When I studied Dr. Peikoff’s courses almost 40 years ago, I was thrilled by the knowledge and delighted with the clarity, certitude, and wit of his delivery. I had taken hundreds of courses during my life, but none that compared to his. It is through them that I became an Objectivist. They changed my life….
Blog
Fear and Politics
When fear, ignorance, and evasion mix with politics, bad and costly things happen. Financially speaking, the mismanagement of the coronavirus panic is more costly than 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis combined. This, I believe, is the greatest political blunder of this century. However, there are thoughtful writers such as Joseph Ladapo amid the hysteria….
Systemic Racism
Whites-only bathrooms. Whites-only hotels. Blacks unable to get jobs reserved for whites. Lynchings. These evils have occurred in American history. In 1930s Germany, the Nazi government was committing even greater evils against Jews, black people, and many other “undesirables,” prohibiting them from buying homes, owning businesses, or getting jobs. Eventually, the state attempted to murder…
Cogent COVID Quote
[All over the world] “… the young are now the chief dissenters from social distancing. The trade-off they face is everything that makes life interesting, the experiences and relationships that will secure their future, vs. a disease that, in most cases, may not be worse than the flu. “In the U.S., we delude ourselves if…
Wonderful Movie and Literary Treats
Lisa VanDamme (of VanDamme Academy, and who I consider the poet laureate of Objectivism) and her husband Chad Morris (a personal trainer extraordinaire) came to dinner at my home with close friends, Craig Biddle, and his wife, Sarah. There’s richness in these relationships. Lisa recommended a wonderful movie called Warrior starring, among others, Nick Nolte….
Reopening Schools
The virus will kill our children! Really? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30 children under age 15 have died from COVID-19 (if we can believe that number). In a typical year, 190 children die of the flu, 436 from suicide, 625 from homicide, and 4,114 from accidental deaths such as drowning….
Why I Support Ayn Rand and Objectivism
Ayn Rand’s writings and philosophy are a symphony of reason and inspiration. For example, in responding to a fan in 1960 about the meaning of life, she wrote: “Joy, exultation, beauty, greatness, heroism, all of the supreme, uplifting values of man’s existence on Earth, are the meaning of life.” In the afterword to Atlas Shrugged,…
Paycheck Protection Program
I have never paid my “fair share” of taxes. I’ve always paid infinitely more than my “fair share” (which is zero). I’ve paid loads of taxes. While I don’t agree in principle with taxes, I comply with the law, and I take any deductions that my CPA can find. When the “Paycheck Protection Program” (PPP)…
In Defense of America
In the Wall Street Journal on July 7, 2020, Gerard Baker, the journal’s Editor-at-Large and former Editor-in-Chief, wrote a brilliant article titled “Defend America’s History—and Retake Its Institutions.” He begins: “That was quick. “At the end of the 20th Century, the U.S. had won World War II and the Cold War, liberated half the planet…
Virus Cases
A WSJ headline today reads: “Virus Cases Soaring Past 3 Million” (there were about 40 million cases of flu last year). But what counts as a case? One of my personal trainers tested positive for COVID but had zero symptoms, not even a sniffle. His girlfriend and another trainer they work with both got tested…
An Englishman Celebrates America’s Declaration of Independence
King Gavin Newsom of California (otherwise known as “Governor”) prohibited gatherings to celebrate America’s Declaration of Independence, so I was unable to have a large party at my home. Nonetheless, I celebrated with a few close friends. We decorated for fifty guests but only had four. Many people are writing about the meaning of The…