Ayn Rand Facebook Page Reaches more than 100,000 Admirers

August 9, 2010

We are pleased to report that the Ayn Rand page on Facebook has now been "liked" by more than 100,000 Facebook users. This places Ayn Rand's page among the most-liked pages in the Writers category on Facebook.

WASHINGTON--“Look out world: the rich are getting richer by helping the poor get richer,” writes Don Watkins, analyst with the Ayn Rand Center, examining a New York Times article titled “Big Banks Draw Profits From Microloans to Poor.”

The Freedom to Speak (to Yourself)

April 16, 2010

WASHINGTON--“Stanley Fish, a self-confessed opponent of free speech, reports on a meeting of First Amendment scholars. It provides some fascinating insights into how these scholars think about free speech issues,” writes Don Watkins, an analyst with the Ayn Rand Center.

Has Net Neutrality Been Neutered?

April 12, 2010

WASHINGTON--“The Federal Communication Commission’s crusade to impose net neutrality rules on the Internet hit a speed bump last week,” writes Don Watkins, analyst with the Ayn Rand Center.

So Much for the “Will of the People”

April 8, 2010

WASHINGTON--“Many of the opponents of ObamaCare objected to it on the grounds that it didn’t reflect the ‘will of the people’—as if the biggest problem with herding doctors and patients into a government health care system was that too few Americans supported the herding,” writes Don Watkins, analyst with the Ayn Rand Center.

Wanted: A Real Debate Over Financial Regulation

April 7, 2010

WASHINGTON--“Throughout Washington, the most powerful politicians (including Barack Obama) and bureaucrats (including Ben Bernanke) are sparring over the apportionment of new government powers--in particular, how much additional power should the Fed have--to prevent future financial crises,” writes Alex Epstein, a fellow at the Ayn Rand Center.

The Lullaby of Broadband

April 6, 2010

WASHINGTON--“In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, the CEOs of both Google and Verizon have endorsed that portion of the FCC’s new National Broadband Plan that calls for ‘making high-speed Internet connections available to all Americans,’ writes  Tom Bowden, analyst with the Ayn Rand Center. “Oh, and by the way, the executives agree it should be accomplished with ‘minimal government involvement.’

The United Nations vs. America, Chapter 3,259

April 5, 2010

WASHINGTON--“The U.S. is not only a founding member of the U.N. but for a long time has been its largest financial backer,” writes Elan Journo, fellow with the Ayn Rand Center. “What are we getting for our money? An institution that makes a mockery of protecting rights around the world.

Objectivist Summer Conference 2010 on pace to break attendance record—early registration deadline extended!

We are writing with exciting news: as of today, registrations for Objectivist Summer Conference 2010 are on a record-setting pace, with 34% more registrants than we had at this time last year. At this rate, we anticipate our largest conference to date!

The Ayn Rand Institute

We’d like to invite you to an upcoming event:

ARC Press Release: Who Cares About the Doctors?

March 29, 2010

WASHINGTON--“Amid the clamorous debate over health care, how much have you heard from the doctors? Very little,” writes Tom Bowden, analyst with the Ayn Rand Center. “Nobody’s particularly interested in what they have to say. It’s taken for granted that they’ll always be there when you need them.

“Earth Hour” Symbolizes the Renunciation of Industrial Civilization

March 26, 2010

Washington--Tomorrow cities around the world will turn off their lights to observe “Earth Hour.” Iconic landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, Willis Tower, Eiffel Tower and Sydney Opera House will be darkened to encourage reduced energy use and signal a commitment to fighting climate change.

The Sordid Path to ObamaCare

March 25, 2010  

WASHINGTON--“A recent WSJ article provides a stomach-turning play-by-play of the Democrats’ health care coup,” writes Don Watkins, an analyst with the Ayn Rand Center:

ARC Press Release: Nancy Pelosi vs. the Founding Fathers

March 24, 2010

WASHINGTON--“According to Nancy Pelosi, the House’s passage of the new health care bill is utterly in keeping with the founding principles of this country,” writes Alex Epstein, a fellow at the Ayn Rand Center. “In passing ObamaCare, she said:

“Just Can’t Wait” to Wreck Health Care

March 20, 2010

WASHINGTON--“The White house says we ‘just can’t wait’ for its government solution to our health care problems,” writes Alex Epstein, a fellow at the Ayn Rand Center.

