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In a hilarious (but tragic) new video, Mark Matson skewers President Obama’s line, “You didn’t build that.” (I wrote about the same line back in July.) In the video, a young student shows her parents her model of the Washington Monument, built with popsicle sticks, which accompanied her written report…

Labor is nothing to celebrate. Man's muscle is not the cause of wealth and prosperity; his mind is.

Today in 1946, Ayn Rand began writing Atlas Shrugged, which would be published eleven years later. In addition to telling a fascinating mystery story about a man who would stop the motor of the world, this novel presents a new morality—a morality of rational egoism, value pursuit, and non-sacrifice—“a morality…

Our friends at Quent Cordair Fine Arts have launched a limited-time fundraiser for Joshua Lipana, involving scarce Ayn Rand posters. From their Facebook page: Joshua Lipana is battling lymphoma. You may know Joshua from his contributions to The Objective Standard magazine. We would like to help him with his mounting…

At the Republican convention, former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, and others, directly challenged President Obama’s infamous “You didn’t build that” speech. Rice was particularly eloquent: [T]he essence of America, what really unites us, is not nationality or ethnicity or religion. It is an idea. And what an idea it…

Why does Paul Ryan simultaneously advocate the individual’s right to think for himself, decide for himself, and define happiness for himself—and advocate a massive and growing entitlement state that abrogates those rights by forcibly redistributing an individual’s wealth? The answer is that Ryan advocates the morality of altruism, the notion…

At times, Paul Ryan says things that would make the Founders proud, as with the following comments from his convention speech: When I was waiting tables, washing dishes, or mowing lawns for money, I never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life. I was on my own…

Here is how freedom-loving Americans can win back America: Support Romney-Ryan, the only viable less-statist-than-Obama ticket in the 2012 presidential election. Tell Obama as the door hits him on the way out, "We didn't fire you. Somebody else made that happen." Tell Romney as he enters the White House, "Look…

A brilliant new video from the Charles Koch Institute shows with heartbreaking clarity how government controls of the economy discourage productiveness and encourage cronyism. The video begins, “Our children used to have big dreams.” Various children say things like, “When I grow up, I want to be a doctor!” and…

With Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his vice-presidential running mate, Americans are more curious than ever about Ayn Rand’s ideas and what they mean in practice. This is a golden opportunity to accelerate the spread of Rand’s ideas, and TOS is a vital means to that end. While…

The pattern is the same everywhere government takes control of medicine: Patients rush to receive “free” (or highly subsidized) care with little regard for need or cost, while government controls drive many of the best doctors from the field, leading to reduced quality, waiting lines, or outright rationing. Consequently, those…

Those who denigrate and demonize profit-seeking businesses should pause to reflect on the fact that production and profit-seeking are requirements of human survival and happiness. In so doing, they might observe some of the countless ways in which businesses improve, extend, and protect our lives. The results are all around…

(If you are new to Joshua’s situation, please see my earlier announcements here and here.) I’m delighted to report that Joshua’s prognosis continues to improve. According to his doctors, chemotherapy is working, Joshua’s bone marrow is now cancer-free, and the tumor in his left lung has been reduced to a…

I approach recreational poker as entertainment, not gambling. I enjoy playing, even though I’m a novice and often lose. As a game, poker offers some meaningful lessons. 1. Act on reason, not emotions. Praying, hoping really hard, or performing some superstitious ritual will not change the sequence of cards. The…

According to a recent WIN-Gallup International poll, the number of Americans saying they are “religious” has declined since 2005 from 73 percent of the population to 60 percent. In that same period, the number of “convinced atheists” has risen from 1 to 5 percent of the population. In the 39…