Welcome to the August 27, 2009 edition of the Objectivist Roundup. Writers of the following pieces are motivated by Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism. According to Ayn Rand:  “My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.”

Joseph Kellard presents ‘He was absolutely a leader’ posted at Joseph Kellard, saying, “An obituary I wrote about an innovative FDNY firefighter. The obit was printed in the Long Beach Herald.”

Roderick Fitts presents Concepts from an Objectivist Perspective, Part 1 posted at Inductive Quest, saying, “The first part of my post explaining my understanding of concepts as an Objectivist. I discuss what concepts are, generally understood, and the differences between concepts and perceptions; this lays the groundwork for my upcoming summary of Rand’s Theory of Concepts in Part 2.”

Stephen Bourque presents Cash for Clunkers posted at One Reality, saying, “For every $4500 that Cash for Clunkers puts into someone’s pocket, it takes more than $4500 away from the Americans to whom that money belongs. The program is not a “stimulation” of anything; it is a carefully disguised welfare package.”

Roderick Fitts presents Concepts from an Objectivist Perspective, Part 2 posted at Inductive Quest, saying, “A summary of key elements of Rand’s theory of concepts, the unit perspective and measurement-omission. Also discusses the nature of abstraction in relation to measurement.”

Diana Hsieh presents Delegation Galore posted at NoodleFood, saying, “Often, maximizing one’s productive potential means delegating work to others, but delegation is a skill that must be learned. This post has some advice on how to delegate effectively.”

Rational Jenn presents PD Tool: Curiosity Questions posted at Rational Jenn, saying, “Using open-ended questions in discipline and problem-solving situations (among others) encourages kids to use independent thinking.”

Kelly Elmore presents I Summon Dr. Johnson, As He Summoned Democritus posted at Reepicheep’s Coracle, saying, “My thoughts on a Samuel Johnson poem that has some relevance to the corruption in our modern world.”

Trey Givens presents Hoplophobia and Anthropophobia posted at Trey Givens.com, saying, “I was a little surprised at the number of people who have been commenting recently in anger and fear that anyone other than the military or police might publicly carry a gun especially in the general vicinity of the president. So, I comment briefly that I think this fear of guns has the tint of a general fear of people. What are your thoughts?”

Kirk presents Thomas Sowell’s “The Housing Boom and Bust,” A review posted at A is A.

Paul Hsieh presents Health Care Debate Shifting onto Moral Grounds posted at NoodleFood, saying, “President Obama now claims that universal health care is a ‘moral obligation’. This is good news for us.”

Stella presents See? We’re not crazy. posted at ReasonPharm, saying, “A brief example of a healthcare protester whom liberals can’t call ‘crazy’.”

Amy Mossoff presents Children Vows posted at The Little Things, saying, “My husband and I thought very carefully before we decided to have a child. We wanted to be very concrete and specific about our reasons and our goals in taking this biggest of all leaps into the unknown. So we decided to write what we call our Children Vows.”

Amy Mossoff presents Announcing the Virtual Objectivist Club posted at The Little Things, saying, “Announcing a great new opportunity for students interested in the ideas of Ayn Rand: the Virtual Objectivist Club.”

Ari Armstrong presents Rationing I: Price Distribution Is Not Rationing posted at FreeColorado.com, saying, “What is the meaning of rationing? First of a four-part series.”

Stella presents Another lesson on making deals with the devil posted at ReasonPharm, saying, “It’s inevitable that Big Pharma will pay for its mistake of championing the increase in Medicare prescription benefits of the Bush administration. If Henry Waxman has his way, the industry will be paying sooner rather than later.”

Dan Edge presents EC Playhouse: A Musical Romp in Sunny-Sided Theater posted at The Edge of Reason, saying, “From the introduction: “This past Friday I had the pleasure of attending Electric City (EC) Playhouse’s musical production of Keep on the Sunny Side. I was so enamored with the story, the songs, and the cast that today I am taking on the role of amateur theater critic. Keep on the Sunny Side is a touching, knee-slapping, benevolent, and delightfully executed biographical musical. The history of The Carter Family is an inspiring tale in its own right, but coupled with timeless folk classics performed by a talented ensemble cast, Sunny Side yields the perfect recipe for an enriching theatrical experience.”"

Doug Reich presents Waiting Under Socialized Medicine posted at The Rational Capitalist, saying, “While British women deliver babies in elevators and toilets, the pragmatist health care bureaucrats wait for more ‘details’ to better understand what is happening. If they could think in principle, no one would have to wait.”

Doug Reich presents Who Are The Real “Masters of Deception”? posted at The Rational Capitalist, saying, “Round up of links related to previous posts analyzing and debunking leftist smear tactics directed at opponents of liberal policies.”

Doug Reich presents Jours Heureux! - Follow Up posted at The Rational Capitalist, saying, “Follow up to a post wherein I discussed the intriguing affair between Thomas Jefferson and Maria Cosway.”

Brian Phillips presents Altruism and the Health Care Police posted at Houston Property Rights, saying, “If concern for the welfare of others is a moral duty, then we must do more than simply pay for the health care of the needy. We must also take steps to improve their overall health.”

Michael Labeit presents A Critique of “Religious Roots of Liberty” by Reverend Edmund A. Opitz posted at Coroner’s Bureau, saying, “Another libertarian argument gone awry.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Objectivist Roundup using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.