Yaron Brook on "putting the country first"

"Both the left and the right have been 'putting the country first' for decades -- and that's the problem," Yaron Brook said in a new press release from the Ayn Rand Center.  

An excellent point.  Behind the calls from both John McCain and Barack Obama to "put the country first" is the doctrine of collectivism - the very opposite of the American ideal of individualism.  The article is brief and well worth reading.

Dr. Brook will be presenting a talk called The Resurgence of Big Government on September 18, 2008, in Costa Mesa, CA.  That is unfortunately on the wrong side of the country for me, but it's a good opportunity for those of you on the west coast. 

Mr. Green or Mr. Greener

Just in case you were afraid that you wouldn’t have much of a choice in the upcoming presidential election, rest assured that there is a significant difference between the candidates.  For instance, on the important issues of government interference in energy matters and the craven capitulation to environmentalists, the June 6th Wall Street Journal summarizes the positions of Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain as follows:

ENERGY

The two men agree on urgent action to address climate change and the nation’s dependence on expensive foreign oil.  Both support a “cap-and-trade” system that requires companies that exceed caps on their carbon emissions to buy emission credits from companies that pollute less.  But they differ on important details. (1)

They differ on important details?  Well I hope so, because with that description they sound pretty much alike.  So, how do they differ?  The Journal tells us: 

CARBON EMISSIONS GOAL

Obama - 80% reduction by 2050.

McCain - 60% reduction by 2050.

Whew!  And I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.

(For some more commentary on the disgusting lack of choices in the upcoming presidential election, check out Gina Liggett’s post Anyone Got an Aspirin? over on NoodleFood.) 

NOTES

 Wall Street Journal, Friday, June 6, 2008, p. A7.