Archive for the 'Politics' Category

Objectivism vs. Libertarianism & More (Show 063)

For Show 063, Objectivists Mosley and Arthur have a discussion with a Libertarian caller, Charles, about how Objectivism significantly differs with Libertarianism.

It begins as Arthur presents his basic criticisms of Libertarianism from an Objectivist point of view. Two of his mains points were that a) Libertarians generally hold that an underlying philosophy is unnecessary, implicitly if not explicitly, and b) because of this, they do not grasp the concept of individual rights, and therefore have no means by which to determine that which constitutes force, something they hold to be axiomatically bad (which it is not). These deficiencies are very destructive in that they lead to the improper defense and misrepresentation of capitalism.

The discussion then briefly moves on to the topic of cultural change. Mosley and Arthur talk about how to bring about capitalism, which is by changing the dominant ideas of our culture. The continued dominance of altruistic ideas is discussed here as well.

Then the conversation goes back to politics, which lasted for the remainder of a show. It was a very interesting conversation on the initiation force, the enforcement of contracts, and the nature of government. This was an excellent show and I highly recommend that you check it out.

Shows 053 & 054

Hello all, sorry for the delay in show notes. I was away for Spring Break this past week, but I’m back and so are the notes.

The Open Mind vs. The Active Mind (Show 053)
Mosley and Arthur discuss the term the expression “having an open mind” and what it actually means. They argue that having an “open mind” is not being open to reason, but disregarding it. It consists of granting equal plausibility to any claim, regardless of any knowledge that one may have that contradicts it. And so, they conclude, one should not have an “open mind” but rather an active mind. Their view corresponds with Ayn Rand’s position.

Corporate Responsibility/States’ Rights (Show 054)
Show 054 consisted of an excellent discussion of two topics suggested by a listener. The first topic dealt with how responsibility should fall on, and how justice should be served amongst, a corporation. The second topic dealt with states’ rights. I won’t try to rehash the arguments here. It was a great show and I highly recommend it.

Listener Questions & Comments (Show 052)

For this show, Mosley and Arthur responded to some of the listener questions and comments.

The first was a question posted on the website asking, “Speaking of capitalism, where are the Google ads?” Mosley explained that he does not use them on talkObjectivism because he would have little to no control over what would appear and does not wish to advertise for sites antithetical to Objectivism.

The second comment was from a listener who kindly inquired about Show 013 which seems to have been mysteriously replaced by another show, from another TalkCast, that is extremely vulgar. Mosley has contacted TalkShoe and is currently working to restore the original show.

For the remainder of the show, Mosley and Arthur discussed a post on talkObjectivism.com regarding Show 049. The essence of the post is contained in his statement saying, “I don’t know how you guys came to the conclusion that the Left would do less damage to Objectivism.” Mosley and Arthur do an excellent job of outlining the points why the Republicans are far more dangerous to Objectivist ideals in the long-run than the Democrats. For anyone still unclear about this, I would also highly recommend listening to Show 049 and reading Diana Hsieh’s post on the matter.

The Coming Election (Show 049)

Show 049 was an excellent discussion about the coming U.S. presidential election. Arthur explained his views starting with this question: Which party will do the least damage to Objectivist ideals? (I will try to summarize what he said, but please listen to the show for his own words.)

The Republicans essentially stand for religion. They consistently try to mix faith with government, of which even small amounts can be disastrous, and will lead to a theocracy. Furthermore, their religious altruistic beliefs conflict with the self-interest morality necessitated by capitalism, which they claim to defend. Because of this, they’re misrepresenting capitalism, making it disreputable and therefore harder to realize.

The Democrats stand for a disintegrated attempt at socialism (or pieces of it). But since the fall of the Soviet Union, communism and socialism are no longer the threat they once were. It has been demonstrated that such systems are horrendous. Moreover, since the Democrats’ views are disintegrated, they can not achieve long term success. So, in order to give Objectivism time, it makes the most sense to throw out the bigger threat, the Religious Right, and vote for the Democrats.

Many Objectivists will bring up a third option. What about the Libertarians? The Libertarians say they stand for liberty, but they have an anti-philosophical approach. Their guiding “principle” is the non-initiation of force, but without a proper underlying philosophy, no one can say what initiating force consists of. Politics is a derivative of ethics and must be treated as such. Otherwise, capitalism will continue to be misrepresented, which is immensely destructive. (For those interested, there is also a discussion of Ron Paul on the show.)

It was a great show and I highly recommend you listen to it. You may want to read Diana Hsieh’s post on the election as well.

Listen to this show and more at Talkshoe.


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Universal Health-Care (Show 042)

The topic of show 042 was universal health-care. Mosley discusses how government health-care is wrong and the only moral health-care system is that which can be provided by the free-market. There was also a caller from Canada, where universal health-care is in effect, who is in favor of the system. It makes for an interesting discussion.

Here is the link to the essay that was mentioned on the show. And, coincidentally, Yaron Brook, the President of the Ayn Rand Institute, wrote an excellent essay about health-care just yesterday.

“You are free to see a doctor and pay him for his services–no one may forcibly prevent you from doing so. But you do not have a “right” to force the doctor to treat you without charge or to force others to pay for your treatment. The rights of some cannot require the coercion and sacrifice of others.”

What do you think? Feel free to comment.

