The New Ideas Blog

Most people prefer simple ideas. Even geniuses like Albert Einstein like to keep it simple when possible. But Einstein understood that we can oversimplify things. He said “Simplify as much as is possible, but no more!” That last part is crucial, which gets us to today’s topic, the idea that SUVs are somehow bad because they use a lot of gas. It’s a gross over-simplification.

Does an SUV driver use more gas than someone driving a smaller more fuel-efficient car? That depends on how Read the rest of this entry »

When talking about financial freedom, different people can mean entirely different things. For some it means getting to do what they want because they have enough money. For others it means having enough income from investments that they are free of any financial concerns.

Of course, few people are actually unconcerned about financial matters regardless of how much income they have. Some even get more worried about their finances as they get wealthier. And few people get to Read the rest of this entry »

People have money trouble for different reasons. On the other hand, there are some mistakes and bad financial habits that are common in these situations. This explains why some people have these problems with money over and over. See if any of the following apply to you.

1. Not wanting to think about money.

If you didn’t pay attention or think about where you were going when driving you would probably get lost and have accidents more often. The same is true of money. Many people Read the rest of this entry »

Things are often not as reasonable as they appear to be when it comes to government regulation. They also are often not what they appear to be. With that in mind, here’s a different perspective on mandated auto insurance.

First we start with the obvious - at least what is obvious to those who understand what happens at the intersection of politics and business. It is that the big push for states to mandate insurance came from… wait, it’s coming… insurance companies! Surprised? Not in the least? No, it should be at all surprising that large companies want to use governments to force people to buy Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine for a moment a reporter interviewing a candidate for a national political office. The reporter asks this woman, “What do you think about the recent voter registration drives that have increased participation in this election?”

“I think it will make it more difficult for me, since most of those registered will probably vote for my opponent.”

“But in any case, isn’t it better for the country if more people participate?”

“Not if they vote for my opponent.”

The reporter laughs nervously, but Read the rest of this entry »

Forbes magazine recently did a profile of Victor Li from the the University of Michigan, and his newest innovation; flexible self-healing concrete. Great idea (and you should see the photo of the concrete bending without breaking). But that is not exactly what this post is about. Instead I want to look at another idea that occurred to me as I read the article. It is that we often create things without regard to the future costs they will impose on us or others.

In fact, after neglecting the massive highway system we have built in this country for decades, it would now cost well over two trillion dollars to catch up on maintenance and Read the rest of this entry »

Big brother? Yes, and big mother and father too. There is an obvious and increasing tendency to assume that we mere humans are not able to take care of ourselves or make decisions about our own lives, and that government should therefore be there to “guide” us. This argument very obviously forgets or purposely ignores the fact that government is made of fallible humans as well.

The example that reminded me of this is a recent government-ordered recall of over five million window blinds or shades. They happen to have Read the rest of this entry »

There are many books out there that explain THE WAY to manage your money. The truth is we all have different habits, goals, and skills, so there is no one way to manage money. Some less common ideas are suggested below, in case you find one or two useful. I also want to announce my new website:

The Meaning Of Money

It is about the purpose of money, the philosophical issues, and all the deeper questions, although it also covers making it, saving it, investing it and such. Now, let’s look at some creative ways to manage your money.

I know two people who bought a home and Read the rest of this entry »

A politics of personal responsibility demands that we understand the consequences of laws or government actions that we support. We should also consider political candidates we support as our “agents” meaning we’re somewhat responsible for the choices they make since we hire or elect them. With that in mind, I have decided on a new rule for what or who I can support. I’ll get back to that in a moment, but first I have to relate the true story that inspired me to write this.

The Associated Press on September 29, 2009, reported on the case of a woman in Michigan who Read the rest of this entry »

Although I don’t do it as much as I used to, I still rush around at times. Rushing isn’t really about moving fast, but about a state of mind. After all you don’t call it rushing if you are relaxing in you car listening to good music while going eighty-miles-per-hour down the highway. You don’t consider it rushing if you just know how to do things efficiently and so get them done faster.

To rush is to be mentally compelled to do things faster. It is an anxious state of mind that can’t honestly be said to be necessary. Lets look at how it arises and then consider a new Read the rest of this entry »