ARI Media Feed

The murders of American diplomatic and military personnel in Libya underscore the consequences of America’s longstanding failure to uphold the rights of Americans to live and speak their minds in the face of the Islamist threat. This op-ed was published at FoxNews.com. Read it here. Link to original

From the legacy of free trade to the fall of California, and far too much to list in between, Watkins shares his opinions. This interview was published at WashingtonTimes.com. Read it here. Link to original

Government intervention into the economy has been growing for the better part of a century, but it has really taken off during the Bush and Obama years. How can you stop a trend like that? The interview was published at Education News. Read it here. Link to original

The problem today is not that companies are laying off employees in pursuit of profits. It’s that the government has hamstrung everybody’s ability to pursue profits, leading to the sort of widespread, prolonged unemployment that wouldn’t exist in a genuinely free market. This article was published at Forbes.com on September 6, 2012. Link to original

Did Paul Ryan take his foreign policy from Ayn Rand? Rand certainly believed that the United States benefits from a freer world. Thus, she held, America should speak up for dissidents everywhere who seek greater freedom. But Rand would only ever consider deploying the military where the rights of Americans hang in the balance -- when, in other words, it becomes an issue of self-defense. This critical distinction may well be lost on Ryan, if the media's parsing of his neoconservative leanings has been fair. This op-ed was published at Foreignpolicy.com on August 28, 2012. Link to original

Instead of criticizing Ryan's Rand connection, perhaps the question we should be asking is why her ideas have not had a much greater impact on his worldview. This op-ed was published at Foxnews.com on August 21, 2012. Link to original

Mitt Romney's running mate Paul Ryan deserves credit for trying to tackle the coming entitlement crisis. But whatever you can say about his plan for Social Security, you cannot ascribe it to Ayn Rand. Rand did not want to save Social Security; she wanted to end it. This op-ed was published at The Christian Science Monitor on August 21, 2012. Link to original

It's not often that an American election sparks debate about a philosopher. But ever since Mitt Romney announced his selection of Paul Ryan as his vice presidential candidate, talk has turned to the ideas of novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand. This op-ed was published at The Guardian on August 17, 2012. Link to original

"There is no question that the government must spare no effort in defining and prosecuting real cases of medical fraud, malpractice and criminal negligence -- and there is no question that such cases exist in the stem cell market. But instead of serving as our protector against charlatans who prey on the sick and desperate, the FDA has itself become an agent of coercion, forcibly denying us the freedom to use treatments that could save our lives." This op-ed was published at The Daily Caller on August 10, 2012. Link to original

"Obama wants to wipe out the enormous difference between people like my grandfather, who succeed because they choose to think, create, work, and build--and those who don't." This column was published at Forbes.com on July 30, 2012. Link to original

. "In place of capitalism’s philosophy of win-win, the welfare state puts everyone’s wealth up for grabs, ensuring that one person’s gain comes at his neighbor’s expense." This was a column written for Forbes.com and published on July 12, 2012. Link to original

"Private equity firms have a bad reputation. They're called 'predators,' 'job killers' and 'vultures.'" The was an exclusive article written for Investor's Business Daily. Link to original

"It's the same old song: Wherever you go, whatever you do, if it involves making profits, President Obama will be right there criticizing you." This was an exclusive article written for USA Today. Link to original

3 Things Everyone Needs to Know About the Apple Antitrust Case [Forbes] Tuesday, April 10, 2012 By: Don Watkins and Yaron Brook This was an exclusive article written for Forbes.com. Link to original

By: Don Watkins and Yaron Brook This was an exclusive article written for Forbes.com. Link to original

. IRVINE, Calif.—Digital Book World Conference 2012 is the site of this year’s Publishing Innovation Awards, and the prize for best entry in the App Fiction category has been awarded to Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged.” It is remarkable for a classic novel to receive such a leading-edge award fifty-five years after publication. Curated by New American Library/Penguin Group editors and the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), the app brings together the classic, unabridged text, and rarely seen archival materials to add a new dimension to the reader’s experience of the work, author’s life, and philosophy, in a truly unique immersive literary experience. Rarely seen material included in the app: Videos and audio excerpts from the author on main topics from the book Full-length audio lectures by Rand, including a Q&A on Objectivism, an outline of its basic principles, and commentary on the state of business and government Handwritten, original manuscript and notes pages by the author An illustrated timeline of the author’s life and major works Informative articles on the author and her philosophy of Objectivism Memorable quotes throughout that can be easily shared via Facebook, Twitter and email A photo gallery of early images of the author Discussion Guide ATLAS SHRUGGED Amplified Edition for the iPad / $14.99, downloadable at the iTunes store/Penguin Group (USA) is on sale now. For the app website, visit the iTunes App Store. For a video demonstration of the app, click here. # # # Link to original

