Mike Jensen

A Problem Solving Approach to Global Warming, Part II

A few weeks ago I wrote a column for the Canada Free Press in which I tried to approach the global warming issue from a logical, problem-solving standpoint. I teach logic and problem solving at the university level, and I thought it would be interesting to see if I could take a hot political topic like global warming and apply basic problem-solving logic to it.

A Problem Solving Approach to Global Warming

Because I can't make a living writing for the Canada Free Press (go figure), I also teach logic and argumentation courses for several community colleges. This is a lot of fun, especially around election time when I make students look for logical fallacies in political ads. Talk about creating a new generation of cynics--students come into my class believing in the American system of government, and leave it ready to secede from the Union!

A Lesson from Star Trek

Okay, to begin with, I’m not a “Trekkie.” If you are a Trekkie, good for you. Keep practicing your Klingon, but not until you read this piece. If you’re not a Trekkie, don’t stop reading, assuming I’m going to waste your time arguing which of the Star Ship Enterprise captains would be a better president than Barack Obama (answer: ALL of them).

“Eurozone unemployment stuck at record 11.4%”  How Unexpected!

One of the big news stories from the Associated Press today ran with the headline quoted above. This development, of course, is shocking to liberals in the media, academia, and politics.

‘Adopt an American’

To My Canadian Friends, I rarely get the chance to listen to talk radio, as I’m working during the day. Yes, despite the Obama economy, I have a job. I’m an independent contractor. And despite what Barack Obama said in Roanoke, Virginia, recently (to business owners: “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that”), I did build my business.

Coddling

In a recent Op-Ed piece for the New York Times, Warren Buffett, the second-wealthiest man in America with an estimated net worth of $45 billion, argued that his 2010 tax bill of just under $7 million was embarrassingly low and should have been far higher.

A Tale of Two Recessions

Pundits have taken to calling the 2008 financial meltdown the "Great Recession," hinting at the idea that this was the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s and 40s. This is a clever name. Not only does it have a nice ring to it; it also provides cover for the current resident of the White House, as it allows him to blame the anemic recovery/ongoing recession on the terrible economic situation he "inherited."

My Fall Reading List

Whenever I hear someone say, “I belong to a reading group, and just recently we read and discussed [insert obscure book title here]…” I picture a group of effete people sitting around in plush armchairs in front of a roaring fire, pipes in their mouths and patches on the elbows of their smoking jackets, saying things like, “Oh yes, the symbolic abstraction of the personification of the protagonist is emblematic of the author’s objectivist motif.”

Pity the Control Freaks

I write a lot about liberty in this column. I’m for it, by the way. I like liberty, and I’m proud of the United States and Canada (my birth country and my adopted country) for being at the forefront of a struggle for liberty that has led to 90 nations today being considered “free,” “mostly free,” or “moderately free” by the Heritage Foundation / Wall Street Journal combined report, “Index of Economic Freedom.”

The Beauty of State Competition

I’ve been thinking about the concept of state vs. federal government power this week. I have gained a new appreciation for this concept of late. I’m reading a book by Judge Andrew Napolitano titled, The Constitution in Exile. Napolitano notes that the federal government is granted only eighteen specific powers in the U.S. Constitution. These include such things as imposing taxes, borrowing money, and establishing a post office.

The Media Exposed…Again

The first presidential race that I remember growing up is the 1980 race between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. I was more interested in other things at the time, but my parents talked about it incessantly. They felt that Carter was possibly the worst president of the 20th Century, and they desperately hoped that Ronald Reagan would win the election and bring true leadership back to America.

Looking for the Pill in the Twinkie

The United States and Canada are both facing what many experts call an obesity “epidemic.” Of course, in our current sensationalist media environment, just about everything can be considered an epidemic, from Swine Flu to foreclosures to Tea Party membership.

English for Insane People

I am by training an English professor. Being an English professor is not a popular job, as evidenced by the number of bullet holes I regularly find in my home’s all-natural artificial log siding.

A Free and Fair Canada

I’m proud of the fact that Canada is a country known for freedom and fairness. In fact, the Heritage Foundation’s recently released 2011 Index of Economic Freedom ranks Canada sixth in the world in economic freedom, behind only Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

Christmas Food from a Former Friend

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. And I don’t say that just because once again my wife barely survived the annual “Day After Thanksgiving, 4:00 a.m., Grab A Gift and Get the Hell Out Before You’re Trampled to Death” shopping extravaganza.

All I Want for Christmas Is to Be a Math Teacher

It’s the Christmas season again, and you can feel that Christmas spirit everywhere. It’s the time of year when we’re inundated with the sights and sounds of the season: chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, two women coming to blows over the last Tickle Me Elmo.

The Proper Role of Government

I saw something interesting on television the other night. It was late and I was channel surfing when I came upon an old video clip of Michael Moore giving a speech at Mott Community College in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. You’ll remember Moore from such highly-edited, quasi-documentaries as “Bowling for Columbine” and “Fahrenheit 911.” As you can imagine, I’m not a big fan of Michael Moore.

You Thought I Was Kidding

Government exists for just two purposes: (1) to provide its citizens with the freedom to live their lives as they so choose, and (2) to protect us from those, both foreign and domestic, who would try to take away that freedom. Once government steps outside of those two purposes, it is itself taking away that freedom.

Just How Separate Should They Be?

The year 2007 was America’s and Virginia’s 400th anniversary. I was living in Virginia at the time, and it was cause for celebration. It also reminded me why those hardy Jamestown settlers risked—and often gave—their all to come to this new world. This is a reminder we should all have on a regular basis.

The Dangers of Do-Gooders

It’s easy in today’s politically charged climate to see those with whom we disagree as despicable monsters intent on the destruction of everything we hold dear. Liberals paint conservatives as selfish fat cats who want to take advantage of the poor and defenseless. Conservatives see liberals as power-hungry despots constantly searching for new ways to enhance the size and scope of government.