Always Two Reasons
“A man always has two reasons for doing anything; the reason he says he has, and the real one.”
Money (and ego) are the reasons I wrote this book.
Surprised I would admit that? Most of us have become unaccustomed to hearing direct, honest, apparently selfish statements. We say and we write what we want other people to pretend to believe. In fact if you think about it, despite the rhetoric from the collectivists, money is the reason for much of the activity in the world.
I have not been divinely inspired, nor do I have some kind of a calling of which I am aware. In addition to earning some money, I admit that I also wanted to satisfy my ego by writing some of my thoughts in book form as so many before me have done. Many will agree with me, but the ideas here are not all that original; in fact, most of them are older than anyone who will honor me by reading this. It seems that for some reason writing it for public view somehow validates ideas far more than would an angry rant in a state department of motor vehicle registration line.
The concepts herein have already been proven, they have been indisputably validated. The objective is to awaken the producers in this country and to undo the lunacy and the irrationality of the progressive beliefs which have brought our nation to its knees.
Books do carry more weight than mere spoken words. That is a basic regressive tenet – admit truth, and use it to your advantage. I hope to awaken your conservative side enough so you will consciously think about what you really believe, be proud to admit it without hesitation, and teach it to your children.
The quote that begins this page originated from wealthy banker J. P. Morgan who rarely admitted doing anything for money – so he knew of which he spoke. Somehow he became one of the wealthiest men in the world, without publicly admitting to be interested in personal profit. At least he was honest about lying.
If you’ve never heard of this quote, you still know it is true. You’ve probably used it yourself. Ever tell someone you were too busy to go somewhere you didn't want to go? Come on now, how about `your in-laws house? Urgent report due and sorry, I just can’t make it. Maybe you really did have that business report due, but honestly now, the real reason was you just can’t stand to be in their company for more than a few seconds a month. Don’t feel too badly; we all do it.
A few years ago, my wife said: “Let’s drive 1,000 miles and go to Oklahoma to see my daughter and her family for Thanksgiving.” I made the mistake of saying: “I don’t want to go because it is a thousand miles each way and only a four day trip; plus it is much colder there. I don’t like cold; I could be kayaking here at home in Florida, hang out on the little islands and read a book." Bad idea. I thought honesty would be the best approach – it wasn’t. Next time I will be sure to make a tax appointment I can’t break.
Although we don’t trust people we know are lying, we pretend to believe it if we think others believe we should. (Ok to pause now and rewind that last sentence). For example: Why do teachers need more pay and benefits? For the children of course. Not because they want more money, an easy retirement, or a great health care policy they complain isn’t enough. No, they want to be able to afford the best teachers for the sake of the children. Wouldn’t we have more respect for them if they just admitted to wanting the money, benefits and summers off – as well as teaching the children?
Why do professional athletes ingest illegal drugs? Of course it had nothing to do with that potential $100 million contract, it was to help them recover from injury faster so they can get back on the field and help their team win. I always respected a former Red Sox pitcher who when asked why he stayed with Boston, said: “Because they gave me more money”.
Keeping in the pro sports line, when asked why a long term veteran ballplayer retires, the answer is always a close derivative to: “My wife and I discussed it and we felt that it was time that I started to spend more time with my family.”
Right. Nothing to do with the fact that no one offered a job, that there were no more multimillion-dollar contracts on the table. Funny when you think about it. We all know they are lying, they know we know - but they say it anyway. If we’re good fans, we pretend to believe it.
Why do towns place cameras at busy intersections? Safety? Come on now. On and on it goes, and we outwardly pretend to believe the reasons given when we know they aren’t true.
Sure there are other reasons I wrote this book, but mainly I want to earn money, and am not ashamed to admit it. I also am tired of everyone with their hand in my pocket. Is that OK to admit? Am I selfish because it is true? We all need to be more honest about what we really think, and care less what others think about it. Thoughtful logic and reason will always win an argument against emotion, unless or course the squabble is with your wife.
I don’t want to be a burden upon anyone else; I don’t want to ask for, much less demand anything from another that I did not earn. So naturally, I want to earn as much as I can so that never happens. You should be pleased I intend never to burden you or your family with my wants or needs.
I want my children to feel the same way. I want them to be able to work and to make their own money without oppressive government interference at every turn. I want my grandchildren to live in a world we used to know, or at least some of us do because we’ve read about it. I want the thought process of Americans to revert back to my liking because I believe I am right and liberals are wrong. I am not the only one who feels this way, and we are becoming more vocal. Probably you agree too or you wouldn’t be reading this now.
All of the above statements begin with “I” because they are all selfish motives. The important factor is that the “I” statements are based on enlightened self-interest rather than simple hedonistic selfishness. The difference is in the long-term effect on oneself and upon others.
