IHS Seminar Application Questions

500 word maximum essays answering single statements.

Agree with:

Free people are usually able to solve coordination problems through voluntary association and exchange.

Individual people acting in their own self-interest are the most capable of directing their own lives. Each individual has the best knowledge of what he needs to survive, or what he needs to improve his standard of living. In the same way, business owners know the best way to grow their businesses and please their customers. This is because intelligent individuals that have gained a lot of knowledge in a specific field run businesses. They have worked hard to know the specifics of their trade.

Government officials, by their very job descriptions, are not experts in any field besides politics. How can they be expected to know the intricacies of any field well enough to regulate it?

Government regulations regarding how much of an item can be produced, or what price certain items must cost only prevents proper transfer of information from customers to entrepreneurs. How could a businessman know how much of something to produce when he can’t learn what demand is through the market? This results in the misallocation of resources, wasting time and money on things that consumers aren’t looking for.

Even government regulation of quality and cleanliness is unnecessary. A business that makes poor quality products or gets its customers sick would soon go out of business. A private company could easily offer a grading service for businesses if it were deemed a profitable move that earned more customers, and more revenue.

The government’s job is only to force companies and individuals to abide by the laws of private property. If the government does its job well, then businesses will only be able to make money by pleasing their customers. Every market transaction is done voluntarily; businesses can’t steal money from their customers. Government regulations only slow the free market down.

Disagree with:

John Maynard Keynes says that government works of even questionable utility will stimulate the economy. For this reason, the recent government stimulus is a good thing. (something to that effect. i don't remember the precise question.)

Government can only obtain money in one fashion: at the point of a gun. The government does not produce anything that the public willingly buys; it compels its citizens to pay taxes by force. So when the government gives out money, it is money that has been taken from other groups of people. By handing this money out again, all that has been accomplished is a redistribution of wealth. The government can only benefit one group in society at the expense of another group.

Here Keynes is saying that since the government is spending money on public works, less money will have to be spent on welfare. He seems only to be focusing on the fact that less money will be spent in one area. However, those costs don’t just disappear, they’re simply transmitted to a separate part of the budget. The same amount of money is being spent if 100,000 people move off of one government program – welfare – onto another in the form of a public works project.

Moreover, the taxes imposed on businesses to get that money prevent those businesses from being able to hire more employees for lack of funds. By their very nature, government labor programs are short-term; they do not provide lasting employment like a job in the private sector. Once a particular project is over, each worker is once again unemployed. Public works are short-term solutions to long-term problems.

Finally, the government simply doesn’t have the knowledge required to spend all of that money effectively. If taxes were cut, then businesses would have more funds, and be able to hire more employees in long-term jobs. These individual businesses would be able to direct spending much more efficiently since they have more specific knowledge than the government about its product or service.

A Defense of Harry Potter

I totally respect your belief that Harry Potter is not a suitable thing for children to read. However, I would like you to consider a few things that I think are important in light of that decision. If you still feel the same way after this, then the matter will be dropped, and again, I completely and totally respect your decision.

Harry Potter contains witchcraft and wizardry, and this may be the reason for your discomfort, based on Deuteronomy 18:10-14 :

"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you."

These verses clearly state that those who follow God are not to associate with those who perform magic. I would like to point out that the Harry Potter series is not anything at all like a manual for how to work magic, make potions, raise spirits, or tell the future. After reading the entire series, I am not one step closer to being able to perform magic (much to my chagrin. Haha). It also doesn't give tips or pointers in how to find out where to get this information. JK Rowling is not out to create thousands of real witches and wizards. In the series, magic is used as a tool for storytelling. A parallel series could be one in which a group of friends uses very highly advanced technology to battle evil. This book would contain no tips on how to create these technologies, they just exist, and are tools that the characters use in the fictional world the author has created that help tell fantastical stories in which good always triumphs over evil.

Secondly, if you want to throw out Harry Potter because of its use of magic, then I think you must also be prepared to throw out a lot of other things. Nearly every Disney movie contains some aspect of magic. The Beauty and the Beast is centered around a magic spell; The Little Mermaid's antagonist is a sea-witch; in the Lion King, Rafiki uses his magic to call back the spirit of Mufasa to talk to Simba. Sleeping beauty has the three good fairies, and the immensely evil witch; Snow White has a shape-shifting witch and an enchanted mirror; Aladdin has a Genie; Cinderella's fairy godmother uses magic to transform Cinderella's clothing into a beautiful dress, a pumpkin into a carriage, and her mice into steeds. There's magic all over the Shrek series, The Emperor's New Groove, Enchanted, and in Pinocchio, a blue fairy magically transforms a puppet into a real boy. Mary Poppins could quite probably be called a witch with all of the magical feats she accomplishes. Even the Wizard of Oz is about an evil witch versus a good one. What about the Lord of the Rings? Magical elves, magic spells, wizards and magic creatures run around all throughout that story. Magic is all over these stories. Do you feel as uncomfortable with these stories, even though magic is often used through all of them?

