Showing posts with label libertarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label libertarian. Show all posts
7.14.2011
7.05.2011
The Declaration of Independents!
This is how we get rid of the status quo. No more Republicans, no more Democrats. It's the age of the independent!
6.27.2011
Rockin' In the Free World
Libertarians Discussing the Impact of American Pop Culture...My Dream Come True!
Former MTV VJ's Kennedy and Kurt Loder, along with Reason's Matt Welch talk with John Stossel about the impact of American pop culture on our freedom and foreign relations.
Former MTV VJ's Kennedy and Kurt Loder, along with Reason's Matt Welch talk with John Stossel about the impact of American pop culture on our freedom and foreign relations.
4.15.2011
Atlas Shrugged Part One-A Review From An Actual Ayn Rand Loving Libertarian
Today was the day that many libertarians like myself have been waiting for...Atlas Shrugged has made it to the big screen. Well, part one has made it. The book is nearly 1200 pages, so one movie was not an option. (Part 2 is scheduled to be released 4/15/2012, Part 3 on 4/15/2013) The book was published in 1957, and continues to be a best seller to this day. However, Hollywood has never attempted to bring it to the big screen...and it still hasn't. This film was the production of independent, libertarian businessman John Aglialoro, who was passionate about bringing this story to theaters. The story, an exciting and dramatic ode to individualism, was Ayn Rand's attempt to explain her objectivist philosophy in the context of a world where achievement is clearly undervalued. Unfortunately, it is an enormous task to bring philosophy to the masses...especially the current American masses.
The movie begins in 2016 with Dagny Taggart running Taggart Transcontinental, the largest remaining railroad company in America, along with her brother James. Dagny, the true brains behind the operation, teams up with Hank Rearden of Rearden Steel to use the untested Rearden Metal, to rebuild the critical Taggart rail line in Colorado and pave the way for oil titan Ellis Wyatt to build a new American Renaissance. The pair face enormous challenges from the government, friends, and their own families, while discovering a love for one another.
First, let's focus on the positives. The cast was really good. Taylor Schilling as Dagny Taggart and Grant Bowler as Hank Rearden were excellent choices, and they each gave convincing performances. It is a difficult thing to come across as a smart, confident business person, while at the same time not seeming cold and heartless. It's a dynamic that is hard for some to understand, because of the constant reminders in the media of the "evil rich".
Even though the performances from the cast were very strong, the production value did not match up. I understand this movie was made on a limited budget, but it felt as though they tried to do too much with the budget they had. The result was a movie that looked like it belonged on the SyFy Channel instead of the big screen. (Think "Giant Shark V MegaOctopus" or whatever that silly film was called) It seemed as though the producers spent all their money on big aerial shots in Colorado, instead of focusing on the details of a scene.
This leads me to the biggest disappointment of the film: the screenplay. Seriously, what were the producers thinking? The MOST important thing about this entire production was the screenplay, and it was simply awful.
I was lucky, I have read the book. But, for someone who is unfamiliar with the story, this movie would be confusing and difficult to enjoy. It is so weird, some scenes were brilliant and some were just this side of torture. The voice of Ayn Rand did not shine through as it should have. The objectivist philosophy was not clearly communicated. And the simple story structure was close to embarrassing. The film does not set up the story world in a proper way and the "media reports" to help move the story along were simply absurd.
I didn't hate it, by any means. But, I was disappointed. In the movie's defense, it would be impossible to make everyone happy...but, what I am afraid is that it won't make anyone happy. It simply needed a bigger budget, better production value, and a new screenwriter. Hopefully, part two will be better. You know I will see it the day it comes out. Because, when it comes down to it, the story is more important than the production. And if the movie brings more attention to Ayn Rand and Objectivist theory, then I am a happy libertarian and movie goer.
The movie begins in 2016 with Dagny Taggart running Taggart Transcontinental, the largest remaining railroad company in America, along with her brother James. Dagny, the true brains behind the operation, teams up with Hank Rearden of Rearden Steel to use the untested Rearden Metal, to rebuild the critical Taggart rail line in Colorado and pave the way for oil titan Ellis Wyatt to build a new American Renaissance. The pair face enormous challenges from the government, friends, and their own families, while discovering a love for one another.
First, let's focus on the positives. The cast was really good. Taylor Schilling as Dagny Taggart and Grant Bowler as Hank Rearden were excellent choices, and they each gave convincing performances. It is a difficult thing to come across as a smart, confident business person, while at the same time not seeming cold and heartless. It's a dynamic that is hard for some to understand, because of the constant reminders in the media of the "evil rich".