ObamaCare’s Assault on Individual Rights

March 19, 2010

WASHINGTON--“We’re told that ObamaCare aims to make health care more affordable to more people, but in fact it threatens the rights of everyone involved in health care--doctors, patients, and health insurers--and thus the future of the industry,” writes Tom Bowden, analyst at the Ayn Rand Center.

You Are Not Your Brother’s Health Care Provider

March 18, 2010

WASHINGTON--“Americans are understandably disgusted by all the shenanigans going on in the halls of Congress, as Senator Pelosi races to pass ObamaCare by any means possible,” writes Don Watkins, an analyst with the Ayn Rand Center. “But if you want to know why ObamaCare supporters hardly blush at employing heavy-handed tactics, it’s because they regard the bill’s aim as morally noble--and believe this sanitizes the sordid means by which they hope to achieve it.

The American System Is Not a Democracy

March 5, 2010

WASHINGTON--Today marks the 66th anniversary of the German Nazi party’s rise to power--not through a bloody coup, but a democratic vote.

Hit the Brakes on Government Health Care

March 1, 2010

WASHINGTON--“New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof gives us his best case for passing ObamaCare,” writes Don Watkins, an analyst with the Ayn Rand Center:

Health Care: More Government Is Not the Answer

February 22, 2010

WASHINGTON--President Obama’s latest proposal for health care reform will give the Health and Human Services Department the ability to deny or limit “substantial” premium increases, contains an insurance mandate, and bars insurance companies from denying coverage, according to the Associated Press.

We’d like to invite you to upcoming events at the University of Colorado (Auraria campus) and the University of Chicago:

Christianity vs. Objectivism: Which Is the Proper Philosophy for Living on Earth?

Who: Dr. Edwin A. Locke, Dean’s Professor (Emeritus) of Motivation and Leadership at the R. H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland

What: A talk that contrasts the philosophies of Christianity with Objectivism and argues that Objectivism is the philosophy required to live on earth

A Pivotal Day in Iran

February 11, 2010

WASHINGTON--“Today marks the 31st anniversary of the coalescing of Iran’s Islamist revolution,” writes Elan Journo, a fellow with the Ayn Rand Center. “But on this deeply symbolic day, which Tehran usually spends glorifying its militant, tyrannical rule, millions of Iranian citizens are showing mass defiance and repudiation of the regime.

Don’t Confuse Political Profiteers with Producers

February 4, 2010

WASHINGTON--“President Obama is pushing Congress to enact his Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee, a bank tax that will fall on institutions that never asked for TARP money, never took TARP money, or already paid back TARP money,” write Don Watkins and Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Center.

Can We Talk About Ending Social Security Now?

January 29, 2010

WASHINGTON--This Sunday marks the 70th anniversary of the first Social Security check, issued to Mrs. Ida May Fuller on January, 31, 1940. Virtually no one today questions the need for this program.

Obama’s Attack on Free Speech

January 28, 2010

WASHINGTON--President Obama’s first State of the Union address featured a strong rebuff of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which struck down restrictions on certain kinds of political speech by corporations.

State of the Union in One Sentence

January 28, 2010

WASHINGTON--“President Obama’s State of the Union address can be summarized in one sentence,” writes Alex Epstein, a fellow at the Ayn Rand Center. “We need to rise above fear, hesitation, and partisan politics--to give the government all the power it needs to solve all our problems.

The U.N.’s Afghanistan Solution: Befriend the Taliban

January 26, 2010

WASHINGTON--“Later this week world leaders and diplomats will meet in London to discuss the situation in Afghanistan,” writes Elan Journo, a fellow with the Ayn Rand Center. “In the lead-up to the international conference, the New York Times reports:

We’d like to invite you to an upcoming event:

 Spark! Speaker Series presents:

When Should the U.S. Use Military Force?

The Philosophic Foundations of Freedom: A Conference on the Principle of Individual Rights

A conference at UCLA

Who (in order of appearance):

“Atlas Shrugged” Sets a New Record!

January 21, 2010

Irvine, CA--Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” sold more than 500,000 copies in 2009, more than double the previous record set in 2008, reports Penguin USA, publisher of the four American editions. For the first time, combined annual sales of Ayn Rand’s four novels totaled more than 1,000,000 copies.