My self-interest is good for you. You won’t have to contribute anything for my benefit that would have otherwise been available to directly enhance your own enlightened self-interested lifestyle or that of your children. I of course do not want to be forced by government to sacrifice my needs or even my minor selfish wants to contribute to your family’s needs.
Although I would never intentionally hurt you or your family, I can’t really care about them like I do my own. If you’re honest you will admit the same. Human nature can’t be faked.
We are not evil for thinking this way or even for admitting that we do. In fact we should scream it from the rooftops. If we feel this way and conceal it, we are negligent in our familial and social responsibilities. If we believe in enlightened self-interest and refuse to admit or teach these valuable principles to our children, we are poor role models and parents and part of the national problem now facing all of us. The result will hurt society as through our silence we passively encourage bigger government and more dependency.
You may disagree with some of the admittedly opinionated statements that follow but you will find that this is a very honest work. My opinions are based on years of research with a little intuition and a lot of arrogance mixed in. I like to tell my friends that I will be honest at all times unless it will directly and permanently benefit me more not to be. Yes – I am kidding, but emphasizing that my enlightened self-interested outlook is not completely humorless.
The ideas suggested here are being considered seriously more and more as many conservative voices are again finally being heard. It is a little egotistical for anyone to believe that he is the only one who has thought of a solution. I admit to having a boatload of attitude, but my reason overwhelms it and so I do realize others have some of these same ideas and regardless of the source, a good idea is a good idea. A lot of people have proposed corrections to our plight, but they’ve gone nowhere. The hope here is that the retro-concepts and historical outlook in these pages will make readers angry about what happened and realize that we either have to regress in thought processing as a nation or completely collapse under a mountain of progressive regulations based on deceptive reasoning.
A few chapters explain how we got into this mess. Some would look at the evidence and scream “conspiracy”. I prefer to see it as the successful implementation of a sound business plan by brilliant self-interested men. My opinion of their intelligence is not related to my evaluation of their intentions. The fact is that decades of progressivism they clandestinely and intentionally began is destroying us.
“Progressive” seems positive – progress, future, better times ahead, the next important step and all that nonsense. Politicians neglect to admit that progressive politics is socialism; socialism is Marxism; Karl Marx was a progressive, a socialist, a communist. Barack Obama is too, but he wasn’t the first Marxist in the White House. Woodrow Wilson, FDR and LBJ, among others were also “progressive Marxists”.
“Regressive” on the other hand holds a more negative connotation. It means reverse course, don’t go forward. It is old, it has been done before and the reason whatever-it-is is no longer in use is because we have progressed to a better place. If it were any good, we wouldn’t have abandoned it. We learned; we progressed.
We have been duped – life was much better when we had fewer laws, lower taxes and less government. We really have no choice but to try to retrieve the values of yesteryear. It is either that or surrender our lives and those of our children to government rulers.
The hope is that you will want to read the entire book. Naturally, it will be good for me, but a few dollars in purchase price won’t satisfy me completely, I want more. There is far more value in the future for myself, my children and grandchildren if national attitudes really change, and a lot more value for you too. You will realize that a lot of people think as you do. We are not alone. We still have a chance to survive in the United States; a secondary benefit, an intended and expected consequence of enlightened self-interest – societal improvement.
Regardless of merit, progressives tend to discard older concepts. It doesn’t matter whether it was sound or not. To them, old is reason enough to summarily discard an idea; the U.S. Constitution is useless and outdated. Why? Not because it didn’t make any sense; or because some parts may need to be tweaked a bit. No, it is old and so therefore it must be irrelevant in today’s world.
The founding fathers left us remedies to change the Constitution if we felt the need; they call it the amendment process. That is hard to do – as it was intended to be. A lot of people in high places have to agree to permanently alter our national laws and many won’t agree. Progressives find it easier to ignore the laws, particularly those pertaining to individual life, liberty and property rights and instead prefer to rely on the power of liberal judges and uninformed temporary majorities at voting booths.
We have to resurrect the thought processes that made us so successful. We have to return to the ideals that established the greatest country in the world. We all know what they are. Freedom, independence, self-reliance, and enlightened self-interest must begin to replace the failure of our increasingly socialistic world. History has taught that without exception, and no matter who is in charge, big government always leads to individual oppression, dependency, and increased poverty. Despite the arguments of well-intended idiots, it has never and will never create a utopian society.
If we are to survive as a nation we will have to be intellectually advanced enough to admit that no matter how much we may prefer the term, “progressivism” it can not work. Collectivism, Marxism, socialism, progressivism, communism, fascism, whatever its specific form is called has not ever, and can not ever work. We must return to our not too distant past and embrace the logic of Enlightened Regressivism.
Next: Good Think