Posted on 03/10/2009 4:48:38 PM PDT by chasio649
For the past two weeks, with a big hat tip to Dr. Helen Smith who diagnosed the phenomenon last fall, we’ve had a fascinating and spirited discussion here about the “Going Galt” movement that’s catching on nationwide.
There’s now even a Twitter hashtag for the phenomenon: #goinggalt.
My email box (especially after publication of my recent syndicated column on the subject) continues to fill up with letters from readers choosing in large and small ways to go Galt.
Reader Ron Ruffer of Pa. e-mails:
Dear Ms. Malkin,
First I would like to say that I very much enjoy your commentary column and typically support your point of view. In your column noted above, I can appreciate and certainly do believe that Enough is Enough.
Self-employed for the last 15 years, I have been one of those persons who, throughout my life, I have always – ALWAYS – worked. From age 14, I have always had a job and have always put forth my best efforts to earn money and support myself. I worked through college, worked while I earned my M.S. in Marketing, and worked very long hours and weekends while pursuing my career. My wife and I always paid off our debts – our college loans (early), our credit cards (RARELY having an unpaid balance, and if so usually through a late payment due to issues of the timing of the receipt of the bill), our car loans and our home loans. We started our life together in a rented apartment, then moved to a duplex (which we bought based on my income, not our combined incomes) when our realtor and many of our friends tried to encourage us to move into a bigger, more expensive single home. We bought what we KNEW we could afford comfortably, not what others thought we should have or could afford.
We saved, and we saved. I took a risk and started my own business when my wife was pregnant with our 3rd child. No one was there to catch me should my efforts have failed. No one was going to pay off my mortgage, no one was there to pick up the tab for our health care. Even my boss at the time thought I was making a foolish move. My feeling was that if I did fall – I would simply pick myself up again and move forward. I would rely upon myself, not others.
I did all of these things while others - who were without my education, income or savings levels - were out spending..spending on big homes, lavish vacations, and high end automobiles. Spending money they did not have. Spending away their future. Spending away MY future.
As my income increased, I paid my ever-increasing tax bills. I paid for my company, and I paid for myself. In reality, I was double taxed – taxed on company income, taxed on private income. I paid regardless. I was and am never late. I knew I would most likely never, ever see anything close to a payback on my tax payments. The money went to pay for a bloated, increasingly non-representative government that was run in the interest of the political party in power, not the individuals they were elected to represent.
As you have so noted, there are many within our economy that can be considered “Wealth Producers” (though I disagree with your notion of a lawyer being a “Wealth Producer” as most (but not all) are a drain on our society and on our ability to conduct business – note as well that most of our representatives in Federal and State legislatures are attorneys). These are people who, like myself and my wife, have worked, taken risks, and contributed far beyond the average person. They are people who have acted responsibly and throughout their lives borne the brunt of the taxes and responsibilities of our society. They are the very backbone of our society – and they are under-appreciated and under-represented in our Democratic society.
It is now fashionable and politically expedient to extend blame for the current financial crisis on greedy businesses and predatory lenders. The reality is that individuals and poorly managed businesses were responsible for the bulk of the problems. Government also played a role – and it was both parties – that encouraged and supported unsound business practices. Now the Government “must” step in to “save” these poor people from losing their homes, and “save” these “too big to fail” financial institutions. What about those of us, and those businesses, that chose to act responsibly? Who chose to live within their means? Who chose sound financial decisions over high risk behavior?
Enough is Enough. Let them all fail. It is not too late. I don’t care about the homeowner that borrowed more than they could afford and now find themselves potentially without a home and bankrupt. I don’t care about the businesses that overlooked sound financial decisions in the name of short term profits. We all make choices in life and it is time to let those that made the bad choices live with their decisions and finally reward those that chose to act responsibly. It has come down to this – either we let those that made the bad decisions fail, or we end up sacrificing our nation, our national identity and our very way of life.
The current administration of course feels that more and bigger government is the way to resolve this “crisis”. This follows on the heels of a Republican administration that was one of the worst disasters this country has ever experienced in political, social, and economic terms. Spend, spend, spend – soon to be followed by tax, tax tax. Fewer producers supporting more and more non-producers. Government, as in “Atlas Shrugged”, seems to feel that it is the solution to the problem, not part of the problem. Government seems to think it is a producer..an employer..a creator of wealth. We have a crisis alright – a crisis in leadership, and a crisis in Government. It’s time someone in Government started thinking of ways to “save” the Wealth Producers, because my next step is move to a pond which is not infested with so many leeches.
Long live John Galt.
Thank you so much!
band together, drop out.
let them collect blood from turnips
YES! I am ready for the summer of love 09. Lets cash in tune out and party til The Obama ship sinks. Plan A. Time for a sabbaticle. Let the communists tax the poor.
I go by Johnny, Johnny CASH!
Ordered my “Who Is John Galt?” bumpersticker last night.
Lets all chip in and buy one of the 7 Texas counties with very few people and set up a 22-mile free trade barter ‘community’.
I’m reorganizing my life, such that income is not taxable and wealth is not in paper assets. I suspect most conservatives and/or sane people are doing the same. I’d say that is going Galt.
Pick one with a lot of bobwhite quail and I'm in.
I’m pretty sure Alaska will secede from the coming Obama States of America, but I really hope somewhere warmer is also available for patriots to relocate to.
Now this is where it gets confusing. Say someone has a leak and it ruins their basement family room carpet. They call us in and say we want it replaced and we need to get a cleanup crew to remove mildew from the walls and such and repaint. We will contract with other businesses to do the cleanup and painting. Now the state sez we have to deduct child support from these businesses.
Problem is we are not dealing with one or two people they are standalone businesses who have employees. So we have to deduct this child support if any of the people who work on the job pays it. But we don't have the records of who works for them. So we have to spend time and effort with this company trying to figure it all out. Then we find out that business is also tasked with deducting child support on their employees.
It got to the point I just told the state to send someone down and show us how to do it. They could not figure it out either BUT while this ignorant state worker was in or office she decides to review our contract labor records and out of the blue hits us up for 500 bucks in fines, saying we were misusing the contract labor agreements.
Problem is her predecessor set our system up when we asked for assistance 4or 5 years prior.
So we haggled over that for a few months and finally they figured out the genius who fined us didn't even have the authority to do so and she was totally wrong to boot.
We never had a many problems with the state until the Democrats took over in 2006. Then it deteriorated fast. Our accountant sez we are not alone in this harassment.
Its one of the many reasons why we are going to close it all down within the next few quarters. Its just not worth the hassle anymore.
Thanks for the post...what a story! >:(
I get constant notices for no filing over 941s. Latest one, I have sent copies of filing 3 times.
I get constant notices on non filing of state sales tax. One went so far they filed a lien on my house and filed a warrant for my arrest. I went and sat at the sales tax office in Indianapolis and told them I was not leaving till they gave me a paper stating the warrant and the lien were a "mistake"!( I was prepared to be hauled off by the police. I had contacted my lawyer and told him to be prepared.)
Guam? Saipan? A Virgin Island?
How about Texas?
Texas may be good, but the huge number of illegals and proximity to outlaw Mexico may make it questionable.
Montana and Wyoming are possibilities, I have relatives there, but pretty severe winters.
However the severe winters tend to repel liberal welfare clients too.
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