Debi Ghate — VOICES for REASON

As 2009 draws to a close, all of us at Voices for Reason wish you a festive and happy holiday season! Thank you for reading our commentary, and for sharing it with your friends, colleagues, or other contacts. We’ve appreciated all of your feedback and comments, and look forward to hearing more from you in 2010.

Our goal continues to be to bring you commentary informed by Ayn Rand’s distinctive philosophical system, Objectivism—and to analyze and explore the solutions these ideas offer to today’s political, economic and cultural debates. We strive to offer a unique perspective on what’s happening in the world, and why.

Our work is made possible by support from private sources, including individuals who share our vision of a future where individual rights, properly understood, are protected, leaving people free to pursue their lives and happiness. If you share our vision, please consider making a year-end contribution in support of the Voices for Reason blog. To make a contribution on-line, please visit the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights website.

Here’s an item of potential interest for college students who’d like to study Ayn Rand’s corpus and philosophical system. The Ayn Rand Institute is accepting applications for its 2010 Summer Internship Program. The program runs in June and July 2010 in Irvine, CA. This is a paid internship for bright students planning on an intellectual career and who are interested in studying the philosophical foundations of liberty, among other topics. The internship is one among several programs for college students including essay contests, a comprehensive educational program in Objectivism, and campus club support.

“What we need is a moderate approach—we can’t afford to go to extremes.”

How many times have you heard that from Washington, and in how many contexts? We need to be “moderate” in our response to the financial crisis—we don’t want to strangle businesses completely with regulation, but we need to yank back their leashes a little. We need to be “moderate” in our response to North Korea—we don’t want to subject our citizens to a nuclear attack, but we can’t be too firm about it or we’ll jeopardize negotiations. We need to be “moderate” about free speech on the airwaves—we like the idea that people should have the right to speak their mind, but only if they don’t offend anyone or hold an unpopular opinion. This list could continue ad infinitum if one follows today’s news.

I was reading Objectively Speaking: Ayn Rand Interviewed, and came across a brilliant statement by Ayn Rand on her views regarding what a “moderate” means: Read the rest of this entry »

During a meeting today, my colleagues and I were discussing the frightening prospect that socialized medicine is right around the corner. Obama-care is not being opposed on any principled grounds – the only real dispute appears to be over the details, such as its projected cost. So if you are counting on somebody, like the Republicans, stepping in to rescue us from this impending disaster, think again.

I emigrated from Canada some time ago and at that point, one of the significant differences between the two countries was their respective approaches to health care. A relatively free market in health insurance and health care rather than a monolithic government-managed system? Terrific! You mean I’m not stuck on a long waiting list in order to see whichever doctors the government allows people in my geographic area to see?  Wonderful!

Should President Obama succeed in implementing “health care reforms,” those last remaining advantages of the American health care system will disappear. That would be disastrous for all of us, but it would be especially devastating for the medical profession.

In Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, there’s a minor character, a brain surgeon named Dr. Hendricks, who refused to practice under a socialized medicine. This excerpt (reprinted in “For the New Intellectual”) explains why Dr. Hendricks decided to shrug: Read the rest of this entry »

The Objectivist Academic Center is currently accepting applications for its Fall 2009 incoming class. Designed to provide a comprehensive and systematic study of the philosophy of Objectivism and the art of objective communication as well as an introduction to philosophy more broadly, this unique program is for those who are serious about advocating pro-reason, pro-individual rights, pro-capitalism views.

The program is especially designed for full-time college students, for whom there is next to no cost. Applications from professionals interested in pursuing careers as intellectual activists are also welcome.

For those who are not able to commit to a full program, the OAC offers an auditing option. Consider taking our “Seminar in Ayn Rand’s Philosophy of Objectivism.”

The final application deadline for this year is July 31, 2009.

As the protests in Iran begin to dwindle, and the usual accusations of “American interference” are launched by Tehran, I can’t help but wonder what today’s news would have been had America responded differently to the situation. I can’t help but wonder what a different message from President Obama would have led to.

