This Week on the Web (May 26 – June 1)

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Quote of the Week:

Thus, it is not surprising, for example, that the United States enjoys the world’s highest standard of living. This is a direct result of the fact that the United States has the world’s highest energy consumption per capita. The United States, more than any other country, is the country where intelligent human beings have arranged for motor-driven machinery to accomplish results for them. All further substantial increases in the productivity of labor and standard of living, both here in the United States and across the world, will be equally dependent on man-made power and the growing use of energy it makes possible. Our ability to accomplish more and more with the same limited muscular powers of our limbs will depend entirely on our ability to augment them further and further with the aid of still more such energy.

Global warming is not a threat. But environmentalism’s response to it is.

- George Reisman

COMMENTARY

The Unjust Imprisonment of Dr. Jack Kevorkian

ARI Media (via Principles in Practice)

"What lawmakers and judges must grasp," added Bowden, "is that there is no rational basis upon which the government can properly prevent an individual from choosing to end his own life. Our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness means that we need no one's permission to live, and that no one may forcibly obstruct our efforts to achieve personal happiness. But if happiness becomes impossible to attain, due to a dread disease or some other calamity, a person must be able to exercise the right to end his own life."

"To hold otherwise—to declare that society must give us permission to commit suicide—is to contradict the right to life at its root," said Bowden. "If we have a duty to go on living, despite our better judgment, then our lives do not belong to us, and we exist by permission, not by right.

"For these reasons, each individual has the right to decide the hour of his death and to implement that solemn decision as best he can. The choice is his because the life is his. And if a doctor is willing—not forced—to assist in the suicide, based on an objective assessment of his patient's mental and physical state, the law should not stand in his way."

Dr. Moore’s Bogus Prescription

Rich Tucker, Townhall.com

Americans may spend more on health care (15.3 percent of GDP in 2004) than people in other countries, but we get more care. American doctors perform more life-saving open-heart surgery than doctors in other countries. We boast more MRI machines than any nation except Japan. We focus on preventative care. And so on.

Canadians have the sort of socialist, government-provided care Moore wants. Yet a Canadian government report recently noted, “American women aged 50–69 were more likely than Canadian women of the same age to have had a recent mammogram.” In fact, “82 percent of American women aged 50–69 had a mammogram in the last two years, compared to 74 percent of Canadian women in the same age group.” That’s the sort of care that catches problems early, while there’s still time to take action and save lives.

Our health-care system has flaws, but it works. Compare that with the socialized care our cousins in Britain “enjoy.

Say "No Way!" to "Say on Pay"

Yaron Brook, Capitalism Magazine

The House of Representatives recently passed the "say on pay" bill proposed by Congressman Barney Frank. The bill forces all corporations to allow shareholders a non-binding vote on CEO compensation. The idea is to shame directors into lowering CEO pay, which the bill's supporters claim is out of control.

Although the bill is touted as a means of protecting the interests of shareholders, what it actually represents is a usurpation of corporate control. It is therefore a violation of shareholders' rights.

Those clamoring for this bill insist that legislation is necessary to give shareholders a "say on pay." But shareholders already have a say on pay--i.e., a means of exercising control over corporate governance. If a shareholder is upset about CEO pay or any other management issue, he has three legitimate, free market options: 1. "Vote with his dollars" by selling his shares; 2. Accumulate a controlling interest in the company (typically 51%) and impose a new board of directors; 3. Persuade a majority of shareholders to replace the board with people sympathetic to their concerns.

Good Riddance Republicans, But ...

Michael Hurd, DrHurd.com

Democrats are clearly desperate to get all troops out of Iraq. They expect to win the White House and hold the Congress in 2008. They want the Iraq war to be over with, and they want to be able to spend the next 4-8 years blaming President Bush for any terrorism that takes place in the world. If troops are still in Iraq when President Hillary Clinton (or whomever) is sworn into office in January 2009, then tough decisions will have to be made from the get-go. They don't want the unpopularity that goes with tough decisions. They want to "wage peace" with the Iranians and the Syrians, who back the terrorists, while doing nothing about the actual terrorist groups other than condemning them verbally. And they want to use the next attacks on the United States to be an excuse to turn us all into victims and spend more government money on the welfare state. Believe it or not, the Democrats can (and will) be even worse than the Republicans. Don't misunderstand. I'm not letting the Republicans off the hook. Their less than halfway approach to fighting terrorism delivered us into the hands of the pacifistic Democrats, who don't even have the spine to take responsibility for their views. Instead, they want to hide behind the skirts of George W. Bush, blaming him forever, while not having to realize that Bush failed because he largely (outside of Iraq) adopted their same policy of appeasement towards terrorism (especially Iran) that makes us the victims of it in the first place. Good riddance to the Republicans. But don't kid yourself that we're getting anything better, or even something that's not a whole lot worse.

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Other links

The Ayn Rand Institute

The Objective Standard

Capitalism Magazine

4Commonsense.net

OpinionJournal.com

Junk Science

Activism Humor

The Intellectual Activist

Web Logs

Principles in Practice– Principled commentary on cultural matters and current events from “The Objective Standard”

Cox and Forkum – Political cartoons and commentary

Noodle Food

The Conspiracy to Keep You Poor and Stupid – Donald Luskin

Dollars and Crosses – CapitalismMagazine.com

Rule of Reason – The Center for the Advancement of Capitalism

4CommonSense

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