In 1987 I attended a summer conference of Ayn Rand’s philosophy called Objectivism. The conference was held at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in La Jolla and was attended by the Who’s Who of Objectivism. It was organized by George Reisman and his wife, Edith Packer. George Reisman was an economics professor at Pepperdine University and a prominent Objectivist. The UCSD campus was high up on a rock overlooking the ocean. It was a beautiful and clean campus. Perfect weather. It was great to be there, and to be alive. I was only 22 years old then. I didn’t have much of an education, but I had a great interest in ideas after reading The Fountainhead .
The people of the Netherlands are told they live in a democracy. But do they really? In the picture above, King Willem-Alexander stands next to President Trump, with his wife Queen Máxima beside him. Standing off to the side is Prime Minister Rob Jetten, the elected leader of the Netherlands. This arrangement is highly symbolic. The elected representative of the people is placed on the sideline — “offside,” to use a soccer term — while the unelected monarchs occupy the center of the frame.