Posted on 03/28/2009 7:39:14 AM PDT by Publius
I'd first say it's not a stark menu of those two choices, but a continuum from one extreme to the other, and your actions are closer to the first (fight another day) than the second (survive at the cost of your dignity). Here's why: How long did the looters (city of Camden in your case) benefit from your "surrender"? Answer -- not long. They're no better off now that you've moved than they would have been had you refused their demand for protection money the very first time. And it's not something irrevocable like Rearden giving the government rights to Rearden Metal. I give you an A- at worst. While I do feel bad for the neighborhood kids who lost their jobs, maybe this will be an object lesson for them in the worth of overbearing government vs. the worth of the productive who produce value, and they'll grow up to be Galt's themselves.
I thought about that awhile myself. My assumption at this point is like how Bromden thinks about McMurphy is Cuckoo's Nest, that it's better for him to be dead rather than enduring the current state of affairs. IOW, "How terrible if John Galt were to be living in a world like today's!"
I think the idea is somewhere between that and that the government would be satisfied if the victim acts as if the government premises were correct, even if he doesn't believe it himself. Remember the conversation between the police type and Rearden over his refusal to sell RM to the Science Institute. The cop seemed more concerned with public perception than with Hank's opinion.
Ooh, good call. The Obama:Mouch thing didn't fit for me either, based upon either position or personality.
Of course you wanted to survive to save your ass, so you paid the protection money. Nobody can fault you for that.
But you should be saluted for going on strike against the city of Camden.
I had a similar experience with Mechanical Engineering and Drafting. Back in the day, we were required to be able to design a good drawing that would convey simply and unambiguously the part we had designed. Fast forward a couple decades to CAD applicants from supposedly prestigious (and ACTUALLY very expensive) CAD schools, and you find that they hadn't been taught drafting-using-CAD, but simply how to work the CAD program. They had no idea what made a drawing good, much less how to design a part, but they thought they were mechanical designers because they could work the CAD program. Doh!
Put "< i >" before and "< / i >" after the text (no quotes or spaces). Use "b" instead of "i" for bold, "u" for underline, and "s" for striked ("stricken"?). There's a HTML primer hosted somewhere on FR that covers not only all of this but posting images and links as well as colors, font sizes, etc. Also if you use Firefox, download the HTML Xtra addon. It expedites adding the tags; that's what I use.
...Where else is this going on today?
The welfare state comes to mind. Those who are able to show that they can't work are often very skilled at 'working' the system. Also, local government entities are very hard pressed to find workers who are skilled at writing grant proposals because they are in such demand. Indeed our local government was scrambling before the last election to have 'shovel ready' projects for the great govenment money giveaway! The local leaders had an anything goes attitude, as long as it brought federal dollars to this area.
Interesting. I didn’t even think it could’ve had a compassionate cause. The two characters I remember so far showing fear that Galt might be alive seemed more like ones that would be happy he was - so your interpretation makes more sense. Thanks for the insight!
Yeah, so far at least I see Stadler as kind of a wussified Galt. He knows what’s right, but is too willing to compromise due to some belief in the futility of fighting what’s going on. While he did work for the establishment of the Science Institute which strikes us as emblematic of the collectivism about them, he apparently didn’t do it out of those beliefs, and doesn’t even seem to adhere to them himself. I kind of suspect that somewhere in the book he’ll find his stones and stand up and finally become fully one of the good guys. Don’t forget he was one of (albeit the weaker one) the formational mentors of Galt, d’Anconia, and Dannerskjold.
Some of the smartest engineers I have known had dual majors in Music and either Engineering or Physics.
Can we exhume FDR and indict him? Please?
I’m almost to the end of Part II and I’m still baffled by the identity of Eddie Willers’ silent (to us) dinner partner. Obviously a gulcher and an influential one, because spoiling events have occurred which due to their timing have to have occurred because of these dinner conversations, and using intelligence gained there. But since Eddie doesn’t recognize the guy, it can’t be anyone he knows, like Francisco, whom he grew up with. At the moment I’m assuming John Galt. (Not a spoiler if true because I’m just guessing!)
Thanx, I’ve now added “Our Enemy the State” to Locke’s 2nd treatse on government, Adam Smith “theory of the moral sentiments” and “wealth of nations”, the “Federalist Papers”, the “Anti-Federalist Papers” and Herbert Spencer’s “Man Verses the State”.
I am using Firefox! Thanks for the tip.
You passed by it without seeing it. That sentence contains the key truth of the matter.
Why is there the profession of Grant Writer? Isn't that just a Defreezer by a different name?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.