Posted on 07/30/2012 5:45:37 AM PDT by Kaslin
Where is a man who can save us? A man of virtue and action who can rebuild our economy and culture? We must find a true-to-life John Galt.
I think America’s best shot at economic recovery and restoring constitutional freedom is to nurture men and women who emulate the virtues of John Galt, a hero in Ayn Rand’s magnum opus novel, Atlas Shrugged. Galt is a man of unparalleled virtue, intelligence and action in a fictional U.S. economy that is eerily identical to the present-day U.S. economy.
Galt is an American inventor who lives and breathes his philosophy: “I swear—by my life and my love of it—that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” What Galt means is that he will earn happiness through his virtues of: “…rationality, independence, integrity, honesty, justice, productiveness, pride.”
In Atlas Shrugged, college professors, state scientists and government bureaucrats advocate “shared sacrifice” which is code for theft, lust and brute force. In the novel, most American citizens choose short-term pleasure and a false sense of security over the truth, enabling the government to turn against productive entrepreneurs.
The government annihilates private property rights and passes regulations like the “Anti-dog-eat-dog Rule” that outlaw basic competition and free trade. The scientific community becomes a branch of the government (much like today’s situation with Obamacare, the HHA, the EPA and socialized green tech). And Americans who once drove cars are soon driving covered wagons.
The U.S., as depicted in Atlas, is similar to today’s reality where Americans are increasingly falling for the government’s anti-wealth mantra. Pew reports as of July 16 that: “By two-to-one (44% to 22%), the public says that raising taxes on incomes above $250,000 would help the economy rather than hurt it...[even among Americans who identify themselves as ‘Republicans,’ only a minority of] 41% say this would hurt the economy…”
And, like the government stooges in Atlas, our President is telling Americans that he will make business owners pay more taxes and this will somehow create jobs. Obama recently pitched his plan at a July 13 campaign stop in Roanoke, VA: “If you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. … If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that! Somebody else made that happen!”
What Obama failed to mention is that entrepreneurial Americans will not stick around and pay the highest effective corporate income tax rate in the world (a federal/state integrated rate of 39.2 percent). The U.S. government is even threatening foreign banks that allow wealthy Americans respite from our high tax rates. Beginning in 2012, “Foreign banks that once offered secrecy will have to report on their U.S. clients or else face 30% fines on their U.S. investments…” reports TIME Magazine.
Well, self-made entrepreneurs are packing up and saying, “See ya, Uncle Sam!” Think billionaire co-founder of Facebook Inc., Eduardo Saverin who renounced his U.S. citizenship in May to become a resident of Singapore. And Saverin is not alone. TIME reports that a record numbers of American citizens (1,788 individuals in 2011) are relinquishing their U.S. citizenship.
In Atlas, entrepreneurs flee to Galt’s Gulch—an isolated community where “men of the mind” go on “strike” and refuse to use their talents to advance socialism. Let’s prevent our country from heading toward this scenario—where we lose our best and brightest, as well as our freedom.
So what does America need to do in order to attract and retain the ‘John Galt’ types who will save her economy and culture? Here are my suggestions:
1.) Take Galt’s advice and “…start by abolishing all income taxes.”
2.) Stop devaluing the U.S. dollar. Rand describes an economy that is much like ours: “The wads of worthless paper money were growing heavier in the pockets of the nation, but there was less and less for that money to buy. …the printing presses of the government were running a race with starvation, and losing.” Galt tells the government, “…there are no funds behind your blank check.”
3.) Never believe force will inspire entrepreneurs to innovate. Galt tells government bureaucrats that an entrepreneur under force will “become a robot.”
4.) Let entrepreneurs produce. Consider adding Rand’s phrase to the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of production and trade…”
5.) Live the philosophy of thinkers like Rand, Aristotle, Aquinas, Madison, Hamilton, Thoreau and Locke. We cannot simply etch profound ideas into D.C. monuments and then forget about them.
6.) Eliminate all anti-business rules. As Galt’s sweetheart and entrepreneur Dagny Taggart counsels: “Start decontrolling. ...Start lifting taxes and removing controls.”
Next week, I will continue this discussion. Meanwhile, I encourage you to read Atlas Shrugged.
Like most everything else including Christianity, we will not find any one who precisely equals John Galt or Christ. All will somehow fall short of the measure.
But.....
If we survey the primaries and the conservative candidates, there is but one man who has the business ability and common sense to be compared to John Galt. He has lived a full life working to build businesses and lending a hand where possible to more public endeavors. He not only talks the talk but he also walks the walk. He has succeeded in the struggle of adversity on several fronts.
That great man is Herman Cain........ he is not the usual CEO, he elected to retire from corporate life and strive to turn the system about to a new and better course. He was deterred by powerful anti conservative and pure racist forces. He was too good, too pure to be allowed to succeed.
Speaking in practical terms for a moment, let’s examine this list not from a “what should be done” perspective, but “How it should be done” point of view, which is much more practical.
1.) Take Galt’s advice and “...start by abolishing all income taxes.”
The big problem here goes all the way back to the founding of the republic, which is “How do we fund the US government?” The constitution forbids the national government from taxing the states. But this question must be answered before the income tax can be abolished.
2.) Stop devaluing the U.S. dollar.
There just isn’t enough gold to back our currency with gold. So one proposal is called “extended mercantilism”, in which our currency is backed by all fungible, non-perishable commodities. This would mean the USG would back the dollar with our national strategic reserves to include all metals that we mine, oil, coal, wood and paper products, etc. Services, information products, etc. would not be included, because they are subjective in value.
3.) Never believe force will inspire entrepreneurs to innovate.