The strongest example I have is of "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis. Magic is an extremely important element in that story. The "Deep Magic" that allows Aslan to sacrifice himself for Edmund is clearly a metaphor for the power of God triumphing over sin. The White Witch is the main antagonist, and she uses magic to keep the world in eternal winter, and fool Edmund with the Turkish delights. The story is based around a journey through a magic portal into another world.

These stories cannot be dismissed based on their use of magic because of the lessons they offer. In the Lord of the Rings, Frodo is clearly a Christ figure, sacrificing himself for the good of all mankind. If he doesn't throw the ring into Mt. Doom, all mankind will suffer under the rule of Sauron, the metaphor for Satan. The story is full of resistance of temptation, dependence on friendship, sacrifice, pushing through adversity, and ultimately the ability of good to prevail against evil.

The Chronicles of Narnia series offers an even clearer view into this metaphor. As I said before, the magic throughout is merely a vehicle for the actual message of the story. Lewis doesn't try very hard to veil his message, and creates a story that has very clear allegorical meaning. Aslan is Christ, sacrificed for all of Narnia; Edmund is man, weak and able to fall to temptation; the White Witch and her lackeys are Satan and his demons. If you want to throw out this story because of the magic, you're also throwing away a great story that allows children to read the story of God's love for mankind. You don't want to throw out the baby with the bath water.

Returning to Harry Potter, the question must be asked, "Are there such redeeming qualities in its pages?" The answer is a resounding yes, even though it is not as clear cut as in The Chronicles of Narnia. Harry learns a lot about responsibility, and standing up for what he believes in. You learn about friendship, and how it can sustain you during times of great distress. You learn about self-sacrifice, putting others before yourself. You learn what it means to be a hero. Harry Potter is a Christ figure. He's always willing to sacrifice himself for his friends, and in the final book, he literally dies and comes back to life. This is a metaphor for the death and resurrection of Christ. JK Rowling is not peddling immorality.

In her world, there are 3 "Unforgivable Curses" that are punishable by life imprisonment. These include a killing curse, a curse that tortures your victim, and a cures that forces your victim to do whatever you want. Evil never prevails, and there are tons of role-models and life lessons throughout the books. The main characters are always encouraged to do what is right, even if it is difficult, and those who fail to do so are painted as slimy individuals that the reader doesn't like. The books are about growing up, and confront issues that come up with all children. Magic IS involved, but it's not in the light of "Hey, magic is really cool, go learn how to do magic spells." Instead, it exists as naturally as automobiles and airplanes do in the real world.

These books hold amazing stories that can hold the attention of any reader, especially a young one. If your kids are looking for books to read, I couldn't recommend any higher than these. They start off simply; they are short in the beginning, and the writing is simple. As the books go on, the issues become more complex and the writing becomes more complex. They're great books for your kids to grow up with.

A Sonnet.... sorta

The time is up, the clock's run out, I'm done.

The game is lost, but that's just fine, I swear

What had seemed vital standing in the sun,

At night is unimportant, I don't care.

So much time and energy invested

In a worthless, pointless scheme to win.

But I move on quite unmolested

And toss my hopes into the bin.

And yet the thought of vict'ry lingers,

Success still drifts just past my reach.

Whenever it comes near my fingers

I find that victory retreats.

I hunt, knowing I won't catch my hind;

to the chase I am resigned.

So it Begins

Well, I'm joining many in creating a blog. This will be comprised of many things, but i mostly intend to use it as a place to hone my writing skills in general. So, this will contain musings on different things every now and then, poems, and possibly a short story or two. If this is something you would like to read, then I welcome you to my page. If not, that's perfectly understandable. I welcome comments, and criticisms (criticism most especially, as long as it's constructive in some way) regarding each, and every one of my posts.

Thank you for stopping by.

That being said, here's a short poem I wrote, one of the first steps in a long journey of writing.

"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes"

The world will change with each new glance.
This I know is true.
And all the diff'rences advance;
It really makes me blue.

Some friends decide to move away,
I moved away, as well.
I only wish that things could stay
and not become this Hell.

Change, they say, is good for you,
and I suppose they're right.
Once upon a time, we two
were strangers in the night.

And that change brought upon
the thing I know will ever last:
My love and joy in you, my friend,
will never become past.