The Writers’ Strike (Show 038)

Mosley and Arthur discuss the writers’ strike that has been making the headlines. Though, rather than focusing on the details of this strike in particular, the discussion mainly covered the underlying principles. Here are just a few that were mentioned:

  • Employment isn’t a war of employers vs. employees, masters vs. slaves. Employers and employees share a common goal — to be productive — and should collaborate if they intend to be successful.
  • Contracts are mutual agreements. When you choose a job voluntarily and sign the contract, you are morally obligated to abide by it. If you don’t like the terms, then don’t take the job! But if you change your mind and demand something outside of your contract, you have no right to break it and go on strike.
  • Think you’re worth more than you’re paid? Talk about it. Present evidence to your boss and discuss it. If that doesn’t work, you can threaten to take your work elsewhere. And if no one will pay you that much, you may want to reevaluate your worth.
  • The pie just got a whole lot bigger and I want my slice. If a company endures an increase in success, don’t think that means you are entitled to a larger wage because of it. If you feel you deserve it, talk to your boss, but that money is not yours yet. It may even be going back into the company so that it can become even more successful and perhaps eventually give you those benefits you’ve been after.

Listen to the show to hear more!

Please send us any comments you may have, including possible show topics. And of course, listen to the show every Sunday at 8pm!

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Foreign Policy & The Take Over (Shows 023 & 024)

Here are the show descriptions for the last two shows. If you have an idea for a show please don’t hesitate to send me an email.

Reality and Foreign Policy (Show 023):

I talk about trying to escape reality and how you don’t necessarily need drugs to do it. I also talk about how this is affecting our current political affairs. Then there was a caller who wanted to talk about foreign policy. This was one of the better conversations on the subject I have had in a long time. Check it out!

The Take Over (Show 024):

Since the Saturday before this show I held a large art/music event, I was little tired. I was trying to make it a quick show, but I got a caller that liked to talk. The caller himself seemed like a good guy, but I was not to sure about what he was talking about. Since I was not informed on the topic I was not able to debate with him.

When he finally wrapped it up, he supplied me with links to read up on. I would like to post them (links: iamsovereign.org and citizenstribunal.com) so we can all see what he was talking about and better debate people like him. He had a few good points but I think his reasoning to get him to them were off.

If you know anything about what he was talking about please send me an email and/or come on the show. I would like to try to convince this guy and people like him to read about Objectivism and I think that would help them better understand their situation.

Remember to listen to the show live every Sunday at 8pm EST!

Internet Radio vs. Copyright Royalty Board

I have been following the Internet Radio Royalties battle for a while now. The main reason is I like to see how corporations manipulate the government for their own benefit. This is why Rand supported separation between state and economics. By watching this issue you see that she was right.

If you read between the lines you will see that the big corporations lobbied the Copyright Royalty Board (Congress) to set royalty fees so high it would force smaller radio stations to shut down. That way the only choice you have left is theirs. If you think I am crazy for saying this, look at the internet stations that didn’t support the Internet Radio Day of Silence. The one at the top of that list is last.fm, which is owned by CBS. CBS would love to see the little guys get shut down. That would mean more money for them and less choices for you. This is a prime example of how the free-market is being destroyed by the government.

This Sunday was going to be that day when the new rates were going to take effect. So a lot of sites were ready to shut down. Then something amazing happened, SoundExchange, the people that collect royalties, told Congress that it would NOT collect. They felt that the fees were not fair and need to be reevaluated.

SoundExchange heard the cries from the radio stations and listeners. They looked at the rates that were set by the Copyright Royalty Board (Congress) and felt that something was not right about it. Now, SoundExchange and the Webmasters are negotiating their own pricing and are keeping Congress and the Copyright Royalty Board out of it. Looks like internet radio is safe for now because the free-market (you and the webmasters) is standing up to government.

Sacrifice for Strangers?

The Ayn Rand Institute came out with another op-ed about the war, The Real Disgrace: Washington’s Battlefield “Ethics”. It talks about a report that was recently released by the Pentagon that says troops would not report “unethical” behavior by fellow troops. The author of this op-ed explains why he takes the side of the troops.

The author says it’s the Washington’s Rules of Engagement that are crippling our troops and pushing them to use this “unethical” behavior. He also explains how Bush is sacrificing our troops for the freedom of others, and is not really fighting our enemy (Iran). When the author brought up that Washington and Bush view this as a compassionate war, I was reminded of an essay by Rand.

The essay is called Faith and Force: The Destroyers of the Modern World. She focuses on how the idea of altruism is destroying our way of life. She mentions that both the liberals and conservatives fall victim to this train of thought. Bush was quoted saying, “sacrifice for the liberty of strangers”. How messed up is that! Our military was formed to protect this country and our way of life, NOT the country and way of life of others! Here is proof that the idea of altruism has found its way into the military, a place where it should not be.

Yes, our troops risk their lives, but they do it to protect their way of life. And that is moral. To force them to sacrifice themselves for others is immoral. We need to understand the difference and protect our troops from this altruism so they can protect themselves and the American way of life.

Internet Radio: Day of Silence

This is the one of the best protests I have seen in a long time. It looks like a lot of internet radio stations and services are banding together to stand up to big government. Here is what I found when I went to Pandora.com today:

“I’m sorry to say that today Pandora, along with most Internet radio sites, is going off the air in observance of a Day of Silence. We are doing this to bring to your attention a disastrous turn of events that threatens the existence of Pandora and all of internet radio. We need your help.” - You can found out more information at SaveNetRadio.org.

Good job to all the participating internet radio services. There is no better way to get the word out about this issue. Everyone that uses these services will be affected by this and will then know about the issue.

To save internet radio all you have to do is go to SaveNetRadio.com and get the contact information for your Congressmen; then let him know you’re not happy. Trust me, they care about what you think, that’s their job.