11-3-12 Hodgepodge

Six of One...

I see that while I was away, I not only missed lots of fantastic commentary but also Barack Obama making a complete ass of himself by pontificating about Ayn Rand on the pages of Rolling Stone. See below.

Not that I have one shred of sympathy for Barack Obama, who was outed as an empty suit in the first debate, but his remarks about Ayn Rand (and what makes America great, for that matter) reflect the great predicament faced by someone like himself. When going through the motions of offering something to appeal to the minds of voters, someone who has nothing of value to say has a choice: Make a fool of oneself or remain completely silent. 

Weekend Reading

"What is needed is an immediate 15 percent across-the-board cut in looting. Then another 15 percent the next year. After that, we can talk about deficits, if we even need to." -- Harry Binswanger, in "When Democrats and Republicans Agree, You Know Something Is Very Wrong" at Forbes

"Healthcare is actually not different, but just ahead of the curve in the modern antipathy towards profits." -- Amesh Adalja, in "Why Are Profits in the Healthcare Sector So Demonized?" at Forbes

"Since there is no third party involved in this realm of healthcare (because it is considered elective), no politician speaks of a drain by breast augmentation surgery on the economy." -- Amesh Adalja, in "Let's End the Enslavement of Healthcare Providers" at Forbes

"A public once characterized by a spirit of independence so strong that it barely paid attention to its presidents now pays taxes to have its leader tell it what to think." -- Amit Ghate, in "We Must Stop Treating the President as Our Savior" at Forbes

"I have to ask the 'adults' who claim they outgrew Rand exactly what earth-shattering insight they have learned against her solution to the problem of universals? Against her solution to the is-ought problem? To her foundation of knowledge in the axiomatic validity of sense perception? To her theory of the locus of free will? How about her theory of aesthetics?" -- Wendy Milling, in "President Jabs at Ayn Rand, Knocks Himself Out" at Forbes

"If big banks are getting taxpayer money when they fail, is the problem really the size of the banks? Or does the problem lie with the politicians who redistribute the wealth and the citizens who have failed to supervise their politicians?" -- Wendy Milling, in "The War against Big Banks Is a War Against Your Mind" at Forbes

"Obama mocks this as a society where 'you're on your own.' But Americans during this era were not 'on their own' in the lone-wolf, asocial sense he insinuates." -- Yaron Brook and Don Watkins, in "President Obama Duels with Ayn Rand over what Makes Amreica Great" at Forbes

"By reframing the issue in terms of the individual's right to his own life and wealth, Rand puts the left on the moral defensive." -- Yaron Brook and Don Watkins, in "Why Ayn Rand's Absence from Last Thursday's Debate Benefits Big Government" at Forbes

"The high holy days of masquerade are upon us, and rarely does a Halloween go by without my getting a few inquiries about the psychology of costumes and disguise." -- Michael Hurd, in "The Psychology of Disguise" at Delaware Coast Press

"While a relationship with a principled human being can certainly surpass the relationship with a pet, the fact that so many humans disappoint gives pets a potential edge they wouldn't otherwise have." -- Michael Hurd, in "For the Love of Pets" at Delaware Wave

"[I]t makes no sense to try and discuss ideas with anybody who is either, (a) not interested in the subject generally, or (b) not open to your particular perspective." -- Michael Hurd, in "Politics Got You Down?" at Delaware Wave

"While I don't advocate a complete escape from reality, the use of something non-toxic to refuel your spirits and lift your mood is essential for coping with life." -- Michael Hurd, in "Music Hath Charms..." at Delaware Coast Press

"Changing thoughts and behaviors in a steady and consistent manner is the only permanent cure for social anxiety disorder." -- Michael Hurd in "Beat Shyness with Action" at Delaware Wave

"The irony is that she is accused, by commentators who miss her central point, of endorsing precisely the form of vicious 'selfishness' she so meticulously exposed and rejected." -- Keith Lockitch, in "Time to Read Ayn Rand?" at PJ Media

"Perhaps the two alternatives confronting us, a government with virtually unlimited power to dictate our personal lives or our economic lives, are both defective." -- Onkar Ghate, in "A Liberal Ayn Rand?" at Huffington Post

"If Mr. Romney is 'guilty' of anything, it's not inaccuracy with the numbers, or insensitivity toward those dependent on government, but of undue pessimism about who might actually vote for him." -- Richard Salsman, in "The 47% Should Especially Favor Romney/Ryan on Election Day" at Forbes

My Two Cents

A friend once noted a nice problem Objectivsts are beginning to face: Too much commentary to follow. I think the above, from the past three weeks, makes his point quite well.

--CAV