Friday, April 30, 2010

Immigration and the Welfare State

Gus Van Horn injects some good ideas into the immigration debate.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

"Value Dense Living"

I enjoyed this post by John Drake describing his approach to marriage, friends and life in general. (HT Noodlefood)

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Phaelaenopsis (Mauve)


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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Phaelaenopsis Ramon Pink Taki

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Sunday, April 18, 2010

Stop Green Guilt

Voices of Reason has a good post on environmentalism, including links to a series of video interviews with Keith Lockitch and Onk. I particularly liked Onkar's insights into how environmentalists treat their ideas just as do religionists.

Friday, April 16, 2010

What Can You Do to Stop the Alarming Expansion of Government?

A talk in San Diego, California

Who: Dr. Yaron Brook, president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute

What: A free public talk about how to oppose today's political trends

Where: Hyatt Regency La Jolla, 3777 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92122

When: Tuesday, April 27th, 2010, 6:30-8:30 p.m. RSVP to Jim Brown at jimbrown@brandes.com or call 858-523-3275.

Validated parking, complimentary hors d'oeuvres and soft drinks, no-host bar

Description: If, like many Americans, you feel a growing sense of helplessness over the government's growing intrusions into our economy and our daily lives, you'll want to attend this timely discussion by Yaron Brook.

Dr. Brook will discuss the critical question that a growing number of frustrated Americans are asking themselves: "What can I do to reverse the accelerating trend of government intrusion into our economy, our businesses, and our private lives? What actions can I take to stop the relentless erosion of our individual rights and economic freedom?"

Should you join a group, write a letter, make a speech? Would any of these actions really make a difference? What can one person do to change the world? Dr. Brook will discuss these questions in depth, including practical advice on what to do--and what not to do. Formal remarks will last about 40 minutes, followed by a lively Q&A and discussion.

Don't miss this unique presentation. Become inspired and learn to take meaningful action!

Admission: Free and open to the public

Please note: The above event is organized, hosted and sponsored by a private individual independent of ARI.

We hope you will be able to attend.

Sincerely,

The Ayn Rand Institute

Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Forgotten Men of Medicine

Tom Bowden has a nice blog post giving us some of the personal stories of those "forgotten" men of medicine. They're in a very sad situation, and I almost hope that many quit for their own sakes, but if they do I also hope that they'll publicly state the moral reasons for their exit.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Cheering on Tax Increases

Mark Steyn cites some interesting stats in this tax-day column:
For one thing, pretty much everywhere else got with the Big Government program well ahead of America and long ago figured out all the angles: Two-thirds of French imams are on the dole. In the Stockholm suburb of Tensta, 20 percent of women in their late 40s collect disability benefits. In the United Kingdom, 5 million people — a tenth of the adult population — have not done a day’s work since the New Labour government took office in 1997.

America has a ways to go in catching up with those enlightened jurisdictions, but it’s on its way. Rep. Paul Ryan pointed out recently that, by 2004, 20 percent of U.S. households were getting about 75 percent of their income from the federal government. As a matter of practical politics, how receptive would they be to a pitch for lower taxes, which they don’t pay, or lower government spending, of which they are such fortunate beneficiaries? How receptive would another fifth of households, who receive about 40 percent of their income from federal programs, be to such a pitch?

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Neostylis Lou Sneary 'Blue Bird'


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Monday, April 12, 2010

The Deadly Tax on Medical Innovation

Paul Hsieh has another fine editorial out at PJM.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

University of Wisconsin Students of Objectivism

ARI's April issue of Impact is now available. It includes a story about the UofW club which I found very interesting because it highlights the innovative ways people find to engage in activism.

Friday, April 09, 2010

Writing Tips

For those wishing to engage in intellectual activism, Paul Hsieh has some good ideas on how to improve one's writing and thereby increase one's chances of being published.

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Will They Ever Learn?

Tom Bowden has a good post on the effects of endorsing the provision of high speed internet for everyone. Essentially every new entitlement means more government control of the economy (and our lives). Too bad so few businessmen can think in principles.

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Schiff Challenges Greenspan to Debate

And he's willing to pay Greenspan's $100K speaking fee for the pleasure.

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

SLC Petite Splash

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Monday, April 05, 2010

Arguments for Ending Drug Prohibition

Today I stumbled on this WSJ editorial from 2008. Despite its date, I think the content and arguments are still very relevant, so I decided to post it.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

No wonder Arafat can win a Nobel Prize

It's so sadly typical of the mainstream media to identify piracy(!!!) as a "trade". See the headline to this Time magazine piece for instance.

{Sigh} We have a lot of educating still to do....

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Czar Wars

My new editorial "Czar Wars: Can the Rebels Fight Back?" is now out at Pajamas Media. (They chose that title, I'd suggested "Czars vs. America".) Here's the opening paragraph:
In recent years our nation has been beset by a proliferation of political “czars.” Pay czars determine compensation. Auto czars hire and fire CEOs. Last year the Van Jones fiasco captured headlines. There’s even been talk of a health insurance czar. Yet while each of the individual news items received appropriate attention from better commentators, the phenomenon as a whole has not. Looked at from a wider perspective, there’s something troubling about Americans’ new willingness to accept and submit to authority. If we’re to turn the country around, this is an issue we must understand and confront.
Please feel free to leave comments or pass the link on. The more visible interest a piece receives, the more likely it is for the editors to accept future submissions.

I'd also like to extend my thanks to Lucy Hugel and particularly Wayne Marrs for their editorial comments.

What ever happened to Jaime Escalante?

Andrew Coulson (who I'm proud to say has been a friend since childhood) has written an excellent WSJ editorial arguing for a return to a private market in education. Here's the beginning, but be sure to read the whole thing.
Jaime Escalante, the brilliant public school teacher immortalized in the 1988 film, "Stand and Deliver," died this week at the age of 79. With the help of a few dedicated colleagues at Garfield High in East Los Angeles, he shattered the myth that poor inner-city kids couldn't handle advanced math. At the peak of its success, Garfield produced more students who passed Advanced Placement calculus than Beverly Hills High.

In any other field, his methods would have been widely copied. Instead, Escalante's success was resented. And while the teachers union contract limited class sizes to 35, Escalante could not bring himself to turn students away, packing 50 or more into a room and still helping them to excel. This weakened the union's bargaining position, so it complained.

By 1990, Escalante was stripped of his chairmanship of the math department he'd painstakingly built up over a decade. Exasperated, he left in 1991, eventually returning to his native Bolivia. Garfield's math program went into a decline from which it has never recovered. The best tribute America can offer Jaime Escalante is to understand why our education system destroyed rather than amplified his success—and then fix it.

Friday, April 02, 2010

Why Treat Your Enemies?

As much as I disagree that the issue is Democrats vs. Republicans (I'd argue it's egoism vs. altruism), I completely sympathize with the Dr. who posted this picture in his window:
(And why doctors shouldn't be able to make this kind of decision is beyond me.)