'Atlas Shrugged': From Fiction to Fact in 52 Years

Wall Street Journal ^ | January 9, 2009 | Stephen Moore

[reaganaut1]

[T]he moral of ["Atlas Shrugged"] is simply this: Politicians invariably respond to crises -- that in most cases they themselves created -- by spawning new government programs, laws and regulations. These, in turn, generate more havoc and poverty, which inspires the politicians to create more programs . . . and the downward spiral repeats itself until the productive sectors of the economy collapse under the collective weight of taxes and other burdens imposed in the name of fairness, equality and do-goodism.

In the book, these relentless wealth redistributionists and their programs are disparaged as "the looters and their laws." Every new act of government futility and stupidity carries with it a benevolent-sounding title. These include the "Anti-Greed Act" to redistribute income (sounds like Charlie Rangel's promises soak-the-rich tax bill) and the "Equalization of Opportunity Act" to prevent people from starting more than one business (to give other people a chance). My personal favorite, the "Anti Dog-Eat-Dog Act," aims to restrict cut-throat competition between firms and thus slow the wave of business bankruptcies. Why didn't Hank Paulson think of that?

These acts and edicts sound farcical, yes, but no more so than the actual events in Washington, circa 2008. We already have been served up the $700 billion "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act" and the "Auto Industry Financing and Restructuring Act." Now that Barack Obama is in town, he will soon sign into law with great urgency the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan." This latest Hail Mary pass will increase the federal budget (which has already expanded by $1.5 trillion in eight years under George Bush) by an additional $1 trillion -- in roughly his first 100 days in office.

The current economic strategy is right out of "Atlas Shrugged": The more incompetent you are in business, the more handouts [you get].

[Former MSM Viewer]

I jest wanna know where to go to git my check...

[Hoffer Rand]

Actually it is with Angelina Jolie as Dagny Taggart and Brad Pitt as John Galt. There is NO way a screenwriter can treat this book with ANY accuracy without it being an indictment of everything hollywood and liberals stand for. So, they're going to have to completely basterdize it. "Based on the novel, Altas Shrugged," is going to mean they used the characters' names and nothing else.

[Prokopton]

we need a lot of social engineering to keep society going in the best way possible.

I bristle at the unAmerican idea that you, or anyone else, knows what the "best possible way" for me is. The abandonment of Freedom for social engineering has produced the worst possible outcomes for one society after another. If you want to "social engineer" a society, move to Europe, amend the Constitution to allow it, or just start a brave new country somewhere else.

[bill1952]

I suggest that present viewpoint is not going to win you any converts here.

The money that we spend to defend freedom is a drop in the bucket compared to all of this bailout nonsense and we are proud to spend it. - and to fight and die for it.

The rest of your post is semi literate at best.

[bobjam]

Sadly, this nation will have to hit economic rock bottom before people realize the folly of socialism.

[griswold3]

I merely had to watch the “Government Dependency Index” (the percentage dependent on government for their existence) grow past 50% in 2004 and realize that the ‘populace’ has decided that the government is the only entity that can provide their needs. They voted in this election to loot the largess of the US treasury (rich and poor) and it is truly the end of Capitalism. (We’ve had a mixed economy since the ‘Great Society’ which was what tipped the scales.)
The crisis created by massive government intervention of the “NEw Direction” has pushed us over the cliff. Very few voters believe in individual liberty and economic freedom. So the message of freedom (which is ‘chaos’ to many) falls on deaf ears. No one wants any inconvenience or is willing to suffer any loss in order to reaps any gains.
We are in a death spiral. Sorry to say, the government is now fully in charge.

[Loyal Buckeye]

I read the book and think the thrust of the book is exactly on point. We can see it in most all of our leaders: higher taxes and more regulations, both of which are a tremendous burden on our system and will become more so as time passes. Of course, taxes are needed to support some things, but certainly not all the things that are being paid for by our governements at all levels.

[DrDavid]

You forgot A Brave New World...

Pass the soma and perhaps it will all go away pleasantly...

[jellybean]

Atlas Shrugged ping!

[dennisw]

I'd like to point out that atheists such as Ayn Rand (and myself) are not necessarily socialists. Some conservatives equate the two categories.

Check out Ayn Rand's personal life and her free love and communes. Heavy smoking killed her (unenlightened self interest} and Nathaniel Brandon too I believe
Check out her student Allan Greenspan and his idiotic approval of derivatives and credit default swaps. I call that phony free marketism

I like see as much good is pure Randism and I do in Marxism. Both are "gods that failed"

[Reddy]

bookmark

[Tolkien]

I can't stand Aldous Huxley.

I didn't want to give him any credit.

[ko_kyi]

The book is an idealized dystopia, but while complete economic libertarianism isn’t realistic, I think there are some important lessons in the book that really apply today. For example, who gets the bailout money? The connected. Companies rewarded for mismanagement and sound companies acquired with misused public money. The “Common good” used as the default justification for centralization of power in DC. Profits in one industry (oil) deemed illicit while higher profits in another (tech) are ignored.

I think there is a lot to take from the book without necessarily agreeing with her complete worldview. Of course the hardcore Randroids feel that it is all or nothing.

It is a very persuasive book, though. If someone refuses to believe it you can always drop it on their foot until they agree.

[Apollo 13]

I did not write that I know what the best possible way for you is. And freedom and social engineering are not arch-enemies. There is no freedom without constraint, be it in the form of self-restraint or constraint by law and governmental ruling.

I am already in Europe, in Holland to be precise. Excellent country, wouldn’t want to trade it in for any other. We have good and inexpensive health care, good schools, very low unemployment, low crime rates (and no right to bear arms, thank God) - no, we don’t make the international headlines often, and that is fine by me. All thanks to diligent social engineering.

Sad that our PM blew it big in 2003 with his support for the illegal war waged on Iraq. But he’ll step down in a couple of years I hope, and then quickly be forgotten.

[dennisw]

The secular humanistic form of atheism leads to socialism.

They don't have enough children so eventually the Muslims will outnumber them and rule various European countries. This is proof how dumb secular humanism is. Dittos for Richard Dawkins. His books will be banned in England by Muslims in a few decades. Talk about Darwinism and your survival of the fittest! The Muslims will reign over England, victorious over Dawkins and his low birthrate followers

 

[Moonman62]

If only we could maximize selfishness the way Ayn Rand wanted. /s

[massgopguy]

I think that ANTHEM is a better blue print for Obamanomics.

[Sloth]

(and no right to bear arms, thank God)

A disarmed populace is an invitation to tyranny.