Atlas Is Shrugging In The US And Flexing His Muscles Elsewhere

American Thinker ^ | June 23, 2011 | Monty Pelerin

[rob777]

Ayn Rand was mostly correct when she wrote her magnum opus "Atlas Shrugged." She was incorrect in one important area. She assumed the final option for the wealthy and entrepreneurial class was to go on "strike" and retire to Galt's Gulch. In the modern world the movers and shakers don't strike, they migrate.

Atlas is shrugging in the US. Capital is relocated to regions where it is treated more favorably. Within the country, we see capital and jobs leaving the overtaxed, overregulated Blue states and migrating to smaller government Red states. That provides partial relief, but onerous federal policies cannot be avoided by moving within the country.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

Every company in the entire world should move its corporate headquarters to The Caymans.

That would solve everything.

[TxDas]

secession

[Navy Patriot]

What happened to the Twentieth Century Motor Company, Dagney, where did it go?

Why did it go, Hank?

[Publius]

I found this one interesting.

[Colonel Kangaroo]

If ol' Atlas is so shortsighted to think the grass is greener on the other side, we're better off if he takes his moving and shaking and search for slave labor elsewhere.

With all our ills, we're still the greatest and most free country in the world.

I don't put much stock in the pretentious fiction of a "philosopher" whose worldview was based on the "virtue of selfishness". Surely we can find a better argument for free markets than from that woman.

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

I was reading this one as you sent the ping! How about that?

[I see my hands]

"pretentious fiction"

Which of her books have you read?

[Navy Patriot]

Well said, comrade!

[Revolting cat!]

pretentious fiction

It ain't no "pretentious fiction", Capt., it's a humourless, bombastic manifesto!

[Revolting cat!]

Oops, sorry, I mean Kernel. It’s still unreadable, though.

[CaspersGh0sts]

When I look at the mess we’re in here in the US and compare it to Australia....

“May 2010, the National Australia Bank forecast that the Australian national debt would peak at $190 billion in June 2013.” ...”net debt is now expected to peak at 6.4 per cent of GDP in 2011-12.”

Meanwhile here in the US, we’re looking at a minimum of 190% of GDP in the next few years by the latest projections I’ve seen.

Interestingly, Australia takes the exact opposite tack as we do in the US and on average only accept immigrants with more skills than the native populace.

They’ve set themselves up to accept Atlas. If this nation tanks or attempts to enslave me as a physician, well, you can’t help but look at other options, as sad as that is.

[Colonel Kangaroo]

Which of her books have you read?

My life is too short to waste on books filled with overlong boring speechs. I did see the 1940s Warner Brothers' hit movie .The Fountainhead. It was no good except for laughs. It featured a neurotic dingbat who tossed statues out windows and whipped lusty hero architech Howard Roarke because he was playing hard to get. The bottom line on Rand is found in Psalms 14:1:

THE FOOL HAS SAID IN HIS HEART, THERE IS NO GOD

Why would anybody pay attention to the philosophy of a fool?

[Colonel Kangaroo]

Maybe we can use Atlas Shrugged for torture at Guantanamo. Make them listen to that silliness long enough, the terrorists might start talking as much as Hank Rearden does in his infamous speech.

[I see my hands]

"Why would anybody pay attention to the philosophy of a fool?"

To categorize works you haven't read as pretentious fiction exposes you as the fool. BTW, the book you cited is non fiction.

[Hoodat]

Australia is dealing with their own Obama right now.

[I see my hands]

"If ol' Atlas is so shortsighted to think the grass is greener on the other side, we're better off if he takes his moving and shaking and search for slave labor elsewhere"

I don't know what you mean by slave labor in this context. I'm interested in what you have to say and I want to understand. Would you explain?

[Colonel Kangaroo]

I wasn’t talking about the ordinary Atlas who leaves the country in a misguided, but benign attempt to find a better land than the USA. I was talking about the narrow special case of the Mighty Atlas who likes his workers to be sweating hard and long, poor and not American. Two totally different categories.

[I see my hands]

"narrow special case of the Mighty Atlas who likes his workers to be sweating hard and long, poor and not American"

Are you saying you object to employers hiring illegal aliens? Me too.

What does that have to do with Rand's philosophy of objectivism? Anything? Nothing? Do you know?

[I see my hands]

"that silliness"

You haven't read Atlas Shrugged. How is it you have an opinion?