Atlas Shrugged
Friday, March 13th, 2009I took a stroll down memory lane yesterday and started cataloging all my non-medical books. To my delight, I found a copy of “Atlas Shrugged,” by Ayn Rand. I had read it twice––– once during my service as a captain in the United States Army Medical Corps in 1957 and again, several years later. This book is unbelievably pertinent today despite the fact it was published more them fifty years ago.
The book should be required reading for President Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi ( although I doubt any of them would do so). It also should be required reading for all members of Congress, since the present administration and Congress are committing the same acts of economic lunacy discussed in “Atlas Shrugged.”
The book tells the story of politicians who, responding to crises (often created by them), initiated new government programs, laws, regulations, and increasing taxation that invariably produced more crises, chaos, and poverty, resulting in more programs, etc.–– a Catch 22––ending finally in economic collapse–– all in the name of fairness and equality.
The book features the effects of wealth redistribution instituted by programs with such bizarre titles as the “Anti- Greed Act,” the “Equalization of Opportunity Act,” the “Anti- Dog-Eat-Dog Act,” similar one might say to our new “Auto Industry Financing and Restructuring Act,” the “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act,” and the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.”
The administration’s economic strategy is akin to the lunatic strategies parodied in “Atlas Shrugged.” The more incompetent one is in business, the more bailouts are provided by the politicians––i.e. two trillion dollars doled out to banks, investment houses, and automobile companies. So, the incompetants are viewed as victims while successful businessmen are villified as recipients of “illegal windfalls”––– e.g..the oil companies.
The protagonist of the book, John Galt, proposes that the government abolish the income tax––– a really great idea, huh? That’s a true economic stimulus. But the present administration and Congress want to raise the taxes on the so-called “wealthy” in order to be “fair” and “redistribute the wealth.” And, Obama wants a cap and trade program that will produce such high energy prices that any tax relief for those who aren’t “wealthy” will be wiped away. Good Lord! Reality mimicking fiction.
“Atlas Shrugged” is a classic––– even more timely than it was in 1957. Hey, Prez and all you mental midgets in Congress–––read it!!