In the trailer for the new Atlas Shrugged movie, at about the 48 second mark, someone tells the steel magnate Hank Rearden that people think his only goal is to make money. “My only goal is to make money,” Readen cheekily replies.

It’s been over a decade and a half since I read Rand’s novel, [...]

…I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.
[...]

2.20.2010 Update: Another good column on the public union issue, by Ed Carson on Investor’s Business Daily’s website, “How Wisconsin could save the Democratic Party”.
In The American Interest, Walter Russell Mead addresses the battle over public unions in Wisconsin, “The Madison Blues”. An excerpt:
I am not exactly glad this is happening; the teachers, firefighters [...]

This Salon essay by Michael Lind is interesting, not as much for what it says, but for who is saying it: “Innovation and education won’t save our economy”. A couple of excerpts first, then an elaboration. Lind writes,
We’ve heard it a thousand times, from American CEOs, pundits and politicians. And we’ll probably hear it again [...]

Over at Dr. Mark Perry’s blog, Carpe Diem, I mentioned I’d like to see Perry debate Ian Fletcher. Perry kicked things off with a reductio ad absurdum argument. I let Fletcher know about the post, hoping he’d engage Perry in a vigorous debate. To my disappointment, he just popped over, noted Perry’s reductio argument, dismissed [...]

Today, less than a week after signing a bill to prevent a return to Clinton-era tax rates, President Obama signed a repeal of President Clinton’s “don’t Ask, don’t tell” policy on gays serving in the military. Bill Clinton was the first Democrat in a half century to serve two terms as president, and he remains [...]

This post on The Daily Beast by Newsweek technology editor Dan Lyons, reminds me of why I don’t read Newsweek: “Facebook’s $56 Billion Valuation and More Signs of the Tech Apocalypse”. Excerpt:
Are we headed into another tech crash? It’s sure starting to look like it—Facebook shares traded at a $56 billion valuation Friday and Groupon [...]