Real change starts with the man in the mirror

There are so many people in the world who are not doing what they should.  When I find myself focusing on the actions of others, I find it helpful to listen to Michael Jackson’s classic, “Man in the Mirror.” As a stoic, I recognize that only my actions are in my control.  As a Libertarian,…

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The Next Chapter in my Career

Over 70 years ago, Roman “Slim” Sarwark moved from South Bend, Indiana to Phoenix, Arizona to convalesce after he lost a lung to tuberculosis. His doctors didn’t give him much chance to live for many more years. Slim started Sarwark Motor Sales in 1942, selling one or two cars at a time. His hard work…

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Last day as a public defender

Today is my last day as a Deputy State Public Defender.  Over the last five years, I have fought beside some of the best people I’ve ever met to defend the indigent accused.  I’ve had the honor of saving men from living the rest of their lives in a cage. I’ve experienced the pain of…

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Sarwark Elected Chair of Libertarian National Committee

Blogging here has been kind of light.  I ran for and was elected Chair of the Libertarian National Committee over the last weekend in June.  It’s going to be a busy two years. From the official press release: Delegates to the 2014 Libertarian Party National Convention in Columbus, Ohio, elected Nicholas Sarwark of Colorado to…

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Book Review: So Good They Can’t Ignore You

“Follow your passion and the money will come.”  How many people have been given this advice when deciding what to study in school, whether to take a job, and whether to quit a job to do something else?  It turns out that it’s terrible advice. That’s the thesis of “So Good They Can’t Ignore You:…

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Drinking White Wine in the Sun

It’s hard to be an atheist around Christmas sometimes. As we are reminded, often loudly, Jesus is the reason for the season. But I, like many atheists, enjoy Christmas for all of the beauty it brings unrelated to religion. Singing songs, spending time with family, loving each other. Tim Minchin, whose work I have mentioned…

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The $1,000 Challenge

There are only two ways to improve your financial situation.  You can bring in more money or you can stop spending as much money.  In my quest to do the latter, I read The $1,000 Challenge: How One Family Slashed Its Budget Without Moving Under a Bridge or Living on Government Cheeseby Brian J. O’Connor.…

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Simple shelf from one hardwood plank

When you do “knowledge work” for a living, there’s an inherent frustration in not creating something concrete from your efforts.  Negotiating a case, reading cases to prepare a brief or a motion, appearing in court, all of these things have value to a client, but the value does not manifest itself as a thing you…

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