Netflix and Robert Reich "Saving Capitalism"

It would be nice if they would actually ask a capitalist how to save capitalism. Netflix does not have a clue and they think they are doing a service to the American people by featuring a man (Reich) who actually hates capitalism. It is like asking Karl Marx what he would do to save capitalism. We've heard it all before: Capitalist corporations exploit workers, they pay too little and they are crooks. Robert Reich was an Obama favorite who once suggested that Obama's jobs program ensure that only minorities got jobs. How can an anti-capitalist save capitalism? Here's the answer:

Anti-capitalists are ruining capitalism by interfering in the free market.

It is the old "men must sacrifice if we are to have a Utopian future" lie. Orwell taught us about the evil of the Big Lie. Progressives think he was making a suggestion. Goebbels would be proud while Orwell would have said, "I warned you."

100 Voices

Book Review of 100 Voices – An Oral History of Ayn Rand

by Scott McConnell

By Robert Villegas

This was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences of my life. I was mesmerized by the descriptions of Ayn Rand throughout her life. This book provides a series of interviews of people who had known Ayn Rand throughout her life. It gives many delightful perspectives on one of the rarest and most interesting individuals to have lived. That she was born a Russian, educated in Russia and escaped to America is not the least of it. Her dedication to values, the various impressions she made on people and the sheer consistency of her actions, ideas and relationships is impressive and inspiring.

As someone who has been studying and “living” her philosophy since my teens, I was amazed by the many new insights I received on her life. Indeed, I was fortunate to have known some of the people interviewed and this provided additional pleasure to me because I had not known they had met her. I was intrigued by many of the famous actors, authors and celebrities who also knew her. Indeed, I gained a new respect for some of them by learning of their reaction to Ayn Rand. I especially loved the descriptions of her personality and the first-hand experiences by people who saw her on a regular basis.

I had never met Ayn Rand as a youth. I had only seen her once at the Ford Hall Forum in Boston after her lung operation. That vision is something I will never forget. This book filled the gap for me and gave me a sense of what she would have thought of me had I been fortunate enough to have met her. This book helped me envision how she felt as she lived the various events of her life. She was indeed monumental.

I am glad that I read this book.

The Raven Haired Girl by Robert Villegas

Bobby met Angie 52 years ago in a poor neighborhood in Indianapolis. It was love at first sight. For a few short months, their relationship blossomed into love. They were in love but didn’t know how to be in love because they were only fourteen years old. Then the breakup came in a most mysterious way and Bobby tried to forget the young girl and her shimmering eyes. He saw Angie only rarely in the aftermath of their love affair and he couldn’t understand what was wrong as he struggled to live a normal life without her. After 52 years, Bobby has decided to take a journey into the past to rediscover what he had lost. Once he remembers the events of their breakup, he realizes that he must talk to Angie. Where is she? What happened to her? To Read Search Amazon.com for Robert Villegas

Don't Mess with Texas

There was a man from Texas who wanted to be free and left alone. But everyone wanted to collect him.

'Join us,' they would say.

'It takes a village,' they would say.

'You belong with us,' they would say.

Then someone else said 'no you belong with us'.

'We must stick together to fight the rich,' they would say.

But he looked around and he noticed that every time someone made a group, everyone in the group became lazy and some people became angry.

Some people were angry because they didn't get enough from the group and others were angry because they did all the work. Some people even died in fights.

So, he said, 'No thanks. I don't want to join your group because it will fall apart.'

And everyone became angry at him. They called him selfish and ignorant. They thought he had not been educated well enough. They thought he didn't know how wonderful groups were...and there must be something wrong with him.

So they put him in a group called 'crazy' and they made sure that no one would talk to him or deal with him. 'That man's crazy,' they said. 'He doesn't know the benevolent power of belonging,' they said. They told others that he was anti-social and impractical; that he didn't understand how things worked. They blocked him on Facebook and refused to include him in group texts and even complained to Mark Zuckerman and many others that he was a terrible person.

Eventually all the groups started fighting each other and people were just running around not knowing what to do and blaming each other for things going wrong. Eventually, all the groups broke up and the collectors became bitter because men would not contribute to the group anymore. They called them 'crazy' and used whips to get them back into the group.

