I submitted the following letter to the Washington Post on September 19 (to read the column to which I am referencing, check it out on my website):

I reject Richard Cohen’s false premise that envy is good and that “enough is enough” concerning the earning of wealth. The flaw in Mr. Cohen’s logic is that he is unable to separate wealth earned through honest, productive work from the fractional amount of wealth that is gained (and soon lost) through fraud. Envy is an unhealthy and irrational emotion which leads to wasteful government investigations and subjective regulations such as the antitrust laws. As a result, there are no “excesses of capitalism” in America. On the contrary, capitalism and wealth creation are not permitted to flourish.

I agree with Mr. Cohen that perception matters. Consequently, Jack Welch’s actions are worthy of condemnation. However, the actions to which I refer are Welch’s refusals to defend his moral right to honest compensation. To paraphrase philosopher/writer Ayn Rand: We have to save capitalism from the damned capitalists.

The Left's New Idea
By Daniel Pipes

"The hard left, having failed to prevail through the democratic institutions of American life -- the executive branch, the Congress, the court system, state and local governments -- is doing a dangerous end-run via the United Nations and other international institutions."

Charles Krauthammer :

"When the case for war is made purely in terms of American national interest -- in terms of the safety, security and very lives of American citizens -- chins are pulled as the Democrats think it over. But when the case is the abstraction of being the good international citizen and strengthening the House of Kofi, the Democrats are ready to parachute into Baghdad."

"Daschle's insistence on the centrality of a U.N. stamp of approval is puzzling. How does this work? In what way does the approval of the Security Council confer moral legitimacy on this enterprise? Perhaps Daschle can explain how the blessing of the butchers of Tiananmen Square, who hold the Chinese seat on the Security Council, lends moral authority to an invasion of Iraq. Or the support of the Kremlin, whose central interest in Iraq is the $8 billion that it owes Russia.
Or the French. There can be no Security Council approval without them. Does Daschle imagine that their approval will hinge on humanitarian calculations? If the French come on board it will be because they see an Anglo-American train headed for Baghdad and they don't want to be left at the station."

"My point is not to blame France or China or Russia for acting in their national interests. That's what nations do. That's what nations' leaders are supposed to do. My point is to express wonder at Americans who find it unseemly to act in the name of their own national interests and who cannot see the logical absurdity of granting moral legitimacy to American action only if it earns the approval of the Security Council -- approval granted or withheld on the most cynical grounds of self-interest."

Is This the Way To Decide on Iraq?

Unsustainable Anti-Biotech Protests

"Simply stated, the raw stuff of the universe becomes a resource when human ingenuity and intelligence, e.g. science and technology, are able to transform it to further human endeavors. This theory of resources led to practical policies that have allowed humans to lift themselves above the level of mere subsistence, while the fixed, finite view of resources serves only to sustain poverty."

I sent the following letter-to-the-editor to the Washington Post last week:

September 11 shouldn’t become just another holiday where businesses are closed and the mail doesn’t get delivered. President Bush feels that the day should be set aside for prayer and sacrifice to others. This is an injustice to those who lost their lives that day while pursuing what they value (trading stocks, fighting fires, etc.).

It is no coincidence that the terrorists chose the World Trade Center as a target: The towers represented capitalism, which is the only system that truly frees Man to produce and improve his life. September 11 should celebrate this production. States should suspend their sales taxes, stores should have special sales, and businesses should launch new products.

Praying and sacrificing to others while ignoring our own need for productive achievement does not build a great nation or win a war against terrorists. We must stop being ashamed of profit and start being proud of production.