Monday, June 04, 2007

Ayn Rand Talks Available at No Charge

Via the Happy Curmudgeon, who heard about via Craig Ceely’s blog, who heard about via Diana Hsieh,

Thanks to an exclusive permission generously granted by the Estate of Ayn Rand, aynrand.org is now able to offer its registered users, free of charge, an expansive collection of Ayn Rand audio and video recordings. This unprecedented selection includes lectures, interviews, and the complete series of Ayn Rand’s Ford Hall Forum lectures.

If you hit the Craig Ceely link in this post, you’ll be able to view Craig’s listing of the chronological order the Rand’s talks, as he recommends you listen to the talks in that order, but that’s totally up to you.

Here’s a link to The Ayn Rand Institute, which is where you will have to start, as access to the talks requires registration, as noted above.

Posted by John Venlet on 06/04 at 11:26 AM
(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Vermont Secession Rumblings

The idea of seceding from the Union, which are these United States, is most often pooh poohed, and understandably so considering the Southern states’ attempt at secession back in the 1800’s.  Remember the Civil War?

But though the idea is most often considered mere crack pottery, there are no laws which expressly forbid such a secession.

The Boston Globe is reporting on this issue in a piece titled In Vermont, nascent secession movement gains traction.

Disillusioned by what they call an empire about to fall, a small cadre of writers and academics is plotting political strategy and planting the seeds of separatism.

They’ve published a “Green Mountain Manifesto” subtitled “Why and How Tiny Vermont Might Help Save America From Itself by Seceding from the Union.” They hope to put the question before citizens at Town Meeting Day next March, eventually persuading the state Legislature to declare independence, returning Vermont to the status it held from 1777 to 1791.

Whether it’s likely is another question.

I wish them success in their endeavor.

Here’s a link to The Green Mountain Manifesto.

Here’s a link to the website of Second Vermont Republic.

Here’s a link to the website of the Free Vermont “200 Towns” campaign.

Posted by John Venlet on 06/04 at 05:26 AM
(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

It's None of Your Damn Business What I'm Paid

Here’s a taste of what Susan E. Reed, who is a fellow at the Alicia Patterson Foundation, has to say about alleged salary discrimination in a New York Times op-ed this morning.

THIS year, each of the eight associate justices of the Supreme Court will earn $203,000. The only woman and the only African-American on the court are paid the same as their six white male colleagues. Only Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. earns more than everyone else, $212,100. Their pay is set by Congress, and it is a matter of public record.

Congress should pass legislation mandating that all workplaces create this kind of transparency by requiring companies to post salaries.

Beyond the obvious ridiculousness of Ms. Reed’s suggestion calling for legislation for the mandatory posting of company salaries, as if that information should be displayed like a Burger King 99 cent menu, let’s consider the basis for her folly fueled musing.  The “transparency” of the salaries of the Supreme Court justices.

Ms. Reed’s example, which cites individuals who earn their living out of the pockets of taxpayers, is not so much an example, but rather a canard for a socialist agenda to be applied like a paddle to private industry.

There is no doubt that every professional jobholders’ salary should be publicy displayed, as those individuals live off of the production of private individuals.  But the income of private individuals should remain private.

Ms. Reed’s op-ed is titled Show Us the Money.

Posted by John Venlet on 06/04 at 04:08 AM
(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Page 1 of 1 pages