Then they asked the man from Texas how he knew things would fall apart.

'Groups are made up of crazy people who believe in magic,' he said. 'They think being in a group will make them better but no one can make you better but yourself,' he said.

'He must still be crazy', they said.

Being Rationally Selfish - What Does It Mean?

This post will present a narrative about how man survives when left to his own devices. My goal here is to identify the principles that a person must accept in order to survive. Later, we will use this knowledge to understand how to build a proper society.

I had originally written this chapter in the third person and past tense. However, after reviewing it, I decided that it would read better written in the first person present tense. I want the reader to speak for himself in a direct way rather than read about an abstract theoretical other man. I suggest that, as you read this, you put yourself in the place of the person telling the story.

I start with a massive storm in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. My ship has broken to pieces and gone down. After a few hours of clinging to the rope of a capsized life boat, I find myself on the beach of a small island. The storm is over and I can finally rest. Tired of struggling against the sea, I collapse on the beach before eventually recovering my senses. When I look around, I notice the pieces of my broken ship that have washed up with me. I survey my situation and wonder if I will ever return home. After a few minutes, I realize that I must learn how to survive in my new circumstances.

Before I can begin working on my survival, I must hold some fundamental ideas that are related to every thought and decision I make. First, I must hold that absolutes exist, that reality is predictable; secondly, I must hold that my mind is capable of identifying reality; and thirdly, I must hold that only I can choose the values that will preserve my life. I am, after all, alone in the world. Only I live in this body and only I think with this mind. No one can do this for me, especially on this lonely island.

These fundamental ideas are of major importance for me. If I hold that reality is not bound by absolute laws, I cannot count on a predictable environment. If I think my mind is inefficacious, I will have no confidence in my conclusions. And if I don’t use my mind, I will not know what to do.

How do I get from the need to survive to a knowledge of how to survive? This is the question at the heart of morality. The answer is that I need to identify the values I will pursue while on the island. And these values must secure my survival in an absolute sense; they must actually achieve my survival.

Ayn Rand identifies values as the foundation of the moral life:

“Value is that which one acts to gain and/or keep—virtue is the act by which one gains and/or keeps it. The three cardinal values of the Objectivist ethics—the three values which, together, are the means to and the realization of one’s ultimate value, one’s own life—are: Reason, Purpose, Self-Esteem, with their three corresponding virtues: Rationality, Productiveness, Pride”[1]

Reason	Purpose	Self-esteem
Rationality	Productiveness	Pride

Reason is a wide abstraction that includes all the principles necessary for correct thinking. The process of reasoning is a formal process that makes up what is called rational thinking. The virtue that helps me achieve my purpose is called productiveness which is the practice of “making” or creating the things needed for survival. Self-esteem is both the cause of and the consequence of successful thinking while pride is the result of achieving my purpose through production.

"A process of reason is a process of constant choice in answer to the question: True or False?—Right or Wrong?"[2]

“Productive work is the central purpose of a rational man’s life, the central value that integrates and determines the hierarchy of all his other values. Reason is the source, the precondition of his productive work—pride is the result.”[3]

Of prime importance for me on the island is my development and use of concepts. “A ‘concept’ is a mental integration of two or more perceptual concretes, which are isolated by a process of abstraction and united by means of a specific definition. Every word in man’s language, with the exception of proper names, denotes a concept, an abstraction that stands for an unlimited number of concretes of a specific kind. It is by organizing his perceptual material into concepts, and his concepts into wider and still wider concepts that man is able to grasp and retain, to identify and integrate an unlimited amount of knowledge, a knowledge extending beyond the immediate perceptions of any given, immediate moment.”[4]

Rand elaborates on an important type of concept which she identifies as value:

“Is the concept of value, of “good or evil” an arbitrary human invention, unrelated to, underived from and unsupported by any facts of reality—or is it based on a metaphysical fact, on an unalterable condition of man’s existence? (I use the word “metaphysical” to mean: that which pertains to reality, to the nature of things, to existence.) Does an arbitrary human convention, a mere custom, decree that man must guide his actions by a set of principles—or is there a fact of reality that demands it? Is ethics the province of whims; of personal emotions, social edicts and mystic revelations—or is it the province of reason? Is ethics a subjective luxury—or an objective necessity?”[5]

My values are derived from and supported by the facts on the island. I experience this need for values most urgently in my hunger pangs and in the discomfort I feel in the heat (weather) on the island. I realize that I must act now before these discomforts become insurmountable.

