Tom Quiner is a social and fiscal conservative who embraces capitalism generally and supply side economics specifically. He has been a frequent contributor to The Des Moines Register.
He believes the powers of government should be used to ensure equality of opportunity rather than equality of outcome. “The government that governs least governs best”, attributed to Thomas Jefferson, a Democrat, describes his view of government.
Mr. Quiner suggests that if President Jefferson were alive today, he’d be a Republican.
He believes in American exceptionalism and the American “Creed,” which declares people have fundamental rights that flow from our Creator.
Tom and his wife, Karen, founded Breakthrough Marketing (www.BreakthroughBrochures.com) 23 years ago. His company writes, designs, and prints brochures and collateral marketing pieces along with designing Content-Managed Websites and eMagazines.
His favorite economist is Milton Friedman, and his favorite composer is George Gershwin (along with Ira’s great lyrics). He cheers for the Boston Red Sox, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Drake Bulldogs.
Tom is a passionate composer and playwright. He has written and produced six musicals, all with faith-based themes. One of his favorite subjects is “Does God exist?” This blog will discuss that question and others like it over time. He wrote a play in 2009 titled, “The Guy Agnostico Show.” The play was modeled after The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The host of the show, Guy Agnostico, an agnostic, debates famous people from history on God’s existence. Watch for excerpts on this site from time to time.
Do you like conservative politics? This blog is for you.
Are you a liberal? You are welcome! Let’s hear your thoughts. Quiner loves civil discourse.
Do you believe in God? This blog is for you.
Do you have doubts about God’s existence? This blog is for you.
Do you like music? This blog is for you.
Life is short. Let’s enjoy it to the hilt with some lively conversation.
Thank-you for visiting QuinersDiner.com!
Mr. Quiner,
I’ve enjoyed your columns in the Des Moines Register and am sorry they’ve ended. However, I’m pleased to see that you’ve started a new blog. I look forward to reading it and occasionally making a few comments.
I’m agnostic and a rational conservative (not mutually exclusive characteristics). I also have a good scientific and business background. Thus I appreciate your logical and factual style. Finally, I’m a great grandfather and thus well qualified to be a seasoned citizen.
Bob Roelf
Iowa City
Tom,
I enjoyed your column on moral relativisim. Would love to share a cup of coffee with you sometime.
John
Sorry to see you leave the Register. If it makes you feel any better, they’re letting the other conservative columnist too.
Hey Tom,
The blog looks great! Congratulations on getting it up and running. Looking forward to reading your posts and having a civil discourse.
Greetings Tom,
Sorry I got here late. I see you started blogging without me. Nonetheless, I’ve been catching up on what you have written so far. And now you have me all fired up.
As much as I would like to spur up a little civil discourse, I have yet to find anything to disagree with you on. But, if you keep writing, I’ll keep reading. Who knows where we’ll end up.
Robert
Atlanta, GA
U.S.A.
Hi Robert: Thanks for stopping in. Come back often and invite your friends.
Thanks,
Tom
Tom,
I’d like to suggest a topic for your column and reader discussion. As I mentioned in my first comment above, I’m an agnostic rational conservative. Admittedly, this is an awkward description of my political and general philosophy, but it fits my own personal values. I don’t want to be an ideologue who is unable or unwilling to apply reason and logic to matters of politics or morality.
However, every now and then I find myself in a corner. For example, I believe that a legal deliberate act which terminates human life is a brutal solution to a problem. Abortion and capital punishment are examples. However, there are a few situations where I believe that we are justified in terminating life. Rape or a mother’s life at risk may necessitate an abortion. A thrill seeking child killer who is deemed sane by experts is certainly a candidate for execution . A soldier in combat must try to kill the enemy.
Perhaps I’m practicing situational ethics or guilty of flawed logic. How do you deal with these issues? What do your readers think?
Bob Roelf
Iowa City
Bob:
This is the kind of thoughtful feedback I appreciate. It’s a good enough subject that I will write on the subject very soon and try to spark a larger conversation. Watch this space for my response.
Thanks for writing.
Tom
Thanks Tom,
After reading my comment stating that I’m an agnostic rational conservative I realized that I may have inadvertently insulted other conservatives by implying that they are irrational. If so, I’m sincerly sorry since I had no intention of insulting anyone. I was simply trying to say that I apply reason, facts, and logic to issues that are important to me rather than just accepting things at face value or as political dogma.
By the way, I normally use the Firefox browser. However, your web site appears to prefer Internet Explorer when one is submitting comments. Your other readers who use Firefox may wish to switch to IE if they are sending in comments.
Bob
Hi Bob: No offense taken.
I have explored God’s existence at some length. In fact, I wrote, produced, and starred in a play last year called “The Guy Agnostico Show.” My character (Agnostico) is an agnostic talk show hosts who interviews famous people from history on God’s existence. One of the people he interviews is St. Thomas Aquinas who debates using his famous 5 proofs of God’s existence. The bottom line, according to Aquinas, is it takes more faith not to believe in God than it does to believe.
It is the most fascinating subject in the world.
Tom
St. TQ,
Just wanted to say that finding you just now was quite mystical. I “was” in process of drafting an editorial re “da Mosque” and drawing the very same analogy that you have done so seamlessly (sans Edith Stein -which had not occurred to me).
But you have done it with far more finesse than I could ever dream of so perhaps I should submit mine with the notation: “Read Tom Quiner ASAP.”
