Taylor Buley, creator of the Fresh Politics blog and author of the book Fresh Politics (preorder here!), just informed me that I am on the front page of the Penn Indy.

He graciously submitted a revised version of my “Get back on the tracks, America” post as a guest columnist.

Thanks, Taylor.

I’ll be sure to post a link as soon as the online version goes live.

• evhead: Ten Rules for Web Startups
  Some of the same old, but a few fresh points about starting a business within the context of today’s Web.
  (tags: business entrepreneurship venture web2.0 startup)
• List of people associated with the French Revolut…: Information From Answers.com
  Exhaustive list of important and often overlooked French revolutionary leaders.
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• Nick Denton: Startup kit
  If you’re starting something, read this. Valuable resources on the cheap.
  (tags: startup software productivity entrepreneurship)

• Firefox plans mass marketing drive | CNET News.com
  (tags: toblog)

(Note: I wrote this at about 4 a.m. this morning — I was wide awake and this just came to me. Comments appreciated).

Claiming that the United States of America is no better than the most evil countries on this earth is becoming increasingly fashionable.

It is claimed that so-called American corporate greed is destroying the world and making the poorest poorer. It is claimed that calls for increased political and economic freedom by American leaders cloak hidden desires to enslave the peoples of the world. And it is claimed that America does not do enough to help the most destitute and depraved, but is rather a self-absorbed country caring only about itself.

Those who have no desire to better themselves and have no initiative cry out for the government to help them at the expense of the nation’s most productive individuals. Profit is evil. Creating something for one’s personal gain is greed. The nation’s – and the world’s – most productive corporations are being forced down a path called “social responsibility,” masking the fact that they are losing their competitive edge.

Choosing an individual on one’s merits – a set of skills or a capacity to produce – is no longer acceptable. Instead, private and public organizations are forced to consider extraneous factors such as race, sex and sexual orientation to promote elusive values such as social balances and political correctness.

Producing something in the most efficient and innovative method is perceived to be insensitive and wrong because it is felt to be unfair. Yet, the voices of these individuals are silent when they enjoy the results of efficient production when they buy cheaper and superior-quality clothes, TVs and kitchen ware.


Individuals see themselves as entitled to jobs. And they demand such items as increased benefits and pay simply because they feel like it. Yet these same individuals balk at employers when asked to produce at a level in order to justify their salaries. It is unjust and unfair to require a man to work for his existence. It is unjust for a man to depend on his own ability for survival, produced by his own effort, they say.

America is moving down a dangerous path, one unfit for its greatness. America is losing its competitive edge. America’s beacon is fading.

This country was a beacon of hope, productivity, optimism, happiness, virtue, morality and success. At least that’s what it brought to the world.

Children reading history books read about this country’s ability to create wealth, to allow for success, to build opportunity and to make money for those willing to depend on himself for survival and produce by his own effort. America is proof that man does not need or want a regulatory or even a communistic state. What value do corrupt planning boards add? What wealth and opportunity is created by oppression and control? None.

America created the phrase to make money. America created an environment for man to use his God-given ability to create for himself what he needed. And by every man creating something of value, he also created value for others. By surviving, man helped others to survive – without oversight, without planning, without control.

America took this template to the world and helped to spark one of the most productive, innovative and wealthy periods in world history. Its capitalist ideal succeeded in eliminating slavery and serfdom in countries that never experienced any freedom of mind and body.

But this success is being eroded and forgotten. The so-called public good and concerns for human rights are beginning to outweigh the proven path of capitalist success. People are forgetting that virtue is found in prosperity created by an ethical self-interest. When an individual can empower himself with his own ability, he does not need to hide behind useless rhetoric.

This rhetoric is growing, along with the regulatory state, a sense of entitlement and a broad-based misunderstanding and scorn of capitalism. Terms like “price gouging,” “fair trade,” “corporate greed,” “social responsibility,” “windfall profits” and the like are being thrown around without an inkling of their meaning. Legislation preventing gas prices from rising too high or companies from making too much money is in the works in Congress – the same Congress that has already succeeded in creating some of the most burdensome business regulations in modern history.

Wake up, America! Wake up and realize how you got here! Stop wasting time reciting mindless rhetoric and instead learn how to create something or do something productive. Quit whining about how the wealthy are out to exploit you and become wealthy yourself.


We are in danger, and only we can stop it. So do not force the producers of this country to be bound by arbitrary limits. Do not demand the greatest minds to work in your interest. Do not strangle our economic prosperity.


Finally, do not become one of these looters. They are the truly selfish ones – demanding what they do not deserve and forcing others to submit to their desires.

Let America be great. Be responsible for yourself. And fight for a meaningful freedom.

It’s time I introduce to you Function Technologies, LLC, the company bringing you GroupWrangler.

Function is operated by Charles Beck, Josh Hemphill, Casey Pugh, Nick Dunkman and I.

GroupWrangler changes the way campus organizations work. It solves one of the biggest pains of being in these organizations: too much time spent on administrative stuff. Too much time trying to coordinate your members. Too much time looking up contact information or finding out if tasks have been completed. Too much time (and risk) handling large amounts of cash for dues payments.

And don’t worry about software. GroupWrangler is solely on the Web, so all you need is a username and password. It’s just like signing into facebook. Only you can actually get stuff done with GroupWrangler.

And others are already agreeing with us. We just made our first sale to Wake Forest University’s Student Government.

You know what that means? Every single WFU campus organization will now use GroupWrangler to not only keep track of their stuff, but to communicate with Student Government.

It’s the end of elusive paperwork, broadcast emails and forgotten dates. Everything will be in one place, accessible by all your members (if you want), or just a few select ones.

Our plan is to expand regionally, beginning with North Carolina campuses.

But wait! Individual organizations can sign up, too. So if you’re a campus organization leader at a school that doesn’t have GroupWrangler, you can sign up on your own and make life easier for yourself.

We’re still getting our domains prepared and items ready to use. You’ll find out here when we’re ready!