Introducing Mark Packard

When I started this project, I had a few people in mind that I wanted to help.  As is so often the case, one of the bright people I knew, knew other bright people.  Christa introduced me to Mark, and I’m happy to introduce him to you.  Please look for his Bio in his own words shortly.

Thanks for reading,

JB

The Welfare State Versus Free Will

Those of us who have lived long enough to see the changes in society over the course of time have a unique perspective of comparison from decade to decade. Having grown up during a time when most people took responsibility for their own actions and where the concept of equal opportunity did not mean equal outcomes, I’ve come to appreciate the liberty of thought and action we used to enjoy. Such liberty has been chipped away, restrained, by the enlarged and ever-growing welfare state we’ve allowed our government to assume.

Euripides’ Biography

Many people have asked me about my chosen pen name, Euripides. Of course, the name comes from the famous Greek tragedian who wrote some of the best classic works, including Trojan Women, The Bacchae, and Medea. The Greek Euripides’ works contain several early references to Greek democracy and are known for their realism and biting satire.

But that isn’t why I chose Euripides as a pen name for my political writing.

Euripides, our Newest Contributor

As you know, this is supposed to be a group blog.  Christa and I are hardly a group by ourselves, so we are continuing to recruit other like-minded individuals to help us in our endeavor.  Our efforts have yielded us a veteran blogger who goes by the name of Euripides.

The Problem with Conservatives

Okay, so before everyone jumps up and asks why I would have this be my first post, let me just say that being able to examine one’s self for weaknesses is an essential trait if one wishes to improve.  I don’t see this as a violation of Reagan’s eleventh commandment. (Not that it’s applicable, since I am not a Republican.) 

Jeff’s Bio

Hi Everyone,

Since I’ve asked the other authors to write a short bio about themselves, I figured I should do so as well.  Mine can be found here.

Keep checking back, as there will be actual content on the site soon.  I’m writing some of my thoughts down, and the others are as well.  Hopefully we’ll get this show on the road in the next few days.

Thanks for reading,

JB

A Curly-Haired Conservative

Thanks to these lovely things called genetics, I have curly hair. Really, really curly hair. While some people find this enchanting or enviable, I find it just plain annoying. I have fought my curls tooth and nail for the better part of the last 10-plus years, at times spending upwards of an hour to straighten my locks and one-up the curse of nature.

Or, at least, I used to.

Introducing Christa

In my Business Plan class at CU Boulder during my MBA studies, we were given the advice that we should hire slow and fire fast.  While I can certainly see the merit in this approach, I also see a downside, namely that you don’t get the help you need in a timely manner.  I’ve decided to hire fast from a group of people that I know will be great contributors, and then fire moderately fast if needs be.

Christa is someone I’ve known for a number of years.  She was one of my brother’s students in a class called American Heritage at BYU.  American Heritage is a combination of American history, political science and economics (mostly the good micro kind, not the voodoo macro stuff.)  Christa went on to teach American Heritage for about three years while an undergraduate.

Christa brings a level of eclectic writing that will be an asset to our little project and will likely be serving as an editor as well.  (We can’t have persistent errors in grammar or logic, now can we.)

Christa will be writing a bit of a bio on her own shortly, so we can all get to know her better, along with the perspective that she’ll be bringing to the proverbial table.   I’m looking forward to it, and hopefully, you are too.

In the Beginning

The idea for the Rational Conservatism blog came from a friend of mine.  He had read a post that I had written on my personal blog, and told me that he had been meaning to start one of his own.  He wanted to have some sort of clearing house for authors of a rational conservative persuasion to publish their thoughts.  He wanted to have people from different educational backgrounds come together to share their writings.

In that spirit, I decided to create this blog.  As of today, I am the only author on the blog.  Hopefully I will be able to recruit others who will amplify the value of the blog. If you are interested in becoming a contributor, please contact me.  I’d be happy to take a look at your writing and see if we are a match.

Until then, Happy thinking!