Tag Archives: Culture

Make America What Again?

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Jim Wheeler

Prime among the apparent reasons for the political ascent of the phenomenon of Donald Trump is his theme of “Make America Great Again.” This has captured a populist revulsion for the ethnic and cultural changes that have been trending for … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments

Artistic Genius?

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Jim Wheeler

I don’t get it.  I just don’t.  My inner curmudgeon demands expression. The artist formerly and lately known as Prince is being hailed, almost universally it seems, as a musical genius.  Admittedly, I’ve only listened to samples randomly encountered, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

A Food Memoir

Posted on June 10, 2012 by Jim Wheeler

What do people eat? Seems like a fair question to me, right up there with the now-popular Parade Magazine cover story that appears regularly, asking “What Do People Earn?” Food is perennially popular as a topic. Consider the rumpus kicked … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Politics and Culture

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Jim Wheeler

I was motivated to think about politics, culture and the human condition this morning by two seemingly unrelated news items. Joplin’s Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School is a small, expensive private el-hi, attended for the most part by the children … Continue reading →

Posted in Armed Forces, Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

On War

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Jim Wheeler

Why do we call it the War on Terror? This “conflict” is very different from the other “wars” in America’s history. So, I decided to make a list of the qualities that I think make it different from the others: … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

A Memoir of Dreams

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Jim Wheeler

There is an old saying: “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.” It means of course that, like the butterfly story embedded in chaos theory, small changes in one’s youth can profoundly affect later behavior. Apropos of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

What’s It All About?

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Jim Wheeler

My current study interest is economics, so here is an economics question for you.  Is there “good” economic activity as opposed to “bad”?  Does the quality of economic activity matter?  As the “wealthiest” nation in the world, are we getting … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Economics, Philosophy, Sociology | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Flip That Bank!

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Jim Wheeler

In political blogging about the Great Recession it is a common thread to find someone or something to blame.  Amidst all the mud-slinging and counter-arguing the easiest thing for the beleaguered voter to do is to blame the president.  He … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Federal Government, Fiscal Policy | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

American Dream, Dismal Science

Posted on September 4, 2010 by Jim Wheeler

Economics is sometimes called “The Dismal Science”, and for good reason.  One president, Harry S Truman, kept getting evasive and contradictory advice from an economist who kept offering alternatives with his advice.  After almost every assertion the professor would then … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Federal Government, Fiscal Policy, Foreign Policy / War, Government size, Government waste, Health, Medicine, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Devolution of Culture?

Posted on March 9, 2010 by Jim Wheeler

Grammar, spelling and pronunciation have declined in American culture, and the change is accelerating. Does it matter? Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment