I submit almost all my blog posts to StumbleUpon, as that drives quite a bit of traffic. Sometimes, those “stumblers” like what they read, but sometimes they don’t. Mostly they don’t post comments, but sometimes they do. Some of those comments are true gems. Take, for example, this comment from Tuesday, posted on Objectivists Speak Out Against ObamaCare.

Name: Josef

Objectivists: you are all dead wrong. Rand’s philosophy is nothing more than selfishness, there’s nothing redeeming about it. The mathematical formulation of the basis for claiming that individual selfish actions as coordinated by the market result in uniformly positive outcomes has been debunked extensively. Market failures stemming from asymmetrical information and the lack of rational actors make it such that following the policies you all desire so much will not result in superior outcomes. As such, why not reconsider your objections instead of vowing to fight the government? I do not love this healthcare bill – I believe in a democratic market/socialism blend a la Scandinavia (and I defy you to claim that you would be horrible abused and deprived of your liberty in Scandinavia), and I think this bill is a giveaway to corporatists, and example of crony capitalism’s worst features. But it’s better than the status quo for now.

More generally, I can see shades of grey. I know that markets are perfect for coordinating many economic activities, but I can also see how they don’t always work and as such government intervention is required. Why must Objectivists be so stubborn and ideological? Aristotle said moderation in all things is wise, but you-all just push for the extremes…

Oh, that just begs for a fisking! Get to it!