My discovery of this need to act is a rational judgment. I conclude that “I must act in order to survive” and “I need values in order to act” and “I must create my values as soon as possible.” I ask, “What are those values?” This leads to my discovery that I must satisfy my body’s basic needs first. I consider this and determine that my immediate values are food, clothing and shelter.

My next step is to identify as many facts as possible on the island. A fact is an aspect of reality expressed by a statement or proposition. “This is the sand” and “This is a coconut” are examples of some of the facts I discover. I look around the island and identify every fact on the island; the trees, jungle, land, shore, water, food sources, climate and shelter possibilities. I consider the nature of each item and identify which ones will most directly influence my survival. I accomplish this by isolating each item mentally and breaking it down into specific characteristics. Those items with similar characteristics, I give a specific name which helps me hold them in memory as a single mental "unit". Then I relate those named concepts’ characteristics to their usefulness as food, clothing and/or shelter.

How do I accomplish this? How do I determine whether a particular item is useful? How will I connect fact and value? How will I grasp, retain, identify and integrate each item into my purpose? For this I define principles about how each item can be used and compare it to the standard of “what will help me survive?” For instance, “a coconut contains liquid that can quench my thirst” or “fish in the ocean are edible” are examples of some principles I identify.

Notice that these principles are cognitive in nature. A principle helps me “see” facts of reality mentally. It helps me identify the characteristics of different entities and relate those characteristics to the accomplishment of a goal or value. It is a fact that I can eat fish and nourish my body. It is a fact that there is food in this environment. It is a fact that I can use a rock to kill a bird or other animal. These facts can only be “seen” conceptually but they are critical to the process of understanding reality; they exist and they help me “see” the way to success in life. The only thing left is to act in a fashion that will secure those entities for me.

Some principles can be framed as “if/then” propositions. “If I catch fish, then I can eat” and “If I build a house, then I can protect myself” are examples of some “if/then” principles I identify.

Additionally, the “code of values” I have defined (food, clothing, shelter) is based upon real facts in reality that directly relate to my real needs. They exist on the island but only I must convert them into values. There is nothing arbitrary or subjective about it. I know that I want to live; I know that I value my life and I know that in order to live I must pursue values. These are truthful statements. “’Value’ is that which one acts to gain and or keep.”[6]

And:

“There is only one fundamental alternative in the universe: existence or nonexistence—and it pertains to a single class of entities; to living organisms.”[7]

As I look around, I discover that some canned goods from the ship have landed on the beach. These will tide me over until I am able to process my own food supplies from the island. I need to think about what I will do once those supplies run out; but in the meantime, these items provide me with the luxury of not having to worry about food for a few days. 

With my food needs temporarily met, I decide to address the values of shelter and clothing. I notice that some luggage items from the ship have reached the shore. I also find my own luggage that contained clothes and toiletries I can use. Among the other pieces of luggage I find boots, heavy coats and other items. By evaluating these items against the standard of what it takes for protection from the elements, I narrow them down to those most effective against current weather conditions. Clothing items that don’t fit my body are set aside for possible other uses later.

For shelter, I could select a large tree to sleep under but I see that a tree won’t repel high winds, rain or hail.  In fact, my clothes are insufficient against harsher weather so I need to think long-range about how to get more protection against the elements. Again, I need to use my mind. I notice that the process of thinking, learning, inventing and planning for my own survival is highly pleasurable and I’m beginning to feel the pride that comes from production. In fact, the pleasure I find is so enjoyable that I want to engage in reasoning as much as possible. I realize that my learning has made it possible for me to successfully survive; I am experiencing the tangible success that reason makes possible and it is exhilarating.

The same types of observations I made during my fact-finding mission will help me gain additional important knowledge. But now, I must go beyond perception and sensation to create a new concept that I must make with my own hands. This means I must find materials that are useful in the creation of a home. Using a process of induction or trial and error, I can gain knowledge about other items on the island. I examine the more solid, more durable materials and evaluate their specific qualities. This requires observation, testing and planning.

