[Lou L]

I then realized Rand was right and left the Detroit area for good in the early 70s and now return only for funerals of relatives and friends.

For some reason, one thing I don't recall in "Atlas Shrugged," was Rand specifically naming the act of unions and politicians getting in bed together, and sucking a city's taxbase dry. I supposed of course, it doesn't matter what you call them--a moocher is a moocher.

[Publius]

In Atlas Shrugged, union boss Fred Kinnan, the only honest moocher in the book, discusses sucking dry the entire industrial base of America. And he gets his way.

[GeronL]

Yes, there was a union leader in the "Atlas Shrugged" cabal and he was a character who actually said what it was they were doing. Fred Kinnan.

"Only I'm not going to say I am working for the welfare of my public, because I know I'm not. I know I'm delivering the poor bastards into slavery, and that's all there is to it. And they know it too. But they know I'll have to throw them a crumb once in a while, if I want to keep my racket...."