Even though the performances from the cast were very strong, the production value did not match up. I understand this movie was made on a limited budget, but it felt as though they tried to do too much with the budget they had. The result was a movie that looked like it belonged on the SyFy Channel instead of the big screen. (Think "Giant Shark V MegaOctopus" or whatever that silly film was called) It seemed as though the producers spent all their money on big aerial shots in Colorado, instead of focusing on the details of a scene.
This leads me to the biggest disappointment of the film: the screenplay. Seriously, what were the producers thinking? The MOST important thing about this entire production was the screenplay, and it was simply awful.
I was lucky, I have read the book. But, for someone who is unfamiliar with the story, this movie would be confusing and difficult to enjoy. It is so weird, some scenes were brilliant and some were just this side of torture. The voice of Ayn Rand did not shine through as it should have. The objectivist philosophy was not clearly communicated. And the simple story structure was close to embarrassing. The film does not set up the story world in a proper way and the "media reports" to help move the story along were simply absurd.
I didn't hate it, by any means. But, I was disappointed. In the movie's defense, it would be impossible to make everyone happy...but, what I am afraid is that it won't make anyone happy. It simply needed a bigger budget, better production value, and a new screenwriter. Hopefully, part two will be better. You know I will see it the day it comes out. Because, when it comes down to it, the story is more important than the production. And if the movie brings more attention to Ayn Rand and Objectivist theory, then I am a happy libertarian and movie goer.
3.20.2011
Nuclear Power? I Say Yes.
For everyone out there screaming and crying about the dangers of building new nuclear power plants here in the United States, I have a few suggestions to calm your fears:
#1 Don't build a nuclear power plant on an island
#2 Don't build a nuclear power plant on a fault line
For the first time in my lifetime, the United States government is strongly considering the approval of new nuclear power plants. It would create thousands of jobs and provide enormous amounts of power. To learn from the mistakes in Japan, we must focus on safety and technology, to keep the chances of an accident at a minimum.
But, if we are all going to live in fear about accidents...then lets just stop making cars, airplanes, trains, bridges, etc...anything that could possibly hurt or kill us.
And now, a sensible look at nuclear power from Penn & Teller.
#1 Don't build a nuclear power plant on an island
#2 Don't build a nuclear power plant on a fault line
For the first time in my lifetime, the United States government is strongly considering the approval of new nuclear power plants. It would create thousands of jobs and provide enormous amounts of power. To learn from the mistakes in Japan, we must focus on safety and technology, to keep the chances of an accident at a minimum.
But, if we are all going to live in fear about accidents...then lets just stop making cars, airplanes, trains, bridges, etc...anything that could possibly hurt or kill us.
And now, a sensible look at nuclear power from Penn & Teller.
12.22.2010
I Love The Judge! Freedom Watch At Its Finest...
Great show from Judge Andrew Napolitano and the Freedom Watch crew last night. Ron Paul, Jim Rogers, FED rap videos... Who could ask for more!!! Please disregard the fact that this appears on Fox News. Even a broken clock is right twice a day...
12.18.2010
Top 10 Promises from Politicians--Gone Wrong
What's that saying??? Oh yeah, I remember....
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions"
12.13.2010
Excuse You, Megan McArdle
"Republicans stashed him (Ron Paul) in this job because they don't want him making more important decisions. He cares passionately about monetary policy, which most Republicans don't care about. But when you look at his speeches, he doesn't understand anything about monetary policy. He might actually understand it less than the average member of Congress. My personal opinion is that he wastes all of his time on the House Financial Services Committee ranting crazily."
Megan McArdle, libertarian blogger and economics editor of the Atlantic
This quote appeared in a recent Slate.com article about Congressman Ron Paul. The "libertarian" source for their story said the above quote.
There is no possible way this woman is a libertarian...or, she has no eyes or ears. I take issue with her absolute disrespect. Watch this video from CNBC today and tell me this man doesn't know about monetary policy. I challenge you to find one other person in Congress that could talk in this much depth about monetary issues. Also, you may want to take a look at a post I wrote a few days ago The Great Recession Was Not a Surprise. My personal opinion is that you, Ms. McArdle, waste your time ranting crazily about someone you apparently know nothing about.
We've Come Along Way, Baby...
A Sunday New York Times piece called Rep. Ron Paul, G.O.P. Loner, Comes In From Cold highlighted the progress the Ron Paul movement has made in this country over the past 3 years. From being largely ignored by the media in his last presidential run to Tea Party Godfather and new Chairman of the House Subcomittee on Domestic Monetary Policy...Dr. Paul and his Campaign for Liberty have come a long way. It feels good to know the hard work is paying off. I've only been working for liberty for 3 years. Dr. Paul has been at it for nearly 40 years. His commitment to the Constitution is inspiring.
Dr. Ron Paul
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