A Tribute to Dr. Robert Simonson

Finals week is arriving soon and I have three finals. Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and Calculus. When Macroeconomics is done I am going to miss Dr. Robert Simonson. I more than likely will not have him as a professor until my junior year. A full year without the preaching of how socialism is the root of all evil and watch him crusade against socialist agendas is going to be rough. His class is a glorious experience in which no one should miss out on. Some of my favorite quotes from his are "God damned Hilary Clinton can go and sit down and talk about her feelings with Oprah!", "Cause when your cool, the sun always shines...asswhole" or my favorite "Socialists are just Communists but they are pussies at it." -Dr. Robert Simonson, Professor of Economics, at Minnesota State University. I hope the next batch of students who go through that class take to heart what he has to say about economics and the free market. He knows his shit thoroughly, all we need to do is open our ears and listen to the rhythm.

JFTX

This last weekend, ROTC had JFTX. We all go up to Camp Ripley which is by Brainard and do Army things. We did night and day land navagiation, STX lanes, which is basically infantry battle drills or tactics. We had patrolling and patrol base operations which is very boring. I think I only got about 6 hours of sleep in 48 hours. Overall though it was a great experience and I am sure glad I am doing what I am doing. I was skeptical at times if ROTC was for me. I had thoughts of dropping out and going active duty Infantry, and getting right into the shit. But I realize in todays growing global economy I need a college degree and not only any degree, but a degree in Economics and a minor in Math. China and India are pumping out engineers left and right and dominating in science and math. We need to catch up, we need kids to study math, science, economics, and business, not social work, not sociology, not philospohy, not women studies, not ethnic studies, not cultrual diveristy.

Hooah

Today, ROTC is leaving for JFTX at 12:30. We are going to Camp Ripley, which is just North of Brainard, Minnesota. We will be doing night land navigation, day land navigation, squad stx lane, ruck march, and other fun stuff. We are due back in Mankato 1:30 Sunday morning. Sould be a solid time.

Slim Fast

Who ever created Slim Fast is a genius. No longer do we have to struggle out of bed earlier than we need too. No more making breakfast and sitting down to eat it. Now we can sleep a little latter, get up grab a slim fast and go. The creamy chocolate drink with only 190 calories with 10 grams of protein, keeps my hunger away for four hours. Not only is it a meal on the go, it also helps the hunger of people with mouth surgery. Gives them the nutrition they need when they find themselves hard pressed to chew anything.

Health Care

With rising health care costs the democrats are offering dead end solutions to fix it. They call for the expansion of Medicare and Medicaid. The federal government already spends 563 billion dollars on these programs. How is that going to solve anything? Along with that Obama is talking about creating a whole new bureacracy to watch over insurance agencies. This is an insane proposal. Not only would this cost the tax payers more money, this would strengthen regulation which only hurts companies and drives up costs. We need common sense solutions not political pandering to a certain income group. The free market is the most resiliant thing this world has ever seen. No government can do or create what the free market can. The free market allocates the resources more efficiently than government can ever hope to imagine. The laws of supply and demand are like the laws of gravity. They are what they are, do not mess with them, let them go free and watch the invisible hand in the market work. Not everyone values health care the same. So why would we all have the same medical care that government would provide? It is illogical, it hinders the individual's choice and freedom. Third party payer systems do not work, that is why we have large costs in the first place. Why would we make government a third party payer? It should just be like buying grociers. When we need something we go get it. Simple.

SICK

Police: Baby Born in Texas Middle School Bathroom Dies in Flush Attempt, BAYTOWN, Texas — A 14-year-old Texas teenager on Wednesday gave birth in the bathroom of a middle school but the baby died when the mother allegedly tried to flush it, MyFOXHouston.com reports.
Juvenile Girl Will Not Be Charged for Abandoning Fetus on Airplane, HOUSTON — A 14-year-old girl who delivered a stillborn fetus in the bathroom of an airplane on her way back from a middle-school field trip will not be charged with any wrongdoing, Houston police said Wednesday.

What is going on? When you read these headlines did it not make you sick? What is going with today's youth? Or is anything really going on? Did these things happen in generations before us and they were just more unheard because of the absence of masss media? Either way these stories greatly disturb me and more people need to see the evils in this world in order for us to help combat them.

Bataan Death March

The Bataan Death March took place in the Philippines in 1942 after the surrender of around 90,000 U.S. and Filipino forces to the Japanese. The death toll ranged from six thousand to elven thousand on the march. They died of starvation, dehydration, or were, murdered by the Japanese if they could not keep up. To comemorate the event, the United States Army White Sands Missle Range in New Mexico put on a 26.2 mile ruck march with the ruck weighing 35 pounds. Two other cadets and I were driven by our Major to New Mexico on 21 hour car ride. The march itself was GLORIOUS. On the tenth mile I begin to get blisters on my heels, so I had to stop and get them taped up. I told the other cadets to go and that I would finish when I would finish. The next 16.2 miles I had to stop three more times to get them fixed up. The fourth time, they had to cut away some skin and clean it with alcohol, that stung like crazy. After this I did finally finish with a time of 11 hours. It wasn't pretty, but I never quit, even though it was ever tempting at times. I am glad I did this, for it was an experience that I will never forget. I also have a new found appreciation for the people who suffered during the Bataan Death March and our veterens. Hooah.