The
Rational Argumentator
Issue CCVII
September 12-17, 2009
Self-Portrait, 2008:
Wendy Stolyarov
September 17, 2009
This is a vector self-portrait of Wendy Stolyarov around 2008, created in the early fall of that year.
Erlenmeyer Flask:
Wendy Stolyarov
September 17, 2009
This digital drawing of an Erlenmeyer flask by Wendy Stolyarov is her first drawing that focuses on a small-scale inanimate object.
Fifties Girl:
Wendy Stolyarov
September 17, 2009
This digital painting by Mrs. Stolyarov depicts a girl from the 1950s taking her puppy for a walk.
Culture
Why on Earth Are We So Polarized?:
Bradley Doucet
September 16, 2009
There is another good reason why it makes little sense to condemn large swaths of the human race as either stupid or evil. Far from one side or the other being immoral, conservatives and liberals both tend to want to do the right thing. According to evidence unearthed by University of Virginia Psychology Professor Jonathan Haidt, they just honestly have different notions about what that means. Bradley Doucet explains.
Economics
Answers to Some Frequently Asked Questions on Road Privatization:
G. Stolyarov II
September 12, 2009
Mr. Stolyarov answers questions frequently posed to advocates of privatizing the roads. Among the issues he discusses are the possible unavailability of advanced technology, different rules among different owners, and private road monopolies.
Municipalized Trash: It's Uncivilized:
Jeffrey Tucker
September 15, 2009
The very fear that people have about private trash collection — that it will pile up and no one will do anything about it — turns out to be a regular feature of government trash collection. But we look the other way. Why? Jeffrey Tucker explores this question and argues for wholesale privatization of garbage collection services and for rendering them fully competitive on a completely free market.
Politics
The Fine Art of American Protest:
Alan Caruba
September 13, 2009
The recent massive protest marches in Washington, D. C., against the economic policies of the Obama administration are another chapter in the long-standing and laudable history of grassroots American protests against violations of liberties, writes Alan Caruba.
Healthcare Reform is More Corporate Welfare:
Ron Paul
September 15, 2009
Last Wednesday the nation was riveted to the President’s speech on healthcare reform before Congress. While the President’s concern for the uninsured is no doubt sincere, Rep. Ron Paul writes that President Obama's plan amounts to a magnanimous gift to the health insurance industry, despite any implications to the contrary. For decades the insurance industry has been lobbying for mandated coverage for everyone. Imagine if the cell phone industry or the cable TV industry received such a gift from government! If government were to fine individuals simply for not buying a corporation’s product, it would be an incredible and completely unfair boon to that industry, at the expense of freedom and the free market.
The Federal Government's Solutions Lack Understanding:
Ron Paul
September 15, 2009
Things seem to be unraveling quickly for the new administration. The latest unemployment numbers are worse than the last reports. For all the billions of dollars spent and committed to fixing our economic problems, the situation is only getting worse. This was to be expected by those who understand the root causes of the problems. Throwing money around and creating more government programs is both simplistic and damaging to the economy. Of course, the administration claims that we would have been much worse off without these efforts. You
can’t improve this situation by adding to our mountain of public debt
for the benefit of big banks and other special interests. The American people know this. When, asks Rep. Ron Paul, will Washington learn?
The Four-Part Process Leading to Sustainable Development:
Tom DeWeese
September 17, 2009
How
is the wrenching transformation from relatively free enterprise to
"sustainable development" being put into place? Tom DeWeese writes that there are four very
specific routes being used.
"Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours."
~ John Locke