TOC's Outreach Efforts 12/02

On September 24, USA Today published a page-one story by its regular business correspondent, Del Jones, under the headline "Scandals Lead Execs to Atlas Shrugged. 1957 Ayn Rand Novel in Vogue at Companies. " Setting the premise for his story, Jones wrote: "Executive headhunter Jeffrey Christian says that many of his clients are re-reading the 1,075-page novel to remind themselves that self-interest is not only the right thing to do from an economic standpoint but is moral, as well."

Jones's article also profiled several executives who have long been devotees of Ayn Rand's ideas, including TOC trustees Ed Snider, Frank Bond, and John Aglialoro. In addition, the piece quoted TOC's Washington director Edward L. Hudgins and its Atlas Society director Robert Bidinotto. In a follow-up to the article, Hudgins was a guest on "Nolan at Night" where he discussed the relevance of Atlas Shrugged to the business community.

On October 14, TOC's executive director, David Kelley was interviewed on "The Mike Siegel Show" to discuss political correctness. A few days later, he appeared on WebFN's "Politics and Money," where the topic was contemporary capitalism.

Ed Hudgins was kept especially busy this fall with his writing, speaking, and media appearances. Not least, he contributed two articles to the current issue of Navigator: the cover story on Muslim toleration and an appreciation of his political hero, Cicero.

On August 2, Hudgins appeared on the NPR radio show "Public Interest" to debate the idea that the federal government should require companies to have more generous vacation policies. On August 13, a threat by Tory backbenchers to form an Objectivist political party in Great Britain brought Hudgins an invitation from the BBC to discuss Ayn Rand and her influence. On September 5, Hudgins spoke to the New York City Junto on the question: "Can Ayn Rand Conquer Washington?"

Also in September, allegations that President Bush was planning to "privatize the Moon" won Hudgins a radio interview, during which he promoted Space: The Free-Market Frontier. This volume, edited and introduced by Hudgins (and published by the Cato Institute) contains sixteen essays from authors such as Reason Foundation founder Robert Poole, former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and Representative Dana Rohrbacher of California. It is available from The Objectivism Store. On October 4, the forty-fifth anniversary of the Space Age, Hudgins spoke at an event sponsored by the New York chapter of the National Space Society and SpaceEquity (an organization devoted to creating a space-based economy). His thesis was that space exploration will have potential cultural benefits for our society, as well as economic ones, if the private sector is allowed to take the lead.

On November 8, Hudgins (who is a member of the board of the Maryland Taxpayers Association) spoke at the MAT's press conference in Baltimore and revealed his calculations that the burden from state and local regulations on Maryland's economy is about $17.5 billion annually. According to the Baltimore Sun, he declared that the state's governor-elect, Robert L. Ehrlich, needs to have initiate a complete regulatory review.

Hudgins also appeared on USA Radio Network's "Judicial Watch Report" to discuss the results of the midterm elections and the economy. On November 26, he spoke about unemployment on the Cox TV syndicate. And in honor of Thanksgiving, Hudgins penned op-ed entitled "Creating Our Own Blessings."