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The Continued Relevance of Rand's Villains (Atlas Shrugged)
Ludwig Von Mises Institute ^ | April 19, 2011 | J. Patrick Rhamey Jr.

Posted on 04/19/2011 6:27:19 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin

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1 posted on 04/19/2011 6:27:22 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
So long as Ayn Rand's villains continue to resemble the reality in Washington, the story of Atlas Shrugged will remain popular.

Rand wrote the novel, in part, as a reaction to FDR's New Deal. Her villains are his bureaucrats.
I first read the novel in the 1990's and I thought, "Her villains are Clinton's bureaucrats."
Anyone reading the novel or seing the film today will surely think, "Her villains are Obama's bureaucrats."

Same old same old. Until the revolution.

2 posted on 04/19/2011 6:31:55 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Went on Friday, Packed house in Boston (of all places!)...


3 posted on 04/19/2011 6:36:09 AM PDT by keep your powder dry (With your pike upon your shoulder, at the rising of the moon!)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
Atlas Shrugged is compelling, not for its heroes, but for its villains. Published in 1957, Rand's description of politicians and lobbyists in a time of economic crisis is almost prophetic.

Her villains look much like the various government officials and associates of the largely forgotten early part of the Great Depression. Most people remember such things as Social Security and the huge construction projects of the Hoover Dam and the TVA, but if you look back to when the National Recovery Administration enforcement officers were raiding businesses to see if they were charging a nickel more than allowed.

4 posted on 04/19/2011 6:40:01 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! Tea Party extremism is a badge of honor.)
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To: ClearCase_guy
It's a timeless novel, even more compelling today than it was in 1957. Aftetr all, in 1957 we did not have an Illegal Alien WH occupant who bitterly, passionately hated America, Americans, wanted to destroy every good thing this counry has ever stood for, and was moving pell mell to do just that. After reading it in paperback in the early 1960's, I bought a hard back version, which I have read at least twice, far more than any other book.
5 posted on 04/19/2011 6:43:25 AM PDT by libstripper
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To: ClearCase_guy
It's a timeless novel, even more compelling today than it was in 1957. Aftetr all, in 1957 we did not have an Illegal Alien WH occupant who bitterly, passionately hated America, Americans, wanted to destroy every good thing this counry has ever stood for, and was moving pell mell to do just that. After reading it in paperback in the early 1960's, I bought a hard back version, which I have read at least twice, far more than any other book.
6 posted on 04/19/2011 6:43:25 AM PDT by libstripper
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To: keep your powder dry
Went on Saturday evening to Methuen, MA. About half full.

I think they missed an opportunity by glossing over the Reardon Aniversary Party. Including the philosopher's and author's statements would have significantly identified the problems with the society.

Representative Jackson's tirade this week about the iPad is a joke that just writes itself!

7 posted on 04/19/2011 6:46:45 AM PDT by Redleg Duke ("Madison, Wisconsin is 30 square miles surrounded by reality.", L. S. Dryfus)
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To: ClearCase_guy

I think the villians on par with the bureaucrats in the novel were the corporations that attached themselves to these bureaucrats.


8 posted on 04/19/2011 6:47:16 AM PDT by GeronL (The Right to Life came before the Right to Happiness)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Rand clearly had a prophetic gift. Too bad for her that she has no idea where that gifting came from — but she was gifted nonetheless. BTW, there was applause in our theatre in NC too. About half full, Saturday afternoon, right before we had all those tornado’s.


9 posted on 04/19/2011 6:48:58 AM PDT by C. Edmund Wright
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

The problem in tying Mouch to Jesse Jackson is that no one - not even my liberal neighbors - take Jesse Jackson seriously. He is a characterure, plain and simple.

The other problem is that when you worry too much about government intervention, it will happen. If you keep going out and making new things, you can keep ahead of them. Think google, think facebook, think twitter. Trying to control it? walk away from it and build something else. The problem is the characters in Atlas shrugged gave up. They were the weak ones.


10 posted on 04/19/2011 6:51:12 AM PDT by cetarist
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

I’ll wait for the DVD release, which shouldn’t take long.


11 posted on 04/19/2011 6:52:00 AM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: KarlInOhio
When I left NYC in ‘02 we had Sanitation Police inspecting trash bags at curbside on pick-up day. If there were any recyclables in the “garbage” bag the residence (superintendent in apt. buildings) would be ticketed.
12 posted on 04/19/2011 6:53:27 AM PDT by Roccus
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To: Redleg Duke
I think they missed an opportunity by glossing over the Reardon Aniversary Party.

Wasn't this the party in which Francisco gives his "Money is the Root of All Evil" speech? If so, that would be a shame to not include some reference to that speech!

13 posted on 04/19/2011 7:00:14 AM PDT by Lou L (The Senate without a fillibuster is just a 100-member version of the House.)
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To: Redleg Duke

for those of us that have read the book, we will certainly find flaws in the movie (I thought there were many instances of ‘spoon-feeding’)... however i am hopeful that many people will see the film and then be inclined to read the book, or if the don’t read the book, they may finally ‘get it’...

There were guys from the freestate project handing out flyers too with the saying “WHERE is John Galt?”...


14 posted on 04/19/2011 7:04:42 AM PDT by keep your powder dry (With your pike upon your shoulder, at the rising of the moon!)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Homework Assignment: Read Ayn Rand’s “Return of the Primitive”.

With the Wisconsin thuggery fresh in mind, this collection of her writing’s will simply make you say “Wow!” out-loud.


15 posted on 04/19/2011 7:18:50 AM PDT by Cletus.D.Yokel (Islam is a violent and tyrannical political ideology and has nothing to do with "religion".)
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To: keep your powder dry

I haven’t seen the movie yet. Do you think people that haven’t read the book will “get it”?


16 posted on 04/19/2011 7:19:08 AM PDT by plain talk
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To: Lou L

Francisco’s “Money” speech is at another party, in part 2 of the book. I was expecting it in the movie too, but when I went back to the book, I realized it is in part 2.


17 posted on 04/19/2011 7:19:57 AM PDT by Carlucci (Don't care what religion my president is, as long as he worships -- THE CONSTITUTION!)
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To: cetarist

The strikers in the book didn’t give up. Did you ever read the book?


18 posted on 04/19/2011 7:25:40 AM PDT by DManA
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

I’ve been thinking of creating a new game: “Randian Villain or Democrat?”


19 posted on 04/19/2011 7:26:42 AM PDT by Stegall Tx (Joined the Obama economy on 19 March, 2010. Found part-time work on 12 Feb, 2011.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

I read atlas shrugs, and was worried that it may come to pass....i recently read a paper by the Mackinaw Institute about the myths of the great depression. I was shocked to learn that most of the book DID come to pass under hoover and roosevelt......that paper was a real eye opener to me, and it debunked most of what I was taught about the depression, it’s causes and effects...totally shocking


20 posted on 04/19/2011 7:28:53 AM PDT by joe fonebone (Project Gunwalker, this will make watergate look like the warm up band......)
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