“Negotiating” From a Position of Blackmail
According to Fox News, Iranian President Ahmadinejad would not elaborate on the announcement, but said within the next few days Iran will unveil "big new" nuclear achievements and that his country is ready to revive talks with the West but not "enemies" who act...
Individual Rights and Government Wrongs: Life
An excerpt from Chapter 1 of Individual Rights and Government Wrongs. Once upon a time, there existed a nation that respected and protected individual rights. In that nation, individuals were free to live their lives as they judged best. Nearly half of the mail was...
The Law of Supply and Demand: Part II
A series of essays based on portions of Objective Economics: How Ayn Rand’s Philosophy Changes Everything About Economics by Northrup Buechner. In my previous posting on this subject, I noted that both the proponents and opponents of the law of supply and demand...
"Pure and Perfect" Competition? By What Standard?
This article is an adaptation of a lecture Mr. Salsman gave at Harvard University, in May of 1999. The print version has been edited lightly in order to retain it's spontaneous quality. Mr. Salsman has not reviewed the edited version.I've mentioned some of the...
Regis Philbin Feels Our Pain
"Can anybody explain this to me -- why is it that nearly all our contestants are white men? I'm a white man, so you know I have nothing against them, but come on. We would really like a little more diversity." Last week, Regis Philbin, host of "Who Wants To Be a...
Psychotherapy, Self- Initiative, and Self-Confidence
A good therapist can offer you something most other people cannot: psychological information on how to explain troubling emotions, better manage stress, and obtain an objective perspective from somebody not involved in your personal life. No therapist, however, can...
Pragmatism, Altruism, and Businessmen
Question. In a recent program, you claimed the actions of several businessmen were driven to do business with the government by the morality of altruism. Isn't pragmatism a more accurate description? Given the extent to which property rights have been eroded, long...
Don’t Destroy America’s Best: Will America Repeat the Errors of Ancient Greece
In Judge Jackson's "findings of fact" in which he declared Microsoft to be a dangerous monopoly, one fact was undisputed: the defendant is extraordinarily successful. This success is often described in terms of "market share," which is a measurement of millions of...
Isn’t the U.S. embargo of Cuba the cause of Cuba’s economic woes?
Question: Isn't the U.S. embargo of Cuba the cause of Cuba's economic woes? Answer: This question ignores the fact that every country in the world (other than United States and Israel--which may explain why the Left hates Israel) has normal trade relations with Cuba....
The Problem of World Hunger
President Clinton is angry because Americans supposedly waste too much food, especially at holiday time. World hunger is not a problem of redistribution. World hunger does not exist because you throw out half a stick of butter or an unfinished Coke. The real problem...
Socialism: Clinton’s Health Care Legacy
Bill Clinton is not leaving quietly, certainly not when it comes to health care. In a Presidential and Congressional election year and in a cultural climate where the public has been "educated" to believe that health care is an entitlement, Clinton is again...
The Moral Inversion in Seattle
The rioting and demonstrations at the World Trade Organization in Seattle offered us a view of a world in which everything is upside-down and backwards. It is a world in which hordes of middle-class students and $25-an-hour union workers band together to take away...
How Investors Can Become Divorced From Reality: The Stock Market School of Hard Knocks
I've worked as an equity analyst and portfolio manager for about eight years now, focusing on international markets. The question that I and most others in my profession are constantly asking ourselves is, "is the market wrong about this?" As a general rule, I think...
Happy Birthday Ayn Rand! February 2 Marks Birthday of Literary Atlas: Ayn Rand
With the publication of Atlas Shrugged in 1957, Ayn Rand’s position in history — both as novelist and philosopher — was established.
Why Americans Should Care About Antitrust: The Antitrust Assault on Microsoft Threatens Everyone’s Goals and Ambitions
The judge's "finding of fact" in the Microsoft antitrust trial has declared the company to be a dangerous monopoly, which will now be open to punishment by the courts--including everything from regulation to a complete breakup of the company. This ruling will have a...
The Religious Right’s Descent into the Anti-Abortion Swamp Will Send Americans Reeling to the Far Left
The race for the Republican presidential nomination resembles a piety test over a single issue: the right to abortion. The leading spokesmen of the Religious Right, Alan Keyes and Gary Bauer, have brazenly pledged to outlaw all abortions. The once-promising Steve...
The Battle Over the Economy: A Review of Popular Schools of Economic Thought (Part 2)
In my last article, I talked about the contradictory nature of the economic theories representing various schools of thought, and the fact that some of the most useful theories, those of the Supply-side school, are receiving the least amount of attention. Many of the...
The Battle Over the Economy: A Review of Popular Schools of Economic Thought (Part 1)
The rate hike by the Federal Reserve has spurred a lot of discussion and a lot of disagreement about inflation and the economy. While differing opinions in economics have always been a reality, I thought it would be a good idea to clear the air a bit and go over the...
Hollywood: Another Casualty in the War on Drugs
Two hundred eighty-six million dollars last year. This year, $1.6 billion goes from the United States to Colombia to fight the "war on drugs." "Clinton spent more federal money in the war on drugs in his first four years than was spent during Reagan's and Bush's 12...
A Sin to Deport Elian Gonzalez
It would be a sin to deport Elián Gonzalez. To send a child to rot in the prison of Cuba for the alleged sake of his own well-being is criminal hypocrisy. To send him there in order to preserve his father's rights is absurdity, since there are no parental or other...
Elian Gonzalez, Communist Cuba, and “Father’s Rights”: An Interview with Psychologist Edwin Locke
Prodos for Capitalism Magazine: You have been very busy lately talking about Elián Gonzalez and the argument of whether to keep him in America or to return him to Cuba. You've been talking to a lot of the media on this issue. I'm pleased to see that the issue is taken...
Who should have legal custody of Elian Gonzalez
Elián’s mother died trying to escape Cuba with her son.
Keep Elian Free
The debate over Elián Gonzalez, the 6-year-old Cuban boy whose mother died trying to bring him to America, hinges on one essential question: Is freedom a necessity of human life? For our own sakes, we must answer this question with a resounding "Yes"--and keep Elián...
Hollywood should thank Al Gore
THANK YOU, Donna Brazile. If Hollywood is smart, they would send this lady a dozen long-stem red roses. I'll explain. NBC, along with the other major networks, faced an NAACP boycott for failing to increase minority hiring. Under pressure, NBC just agreed to add...
Bill Gates continues to shoot himself in the foot
Judge Thomas Jackson’s decision against Microsoft is a travesty of justice.
The Rights of Elian Gonzalez
Is communism physically harmful to human life?
Taiwan: Stumbling in the Dark
Political news shook Taiwan's economy last week. The tumultuous chain of events began with a cancelled power project, led to a cabinet shakeup, a warning to investors, and then a run on the stock market. Afterwards, Taiwan 's recently elected President Chen Shui-bian...