Too Big To Bail - Ayn Rand Institute Op-Ed by Alex Epstein

[eggory]

I like what this guy's saying but he is not that good of a speaker.

[U4EANetworksInc]

'egoism' and rational self-interest are two separate things. try to understand the context of the virtue of rational self-interest before equating selfishness with greediness. rational self interest includes helping others who you care about - altruism is all rational self interest (in others). pure capitalism has never been allowed to exist, but in such system, economics and state are to be separated, as with education, science and religion, and govt. is reduced to basic functions (protection)

[olliearl]

Ayn Rand loved selfishness, so what is the problem. The free market is not a reality. It is a market that is already owned and Ayn Rand would be proud of the selfish pricks who manage it.

[Treeshagger]

I like Rand's hostility towards the initiating of force in all individual and social actions and interactions. I am a mite sceptical about the misuses and abuses that could concievably occur through the sheer power and sway that money can inherently have. Right now I see very little prospect for human utopia, looking at the moral and financial corruption ongoing. Depressing eh...?

[NathanRomml]

@Treeshagger

Rand was an idiot. She claimed to stupor self-perfection and egoism, yet she criticized violence and the use of force. The bottom line is, she was a hypocrite.

[jamesbreedthelove]

@NathanRomml how does that make her a hypocrite?

[NathanRomml]

@jamesbreedthelove

One can only perfect himself through the gain of power. She rejected the will to power, the driving mechanism of humanity as both individual units and collective. Thus, she was hypocrite.

Also, what kind of egoist opposes "harming others"? Isn't the concern about the well being of others kinda contrary to the definition of egoism?

[natritious1]

@NathanRomml he initiation is a backslide to self-perfection you dummy

[NathanRomml]

@natritious1

"He" initiation? Who initiation? I'm sorry, but it turns out I'm so dumb that your message makes no sense for me.

[natritious1]

@NathanRomml sorry, I meant to write "the initiation of force is a backslide to self perfection" turns out I was the dummy haha

[chriswhited71]

and when a home "ones castle" is the topic... boy that's a pretty political diamond... hard to resist "saving your home!" .... they know

[mjd001]

This housing crash happened because the goverment wants to control the banking industry (long term goal) and buy votes (short term goal). This wasn't an accident, misfortune or unpredictable. It worked just the way totalitarians wanted it to.

[doughtymqan]

@mjd001 The govt already controls the banking industry. Thats why we must abolish the fed reserve bank & its system.

[freezzertime]

a breathe of fresh air. Thank you.

[fomastephanovitch]

Did you know that The Ayn Rand Institute is next in line for a bailout?

[sbds1122]

did you know stupid trolls are annoying?

[fomastephanovitch]

It's always been said that Americans have no concept of irony. I'm a libertarian minarchist but not an objectivist.

If I've noticed one distinction you can draw between a room occupied by non-randians and randians is that those who accept Ayn Rand's views on epistemology and metaphysics are completely and utterly bereft of any capacity for mirth and joy whatsoever. ;)

[sbds1122]

haha

[Sam26100]

Ouch, that is highly unfair, and inaccurate.

Just because people (like myself) who agree with Rand tend to be more serious, and therefore discontent with the current state of affairs, does not mean we have no capacity for joy. Our joy comes from uncovering the truth, and promoting ideas that make the world a better place, I can hardly think of a greater source of "mirth and joy". Just because I don't act like a clown, doesn't mean I am not happy with my existance

[fomastephanovitch]

Point taken, socialists are eminently more miserable, especially when no-one listens to them. That's when they go pathological.

I've met a lot of Ellsworth Tooheys

[KJMachiavelli]

true, i agree mostly with rand's philosophy and the ideal of freedom and capitalism, but i also feel like after getting into the books, etc. too much or too often i have a hard time being upbeat about walking around the neighborhood, joking with ppl, etc.

[Bigturns33]

I don tknow if thats true being an objectivist im the fucking life of the party LOL.

[NoDeity]

And some people still claim that the collapse is a consequence of a lack of government interference!

[z2b]

I must say... this video is exactly right.

[xTjPx]

great upload!

thanks

[RTRRTV]

I see a Hebrew volume?

[fainerbainer]

What do I do with my hands? - Ricky Bobby

[coltrane1966]

Great video!

A good case of government meddling.

[RadicalForLiberty]

Don't forget the community reinvestment act's contribution to excessive risk taking. Lenders were FORCED by government mandated lax lending standards to make loans to people with poor credit ratings.

[Madwolfkiller]

"They were smoking government bailout crack.:

[RodCornholio]

That quote is worth a thousand words. I add to the concept:

--Skyrocketing "education" costs out pacing ALL economic measurements including inflation and healthcare. EDUCATION COSTS IS A BUBBLE PERPETUATED BY U.S. gubberment BACKED LOANS

-- High health care costs -- A BUBBLE PERPETUATED BY U.S. gubberment entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid and the VA system

Revolution is the only solution.

[7NTM61Ic]

Great delivery of a great message! Such a likeable fellow too. Nice to see the personality behind the name.

[xxAdimusxx]

Well said !

[marneedear]

Nicely done.

[TBonePickensetc]

Ayn Rand ? That is Adam Smith economics 101 and that is a dead end. Strictly 18th century. Babylonian Price System nonsense.

Why use money when we can use Energy Accounting and switch into a different social system based on Science ?

The North American Technate.. TNAT.

[shovelcharge]

You don't make sense. Capitalism is based on science. What the hell is energy accounting

[TBonePickensetc]

Oh really? Not really. You are not familiar with the Technocracy Technate design for North American. Started as as a research group in 1918 and then with their published Technocracy Study Course in 1934. Still the most intelligent and really the only viable option to our current Price System. Explore the TNAT .. The North American Technate information.

[PaulMcKeever]

Alex, I notice that the video was encoded using mpeg (you can tell by looking at quickly-moving objects: watch your hands when they move quickly, and you will see the image break up into bands).

I've had more pleasing results from microsoft's wmv format (which is the file format used by Microsoft's free "movie maker" software). You might give it a shot, if that format is available to you.

[MrCropper]

When I heard the first news stories about this issue, I knew the government was at the bottom of it, even though not a single news item ever even mentioned such a cause. Sure enough....

[snakeinthegrass20]

Governmen Bail-out Crack ? Americans...

[oathniel]

I'm not so sure I would call this guy an objectivist but descent video nonetheless

[shovelcharge]

...that doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't you call him an Objectivist?

[oathniel]

Is that some sort of a joke?

[shovelcharge]

Nope.

[shovelcharge]

I think he is single, ladies ;)

[marneedear]

Nicely done.

[Radeo]

Someone stole David Bach's vocal cords.

[legendre007]

This video was dynamite! Video op-eds are a great new way to go. :-)