Happy Labor Day, everyone!  What better way to celebrate a day off from work then by discussing Ayn Rand and William F. Buckley, am I right?

Rand's two classic works, The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957), are engaging, insightful novels that remain must-reads for any proponent of de-centralized government and economy.  Atlas remains the best-selling novel of all time, but I actually personally prefer The Fountainhead.

In recent years, and due in large part to the waning confidence most Americans have in their ever-increasing-with-power-and-control government, Rand's writings and philosophies have found their way into the consciousness of a whole new generation of Americans.  Although an unapologetic atheist and fierce critic of religion, Rand still has many important things to teach all those willing to wade through her massive epochs.

The late, great William F. Buckley had this to say (on The Charlie Rose Show) on Ms. Rand a few years ago:

There's no reason for a religious conservative to run and hide from Ayn Rand; but there's also no theological or moral ground for a one to embrace her ideology.  Taken to their logical conclusions, objectivism and compulsive individualism are no better than the secular collectivism of Marx, Mao and (unfortunately) many others.

Liberals - especially religious ones - enjoy lumping all "limited government" conservatives and libertarians in with the cold, calculating, selfish Rand, but this is not the case.  For most Center-Right Americans, the definition for a statement such as "pursuit of one's own self-interest" does not exclude things like God, charity, compassion, etc. as Ms. Rand's does.

For more on this important subject, check out these two excellent resources:

• The late Whittaker Chambers' column (mentioned by Buckley in the video clip above) from National Review in 1957: "Big Sister Is Watching You"
• My friend Joseph Sunde's recent treatment of it on his website Remnant Culture.com.

Enjoy the day off, folks!

When it comes to knowledge and insight, one need not look much further than Professor Victor Davis Hanson.  The man oozes with wisdom.

A professor of the classics for more than two decades in the California State University system, Dr. Hanson is a columnist at National Review, a senior fellow of military history at Stanford's Hoover Institution, and the author of more than a dozen books.

VDH, as he's affectionately known in conservative circles, graciously lent us a 1/2 hour of his time and we covered everything from his monthly lunches with Dr. Thomas Sowell to his Swedish ancestry to the current state of American higher education.

You're going to enjoy this interview.  Trust me.

Listen live below or download us on your iTunes!

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Pertinent links to our conversation with VDH:

• Professor Hanson's personal website
• His Hoover Institution homepage
• Recent interview with VDH at Uncommon Knowledge
• His 2001 masterpiece, Carnage and Culture
• His review of Jared Diamond's (Guns, Germs, and Steel) work
• His most recent National Review column, "The Tragic View Returns" (this is a MUST READ!!!)

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We are likely witnessing the implosion of the Democrat Party.  Think of how different things were a year ago!

The latest Democrat to abandon the proverbial sinking ship is Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN).  Writing today at National Review Online, RiShawn Biddle diagnoses what he believes to have been Senator Bayh's fatal flaw:

Certainly there is speculation that Bayh may seek the Democratic presidential nomination — or even attempt an independent presidential campaign — in 2012 or 2016. This assumes that Bayh can repeat his past success in presenting himself as one of the Democratic party’s more centrist players. But it was precisely this well-practiced fence-straddling between conservatism and liberalism that led to Bayh’s downfall. The anger and fatigue among Hoosier voters over the current recession — combined with President Obama’s unpopularity — are hurting all Democrats, but Bayh was hurt even worse by the perception among both conservatives and liberals that he stood for his own political ambitions (and occasionally, his wife’s business interests) than for any consistent ideology.

The danger of demonstrating such an absence of strong, thoughtful political positions should be kept in mind by Republicans and Democrats alike. It is often better to be principled (and even a tad ideological) to a fault than to be milquetoast by a mile.

Please understand that the precipitous decline in the popularity of Democrats among voters does not spell certain success for the GOP come 2010 and 2012.  Nor should it.  Republicans absolutely blew their chance to curtail spending, drastically cut taxes, and return our national focus to the original intent of the US Constitution.  That didn't happen.

But things can change.  Parties can change.  They change when voters show up to primaries and town halls and call/email their local representatives.  They change when voters start following their leaders and keeping score for themselves (instead of letting the media re-writer history every chance they get).

The folks in Washington are terrified of you and me.  Evan Bayh is just the latest in an increasingly long line of politicians who have read the poll numbers on the wall (so to speak) and know they are donzo.

Although he declared that his decision was motivated by his desire to escape the “strident partisanship” of the present-day Senate and his interest in finding “better ways to serve my fellow citizens,” he faced the prospect of losing the seat in the same fashion his legendary father did 30 years ago. According to internal party polls just three months ago, he was polling at 63 percent; by late January, the junior senator from Indiana had the support of a mere 45 percent of likely voters surveyed by Rasmussen Reports.

Keep up the fight, America.  Charles Krauthammer and the Fox News All-stars are behind you: