Quick Links, 5/2/2009

Yaron's Brook latest appearance on PJ TV: The End of 100 Days: Lurch Left Reversing Reagan?

Terry Jones, Associate Editor of IBD: the audacity of shafting the bond holders and owners of Chrylser was stunning to me.

The Supreme Court okays another nail in the first amendment's coffin. Fucking assholes!

A few months ago, the only truth and rational commentary we were getting about about the world was coming from comedians, thankfully, Fox News, Pajama TV, the Wall Street Journal, Rush Limbaugh, and occasionally even The New York Times have started making much needed arguments both for Capitalism and against Obama, the Left, and altruism. But no matter how wonderful this is, I am still amazed what good comedians are able to do with very abstract and controversial issues:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGYx35ypus

There is a fascinating new video that all my facebook friends are talking about, I found the last third of the video a bit contrived, but I can't help myself from linking to it, and sharing with world how much I like it, contrived or not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k

Great Art, and a Benevolent Movie

I am back from seeing the new Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner romantic flick, "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past". The movie was light, fun, and a not-terribly-original- but-still-enjoyable take on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".

The movie is worth the price of admission, or a Sunday movie rental, but what I want to show off is a little sculpture that had prominent placement in an early scene. For my liking they could have had a more detailed, close-up shot of the piece, but all the same it was wonderful to see one of my favorites, a piece I own, on the big screen.

The sculpture is Daniel Chester French's 'Andromeda'.

Here is a link two pictures of the casting that was in the movie, with a wonderful little story about it:

http://www.sculpturegallery.com/sculpture/andromeda2.html

And, two great photos of the original, life-size marble taken by Lee Sandstead:






I also recommend a personal visit to Chesterwood, French's Galley/Museum in Massachusetts.

And lastly, here are some great photos of Chesterwood, by Lee Sandstead:

Chesterwood Photos

War on Islamic Totalitarianism, not Terror

An Interview with The Ayn Rand Center's, Yaron Brook:

Yaron Brook on Islamic Totalitarianism

If you find the above video interesting, I recommend the following article by Dr. John Lewis:

“No Substitute for Victory” The Defeat of Islamic Totalitarianism

I simply loved Dr. Brook's last few lines:

"We need to love ourselves more than our neighbors. We need to stop turning the other cheek. We need to be self-interested and be proud of that self-interest."

A fantastic history lesson for both Muslims and multiculturalists: Saudi Intellectual: Western Civilization Has Liberated Mankind

Visualizing Obama's $100 Million Budget Cut

This a cute little video about the insignificance of Obama's "Big Budget Cut". However, the primary thing I took away from this video is just how badly Medicare and Social Security is going to destory our country.

Social Security's Inevitable Future

It's Your Altruism, Stupid!

Squish Free By 2012

To all Republican Squishes, thanks, but no thanks! Please either grow a backbone, or follow Specter's example.

Simply silly, but I do enjoy: Barack Obama's Teleprompter's Blog

Buy a house, get a green card... excellent free market solution!

King Barack the Mild

Obama had to somehow, "make sure his constituency keeps believing [he can create an Office of Fabulous Salaries] while also not noticing that he hasn't yet gotten around to magically making all of us fabulously wealthy."

Recently, I raved about Yaron Brook's repeated appearances on PJTV. I have been wanting to assemble a complete list of Dr. Brook's appearances. Thankfully, Paul Hseih has done work, so without further ado:

Yaron Brook on Pajamas TV

It Is High Time For a Tea Party in America!

When Republicans start looking for ideas like these, giving speeches like these, and standing for America's fundamental principles, I will join, I will contribute, I will participate.

America's fundamental principles:

• The Right to Life--the right to live your own life, to choose your own goals, and to preserve your own independent existence.



• The Right to Liberty, which is the right to act to achieve your goals, without coercion by other men.



• The Right to the Pursuit of Happiness, to act to achieve your own success, your own prosperity, and your own happiness, for your own sake.



• And the Right to Property—the right to gain, keep, and enjoy, the material products of your efforts.

The Charlotte Tea Party Speech
Dr. John David Lewis
April 15, 2009, Charlotte, NC, U.S.A



To read the transcript of this speech:

http://www.classicalideals.com/CharlotteTeaPartySpeech.htm

A Case Study in How to Spread Systemic Financial Risk

A must read... more evidence, as if it is actually needed, that is not the free market causing our current economic crisis, but big government:

Busting Big Government

I've linked to this before, but it is certainly worthy multiple viewings and study.

The Financial Crisis: Causes and Possible Cures, By John Allison, former CEO of BB&T

Blaming the Free Market for a Big Government Caused Problem

Alex Epstein has wonderful op-ed on Obama's (and the Left's) attempt to blame our current crisis on the free market, and not on Big Government:

Misrepresenting “How We Arrived at This Moment”

"For example, Obama’s core explanation of all the destructive behavior leading up to today’s crisis is that the market was too free. But the market that led to today’s crisis was systematically manipulated by government. Fact: this decade saw drastic attempts by the government to control the housing and financial markets--via a Federal Reserve that cut interest rates to all-time lows, and via a gigantic increase in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s size and influence. Fact: through these entities, the government sought to “stimulate the economy” and promote homeownership (sound familiar?) by artificially extending cheap credit to home-buyers. Fact: most of the (very few) economists who actually predicted the financial crisis blame Fed policy or housing policy for inflating a bubble that was bound to collapse.

"How does all this evidence factor into Obama’s understanding of “how we arrived at this moment”? It doesn’t. Not once, during the solemn 52 minutes and 5,902 words of his speech to Congress did he mention the Fed, Fannie, or Freddie. Not once did he suggest that government manipulation of markets could have any possible role in the present crisis. He just went full steam ahead and called for more spending, more intervention, and more government housing programs as the solution.

"But a genuine explanation of the financial crisis must take into account all the facts. What role did the Fed play? What about Fannie and Freddie? To be sure, some companies and CEOs seem to have made irrational business decisions. Was the primary cause “greed,” as so many claim--and what does this even mean? Or was the primary cause government intervention like artificially low interest rates, which distorted economic decision-making and encouraged less competent and more reckless companies and CEOs while marginalizing and paralyzing the more competent ones?"

As Yaron Brook recently said, we are not living in a free market. We are in the midst of government caused political crisis, which is effecting production!

The Credit Card Battle