors, but that small investment pays dividends that more than offset the cost.  In fact, your small things need not cost money at all.  You could take a morning walk, play with your pet, read to your children or any number of free activities.  The key to happiness is being mindful and present and really focusing on what makes you happy. I invite everyone to share their “Little Things” in the comments section.

     

  • A Case Against Charity, SLD

    Many libertarians have argued that government welfare stifles charity to the detriment of the community.  Every time food stamps are introduced, a food pantry closes.  When a free clinic opens a religious hospital closes.  I would argue that both government welfare and charity are detrimental to the economy at large and to the individual.  Think of dollars not so much as currency, but as units of work.  A worker spends X number of hours working every week providing a valuable service people willingly exchange their hard earned money to consume.  Labor has been provided by both parties with fiat currency exchanged to the benefit of both sides.  It is a core tenant of free marketeers that all trades are mutually beneficial, otherwise both parties would not agree to the transaction.  When we look at charity, we see that the transaction is inefficient.  What I mean by that is the person providing the charity has provided monies, but has received no labor.  It is the small scale equivalent of paying half the country to dig holes and the other half to fill them to provide 100 percent employment.  A stimulus of one, if you will.

    No one would argue that giving money to the homeless is anything but a consensual transaction.  Although I have had a bum complain about how little of my money I gave him.  However,  I would argue it is harmful to society at large even though it is voluntary.  Every dollar given to a panhandler, is a dollar not purchasing another person’s labor.  The 5 bucks given to the nonproductive is 5 dollars not given to a waiter as a tip for a job well done.  In effect, when you give money away, without insisting on a good or service in exchange, you are subsidizing and encouraging non-production and at the same time discouraging the productive.  You get more of what you reward and less of what you punish.  If the homeless were not supported by either government largess or well-meaning individuals, they would be forced to provide some form of good or service in exchange for currency or starve.  That could be anything as simple as unskilled manual labor or as complex as choosing to improve their skills and earn a higher wage.  Obviously, for this system to work, not only would welfare need to be abolished and private charity banned, but labor and minimum wage laws would need to be repealed.  College and training programs would need to be deregulated and loan guarantees banished.  Once labor becomes available at a lower cost, the price of goods and services would plummet, resulting in a lower income being required for a sustainable lifestyle.  This would reward the savers for once.  At this point you may be thinking “Of course I would like to see those shiftless bums get a job, but what about the disabled?”  If you thought I would go soft here, you’ve badly misjudged me.  

    I firmly believe that unless a person is in a vegetative state, they can still provide valuable services.  A person who is unable to walk but has use of their arms could answer phones, sort files or any number of simple clerical tasks.  Obviously, they could learn to code if they want a higher salary.  Even a quadriplegic could learn to be a translator, singer or voice actor.  The same is true for those that have a mental disability.  Bagging groceries, cleaning or dog walking are all valuable services for which people would willingly pay a reasonable wage.  Not only is employing the differently abled a more efficient use of money than charity, it provides a sense of independence and self-worth to the individual.  If people with disabilities are seen daily contributing to society, people wouldn’t pity them; they would see them as equals working their way through life, the same as them.  You know who isn’t working their way through life?

    The biggest reason to ban charity, is to destroy a vehicle for graft, corruption and nepotism.  Many charities are nothing more than legal scams to collect vast amounts of wealth.  I’m sure we can all think of a charity that claims to fight for a cause, but in reality is nothing more than a slush fund for the people of the board.  I’m looking at you NRA and Wayne French last name.  Other charities are nothing more than a thin veneer of legitimacy for bribing politicians.  I would name a former presidential candidate’s charity, but I don’t fancy committing suicide by shooting myself in the back of the head…twice.  Another function of large charities is to provide make-work jobs for relatives that are too stupid to function in society.  I mean, won’t someone think of the trust fund kid’s phony baloney jobs?  I’m looking at you Jay-Z and Beyonce.  I’m sure many of you can name a charity that actually does some good, but I believe them to be the exception that proves the rule.

    So that is why I don’t give money away anymore*.  My cash is more efficiently spent on the productive members of society, so that they are around to provide services for others that wish to hire them.  Charities that claim to use donations for some nebulous good cause, are more likely spending it on junkets and jet setting. One could make the argument that donating to a politician’s foundation is not really a donation, since one is expecting a return on that particular investment, but let us not get bogged down in semantics.  Lastly, I have no intention of supporting the idle rich, although I do hope to become the idle rich with the money saved by not giving it away to charities.  

    I’ve kept this article short so you can more quickly and efficiently savage me in the comments section.

    *Disclosure:  I did give money to Glibertarians, but I consider that a voluntary service fee akin to a tip and not charity.