During my analysis, I notice that the trees have large flat leaves. By dipping them into the ocean, I learn they can repel water and they might be useful on the roof of my soon to be home. I look at the sand on the beach and decide it is not suitable for anything because it is made up of tiny particles that do not adhere to each other. I may decide later, by combining sand with other substances such as water and mud, that I can work the sand into a more durable composition, but this will take time and research that I decide to reserve for later.

I look at the trees and test one with my hands.  I pound on it with my fist, then with a rock, I strike it to see if it breaks. I try to estimate its weight. I learn that it has some of the qualities I seek but I will have to find a way to transform it for my own use. I need something that will help me cut the tree and mold it into a frame. I look around for a tool that would do the job. I settle on a flat sharp rock. In handling the tree, I discover I can use branches of larger circumference to support my structure and smaller branches to make the walls. I realize I will need fewer stronger branches for the structural points and more of the smaller branches for the walls. I get to work making my vision into a reality.

Throughout this process, I have invented several new concepts that I had merely taken for granted back in England; a self-made home, a wooden structure, tree branch walls and a rock-tool. Each of these concepts is identified according to its “defining” characteristics and found suitable for a specific purpose. Other concepts I discovered were judged to be useless for my purposes while others had promise for other purposes. I hold each of these concepts in memory by means of a specific name that I apply to each of them.

I have discovered the importance of defining my concepts accurately. In philosophy, this is called the correspondence theory of truth. I know that my concepts must correspond to their actual natures in reality. Additionally, I not only discover them, but in the case of new concepts, I invent them – all by means of a thought process that connects my values to their actual accomplishment. The correspondence theory is reason’s way of making sure I understand reality and that my concepts function as effective cognitive tools. Only by ensuring that my concepts are “realistic” am I able to achieve my purpose.

Using this thought process, I can project how my home will look, how strong it will be and how well it will stand up to the elements. Since I have no paper or writing implements, I use a thin stick (another tool) to draw an image of my home in the sand. This is my architectural drawing and building plan. I incorporate into this drawing all the principles that will help me build the home, all the “if/thens”. It is a matter of “seeing” with my mind’s eye.

Since I had no experience in house-building back in the world, I am inventing a new field for myself (home building). And my invention of this new concept is totally liberating for me. It will make so much possible for me and even give me rest and peace of mind once it is built. I stop when I realize that I am being totally selfish about my needs and survival. My actions are, indeed, all about me and I realize there is nothing wrong about this; it is good that I survive. Indeed, my self-sufficiency, my resilience and ability to think are necessary. I understand now that there is no other moral standard to apply except my selfish need for survival. My selfishness is based upon my rational choices and only my rational choices. It is true that knowledge, principles and facts are necessary for me to live and enjoy my life. I smile when I realize this important principle. If I love my life, I must build this structure and only rational thinking will make it possible. Rational selfishness is good and the more of it I have, the better. I am energized by this and hurry to improve my circumstances.

The principle of selfishness (holding my own rational values as top priority) is an important one for me. Alone on this island, there is no question that I am living morally and that only I am the beneficiary of my actions. Properly, morality can only focus on what I, the individual, must think and do “for myself”. This will be an important discussion when it comes to identifying the principles of a proper society and it will help me answer the question of what is moral for me to do in society.

As Ayn Rand writes: “Consciousness—for those living organisms which possess it—is the basic means of survival.”[8] For me, the decision to think, the decision to use my conscious mind, is the key to my survival.

As I am deep into the process of building my new home, I stop and ask myself what would have happened if I had decided not to use my mind once I woke up on the island? This question gets to the core of the connection between facts and values and between reality and morality. What would that choice not to think have meant for my self-esteem and especially for my values? What would it have meant for my ability to produce the values necessary for my survival? Who would have provided those values for me without my singular participation? Certainly, a choice not to think would have meant that I had no desire to live or to return home. It truly is an either/or proposition; either I use my mind or I die.

