We really disagree here. Thank you for your compassion, but if that which I enjoy in Holland nowadays is tyranny in your view, then please let me enjoy that tyranny all of my life. In other words: freedom and a good, strong government go well together. It’s a matter of mutual trust.
Really... there is a middle ground between the absolute intervening state and libertarianism, I am convinced of that. As someone else here noted, ms Rand was in no way able to practice what she preached... she was a histrionic figure with no stable worldview at all. She probably had the delusion that in a totally libertarian state by some work of Fate she’d land on the right (rich) side of the fence at all times. And she was a terrible, truly terrible writer. No wonder that she does not figure in any serious literary compendium or canon, and that she’s only some pop idol for writers in the Wall Street Journal.
Certainly, there is a middle ground, but the spectrum to which you refer is quite broad, and half of it is closer to tyranny than to freedom.
I’m happy you’re happy, or at least you’re happy right now. I doubt you would have been happy in 1940. Was it just coincidence that the Nazis occupied every country bordering Germany except Switzerland?
My point is, the freedoms that you don’t seem to have much regard for now, might be crucial to your survival 10 or 20 years from now, but it will then be too late to get them back. Sadly, it probably already is. You have temporary security. Our founders had a nice saying regarding willingly surrendering freedoms in return for temporary security and what that brought in the end.
Tyranny doesn’t always come from without, and it often doesn’t come in a sudden dramatic explosion like a busting dam, but instead like a slow growing trickle, hardly noticed until too late. I suggest you come back and visit us in perhaps 10 years. Let us know how you like Sharia law. If you are typical of your countrymen, you’re in for quite a ride over the next few decades.
Yea...that's why her book is consistently in the "100 Most Influential Books" list for the last 4 decades. What have you written?
Sounds like you might like this plan:
"In the name of the general welfare to protect the people's security, to achieve full equality and total stability, it is decreed for the duration of the national emergency that-
Point One: All workers, wage earners, and employees of any kind whatsoever shall henceforth be attached to their jobs and shall not leave nor be dismissed nor change employment, under penalty of a term in jail. The penalty shall be determined by the Unification Board, such board to be appointed by the Bureau Of Economic Planning and National Resources. All person reaching the age of twenty-one shall report to the Unification Board, which shall assign them to where, in its opinion, their services will best serve the interests of the nation.
Point Two: All industrial, commercial, manufacturing, and business establishments of any nature whatsoever shall henceforth remain in operation, and the owners of such establishments shall not quit, nor leave, nor retire, nor close, sell or transfer their business, under penalty of the nationalization of their establishment and of any or all their property.
Point Three: All patents and copyrights, pertaining to any devices, inventions, formulas, processes, and works of any nature whatsoever, shall be turned over to the nation as a patriotic emergency gift by means of Gift Certificates to be signed voluntarily by the owners of all such patents and copyrights. The Unification Board shall then license the use of such patents and copyrights to all applicants, equally and without discrimination, for the purpose of elimination monopolistic practices, discarding obsolete products and making the best available to the whole nation. No trademarks, brand names, or copyrighted titles shall be used. Every formerly patented product shall be known by a new name and sold by all manufacturers under the same name, such name to be selected by the Unification Board. All private trademarks and brand names are hereby abolished.
Point Four: No new devices, inventions, products, or goods of any nature whatsoever, not now on the market, shall be produced, invented, manufactured or sold after the date of this directive, The Office of patents and Copyrights is hereby suspended. (Added later in chapter: All "research departments, experimental laboratories, scientific foundations" will be closed except for government-operated facilities.)
Point Five: Every establishment, concern, corporation or person engaged in production of any nature whatsoever shall henceforth produce the same amount of goods per year as is, they or he produced during the Basic Year, no more or no less. The year is to known as the Basic or Yardstick Year is to be the year ending on the date of this directive. Over or under production shall be fined, such fines to be determined by the Unification board.
Point Six: Every person of any age, sex, class or income, shall henceforth spend the same amount of money on the purchase of goods per year as he or she spent during the Basic Year, no more and no less. Over or under purchasing shall be fined, such fines to be determined by the Unification Board.
Point Seven: All wages, prices, salaries, dividends, profits, interest rates and forms of income of any nature whatsoever, shall be frozen at their present figures, as of the date of this directive. (But taxes will be allowed to increase as needed for the public good)
Point Eight: All cases arising from and rules not specifically provided for in this directive, shall be settled and determined by the Unification Board, whose decisions shall be final.
"How is the emergency to end if everything is to stand still?" -- Fred Kinnan, Atlas Shrugged
Yea....that ought to do it.
L