Grampa Williams on Guam, 1944

I think I just found the picture of my grandfather, Robert Williams, pulling the rope on the first "official" raising of the US flag on Guam in 1944.

Do we all work for Goldman Sachs?

Here's a link to a conspiracy-type article about Goldman Sachs. Of course, I can't vouch for its accuracy, but in general I consider beyond dispute that there are corrupt "businessmen" pulling giant levers in Washington, defrauding the rest of us of enormous sums of the wealth we create, in just the kind of "crony capitalism" that statists use as an excuse for more government controls in the economy.

It is important to remember that some state oppression is direct, both politically and philosophically, i.e., taxes and regulations restrict your freedom and are meant to restrict your freedom; -- but a great deal of injustice is the indirect consequence of the non-capitalistic government's parceling out of favors to the "well-connected", i.e., to those who are willing and able to buy men of political power.

Atlas Shrugged gives timeless characterizations of both manifestations of statism.

Defenders of individual rights must communicate clearly the polar-opposite difference between those corrupt "businessmen" of today who are able to "do whatever they want" by trafficking in government favors -- versus the individuals in a system of true capitalism, who would be free to make any business arrangements, but would be unable to purchase economic favors from the government, since a capitalistic government would have none to sell.