The lessons in the above example point out some important facts. In order to live, it is a fact that I must use my mind. It is a fact that I must observe reality. It is a fact, that I must use concepts. I (and you) cannot survive without first thinking, working, doing, inventing and improving. The better use you make of your mind, the better survivor you will be.

---

[1] The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand, “The Objectivist Ethics” ebook

[2] Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand

[3] The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand, “The Objectivist Ethics” ebook

[4] Ibid

[5] Ibid

[6] Ibid

[7] Ibid

[8] Ibid

Aphorisms

I’ve been accused of being too aphoristic. So here are some of my best. Let me know what you think.

A right is like a muscle. It is either healthy and strong from active use or weak because of laziness.

Appeasement is like a house of cards. A slight change in the wind knocks it down.

To argue against offensive speech leaves you without the right to express your deeper convictions.

To say that one should not use offensive speech is like saying one should censor oneself - self-censorship is still censorship.

When you refuse to be free, you agree to be a slave. Use your freedoms or lose them.

Freedom of speech is not only about your right to say what you believe. It is more about your right to say what you know. Anyone can say what he believes. It is the rare individual who says what he knows.

The person whose ideology is based on lies is capable of anything.

Doing evil requires a conscious choice to hurt people. This especially applies to politicians and intellectuals.

It has been said that some people muddy their waters to appear deep.  I would add that they also expect full payment and repeat business.

Honesty comes with a discount. It can become habitual.

Economic principle: Never throw good money after bad.  Moral principle: Never waste your time on liars.

You’re wasting your time if you think you can love humanity.  You can only love individual humans.

Sacrifice for mankind and you’ll be tired by noon.

Fighting for freedom is not a sacrifice. Paying taxes is a sacrifice. 

Your parents took care of you because they loved you, not because they had a little extra money.

Capitalist: a person who saves his money and lends it to others who produce goods and services.

Government: a group of people that takes your money before you are able to loan it.

Government job: employment of a person who doesn’t care, is incompetent, produces nothing and can’t be fired.  It is that same person who considers you a bother because he’s going to be paid with your money regardless of what he does.

Marxists believe that any surplus money you earn was stolen from the person who hates his job, hates his boss, believes he is underpaid and hates to work.

Honor your parents. They fed you while you were being a thoughtless, unappreciative brat.

A boss is like a parent, long-suffering, hard working and constantly spending money hoping you’ll be productive. The only difference is that a boss can get rid of you when you test his patience.

Progressives want the glory for helping the poor with your money.

The easiest way to become a thief is to be a politician.  It is safer, he can steal all the money he wants; and instead of going to jail, he will have monuments built for him, books written about him, streets named for him and buildings named after him. Yet he spent your money for all that glory.

Remember: If you choose a Bohemian lifestyle in order to avoid self-responsibility, all your friends have too.

Some people are more comfortable with rabble rousers and itinerants.  Others wisely look for the door.

Freedom is an idea that people have died to preserve. Slavery is a condition that kills people. Soldiers die for freedom...people vote for slavery.

Age has the ability to look back...youth has the misfortune of inexperience.

Some things can be taken apart and put back together. I hope this is true of freedom.

Never trust a person who says he's doing something for your own good unless he's your parent.

Shine the light of truth into the dungeons of the past...and you will liberate the mind to explore the heights of knowledge.

Courage, happiness and peace of mind are the rewards of truth. Cowardice, decline, decay and misery are the penalties of self-deceit. Make your choice.

Self-Reliance

In my view, self-reliance is often misunderstood today. It doesn't mean that you don't have close friends or good relationships with your family.

Self-reliance is living your life in such a way that you don't have to rely on others; that you don't need to live from emergency to emergency; that you have some savings; that you have educated yourself and you have learned to think with your own mind.

If you are overly dependent on others, your friends and families included, there is something wrong, you need to reevaluate what you are doing and get yourself on the self-reliant track. There is much peace of mind that comes with that.

I think self-reliance is more mental, an aspect of independence. Certainly, it is true that within the confines of your own mind, you are alone and you are responsible for what you do with your mind. That is what individuality is about.

But to think that you can rely on anyone is probably a bit too much, even if it is true that you have someone like that. Not being able to rely on yourself is a precarious situation. People will love you more and be more willing to help in an emergency if they know you aren't perennially in need.