ZENIT reminds us that the population levels are falling not just in Europe, but around the world in countries like Japan and South Korea.^[1] This is not a new concern.^[2] It is, however, news to me that efforts are underway to address the problem. While I have heard of a slogan in Australia along the lines of a child for each parent and one for the state, that is the only example of recognizing the problem I am aware of.

We have yet to truly face this here. Not in the sense that it is not a problem, it is, but in the sense that we lack the will to do anything about it. Our Social Security program was designed with the presumption that there would always be more people working than retired. When 20% of our population is over 65, will that still be true? When our population starts to see the kinds of reduction that Europe is seeing, will it remain true? I highly doubt it. If I am right, if that assumption becomes false, we must reform, no, more than reform, change our Social Security system. More, we must do so before it becomes true, because as it nears falsehood, Social Security will become an even greater tax burden on the working, crippling their finances.

1. ZENIT. “Time to Defuse a Demographic Bomb” Innovative Media, Inc. 2006-01-21 http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=83171
2. Mr. Luke Schierer. “20050502-1503″ Random Unfinished Thoughts. 2005-05-02 http://www.schierer.org/~luke/log/20050502-1503/20050502-1503

Your results:
You are Hulk

Hulk 65% Spider-Man 65% Green Lantern 60% Robin 45% Superman 45% Iron Man 40% Supergirl 33% The Flash 30% Batman 30% Catwoman 15% Wonder Woman 13%

You are a wanderer with amazing strength.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Catholic News Agency is reporting that Ave Maria School of Law professor Mr. (Dr.?) Stephen Safranek has filed an appeal on the divorce and custody decision against Mrs. Macfarlane.^[1] Though I do not seem to have written about this case before, I am aware of it. Mrs. Macfarlane lost custody of her children when her husband filed for a no fault divorce, because the judge ruled that her refusal to accept the normalcy and faultlessness of the divorce is grounds to question her parenting. I am pretty sure he went further, that he questioned her sanity, but I cannot find documentation of that now.

Either way, I hope her appeal works, it would create precedent to remove proceedings from a court system that is highly biased in favor of divorce.

1. Catholic News Agency. “Legal appeal challenges civil no-fault divorce unconstitutional” www.catholicnewsagency.com. 2006-01-20 http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=5792

Did you know that we are spending $10,000 per student at the Federal level alone?^[1] I certainly did not. What is the Constitutional justification for all this spending? Where does all that money go? If the states and the teacher’s union are to be believed, it is not reaching the classroom. Granted that, why should we be spending it?

1. Mr. Dan Mitchell. “America spends too much on education, not too little” Dan Mitchell’s C-Log, www.townhall.com. 2006-01-18 http://www.townhall.com/blogs/c-log/Dan%20Mitchell/story/2006/01/18/182943.html

I wonder if a recent move to have the European Union will push proposals to punish and perhaps expel member nations that do not approve of homosexual “marriages.”^[1] If they do, I wonder if they will fragment over it. How many countries will have the guts to stand up to it?

1. Catholic News Agency. “European parliament to punish countries that do not approve homosexual ‘marriage’” www.catholicnewsagency.com. 2006-01-19 http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=5781

Harvard economist Mr. (Dr.?) Roland G. Fryer finds that black and Hispanic students discriminate against academic achievement if they are less than 80% of the school population.^[1] This partially confirms similar research cited by Boundless.

1. National Center For Policy Analysis. “Who’s Acting White?” www.ncpa.org 2006-01-19 http://www.ncpa.org/newdpd/dpdarticle.php?article_id=2786

One of these days doctors are going to become more wary about diagnosing people as being in a “persistent” or “irreversible” vegetative state. Most recently, it almost, and might still, cost a young 11 year old her life.^[1] Preferably, such a diagnosis would cease to be a death sentence, but considerable more reluctance would be a significant forward step.

1. BBC International News. “US coma girl responds to stimuli” BBC News. 2006-01-19 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4627248.stm

Chief Justice Roberts appears to harbor doubts about the McCain-Feingold Campaign Restrictions, but with only four votes against it, it may not matter.^[1] This is rather unfortunate, as I think the wrong decision was made when last this came up.

The problem, as I see it, is not that some ads are aimed at influencing voters and others at influencing elected officials, but who is doing the influencing. The problem is that we have given companies some of the rights of people, and so now are stuck with either restricting everyone’s speech, or allowing companies to unduly influence elections by throwing more money at them than any group of individuals could match. The McCain-Feingold Act pleases no one by failing to address this.

1. Mr. Frederic J. Frommer. “Chief Justice Roberts Questions McCain-Feingold Campaign Restrictions” The Associated Press, Law.com. 2006-01-18 http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1137492311973&rss=newswire

Continuing a habit of noting statistics and figures for use against those who would support gun control, I present you with the idea that a gun is better defense against a robbery attempt than passive behavior.^[1] Specifically, “women who used a gun to resist an attack were 2.5 times more likely to escape uninjured than those who behaved passively.”^[2] And that statistic that you are more likely to shoot yourself or a family member than an attacker? It included suicides to come up with that statement.

1. Mr. Dan Mitchell. “Gun ownership especially important for women” Dan Mitchell’s C-Log, townhall.com. 2006-01-14 http://www.townhall.com/blogs/c-log/Dan Mitchell/story/2006/01/14/182435.html
2. Mr. John R. Lott Jr. “A Girl’s Guide to Guns” The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. 2006-01-05 http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.23643/pub_detail.asp

As if I would ever be an English Major. shakes head in amusement