Posted on 02/07/2013 6:13:54 AM PST by JoeProBono
BOISE, Idaho, - An Idaho Republican state senator who introduced a bill requiring high school students to read "Atlas Shrugged" said he doesn't plan to push for passage.
Sen. John Goedde, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, introduced the bill Tuesday that would mandate students pass a test on Ayn Rand's 1957 best-seller, frequently cited by conservative politicians such as U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as inspiration for their politics.
When Republican Sen. Bob Nonini asked Goedde why he proposed making "Atlas Shrugged" required reading, Goedde got a laugh when he said, "That book made my son a Republican."
Goedde, however, said he doesn't plan to move the bill forward -- he just wanted to express his unhappiness with the State Board of Education for recent changes in graduation requirements, and a change in the way school principals are evaluated," The (Spokane, Wash.) Spokesman-Review reported.
"It was a shot over their bow just to let them know that there's another way to adopt high school graduation requirements," Goedde said.
Rand's book describes an America in which business leaders decide to stop working to protest higher taxes and government regulation.
"When I read 'Atlas Shrugged,' and it's been probably 30 years since I read it, but it certainly gives one a sense of personal responsibility," Goedde said.
For the record, Goedde said his son is not actually "a practicing Republican. But it certainly made him a conservative."
well it’s the reverse for me. Some philosophy major in college waxed on about the fabulousness of Ann Rand, but when I read it, I thought it was weird and unfathomable.
i’m five and you are two.
We The Living is much much better book.
LOL
yeah, I know she was a fiction writer, yeah I haven’t read the book in the last 30 years. When I did read it I was about maybe 22 and I thought it was awful. Don’t get people panting over how fab it is, but that’s what makes horse races.
There is a measure of economic freedom in China. Communist countries have zero economic freedom.
If it's been 30 years since you read the book, perhaps you weren't old enough at the time to appreciate it. As others have pointed out, Rand was a fictional writer--but she espoused her objectivist' philosophy within her stories.
While I wouldn't use "fab" to describe her or her works, many still appreciate that her books--particularly "Atlas Shrugged," was almost prophetic in its accuracy. The current events we see happening today, with respect to politic-economics, were portrayed in her books. She learned from her Russian upbringing, and saw the collectivist mindset taking root here in the United States. AS was a warning to us, for those who chose to read it and understand.
By the way, were there any characters in the book you found at least a little interesting?
Because 57 years ago she CORRECTLY PREDICTED TODAYS UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT!! You ain't 22 and this ain't the early 80s. I submit you should at least check out the film version, and you'll "get people panting" over it.
Look troll, I really don't need your blessings. Go back and look at the context of my question. The original poster claimed AS was "dumb." You don't have to to be an Ayn Rand fan, and you don't have to like her books, her philosophy, her heritage, whatever. But in the nearly 15 years I've been on FreeRepublic, I've come to expect that fellow posters will at least put forth some rational argument for their position. If you're unwilling to engage in polite discourse as an adult, you're no better than the crowd at DU. In other words, you behave like a 5 year-old child.
Ping.
Ping.
I’d rather make “The Road To Serfdom” mandatory. Atlas Shrugged is one huge, long novel. Most people can’t wade through it.
I've heard Ayn Rand and AS called a lot of things. "Dumb" is not one of them.
Thanks, Nelson. I’ve often wished for such a button too.
Yes! A thousand times yes!
Atlas Shrugged is one of the most intelligently written novels of the 20th century. Some people just lack the intelligence and maturity to appreciate it. Chances are they couldn’t get past the first few pages because it was simply beyond their capacity to understand it.
AuH2O converted me into a conservative (in my heart I knew he was right). Ayn Rand sealed the deal (she scared the $hit out of me). See my tag.
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