Category: The Atlasphere

In his latest op-ed, Ed Hudgins, Washington Director for The Objectivist Center, calls April 15—tax day in the US—a day of moral shame. Hudgins writes:

Politicians tell us, “We know you’re not up to the burden of raising your own children, earning enough money to educate them, insuring yourselves against illness or unemployment, saving for your retirement, tying your own shoes or wiping your own noses without our help. Don’t worry, we’ll give you all you need.”

If we have any integrity we should spit on such offers. We should resent the theft of our opportunities to experience the pride that comes from taking responsibility for our own lives as well as the theft of our money by tax collectors to make good on these politicians’ promises. Rather, we should tell our government to protect our lives, liberties and property—that is, our freedom and independence—and otherwise leave us alone. Instead, a majority of citizens applaud politicians and candidates who drag them further down into the depths of dependency.

Read the full article…

Elan Journo, writing for ARI’s MediaLink, provides excellent answers to the question, “Are America’s CEOs paid more than they deserve?”

To successfully steer a corporation across the span of years by integrating its strengths toward the goal of creating wealth, requires from the CEO exceptional thought and judgment. Excellent CEOs are as rare as MLB-caliber pitchers or NFL-caliber quarterbacks. And in the business world, every day is the Super Bowl. There is no off-season or respite from the need to perform at one’s peak.
Given the effect a CEO can have on a company’s success, we can understand why their compensation packages can be so high. One way employers reward excellence is through bonuses. For many CEOs, bonuses amount to a large portion of their earnings. Some CEOs are paid a token salary, but are rewarded with large parcels of company stock; last year, for instance, the CEO of Apple Computer, Steve Jobs, earned $1 in salary and received stock valued at $75 million. As is the case with athletes and other individuals whose talents are rare and much prized, the CEO’s pay package is calculated with an eye on the competition. Companies pay millions of dollars to a valuable CEO, one who they judge will produce wealth for the shareholders, in part so he will not be hired away by a competitor.

See his full editorial for further illumination.

Philip Coates published the following on the OWL discussion forum. It’s one of the best commentaries I’ve seen on the subject of how to critically absorb the information handed down by the mass media.

Every few years, I break my rule about not following the news week in and week out (repetitious, lame, stupid, biased, non-essential) and follow an entire current event with complete thoroughness until it winds down.
I do this when it seems to tell me something about the culture or when something which could affect my life is at issue.
I did this with the OJ trial because I was interested in the philosophy of law and how the legal process works. I did this for similar reasons with the ‘Florida battle’ over whether Bush or Gore won fairly in that state. Today I did it one more time with Condoleeza Rice’s testimony before the 9-11 Commission on whether or not the Bush Administration did enough about terrorism prior to 9-11 and whether they could have prevented it or were warned about it.
Continue reading “How to Follow the News Intelligently”