Also FYI: I heard mention that WSJ’s Bill McGurn drew a similar analogy re the Carmelites, Auschwitz & PJ II that I’ve yet to lay eyes on. My husband has a nasty habit of tossing newspapers after they’re approx. 1 1/2 hours old and I love reading hard copy text.
God bless for all your wisdom & the chops to pull it all 2gether. Can’t wait to read more U.
b
Tom, would love to hear your choir back at Christ the King if you can swing it
My next musical, “The Pope of the People,” will be performed at Christ King next April 10th. Spread the word. You can learn more about the musical at the official website: http://www.thePopeofthePeople.com. Thanks!
Just happened to see your blog! I like it! If you would ever like to write a guest blog for me, let me know!(I’m a young conservative and started my own opinionated blog recently)
Check my blog out and let me know what you think! JTHmishmash.com
shoot me an email if you’d like: john.hill.t94@gmail.com
Why would you advertise that you have no values? For that is what organized religions argue; that there is no right and wrong, only the will of a supreme being subject to human interpretation. That interpretation favors the ruling class of any society, and is also a good excuse to steal money from congregants, sexually abuse children, and foment wars and genocides.
Fortunately, the monster in which you believe does not exist.
My goodness, you have a warped view of religion. Not only is it warped, my friend, but it is not accurate. God is Love. That is His revelation to man. That doesn’t mean that man can’t do bad things in His name. But when they do, that is not God. I encourage you to keep your heart open to the possibility of His love. Thanks for writing.
If life begins at conception, at what point should a woman be subject to State oversight? Is it unreasonable that she be required to register with a government agency as soon as she knows she is pregnant?
Are you suggesting the only reason we wouldn’t kill someone is if they’re registered with the government?
You and Karen are such a blessing to our parish, Tom. Thank you!
Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate it.
Tom: Thanks for your op-ed column publishing in Tuesday’s edition of The Des Moines Register. It’s a thoughtful piece that blends Scripture and a New Testament parable with the missteps of Charles Colson. I’m sure many of our readers will appreciate it. Thanks for contributing. Rick Green, Editor/VP-News, Des Moines Register (rgreen@dmreg.com)
Thanks for the opportunity to present the other side of Charles Colson’s life.
Hi Tom, I love your content. As a result, I think you’d benefit greatly from Michael Hyatt’s new book “Platform.” You’ve already got the right things to say, you just need to get it out there to the masses 🙂
Other than right here I don’t know how to have my comments considered. But I’ll give it a try. I don’t know of anyone who is in favor of abortion. Nor do I know of anyone who is in favor of abortion after the first trimester. If so, I would like to have their names. II only know, and know of, persons who believe that the issue is one to be decided strictly between a pregnant female and her God.
Moreover, it would be helpful and instructive if pro-lifers and marchers would be specific about what they want socially and politically. It’s all very nice to be anti-abortion in a general sense but what exactly is desired and sought for in a specific sense. Completely illegal? If so, what are the consequences. Partially legal? What are the consequences. What is it they want socially, politically, legally.
Paul Joslin, Johnston, IA
You are my kinda guy! Keep up the drumbeat
Thanks for the kind words.
Here are some good Thomas Jefferson quotes:
“When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.”
“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”
“It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.”
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”
“My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.”
“No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.”
“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.”
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
“To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.”
Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property–until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”
More relevant today than the day he wrote them.
Here are some Milton Friedman quotes:
“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.”
“Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.”
“The Great Depression, like most other periods of severe unemployment, was produced by government mismanagement rather than by any inherent instability of the private economy.”
“The greatest advances of civilization, whether in architecture or painting, in science and literature, in industry or agriculture, have never come from centralized government.”
“The most important single central fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit.”
“Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.”
“We have a system that increasingly taxes work and subsidizes nonwork.”
Milton Friedman, Economist (1912-2006)
More relevant today than the day he wrote them.
Sometimes people vote with their feet:
London Becomes France’s Sixth Biggest City
“Many wealthy French have already voted with their feet, moving to London to escape high taxes and punishing business regulations.
“The British capital is now home to more than 300,000 French expatriates—many working in banking and private equity—making it the sixth most populous city for the French after Paris (2.3 million), Marseille (859,000), Lyon (488,000), Toulouse (447,000), and Nice (344,000).
“Stephane Rambosson, managing partner at consultants Veni Partners, recently told the BBC: ‘If you pay an employee 100,000 [pounds], the equivalent in France is already over 170,000 [pounds], simply due to costs.'”
NEWSMAX
September 2012
“Life is short. Let’s enjoy it to the hilt with some lively conversation.”
By all means!
You mis•spelled the word “relentlessly.” Please correct.
Thanks for pointing it out!
And thank you for not straying from the faith-based (religious) side of the equation — as so many seem to do these days.
You’re welcome. I think the First Amendment is under serious attack, both in terms of free speech on college campuses and religious liberty in the public square.
Why must I respect and honor Your religious views and beliefs while You are not obligated to respect my non-religious views and beliefs. (Anybody not you personally Tom.)
I abide by the First Amendment myself.
I am a 72 year old author that has just entered the blogging world. Your blog site shares the kind of knowledge and insight that I was hoping to find. keep up the good work.
Could you tell me if you have newsletter I would love to know more about your plays. I’m from east coast lifelong Red Sox fan too thank you
Sorry, no newsletter. However, you can learn more about my plays at another website I created: http://www.FireAndMercy.com. Thanks!