by Yaron Brook WASHINGTON—New reports from Ayn Rand’s publisher indicates that sales figures for “Atlas Shrugged” are continuing a remarkable trend. In 2011 all English editions of “Atlas Shrugged” sold 445,000 copies. “This is incredible,” says Dr. Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute. “Since Obama was elected, ‘Atlas Shrugged’ has sold more than 1.5 million copies. This is unheard of in the publishing industry, for a 55-year-old novel to register sales of this magnitude. And what’s even more remarkable is that this is even more than the book sold in 1957 . . . when it was a best seller!” In addition, Penguin’s new “Atlas Shrugged” iPad app recently won the Publishing Innovation Award for best app in the fiction category. “Atlas Shrugged” is a mystery story about the disappearance of America’s great thinkers, industrialists, inventors and artists. Its theme is the role of the mind in man’s existence. A philosophical novel of breathtaking scope, “Atlas Shrugged” has been embraced, in recent years, by people looking for answers to the problems of an ever-expanding federal government. # # # Yaron Brook is executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute. He is a columnist at Forbes.com and his articles have been featured in major publications such as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Investor’s Business Daily. Dr. Brook is often interviewed on radio and is a frequent guest on a variety of national TV programs. He is co-author of “Neoconservatism: An Obituary for an Idea” and a contributor to “Winning the Unwinnable War: America’s Self-Crippled Response to Islamic Totalitarianism.” Dr. Brook, a former finance professor, is an internationally sought after speaker on such topics as the causes of the financial crisis, the morality of capitalism, and US foreign policy. Link to original

*** Merged topics. - sN *** On February 2, Ayn Rand's birthday, it's clear that she has helped many people see that something has gone wrong in America. But they haven't yet understood the source of the problem or Rand's radical solution. This was an exclusive article written for Fox News Opinion. Link to original

null (NY Post, June 2, 2003) New York City rent control laws are about to expire, and supporters are avidly campaigning for a 5-year extension. This in the face of the fact that rent controls have never worked: they create shortages and decrease the quality of housing. But the activists for rent control don’t care that it doesn’t work. They—and much of the public—think that rent controls are “humanitarian.” After all, isn’t the government trying to help poor people and keep them out of the clutches of greedy, gouging landlords? What drives these activists are not issues of practicality but issues of morality. Yet there is nothing moral about rent controls. Rent controls are a violation—not an extension—of human rights. They are a gun at the heads of apartment owners who have the moral right to decide the price at which they will offer a unit for rent. In a free society, no government (local, state, or federal) has the moral right to interfere with the choices of people to do business with each other. It should no more tell a landlord what price to offer than it should tell a prospective tenant how much he can spend on rent. Both the landlord and the tenant have the moral right to “just say no” to the other’s offer. From their supposedly high moral plane, the advocates of rent control rest their case on a variety of false charges: “Only the landlord has a choice, because he controls the apartment that the tenant needs and thus he has the tenant over a barrel”: The tenant controls the rent that the landlord needs; that’s always what’s involved in a contract: each party has a value the other wants, and they trade their values to mutual advantage. Neither party has a right to the other’s values, no matter how much he wants it: landlords have no divine right to a customer or to certain levels of rent (they’re free to lower their offers or invest their money elsewhere), and tenants have no right to a landlord's apartment (they’re free to seek alternative housing). “Human rights are more important than property rights.” Property rights are human rights, and very basic ones. They are the rights of human beings to use their own property. To claim the right to control another person's property is to claim the right to that person's life. “Rent controls are perfectly legitimate because this is a democracy, and rent controls have been voted in.” It makes no difference how popular a law is; it can still be a violation of rights. Just because the majority votes away someone's property doesn’t give it a moral right to do so. If a neighbor sneaks into your house and takes some money out of your wallet to help pay his rent, that’s theft; there’s no moral difference if a group of your neighbors gets together and votes away your money to help pay their rents; that’s merely “legalized theft.” If majority rule were the only basis for deciding what the government can do, then 51 percent of the people could legitimately vote to enslave or even kill the other 49 percent. The Nazis were voted into office and had great popular support. All tyrannies are wrong, including tyranny by the majority. The voters don’t own your life or your property. “Landlords are just being selfish by wanting higher rents.” Why is it OK for tenants to be selfish by wanting lower rents? In fact, there’s nothing wrong with being selfish—rationally selfish. Selfishness means that you live for your own happiness, not that of others. Landlords want the highest rent they can get, and tenants want the best apartment for the least possible rent. Neither party should be altruistic: the landlord shouldn’t say “you can have this apartment for less than you’re willing to spend,” nor should the tenant say “I’ll pay you more than you’re willing to take, just to make you happy.” Being selfish means you don’t sacrifice yourself to others or sacrifice others to yourself. It means that you—and everyone—live independently, trading value for value. With the threat of extended rent control looming, New Yorkers should reject the claim—inherited from Marxism—that landlords are “evil exploiters.” Most of the former Communist world has discovered that an economy run by dictatorial decrees (a “command” economy) destroys freedom. Isn’t it about time that our own politicians and tenants learn the same lesson? # # # Michael S. Berliner, Ph.D., is Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ayn Rand Institute Link to original

Picking your neighbors' pockets is not a necessity of survival. This was an exclusive article written for Forbes.com. Link to original

How could Ayn Rand have anticipated, more than 50 years ago, a United States spinning out of financial control, plagued by soaring spending and crippling regulations? This was an exclusive article written for Fox News Opinion. Link to original

The achievements of brilliant men like Jobs are profoundly moral. This was an exclusive article written for Forbes.com. Link to original

The problem with the entitlement state is not simply that it is bankrupting this countrythe problem is that it is morally bankrupt. This was an exclusive article written for Forbes.com. Link to original

What's at stake in the Obamacare litigation? Much more, we are being told, than the viability of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act itself. What hangs in the balance, conservatives proclaim, is nothing less than the future of constitutionally limited government in America. This was an exclusive article written for The Daily Caller. Link to original

Why have oil and gasoline prices soared for most of the last few years--and why, despite a recent dip in prices, do many analysts expect them to rise for years to come? It comes down to supply and demand. This was an exclusive article written for The Daily Caller. Link to original