The following is a fictitious speech. It is the speech that only a President acting on a foreign policy that properly defends the rights of its own citizens – a foreign policy of self-interest – could make.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I am here to address events of great significance to the American people. Over the past few days, we have borne witness to the murdering, beating, silencing and intimidation of the Iranian people by a theocratic regime clenching its iron fist to retain power. I strongly condemn these unjust actions of the Iranian regime. Read the rest of this entry »

In an article titled “What Can One Do?” (in Philosophy: Who Needs It), Ayn Rand said the following about what one person could do if he was concerned about the state of the world and wanted to improve it:

I will say the answer is “SPEAK” (provided you know what you are saying). A few suggestions: do not wait for a national audience. Speak on any scale open to you, large or small—to your friends, your associates, your professional organizations, or any legitimate public forum. You can never tell when your words will reach the right mind at the right time. You will see no immediate results—but it is of such activities that public opinion is made.

We’ve gathered together materials for those interested in speaking out at Tea Parties on July 4. Check out the Ayn Rand Center’s resources for speakers, attendees and advocates. Our web page dedicated to the Tea Parties has fliers that can be downloaded, sample speeches, and other articles. We’ve also created a number of videos that can be shared.

If you’re attending a Tea Party, and plan to use some of these resources, we’d love to hear from you. Feel free to leave feedback at VFR to let us know about your event.

Are you thinking of going to a Tea Party on July 4th? Is it because your tax dollars are being used to “stimulate” the economy and to bail out bad decision makers, and that seems unjust?  Because the money earned by responsible people is being confiscated and spent on rescuing those who are experiencing financial woes? Are you going because Washington’s policies seem unfair? Are you going for  justice – for yourself and for all hardworking Americans?

 We’ve all seen the bumper stickers: “Honk if you are paying your neighbor’s mortgage.” But is that all you are paying for? It’s time for a minivan full of new bumper stickers. Honk if you are paying for:

• Your neighbor’s children’s education.
• Your neighbor’s health care benefits.
• Your neighbor’s unemployment benefits.
• Your neighbor’s Social Security.
• Your neighbor’s electric bill.
• Your neighbor’s subsidized hybrid car. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ll be in the Boston area in early July, consider attending the Ayn Rand Institute’s Objectivist summer conference. Voices for Reason writers Tom Bowden, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo will all be speaking on topics of interest for pro-reason, pro-individual rights advocates. Read the rest of this entry »

The publication of “Essays on Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged,” edited by Dr. Robert Mayhew, couldn’t come at a better time. With all the attention the book and its author are getting in the media lately, those interested in learning more about the novel, its development and the revolutionary message it contains will find a wealth of information and analysis from experts in this new volume.

As a contributing author, I received my advance copy of the book today and am looking forward to reading it cover to cover. My own essay, titled “The Businessmen’s Crucial Role: Material Men of the Mind,” argues that Atlas Shrugged had to have businessmen such as Hank Rearden and Dagny Taggart as its heroes by necessity because of Rand’s chosen plot-theme: “The men of the mind going on strike against an altruist-collectivist society.” Given that the leader of this strike says that the strikers will return to the world only when the lights of New York City are extinguished, what will it take to extinguish those lights? Who is it that keeps those lights on? My full answer is in Chapter 16.

As I look over the table of contents, I see titles of chapters such as “Who Was John Galt? The Creation of Ayn Rand’s Ultimate Ideal Man” by Shoshana Milgram, “No Tributes to Caesar: Good or Evil in Atlas Shrugged” by Tara Smith, and “Discovering Atlantis: Atlas Shrugged’s Demonstration of a New Moral Philosophy” by Greg Salmieri. Each of the twenty-two essays brings out the virtues of the novel and its underlying philosophy, Objectivism. Holding this volume in my hands, I am reminded once again of the sheer genius behind Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. I’m honored to have had participated in this project.