Asheville: There is already civil war in Iraq. It is disingenuous to call these events “unexpected.” Anyone who studies the history of the Middle East with any seriousness could see that the Baathist Hussein government was the only thing preventing all-out warfare. War between Sunni and Shia was the inevitable result of a decades-long, brutally enforced, cease fire ending abruptly. Continue reading
Annual Symposium
2014 Symposium: Do we need to re-think our overall foreign policy?
Asheville: The biggest foreign policy change of the last 30 years has been a shift toward drone-based force projection and away from troop deployment. On one hand, this has been a very beneficial step. Drone forces cost much less and put fewer lives at risk. On the other, though, this policy has been an unmitigated disaster. According to the UK-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, 2,500 civilians have been killed by drone strikes. While some of these deaths could rightly be called “collateral damage,” the worst cases are actions called “signature strikes.” The CIA identifies a target of Middle Eastern decent, male, between the ages of 22-35, walking alone in the mountains of Northern Afghanistan. This fits the profile of a suspected terrorist, so a drone strike is authorized based on the “signature” of the target. Continue reading
2014 Symposium: Should we negotiate with terrorists? If so, how much is too much when bargaining with them?
Raleigh: The rise of terrorist organizations in modern world is undeniable. The U.S. Department of State designates tens of organizations worldwide as terrorist; some of them are well-known to the general public (ISIS, ETA, Hamas, Hezbollah, etc.), some of them less so. What should the position of any government, including the U.S., be on the question of whether to negotiate with terrorist organizations? Continue reading
Thinking Outside the Boxe Releases Transcript of Founder Robert M. Clinger III’s Closing Remarks from 2013 Annual Symposium
Myrtle Beach, SC, Orlando, FL, Washington, DC January 13, 2014— Thinking Outside the Boxe has released the transcript of founder Robert M. Clinger III’s closing remarks at the think tank’s annual symposium held in Orlando, Florida on January 1, 2014. Mr. Clinger’s closing remarks capped off the week-long event that included several round table discussions, the question and answer session with guest panelists, and a special New Year’s Champagne Summit at which participants discussed the outlook for 2014, offered resolutions for America, and toasted the future success and stability of the nation. Continue reading
2013 Symposium: Welfare, Food Stamps, and WIC Are All Programs That Need Reformed, How Can We Do It? Is Welfare Drug Testing Working? Or Is It A Waste Of Tax Payer Money?
Cartwright: Drug test all recipients of these programmes. Utah announced a couple months ago that it saved over $350,000 in the first year that it required drug testing for welfare recipients. Second, let’s have the IRS audit the welfare, food stamp, and WIC programmes. These programmes are rife with fraud and waste. I know of instances where foreign college students here in Orlando are getting food stamps. Really? Why are we giving benefits to foreigners and able bodied college students at that? This is ridiculous! The system is clearly broken and needs to be cleaned up. Continue reading
2013 Symposium: How Cam Employers Maintain Standards Of Customer Service? Higher Wages? Stricter Rules?
Cartwright: It’s really about creating a corporate culture around customer service and creating an environment where the employees are happy and want to come to work. A happy employee provides good customer service. An unhappy employee provides poor customer service. If your corporate culture is bad and you pile on stricter rules, you just alienate the employees and customer service spirals out of control as it gets sucked down the drain. I personally believe that if you take care of your employees then they will take care of you and your business. I’ve found that some of the best customer service comes from small businesses. They have a very family oriented environment with the employees. The bigger the organization gets the more corporate bullshit that gets involved; employees are less happy and this manifests in lower standards of customer service. Continue reading
2013 Symposium: Conflicting States In Laws Can Cause Problems, Should The Federal Government Become Involved And Pass Blanket Laws?
Cartwright: No. Any powers not expressly granted to the federal government by the United States Constitution are deemed to be rights or powers of the states. If one state wants to ban smoking in public places but another one doesn’t, it’s not up to the federal government to make a blanket law or get involved. The only caveat being unless the state law violates the Constitution or federal laws. Laws vary from state to state. If the federal government is standardizing laws throughout the nation doesn’t that effectively emasculate the states? I don’t like the idea of the federal government harmonizing laws. Why should I be bound by the laws of California if I live in Florida? Laws in states are made by the elected legislators. The people of Florida didn’t elect the people in California, so why should they control our laws in a roundabout way? Continue reading
2013 Symposium: Should The Be An Age Limit Of Driving?
Cartwright: I think the entire system of issuing driving privileges needs reformed. Let’s keep in mind that driving is a privilege, not a right. I’m interpreting the question as placing an age limit on driving such that when you reach a certain age you must surrender your driver’s license. I don’t necessarily think elderly people on the road is an overwhelming part of the problem. In fact, people over the age of 65 account for the lowest percentage of drivers in all accidents. Young people account for a much higher percentage. Continue reading
2013 Symposium: Is Society Too Consumed With “Political Correctness”?
Cartwright: Absolutely. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. People need to get thicker skin and get over this political correctness thing. This is part of the wussification of America. You can’t call someone fat or obese because it may hurt their feelings. We have to be more sensitive to that. This is ridiculous. If they don’t want to be called fat, lose some weight. You can’t say someone is short or a midget, because it may offend them. I really think the liberals in this country, and they’re the ones pushing this political correctness stuff, have this confused with bullying. Continue reading
2013 Symposium: Do You Think The Average American Citizen Is Tired Of Politics?
Cartwright: Undoubtedly. Hell, I’m sick of politics. It’s a terrible little game that gets played with the political elite in this country and all the average American citizens are just pawns getting screwed in the process. I wouldn’t change our system, our constitutional republic, for anything else in the world. Yes, we have our problems, but it’s the best game in town when you compare it to socialist states or communist states or other democracies. Continue reading
Thinking Outside The Boxe 