Framing the Dialogue

Posts Tagged ‘capitalism’

Update -True American Hero – Daniel Hannan

Nearly three years ago I identified Daniel Hannan as a True American Hero…he was the forth to achieve this designation.  Mr. Hannan is a staunch defender of American ideals and often offers clear and concise arguements supporting capitalism and free markets and conservatism.  This is more unique in that he hails from Great Britain.

This is an easy post for me as most of it will be using Daniel Hannan’s own words and a link to an article written by him that you will be inticed to read.  The article is a message to “Occupy” folks and an attempt to point them in the right direction to vent their displeasure.  Hannan offers ten points of which I’ll only provide a brief tease;

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U6

As I was doing some research on unemployment numbers I came across a gem of a news story.  This economist was disparaging the President about his U6 unemployment numbers,

“U6, the broadest measure of unemployment and underemployment from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (No data available before 1994.) You can still argue that presidents really don’t have that much influence on the economy. But…supporters eagerly claimed that downward stretch…coinciding with the worst excesses of the housing bubble.”

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Capitalism Then and Now

The recent headlines regarding General Electrics profits contrasted with their ability to paying any taxes in the United States had a lot of us scratching our heads.  I am sure there are no direct connections between GE’s ability to curry favor with the Obama Administration and their prominance in U.S. politics.  I am also sure that the fact that their former ownership of NBC and that network’s almost cult-like support of all things Obama played no factor in any subsidies that the company received directly or indirectly via customers who use their products.  As you know I am a thinker and a visual guy so I pulled out my old process diagram system and put together what capitalism might have looked like then (perhaps the turn of twentieth century)…

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America Unlimited

Most of this book review will consist of excerpts from this inspirational and thought-provoking book by Eric Johnston.  My hope is that many of you will pick up and read this timely book as we wade through our current problems.  I wish that I could reasonable reprint all of the passages that I have highlighted as I read America Unlimited. 

As you read the passages think about succinct Mr. Johnston’s comments are.  I should mention that he was a businessman and the president of the United States Chamber of Commerce.  He also had the opportunity to travel at the behest of the President of the United States.  At the risk of sounding like an chain e-mail, please read to the end (or skip ahead if you are that impatient) for a rather surprising fact. 

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Jon Galt, Jr.??

Ayn Rand’s famous character from Atlas Shrugged railed against big government and a nanny state.  Many of us find inspiration in his words and actions to bolster capitalism;

“I ask for nothing more or nothing less than what I earn. That is justice. I don’t force anyone to trade with me; I only trade for mutual benefit. Force is the great evil that has no place in a rational world. One may never force another human to act against his/her judgment. If you deny a man’s right to Reason, you must also deny your right to your own judgment. Yet you have allowed your world to be run by means of force, by men who claim that fear and joy are equal incentives, but that fear and force are more practical.”

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Arguing With Idiots

Arguing with idiotsThis is my third Glenn Beck book that I have read and it is by far the best.  As a person who pays attention to political issues, I found An Inconvenient Book and Common Sense a little basic though containing new information.   In Arguing with Idiots Glenn Beck provides a great deal of information for people in tune with politics and enough to blow the others away.  Glenn should have provided either some duct tape with the book or at least a coupon to buy a roll. 

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The Fountainhead

So I was faced with one of the most famous books by one of my favorite authors; a book that was published seventeen years before I was born.  Me fear was that my expectations might be too great to live up to.  After all, I have listed Ayn Rand’s book, Atlas Shrugged as one of my all time favorites.

I took some time to select a week where I would have the time to spend with the book.  The Fountainhead  did not disappoint and it pulled me in from the very beginning.  Rand illustrates her belief in selfishness as the fountainhead of human progress through the struggles of Howard Roark, a masterful architect. 

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Where Are These Angels?

I was fortunate to be listening to “America’s Morning Show” today.  Quinn and Rose were on vacation and the substitute host was Glen Meakem.  I have heard Mr. Meakem speak before, most recently at the Pittsburgh Tea Party on July 4th.

During the show Mr. Meakem played an audio clip of Phil Donohoe interviewing Milton Friedman about capitalism and greed.  As you probably know Phil Donohoe had routinely battled Alan Alda for the most whipped male on the planet.  For the younger crowd, Phil would be like today’s Oprah, except for being a white male.  I would venture that their politics are pretty parallel.

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