prosperity

It is like religion. Impervious to reason.

Who was the ad agency that thought to put rats in a sub commercial and then make bone-crunching sounds at the end? hahahahahhahahaha I'm kinda curious how it affected sales (up OR down)...

Maybe I missed the explanation I'm about to give in the 45 pages of discussion about determinism vs. free will, but the answer is pretty simple. Determinism, in ALL it's forms, is self-contradictory and thus invalid. I suppose I could give a simple example, because some people are making this WAY too complicated... ...suppose someone tells you that the reason you take such and such an action is because you have to, that you think certain thoughts because you have, and so on and that there is no such thing as "free will". The problem with this theory becomes immediately apparent when you consider that this would mean that no piece of knowledge could claim greater plausibility over another. There would be no such thing as true or false, right or wrong...because everything that is done, said, and thought had to be done the way it was. There was no alternative. That means if someone puts 2 + 2 together and comes up with "5" and another individual puts 2 + 2 together and comes up with 4, both came up with the answers they came up with because they had to come up with them...it was necessary. Truth and falsehood are automatically ejected from the theory and any discussion of Determinism. But this necessarily means that all knowledge - all "truths" - under this theory vanish and nothing is knowable...but if nothing is knowable this would include the claim that the theory of Determinism is "true" and that free will is "invalid". How could they (supports of Determinism) know they are right? They don't and they couldn't...and they never will. Even if you try to rationalize or concede to the idea that everything is pre-determined, but that logic is still somehow part of the process, you still come up with a contradiction, because by what means are you applying logic when you simultaneously (and allegedly) have no alternatives to examine to come up with an answer to a problem?

I have been thinking about this recently also. I could not understand for the life of me why ARI and specifically Peikoff would consider supporting the left. The more I think about it, the more it seems to be one of a few strategies that might work. Republican or Democrat, both are out to destroy America, ultimately. The Republicans just pretend to like Capitalism is all. Remember, it was a Republican controlled congress who initiated the first antitrust laws...and today, it is the same party who "somehow" wanted to increase spending on the war yet "reduced taxes"..."somehow". On the one hand, one might try to argue that we should not support our own destroyers - which would exempt one from voting for either political party. Will either political party really give someone who is in love with the Objectivist philosophy what they really want? On the other hand, I'm not 100% sure it really matters. Reason is the self correcting method. America and it's economy will collapse if it does not turn back to capitalistic principles - period. Most of the people here know (I think) that free markets work, and that Capitalism is right, morally. Whether it is a political revolution or an economic one, something will happen. It has to. Let's say that Republican's continue to dominate in the White House...let them keep spending. They will only be able to continue having the FED "print" up money for their wars for so long. They can only tighten their moral grip so far before you have a faux "code name V" type of rebellion against a legitimate theocracy. Have you seen recent inflation figures lately? Not core inflation. REAL inflation. Inflation of core plus food and energy. The dollar will not be able to continue to sustain a beating like this forever. At some point, a politician - whomever they may be - will have to adopt an objective approach to dealing with the issue. The same thing could happen under a Democratically controlled White House though. Substitute spending abroad for spending at home. If they want to expand social programs to the point that it bankrupts America, well...then...when the dollar collapses, someone will have to deal with it. Someone will have to return to capitalistic principles or let the USA become the next former U.S.S.R. The third option is to try to fix America, but at this point it's not looking so good. My question is, I guess, does it really matter who we vote for? $D$

Maybe this should go without saying, it might be a good idea to get a checkup from a doctor before making radical changes to your diet/lifestyle...depending on your current health, some suggestions might not be suitable yet (or ever). I don't know where most people have gotten their nutritional information from, but I gravitated towards the original William Banting and Robert Atkins approach (which is sadly misunderstood by many folks who try to pick up the current low-carb books today). To make sure I get most of my vital nutrients I have two scoops of "the ultimate meal" (http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Life-Meal-1200-powder/dp/B00013YYR6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-8147292-0292840?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1185946875&sr=8-1) I am not in any way vegan, but for the price per vitamin/nutrient, it's tough to beat. Plus I don't need to worry too much about buying expensive fresh vegetables or trying to come up with creative ways to serve the few canned version of veggies I like. I think someone else mentioned Walmart/Sams Club for cheap, good food and I have to second that. Bulk bags of chicken, frozen hamburger patties...or if you are really tight on money, tuna fish You can also buy dehydrated eggs from honeyville farms (or through amazon.com)...the price comes out to be roughly 1.25/dozen. Not bad and they keep for a long time just in case you can't or don't want to eat the 2-3 dozen bulk carton of eggs you get from Walmart/Sams Club. I once lived almost exclusively on peanut butter for a month when I was younger...haha. Not sure that was the best thing to do but hey...if you are really broke you have fat, some carbs, and protein all in one spoonful Hope that gives you some ideas anyway.