Ayn Rand's 'Atlas Shrugged'

Lately I've been thinking a lot about Ayn Rand's book Atlas Shrugged.  I read this 1957 novel in my late teens, 20s and several times since. I also saw her speak at Northeastern University while attending college. The impact of both her book and the speech was profound to say the least.

As I pay attention to, think about and ponder all that is happening in our country and globally,  I realize how prescient Ms. Rand was. Here are a few excerpts taken from Wikipedia about her and her book. These excerpts give an idea about what this powerful novel is about and the message she wanted to convey. Couldn't have said things better myself:

"Rand's stated goal for writing the novel was "to show how desperately the world needs prime movers and how viciously it treats them" and to portray "what happens to a world without them".^[9] The core idea for the book came to her after a 1943 telephone conversation with a friend, where she said, what if I went on strike? What if all the creative minds of the world went on strike?"^[8] Rand then began Atlas Shrugged to depict the morality of rational self-interest,^[10] by exploring the consequences of a strike by intellectuals refusing to supply their inventions, art, business leadership, scientific research, or new ideas to the rest of the world."

"As the novel opens, protagonist Dagny Taggart, the Operating Vice President of Taggart Transcontinental, a railroad company established by her grandfather, attempts to keep the company alive against collectivism and statism."

"In the world of Atlas Shrugged, society stagnates when independent productive agencies are socially demonized for their accomplishments. This is in agreement with an excerpt from a 1964 interview with Playboy magazine, in which Rand states: "What we have today is not a capitalist society, but a mixed economy — that is, a mixture of freedom and controls, which, by the presently dominant trend, is moving toward dictatorship. The action in Atlas Shrugged takes place at a time when society has reached the stage of dictatorship. When and if this happens, that will be the time to go on strike, but not until then"."^[32]

"Rand's heroes continually oppose "parasites", "looters", and "moochers" who demand the benefits of the heroes' labor. Edward Younkins describes Atlas Shrugged as "an apocalyptic vision of the last stages of conflict between two classes of humanity — the looters and the non-looters. The looters are proponents of high taxation, big labor, government ownership, government spending, government planning, regulation, and redistribution".^[35]

"Moochers" are Rand's depiction of those unable to produce value themselves, who demand others' earnings on behalf of the needy, but resent the talented upon whom they depend, and appeal to "moral right" while enabling the "lawful" seizure by governments." 

"So you think that money is the root of all evil? ... Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can't exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears, or the looters who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce. Is this what you consider evil? ... Not an ocean of tears nor all the guns in the world can transform those pieces of paper in your wallet into bread you need to survive tomorrow. ...

"Whenever destroyers appear among men, they start by destroying money, for money is men's protection and the base of a moral existence. Destroyers seize gold and leave its owners a counterfeit pile of paper. This kills all objective standards and delivers men into the arbitrary power of an arbitrary setter of values ... Paper is a mortgage on wealth that does not exist, backed by a gun aimed at those who are expected to produce it. Paper is a check drawn by legal looters upon an account which is not theirs: upon the virtue of the victims. Watch for the day when it bounces, marked: 'Account Overdrawn."

 We are quickly getting to the point of 'Account Overdrawn'. The government is spending way more than it takes in and the 'looters and the moochers' seem to be eroding our free enterprise system one hand out, one regulation and one top heavy federal entity at a time.

Our freedom of speech and expression of religion, patriotism or just personal opinions are becoming more limited. Say the wrong thing to the wrong person,  post a comment on social media that disagrees with the current administration or just try and gain media access to the White House if you've crossed them,  and you're either stonewalled or demonized. Or maybe the IRS might track you down and then you're really in trouble. Think about Net Neutrality and the Fairness Doctrine and where they may lead. Though the motivation and spin is dressed in positive messages, watch out. These tactics are just another way to shut down dessent and/or opposition down the road.

Last, but not least, is the tight relationship that has formed between the current executive branch and a large segment of the media.  What happened to the concept and practice of 'The Fourth Estate' where access to information is essential to the health of democracy? Where the media reports the facts so that citizens can make responsible, informed choices rather than acting out of ignorance or misinformation ?

Bottom line is that almost everything Ayn Rand wrote about in Atlas Shrugged way back in 1957 is happening right now, before our very eyes. The corruption, the demonization of those who create value by starting and running businesses (remember Obama saying "you didn't build that'?), where excellence is no longer rewarded and everyone receives an award regardless of performance, the repression of free speech for fear of retaliation, the lack of transparency in our government (remember Pelosi's statement where you had to 'sign the bill before you could read it'), the escalating financial handouts to just about anyone who wants them.  I could go on and on.

But all is not negative. It just seems that way at times. And though Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged should be taken seriously and as a warning of how things could go in our country if we don't pay attention and guard our freedoms along with the constitution, I'm confident that we the people can still turn things around. We've done it before and can do so again.