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….
Category: Blog
This section of my blog is for Objectivists and those interested in Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism. You may repost and/or translate anything found here, provided you do so a) without editing the content in any way and b) link back to the original source.
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….
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…
Lockdowns Destroy Lives
There are many small business owners and entrepreneurs who may be wishing they were dead. Their businesses are being ruined and their lives destroyed. The political lockdowns (not the virus) have hit black business owners hardest: 41% are no longer in business according to an analysis by the National Bureau of Economic Research. The total…