Regulating the Regulators

On top of all the moral problems with regulation is a logical problem. Why are regulators more trustworthy than other people? Of course they’re not, and they don’t even have their own self-interest at stake (vs. say a businessman who is accountable to both his stockholders and his customers). So it turns out we now need overseers to check up on the regulators to watch the productive.

“Congress needs an independent analysis of whether the institutions that are responsible for protecting investors are keeping up in a fast-changing marketplace,” Mr. Grassley said yesterday in a statement. “It’s been a long time since there’s been this kind of thorough review. The integrity of our financial markets and, in turn, the well-being of individual investors depends on checkpoints that stop insider trading and manipulation.”

Unless we reject the whole idea of preventive law, ultimately this type of regress will end up with one person working and everyone else making sure he’s honest!

Religion and Morality Talk

Onkar's talk (less the Q&A) is now available to registered users on the the ARI Site.

The Battle of Our Era

Harry Binswanger has a great piece up at CapMag. Here are the first three paragraphs, but be sure to read the whole thing:

We are engaged in a vast battle to defend scientific, industrial civilization against irrationalism.

Whether the enemy bombs the World Trade Center, abortion clinics, logging equipment, or medical research labs, the target is the same: reason--the use of reason to produce material values.

Hostility to global trade, to nuclear power, to DDT, to "urban sprawl," to Wal-Mart--it all comes from the same root and has the same meaning: antagonism towards man's life as a rational animal. Reason is man's basic means of survival. The life- giving power of reason is sensed by those who rail against the technological-industrial achievements of the West and particularly of America. Whether environmentalist or Islamist, they cannot abide the success of America. It stands as an unbearable reproach. It's America or their own irrational way of functioning, which they would rather blow themselves up than challenge and change.

Funny Yet Incredibly Sad

This Onion Headline (and story): N. Korea Detonates 40 Years Of GDP

HT Not PC

The Power of Ideas

Nicholas Provenzo has a great example of how the intellectual corruption of Western thought is responsible for the rise of religion throughout the world.

Middle East Historical Map

Via Paul at Noodlefood is a great animated map showing the various powers who have controlled the Middle throughout history.

ARI Talks

In addition to Onkar's talk on Religion and Morality, there are quite a few interesting campus events planned in the OC/LA area:

UCLA

Los Angeles, CA

“Destroying Islamic Totalitarianism—The West’s Moral Imperative”
By Dr. Yaron Brook
Date: Oct. 16, 2006
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Dodd 147
Club Leader: Arthur Lechtholz-Zey
e-mail:arthur@clublogic.org


UCLA

Los Angeles, CA

"Religion vs. Morality"
by Dr. Andrew Bernstein
Date: Oct. 26, 2006
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Moore 100
Club Leader: Arthur Lechtholz-Zey
e-mail:arthur@clublogic.org


University of Southern California
"Global Capitalism : The Solution to World Oppression and Poverty "
by Dr. Andrew Bernstein
Date: Oct 27, 2006

Time: TBA
Location: TBA
Club Leader: Jason Hoskin
e-mail: aynrand@usc.edu


University of California, Irvine

"Why the Destruction of Islamic Totalitarianism is Our Moral Imperative"

By Dr. Yaron Brook
Date: Nov. 6, 2006
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: TBA
Club Leader: Eric Brunner
e-mail: shovelcharge88@yahoo.com