Capitalism is a social system based on the recognition of individual rights, including property rights, in which all property is privately owned.

The recognition of individual rights entails the banishment of physical force from human relationships: basically, rights can be violated only by means of force. In a capitalist society, no man or group may initiate the use of physical force against others.

The only function of the government, in such a society, is the task of protecting man�s rights, i.e., the task of protecting him from physical force; the government acts as the agent of man�s right of self-defense, and may use force only in retaliation and only against those who initiate its use; thus the government is the means of placing the retaliatory use of force under objective control.

The government is promoting bad behavior! How this, president and new administration, why didn't you put up a website to have people vote on the Internet as a referendum to see if we really want to subsidize the losers' mortgages or would we like to at least buy cars and buy houses in foreclosure and give 'em to people that might have a chance to actually prosper down the road and reward people that could carry the water instead of drink the water. This is America! How many of you people (turning to the traders on the floor of the exchange) want to pay for your neighbor's mortgage that has an extra bathroom and can't pay their bills? Raise their hand. (boos) President Obama, are you listening?

Cuba used to have mansions and a relatively decent economy. They moved from the individual to the collective. Now they're driving '54 Chevys, may be the last great car to come out of Detroit. We're thinking of having a Chicago Tea Party in July. All you capitalists that want to show up at Lake Michigan, I'm going to start organizing.

The enigmatic John Galt is the male hero of Atlas Shrugged, and typifies the Randian hero. By trade, he is an engineer, and has developed a revolutionary new motor powered by ambient static electricity that has the potential to change the world. However, in disgust at the collectivization forced upon him at his workplace at the Twentieth Century Motor Company, he goes on strike, depriving the world of his invaluable invention.

John Galt's name is enshrined in the question "Who is John Galt?" The phrase is used popularly as an expression of helplessness and despair at the sorry state of the world.

Mullfoto of the Day


My first, horrified, thought was that the People's Republic of Alexandria had police assigned to inspecting Political Hacks. Upon further review, however, I understood they inspect taxi cabs.

Still...

Catchy Caption of the Day

Actual Caption:

Ryan Allen, competing under his drag queen persona of Reann Ballslee, waves to the crowd at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., after being crowned Ms. Mason on Feb. 14, 2009. Allen beat out two women for the homecoming queen title at the 30,000-studen tGeorge Mason University in suburban Washington, D.C.

Gives the title "Homecoming Queen" a new twist, doesn't it?

(AP Photo/Teddy Meyer/Broadside)