Church & State, Atheism, and Capitalism (Show 012)

On last Sunday’s show Brandon and I talked to one of our new listeners. I don’t know his real name but he goes by “GhostDogAlpha” on TalkShoe.com. He seemed to be informed on Objectivism, but we couldn’t tell if he was just a libertarian that supported Ayn Rand. We hope to talk to him again and maybe we will find out.

The show started off with Eli, a Mormon listener, informing us that George Bush announced a national day of prayer. We talked about how this might not be the best use of power and how it might go against the separation of church and state. We then talked about what atheists do in the courtroom since they really can’t swear on the Bible. Lastly, we had a quick discussion about how the roads and police would be funded in a free capitalist society. Thank you to our listeners that called in! This was an exciting show.

To listen to this show and past ones just go to the TalkShoe.com page or search for “TalkObjectivism” in iTunes.

Altruism or Defending Your Values (Show 011)

On the podcast recorded May 20th, Brandon informs us that Leonard Peikoff answered our question about the Virginia Tech Shooting.

Q: During the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech College, there was a professor, a holocaust survivor, who blocked a door against the shooter so that his students could escape safely. And although he died in the process, the students did escape. Is this an act of altruism that Objectivism classifies as immoral?

A: No. As you present it, it was a heroic act in defense of the professor’s values. – Click here to read the full answer.

I would like to thank Brandon for sending the email. Also, after reading what Peikoff had to say, it seems that we came to the same conclusion. It’s nice to know that the show is working and we are all learning from each other.

We also talked about some of the many comments from our new listeners and readers. One of the ones we talked about was immigration. I was watching the news and saw that there is new immigration legislation so I thought I would bring it up on the show. We were just talking about this last week so that means that talkObjectivism.com is on the leading edge of political discussion.

Immigration Promotes Capitalism (Show 010)

On last night’s podcast we talked about immigration and tried to figure out the objective approach to this issue. Like most problems we talk about on the show, it seems the government always creates more problems then it solves. Since we live an age of big government, I don’t think its going to stop anytime soon.

At the end of the show I asked the question, “What does someone have to do to enter this country?” I don’t have time to read though all the immigration laws, but luckily I found the short answer below on Findlaw.com.

Q: What documents do I need in order to apply for an immigrant visa?
A: You will generally need a passport; three photographs; a birth certificate; marriage, divorce, or death certificates; and proof of financial support. You will also need to pass a medical examination. READ MORE

Sounds easy enough. So why are there so many people coming illegally? Well, it turns out that our government is limiting who can enter the country. So not only do you need all that paperwork you also need to “qualify” (whatever that means) to get to enter. I am sure that it’s a little more complicated then that, but I am not an expert on immigration.

Well, during the show we talked about the “pros” of immigration. We found that unrestricted immigration promotes capitalism. The more people you have, the more people you can employ, because more people are buying products, which is creating more wealth, and the wealth is then paid to the employed. By allowing immigration you are creating more opportunities to create wealth which raises the standard of living for everyone. I am not the only one with this view, just read this article. The only “cons” we could come up with were government created ones, like welfare abuse and other tax-funded programs.

Open, unrestricted immigration (with appropriate medical and criminal screenings as done on Ellis Island in the late 19th Century) poses no threat to the U.S. Rather, open immigration is the means for renewing the American sense of life and injecting “new blood” into the nation. Read more…

Listen to the podcast at TalkShoe.com to hear the whole discussion on immigration. Brandon and I are getting better with staying on topic, so I hope this one is easier to listen too. If you would like to join the show just go to TalkShoe.com and create an account. It’s easy. The more interactive (live) listeners we have, the better the show will be.