Washington Metro Objectivism Discussion (WMOD)

                 Thursday, September 20, 2001   

           Can Country-and-Western Music Survive Prosperity?
              Looking Ahead Economically 50 And 100 Years.

                         By Bert Ely

No, this talk will not be about country-and-western music.  Instead, it 
will explore the philosophical and political implications for Objectivism 
of continued economic growth in the United States, including the continued 
decline of "absolute deprivation" (which fostered C&W music) and the 
political impact of a growing sense of "relative deprivation."  Some data 
illustrate this challenge:  Over the next 50 years, per-capita GDP, on a 
real or inflation-adjusted basis, will approximately triple if the economy 
grows at the same 2 1/4% real rate that it did in the 1929-2000 
period.  Over the next 100 years, per-capita GDP will grow to nine times 
the present level at a 2 1/4% real annual growth rate.  Based on population 
projections, that annual growth in per-capita GDP would produce a U.S. 
economy in 2101 approximately 17-18 times the size of today's 
economy.  Ample time will be allowed for questions and discussion.

Bert Ely is a financial institutions and monetary policy consultant based 
in Alexandria, Virginia.  An early predictor of the U.S. savings-and-loan 
crisis, Bert consults today on a wide variety of public policy issues 
affecting the financial services sector of the economy and occasionally 
lobbies on these issues.  Hence, he brings to his political theorizing the 
perspective of a practitioner.  Central to Bert's professional work is his 
commitment to eliminating government distortions in the price of credit. 
To that end, he believes that the Federal Reserve should be abolished, 
with the determination of all interest rates left entirely to the financial 
marketplace.  His company web site is http://www.ely-co.com/
 
      WHEN AND WHERE IS THE WMOD MEETING?

Please join WMOD on Thursday, September 20.  Anyone who is
interested in rational discussion of Ayn Rand's ideas is welcome.
There will be a $2 charge for the talk if you are not having 
dinner. Note that our meeting location is Metro accessible.  You can
either join us for drinks at 6:30 or for dinner at 7 PM or for
the talk at 8:15 PM at the Hunan Palace in Rosslyn, VA
just across the Key Bridge from Georgetown.  The street address is
1812 North Moore Street.  If you come by Metro, get off at the
Rosslyn Metro Exit and the Hunan Palace is only a few feet away.
Take the street exit on N. Moore Street (across street from Roy
Rogers/Burger King), go out of Metro and take a left, and the
Palace is a few feet down N. Moore Street.  If you drive, there is
a parking garage (Allstate) next door to the Palace that is free
after 6:00 PM.  Due to construction you may have to go down the
ramp to the underground level.  There will be a $15 fixed price
dinner (including tax and tip), or you can order from the menu. 
 
Please RSVP to WMOD at (703) 820-7696 before noon on the day of
the meeting so that we can tell the restaurant how many tables to
set up and how many to expect for dinner.  For more information,
call the Hunan Palace at (703) 528-8188, or call David Saum
at (703) 820-7696 (W) or (703) 671-5119 (H).  

                  FUTURE MEETINGS

WMOD meetings are generally held on the third Wednesday of each
month.  We are always looking for new stimulating meeting topics
related to Objectivism.  Please contact WMOD if you have
suggestions for meeting topics and locations, or if you can
volunteer some time to arrange meetings.

                   CALENDAR

        The Objectivist Center (formerly IOS) events
http://www.objectivistcenter.org

         GMU Objectivist Club Events
http://www.gmu.edu/org/objectivist/upevnts.htm

        Cato Institute Events
http://www.cato.org/events/calendar.html

        Free-Market.Net Calendar
http://www.free-market.org/directory/events/

       Future of Freedom Foundation Events
http://www.fff.org/events/events.htm
         
       Institute for Humane Studies
http://www.theIHS.org/

       The Daily Objectivist
http://www.dailyobjectivist.com
   
(please let WMOD know about other events that we should list) 
                
               WMOD Contact Information

The WMOD newsletter is $10/yr, this email newsletter is free.
Contact:
  Dave Saum
  WMOD
  PO Box 8007
  Falls Church, VA 22041
    Email: DSaum at infiltec.com
    Phone: (703) 820-7696
    Fax: (703) 671-9350
    Web: http://www.infiltec.com/wmod.htm

--------------email list information
This message was sent via the WMOD email list that is
hosted at http://www.wetheliving.com.
  To UNSUBSCRIBE from the WMOD list, send the message
"unsubscribe wmod" to Majordomo@wetheliving.com
  To SUBSCRIBE from the WMOD list, send the message
"subscribe wmod" to Majordomo@wetheliving.com
-------------------