So far I’ve mentioned two New Year’s Resolutions: my main one, phrased as the question “Why deny myself the pleasure?” about not letting small annoyances spoil my enjoyment, and my desire to read more books in the place of online articles. In pursuit of that second resolution I’ve gotten s little over a quarter of the way through The Great Debate: Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the Birth of Right and Left
selfishness
And the Author of the Week Is . . . Ayn Rand.
photo credit: Wikipedia
Normally I keep political commentary off of this page, but since I usually have a book, podcast or film of the week I thought I’d showcase a writer who may be helping to shape the worldviews of people who will be shaping our world for the next four years. So far the incoming administration is planning to nominate huge Rand fans as Secretary of Labor, Secretary of State, and head of the CIA. The PEOTUS names Rand as a favorite of his:
The president-elect said this spring that he’s a fan of Rand and identifies with Howard Roark, the main character in “The Fountainhead.” Roark, played by Gary Cooper in the film adaptation, is an architect who dynamites a housing project he designed because the builders did not precisely follow his blueprints. “It relates to business, beauty, life and inner emotions. That book relates to … everything,” Trump told Kirsten Powers for a piece in USA Today. (from an article in the Washington Post)
Don’t Make Relationships in Your Own Image
“My 19th wedding anniversary is coming up soon. I can hardly wait! Aundrea and I are going to go out for spicy Cajun food, and then we’re going to drive down the road with country music blasting, and then we’ll park somewhere secluded and I’ll snuggle up next to her and tell her how much I love her blonde hair and blue eyes.”