Buy Tori's Awesome Poster!

Tori Press is selling a limited edition run of "Life Lessons from Ayn Rand" posters. These posters are professionally designed and printed, with six quotations from Ayn Rand laid out in beautiful typography. The poster is 11" x 17" and suitable for framing.

 

Quotations featured include:
"A is A."
"Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one's values."
"Man is an end in himself. As man is a being of self-made wealth, so he is a being of self-made soul."
"Productive work is the central purpose of a rational man's life."
"To say 'I love you' one must know first how to say the 'I.'"
"The purpose of morality is to teach you, not to suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live."

The cost of each poster is $15, plus $5 shipping unless you are in the Atlanta area. 20% of the sales price of each poster will be donated to ATLOS, the Atlanta Objectivist Society, to help fund its events and outreach.

 

Please contact Tori at tori@redqueenstudio.com if you are interested in purchasing a poster or would like more information.

Could Most Government Programs be Voluntarily Funded?

I think so, but I meet many people who don't.  As evidence, I point to examples such as toll roads and private charities.  As further evidence, I saw this blog post over at Carpe Diem today about New York City's Central Park.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Central Park is how little tax money goes into maintaining it. Though it is still ultimately the city’s responsibility, the park has been managed since the 1980s by the nonprofit Central Park Conservancy, and it relies on private donations for most of its budget.

In my best Johnny Carson voice, "I did not know that!"  Click through to read the whole story.  It's very interesting!

This Week's Objectivist Roundup

It's over at Parenting Is… Go check it out!

This Week's Objectivist Roundup

It's over at Rational Jenn.  Go check it out!

This Week's Objectivist Roundup

It's over at 3 Ring Binder.  Go check it out!

This Week's Objectivist Roundup

This week's roundup is over at Parenting is… Go check it out!

Email from Planned Parenthood

In response to my blog post, Pregnancy (and Rights) Lost. My Experience with Miscarriage, Planned Parenthood and the Government, I received the following emails from Planned Parenthood.  (Posted with permission.)

 

Dear Ms. Kelly McNulty Valenzuela:

As President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, I was deeply touched by your recent blog post detailing a personal and emotional experience you had at one of our health centers.  I’m glad you found our staff welcoming, professional, comforting, and accepting during a time of great need.

I’d also like to commend you for recognizing that Planned Parenthood is pro-family and pro-life – everyday we work to ensure that women have access to affordable health care and are able to plan their families for when they are ready.  We also recognize that each woman’s circumstance is unique and we are here to support any choice she makes.

I would, however, like to clarify a common misperception.  In Colorado, Planned Parenthood does not receive state or federal family planning grant funds.  Rather, we provide preventive family planning services to those who need our services with support from private donations.  As a Medicaid provider, we also are able to provide preventive services to Coloradoans most in need of affordable health care.  Simply put, we do not receive government subsidies. Furthermore, we strictly follow state and federal laws that prohibit public funding of abortion (with exceptions only made for cases of rape, incest or the life of the woman).

Again, I thank for your support of our mission and please feel free to personally contact me if you would ever like to get more involved with Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.  In the meantime, I encourage you to sign up for our free political affairs email newsletter to stay up to date on local news and events impacting reproductive health.

Again, thank you for your remarks in support of Planned Parenthood and the women we serve.

Vicki Cowart

President & CEO

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains

7155 E. 38th Ave | Denver, CO 80207 | 303.321.7526

Someone you know counts on Planned Parenthood.
Please consider supporting Planned Parenthood today by visiting www.pprm.org.

I thanked Vicki for emailing me, clarifying the government subsidies aspect and asked for her permission to post her email, which she graciously gave.  In her response, she also included the following:

 

One other thing – while I was speaking from the perspective of PPRM [Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains], which receives no public funding for family planning in Colorado, I also know that across the US, even if they receive public funds, all Planned Parenthood affiliates “strictly follow state and federal laws that prohibit public funding of abortion”. That strict compliance is something we have in common in all of our locations.

Again, I thank Vicki for this clarification and for writing to me, and I thank Planned Parenthood for helping me when I needed help.