Many people have been talking about job creation lately, especially politicians. But is government the best creator of jobs? And is job creation the best thing for the economy? Professor Steve Horwitz explains that there is a difference between creating jobs and creating wealth. Creating jobs is relatively easy, but the most economic progress is made when jobs are eliminated because they become unnecessary. This does lead to some unemployment, but the alternatives are worse. To prevent transitional unemployment would also halt innovation, growth, and the reduction of poverty. So what is the best way to create valuable, meaningful jobs? Professor Horwitz says, “The best job-creation program in human history is the free market and the entrepreneurship it generates.”

via LearnLiberty

President Obama delivers a statement about moving forward in light of severe budget cuts that will start to take effect today, and answers questions from the press.

Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award nominated film, “Lincoln” provides an incredible portrait of the final months of Abraham Lincoln’s life, but what about Lincoln’s early life? Harold Holzer, a consultant on Spielberg’s film, a leading Lincoln Scholar, and the author of 43 books, gives you an in depth look into the many influences and events that shaped the legendary Abraham Lincoln.

via THNKR

One of the more unique speeches delivered at this morning’s National Prayer Breakfast came from Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, a world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Taking the stage before President Barack Obama’s faith-filled address, Carson spoke for more than 25 minutes, tackling issues ranging from education to personal responsibility. His keynote, while predicated upon the theme of Jesus Christ as his ultimate role model, also took a starkly political tone, advocating against some of the very policies the president has implemented. At the beginning of his speech, Carson shared an intense disdain for political correctness. Without getting too specific on the issue front, he said that Americans should stop being afraid to speak up and defend their beliefs; he also encouraged people to respect the individuals they disagree with. Carson held little back, condemning political correctness as “a horrible thing” that is “dangerous,” as it hampers freedom of thought and expression.

“We’ve reached a point where people are actually afraid to talk about what they want to say, because somebody might be offended,” Carson said, noting the example of people refraining from saying “Merry Christmas.” “We’ve got to get over this sensitivity and it keeps people from saying what they really believe.” Carson encouraged discussion about societal issues, also pointing out education as an essential conundrum the country needs to confront. He highlighted his own path from poverty to success, sharing very personal details about his parents and early family life and subsequently described the importance of helping students seeking to advance academically through his Carson Scholars Fund.

The speech took an interesting turn when the doctor cautioned that moral decay and fiscal irresponsibility can have dire consequences — even for powerful countries like America. Here, he became even more pointed and impassioned.

“I think particularly about ancient Rome. Very powerful — nobody could even challenge them militarily…they destroyed themselves from within,” Carson continued. “Moral decay. Fiscal irresponsibility.”

While he said America’s issues are dire, he was positive that the nation can fix its ways, as there are bright and innovative people who simply need to come together to address the problems at hand. “And one of our big problems right now…our deficit is a big problem,” he said, as Obama watched him intently. “Think about it — and our national debt — $16 and a half trillion dollars.” To illustrate just how massive the debt is, Carson told the audience that if they counted one number per second, it would take them 507,000 years to get to the sum total. The doctor said that the massive fiscal blunder is something that the nation must contend with. From there, he moved on to taxation, seemingly taking a stance in direct opposition to Obama’s.

“What about our taxation system — so complex there is no one that can possibly comply with every jot and tittle,” he noted, going on to call for a simpler (i.e. flat tax) system. “When I pick up my Bible, you know what I see — I see the fairest individual in the universe — God — and he’s given us a system. It’s called tithe.” Carson progressed, seemingly comparing the tithe, at least in principal, to the flat tax system. Rather than continuing to tier taxes owed, he argued that everyone should pay the same proportion and that, through this fairer system, money sent by wealthier Americans for protection abroad should be brought back to America to help build infrastructure and create additional jobs. The doctor also addressed medical care, advocating for health savings accounts and railing against the notion that Americans should be sending money into a large bureaucratic system

Source: FreshJuiceNews

Source: OnlinePsychologyDegree.net  (Thanks Allison Morris!)

We hear predictions all the time. Predictions of the ever-looming Infographic gun control, drones, internet censorship and an abundance of conspiracy theories.

What’s most important, though, is how we choose to live our lives each day. We need to take a look at ourselves and how we contribute to the very problems that we are complaining about.

Which brings me to this website. In the beginning our main focus was on the 2012 election. To offer people a way to view each candidate as if they were products in a comparison chart, and to host our own debates on the issues being politicized. We wondered how quickly we could design, develop, and grow the site with only a few weeks before the big day. And we had a pretty amazing run considering there was no time or budget to advertise, relying solely on standard social media for marketing and sharing content.

Nevertheless, we predicted our own little website apocalypse. As expected, traffic plummeted after the election. And after it was over all over we really didn’t have a clear vision on what to do next and almost shut the site down altogether. Hosting more debates was not the answer. Nothing positive or constructive came out of this left/right paradigm… at least not enough to make any difference.

After weeks of contemplation, we decided to simply take a new direction. While we think it’s important to keep up with the President of the United States and encourage discussion, we think it’s just as important to focus on the Presidents of various companies and the actions they are taking to impact the economy and environment in a positive way. We’re predicting this shift in focus will lead to some interesting discussions and perhaps inspire other companies to take a similarly considerate approach.

With that said, we are on the look out for all you Presidents of companies who are challenging the system and making changes for the better.  Whether you are a big shot CEO or upcoming Entrepreneur with a radical approach, WE WANT YOU!

Email info{at}theultimatepresident{dot}com

Spoken Word by Suli Breaks

via TheNewYorkTimes

via AlJazeera

Thank you George Carlin for passing on so much knowledge and awareness to the masses!