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No Wonder Our Taxes Are So High! March 12, 2008

Posted by Resident Egoist in : Culture, Politics , comments closed

There’s a finally a convincing theory to make sense of that complex question: Why are we lawfully robbed of so much of what we earn? I’m not sure about the people in other states, but in New York, we have an answer — which is that taxation is necessary so that our honorable politicians may be able to afford “a basic human necessity”: $4300 to spend a couple of hours with a whore, every now and then!

Please excuse my language today, I just find this sort of hypocrisy beyond outrageous! I wonder though what would make a man such as the governor, (i.e.: a rich, powerful man who without a doubt has an abundant selection of women at his disposal – freely, not to mention HIS WIFE!) would spend $80,000 a year for sex. Even Julia Roberts only charged $3000/week; Mr. Spitzer routinely shelled out the same amount for one freakin’ HOUR! Either these girls have some out-of-this-world skills, or “The Sheriff of Wall Street” must have some very, very, very sick fantasies! Most New Yorkers don’t even make near $80,000 a year … or even 2! But maybe I’m just falling victim to the Marxist notion of price.

Isn’t it amazing how it’s always the self-righteous ones that tend to be the sleaziest of them all, whether they be Republican or Democrat? I wonder what’s hiding in Obama’s closet(s)? Do you think he could be Muslim? Just kidding. He might be a socialist however.

P.S: On a more serious note, I believe prostitution should be perfectly legal … I just don’t think public officials (or anyone else, for that matter) should be able to enjoy it at my expense.

Francisco D’Anconia, Redux March 11, 2008

Posted by Resident Egoist in : Economics, Philosophy , comments closed

I just stumbled upon a very rare thing, and feeling a little nostalgic about blogging, I thought I’d share this with whomever is still dropping by here.

And what exactly is this: it’s a rational comment from Slashdot:

why do you think you achieve some sort of higher moral ground or purpose by shunning money? all you do is hobble your own ability to properly understand how the world you live in actually functions. i’m not asking you to worship money. and money certainly leads people to do evil things. but again, money is just an abstract expression of human desires. the real evil is aspects of human nature itself, not a piece of green paper with alexander hamilton’s face on it

all i’m asking you to do is grant money the proper respect it deserves for quantifying abstract human interest in such a way that it makes the world we live in a better place. yes, money is a great invention, like the wheel or the semiconductor. it makes your world a better place. bartering chickens for school books gets kind of old after awhile. thus the glorious invention of money. and no, i’m not gordon gecko. i’m just a realist. realism trumps cotton candy idealism any day. and the most sober realistic consideration of money in this world is that it makes your life better

The author was trying to knock some sense into those smug, obliviously self-righteous slashdotters who think WikiPedia shouldn’t consider selling advertisements as a solution to its financial problems. If you’re familiar with Atlas Shrugged, this should remind you of Francisco’s Money Speech — save for the fact that the definition of money here leaves a lot to be desired.

For a quick and excellent starter on money, see What Has Government Done to Our Money, by Murray Rothbard. Though I’m usually wary to recommend this author’s writings, this is by far, the single best introduction to money I know of, bar none. In light of this country’s current monetary tragedy, this should interest you.

As Aware As I Possibly Can February 20, 2007

Posted by Resident Egoist in : Philosophy , comments closed

I was stumbling around on the web when I came upon this most interesting YouTube video about con men (”Psychic” Uri Geller and “Faith Healer” Pastor Peter Popoff) and the man who handles them best: James Randi.

Randi’s exposition of pseudoscience, deception and dishonesty are simply masterful, but it is something he says that hit it most with me … so I transcribed it below:

Why People are so drawn to the irrational is something that has always puzzled me. I want to be, if I can, as sure of the world, the real world around me, as is possible. Now, you can only attain that to a certain degree, but I want the greatest degree of control.

I don’t — never — involve myself in narcotics of any kind; I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, because that can easily just fuzz the edges of my rationality, fuzz the edges of my reasoning powers, and I want to be as aware as I possibly can.

That means giving up a lot of fantasies that might be comforting in some ways, but I’m willing to give that up in order to live in an actually real world … as close as I can get to it.

Unfortunately, the Kantian in Randi shows up in there, but the essence of what he says — “I want to be as aware as I possibly can” — is one of those healthier attitudes many of us could use. It reminds me of a passage from OPAR (p. 56):

The primary choice, according to Objectivism, the one that makes concpetual activity possible, is the choice to focus one’s consciousness.

[...]

“Focus” (in the conceptual realm) names a quality of purposeful alertness in a man’s mental state. “Focus” is the state of a goal-directed mind committed to attaining full awareness of reality.

Make sure you watch the whole video — and this one, too. They’re both hilarious, among other things.

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Rampant Idiocy in New York February 14, 2007

Posted by Resident Egoist in : Culture, Politics , comments closed

New York really seems to be outdoing itself lately: first, it was a statewide smoking ban, then it was a ban of trans fats in all New York City restaurants. Then there was something more ridiculous: The New York City Board of Health decided that it would not only let people “pick” their gender, regardless of what it actually is — but that it would also enforce that decision on others!

Now, State Senator Carl Kruger, seeing that New Yorkers will take just about anything, wants to basically stop us from using any electronic devices while walking outside. Via WNBC:

A state senator from Brooklyn said on Tuesday he plans to introduce legislation that would ban people from using an MP3 player, cell phone, Blackberry or any other electronic device while crossing the street in New York City and Buffalo.

NewsChannel 4 reported that Sen. Carl Kruger is proposing the ban in response to two recent pedestrian deaths in his district, including a 23-year-old man who was struck and killed last month while listening to his iPod on Avenue T and East 71st Street In Bergen Beach.

“While people are tuning into their iPods and cell phones, they’re tuning out the world around them,” Kruger said…

Yep, you’ve got to leave it to politicians to manufacture the crime of WWLM — Walking While Listening to Music. It is impossible to walk for more than 30-45 seconds in New York City without having to cross a street! Now imagine having to interrupt your phone conversation, or having to pause your iPod, every 30 seconds, just so you can cross a street! Why does Mr. Senator think that, for some reason, I can’t use my eyes and ears at the same time? Your guess is as good as mine.

Politicians really are awkward creatures: they think of every little thing as a big problem that needs to be solved by legislation. Not to sound too insensitive, but if a grown man doesn’t know how to properly cross a street, he really may be out of “tune” with the world, but an iPod is the least of his problems. Maybe Mr. Senator ought to consider legislation that would ban people from listening to music or the radio while driving their cars.

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P.S: Holy sh*t! I think I’m blogging!

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Ask, and You Surely Shall Receive June 8, 2006

Posted by Resident Egoist in : War and Peace , comments closed

Heed this — via the LA Times:

[June 8th, 2006 | Vienna, Austria] — Iran began to enrich a second batch of uranium in its research plant this week on the same day that world powers delivered a negotiating offer to Tehran conditioned on its suspension of nuclear activities, according to a report released Thursday by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Whoever says there is no justice in this Universe definitely does not watch the evening news.