David Bottomley's Blog

I have worked in information technology management for over 20 years, and part of my duties during that period have involved finding, vetting, and hiring IT personnel including engineers, technicians, analysts, developers, supervisors, and project managers at corporate IT departments and IT consulting firms.  So I speak from experience when I say there are a plethora of individuals on the job market that hold degrees, even advanced degrees such as masters and doctorates, but have little to no real world experience or marketable skills and have a very hard time competing in the job market.  I have hired roughly 50 people during my career thus far, interviewed hundreds, and unfortunately have had to fire several as well.  I've had several people with advanced degrees reporting to me over the years, some have been good, others not so much, but in every case, it's the individual's willingness to learn and succeed, and not the degree that has led to their success or failure....

We are witnessing a paradigm shift in energy production.  We've seen dramatic shifts like this across numerous industries over the decades, most recently by computers, the Internet, and cellphones.  The industrial revolution changed markets dramatically as steam power, driven by coal, and later the internal combustion engine, primarily driven by gasoline and diesel derived from oil, changed the face of the planet through mechanization and automation.  Horses and oxen were no longer needed to plow the fields, or to pull wagons, as they were replaced by tractors and automobiles.  The electric light, electric motor, and a myriad of electrical appliances followed, driven primarily by coal and hydroelectric power sources.  Coal was inexpensive and plentiful, with decreased demand from steam locomotives and tractors, it was the perfect fuel for the power generation plants that were needed for electrification projects.  Coal has therefore been a mainstay of relat...

When it comes to our children, humans are naturally wired to be protective and caring.  Therefore, when it comes to discussions about the well-being and protection of our children, it's natural that these are some of the most emotionally charged discussions we can have.  These topics can include health care, education, and other decisions relating to the care of our children. A family in Chandler, Arizona was recently thrust into the news as a result of just such a situation.  Their two year old son experienced a fever.  As concerned parents, they took their child to the doctor.  The doctor observed a 105 degree fever, and took note that the parents opted not to vaccinate their children.  The doctor, fearing that it could be meningitis, recommended that the parents take the child to the emergency room (ER).  However, to the parents' relief, shortly after they left the doctor's office, the child's fever dropped (to 102 degrees) and the child was behav...

I write this in the aftermath of the mass shooting in New Zealand, in which Brenton Torrant shot and killed 49 people in a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand.  The mass media, and leftist politicians are claiming that he is "right-wing" which could not be further from the truth.  The shooter published an 87 page manifesto which can be found online.  In it, he supports the following positions: He is a self-described racist who does not support the immigration of non-whites to 'white' countries. He states that "it's his plan all along" that his attack will result in calls for the "removal of gun rights from whites in the United States."  He hopes that this will lead to gun control which will result in a civil war in the US that he believes will be on racial lines.   He hopes that the self-destruction of the US will inhibit the ability of the US to project military power, to prevent the US from supporting non-white nations and groups (he cite...

There are some people who mistakenly argue that local government, by virtue of being local, is somehow allowed to violate individual rights.  Some will even argue that when state and local governments conflict, that the 'conservative' position is to support the local government regardless of the issue.  That is, frankly, absurd.   The relationship between the states and the federal government is the exact inverse of the relationship of the states and local governments.  The federal government was created by the people and the states, with a very limited scope as laid out in Article 1 Section 8 of the US Constitution.  Conversely, local governments are merely political subdivisions of the state - created by the state and, like the federal government, assigned limited governmental duties.  Local governments did not form state governments and state governments are in no way subservient to local governments.  The primary duty of both the federal ...

Our founding fathers were wise beyond their years.  They worked very hard to determine the best form of government for the newly formed United States, having reviewed all forms of government known to them throughout history.  Clearly, a monarchy was not in the cards, as they had just broken away from the tyrannical rule of King George of Great Britain, which was a lesson in the arrogance and corruption that absolute power begets, no matter the initial benevolence of any one individual.  Human nature is to become corrupt, when exposed to power and greed.  As Alexander Hamilton said " If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary."  The founders, therefore,  worked hard to form a system of government that limited the power of government where it was concentrated.  They also realized that democracy was as dangerous as a monarchy because people h...

As most of you know, our home near Evansville, Indiana is up for sale and we plan to move our family to Wyoming.  Many people unfamiliar with Wyoming ask "why" (usually by those who have never been there) and so rather than replying in an ad-hoc fashion, I thought it would be easier to answer "why" here in a comprehensive response.  Some of these reasons are specific to the area of Wyoming we are most interested in, namely Sheridan, Wyoming.  Without further ado, here is the list: Freedom.  According to most indices, Wyoming is among the freest states in the nation.  There are no firearm restrictions to speak of.  While they offer a handgun carry permit for purposes of reciprocity with other states, it's not required.  So long as you would qualify for the permit, you can carry without a permit in the state, open or concealed, just about anywhere.  Thanks to the 2010 change in federal law, that includes National Parks and Monuments, exclu...