This is not entirely true. While force will kill technological development, the Soviets discovered that it changes research priorities to pure science.
4.) Let entrepreneurs produce.
There must be some regulation, as there are some entrepreneurs who are not of good character, whose products can harm the public. But this level of regulation should not need to be too intrusive, and must have strict limits.
5.) Live the philosophy of thinkers...
Nope. The ideal American philosophy is to be left alone. We have a government and police and military to do full time what we don’t want to do.
6.) Eliminate all anti-business rules.
This is pretty redundant with #4 above.
Apparently, a lot of people like Rand’s Objectivism, but didn’t read “Atlas Shrugged.” John Galt didn’t save anyone, and wouldn’t. Billions of people died, and civilization was utterly destroyed, while a few hundred people survived in a village like Syfy’s “Eureka.”
I think the difference is that it is fine to want to help people because you enjoy it or to serve your Lord. It is important to remember that you are not REQUIRED to. It is not your social DUTY. You would not be a bad person if you chose not to help. You should certainly never be physically forced into providing for others. Your virtue (altruism) should never be used as a weapon against you by the leeches and moochers in society. When we as a society start turning virtue (charity) into weakness and vice (covetousness) into a strength then people turn away from virtue and toward vice.
John Galt has given up and joined the Obama campaign! He knows when he’s been beaten for good.
True. I should have said black slavery. Of course you are right that slavery is practiced much more widely today than it ever was in 18th & 19th centuries. And look at the state of the world.
While the ending is certainly dark, I would point out that it was not simply that civilization was destroyed, it destroyed itself because of the values of those in charge and the implicit acceptance of those who put them there.
You can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.
Great points by Nitzy & Lou L. My issues with Objectivism are several, but the main problem I see is that the Randians look at altruism as a force that has been imposed on humanity from outside. And if some Randian Superman comes along & breaks this spell all will be well. My point is that altruism, or the virtues & vices that make up altruism are part of human nature....and need to be grappled with as best we can. We are never going to get change what we are.
I’ve read various attempts to claim that Ayn Rand’s philosophy is compatible with Christianity, and none has gone more than a few limping steps. There’s very little common ground. Yes, she was a very keen observer of trends and extrapolated with percipient insight.
However, St. Paul addressed the situation almost 2000 years ago, “Be very careful, then, how you live: not as fools, but as the wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” People can say we’re slaves to the government, but St. Paul covered that, too; slaves (literal or figurative) are called to live as Christ, just like everyone else.
And OF COURSE you’re on our team. In fact, we’ll probably all want to move in with you (just kidding, we’ll bring tents ;-), because you have a better garden.
Where in my post did you see anything about “approval”? I really have very little idea what you are typing about.
And that’s one place where the book was so evil. Even Eddie was left to die, because he wasn’t one of Rand’s “innovators.” Let alone that he ran her railroad for months, very successfully, while Dagny was literally just screwing around. In Rand’s world, you are either completely self-made, or you were the problem, and begging for your own death. Tell me Eddie was part of the problem. Tell me Eddie deserved death.
Or STDs. That was exactly the problem I had with the story: There were consequences for the bad businessmen, the crooked politicians, etc., but none for the woman who was bedding multiple partners. And the only children mentioned in the book, as far as I can remember (spoiler alert), are those who die in a train crash and some homeschooled children at the end.
The overall lesson in the story makes sense, as history has shown time and again. (Socialism does not work.) But some of Rand's personal - and not objective - views did not fit in with the message.
Or STDs. That was exactly the problem I had with the story: There were consequences for the bad businessmen, the crooked politicians, etc., but none for the woman who was bedding multiple partners. And the only children mentioned in the book, as far as I can remember (spoiler alert), are those who die in a train crash and some homeschooled children at the end.
The overall lesson in the story makes sense, as history has shown time and again. (Socialism does not work.) But some of Rand's personal - and not objective - views did not fit in with the message.
“And when they start forcing people to work at the point of a gun”
Our name is Equality 7-2521
10.12.12
Probably most of us can relate to Eddie. In reading the book, I didn’t find the protagonists to be heroes. They seemed to be merely examples of real-life “producers” and what they would do if pushed too far.
Yes he did save people. He set out to save those men of ability who had lived by his code of values but had accepted the code of the looters and accepted their brand of evil and worked with punishment as their reward. It was his mission to save them from that torture which they should never have had to bear. His method of fighting the looters was to allow the world to suffer the consequences of their own moral code. He did try to save them. The whole 3 hour long speech was an attempt to save those who could be saved. He also told the leaders what to do to save the economy but they rejected it. John Galt gave them in his speech the proper code of values to live by but they did not want to live.
John Galt didn’t save anyone, and wouldn’t. Billions of people died, and civilization was utterly destroyed, while a few hundred people survived in a village like Syfy’s “Eureka.”
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That bothered me too for a long time that Eddie died But I finally came to realize that Eddie could not let go of the railroad and he chose to die with it. Remember John Galt was talking to Eddie all throughout the book. Eddie told him that he didn’t want to go on any more after what he had seen. He saw that Eddie was not ready to give up and become a striker. He only told people about his strike when he thought that they were ready lest they reveal the truth about him and what the strikers were doing. Dagney Taggert held out til almost the very end and had she decided to stick it out with the railroad she would have also died and Galt would have let her even though she was his greatest love. But he had taken an oath never to ask anyone to live for his sake and he did not believe in forcing anyone.
Love that book. First thing I read by her and still one of my favorites. Have it on my I-pod. Actually have all of her books on my i-pod except We The Living. I could never finish that one. Just too depressing.
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