Ayn Rand Continues to Screw Us

Stephan Moore is a senior economics writer for the Wall Street Journal editorial pages, okay?  He's not some chump, like Joe the Plumber.  He has gobs of respectability.  People, rich people, national leaders listen to his advice. 

A few days ago he wrote an op-ed in the WSJ identifying the real cause of our current deep recession: the government.  The government harasses and hinders the heroic capitalists who want to make us all richer.  His solution?  Heed John Galt's (hero of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged") advice.  Moore writes:

One memorable moment in "Atlas" occurs near the very end, when the economy has been rendered comatose by all the great economic minds in Washington. Finally, and out of desperation, the politicians come to the heroic businessman John Galt (who has resisted their assault on capitalism) and beg him to help them get the economy back on track. The discussion sounds much like what would happen today:

Galt: "You want me to be Economic Dictator?"

Mr. Thompson: "Yes!"

"And you'll obey any order I give?"

"Implicitly!"

"Then start by abolishing all income taxes."

"Oh no!" screamed Mr. Thompson, leaping to his feet. "We couldn't do that . . . How would we pay government employees?"

"Fire your government employees."

"Oh, no!"

Abolishing the income tax. Now thatreally would be a genuine economic stimulus. But Mr. Obama and the Democrats in Washington want to do the opposite: to raisethe income tax "for purposes of fairness" as Barack Obama puts it.

Yes, abolish the income tax, fire ALL the government employees.  No taxes, no regulations. Let the private sector do whatever they do best (enrich the rich at the expense of the rest), without any oversight.  Yeah, THAT's the solution alright!

Ayn Rand was born and educated in the old Soviet Union.  Her book, "Atlas Shrugged" is still enormously popular and influential, and it had a lot to do with Ronald Reagan'a famous "Government is not the solution, it's the problem" mantra that has guided the Republican Party ever since and has ultimately destroyed our economy.  When Nikita Khrushchev taunted the U.S. with his promise in 1956 that "We will bury you!" little did we know that the Soviet-born author, Ayn Rand, was about to sow the seeds that would bring Khrushchev's promise closer to fruition.

[h/t Digby]

--Trakker

Comments

[horsec]

Where did that come from?

Stephan Moore is a senior economics writer for the Wall Street Journal editorial pages, okay? He's not some chump, like Joe the Plumber. He has gobs of respectability. People, rich people, national leaders listen to his advice.

- Trakker [Emphasis added]

Cite, please.

Abolish the income tax? Are donations going to pay for those wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Stephan Moore is a certified nutter. See his Wikipedia entry. He may as well founded the flat-earth society.

[Trakker]

"People, rich people, national leaders listen to his advice."

Yes, Moore is a nut case, the WSJ and National Review and the Cato Institute are held in high regard in Washington, thus his views get wide circulation. I contend that Stephan Moore's (and others like him) views were mainstream in Washington in the early years of the Bush Admin. (including his admiration of Limbaugh, the ultimate nut case - at least before Sarah Palin!).

[Fernando Cassia]

Kudos from Argentina!

I will link to this blog, and in particular, this post.

Anything that deservedly trashes the reputation of AynRandites or its associates gets my vote!.

Heard this one? Gordon Brown, UK PM:

"Banks are indefensible"

Feb 28 - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown calls for more rigourous global supervision of the banking system, saying bank practices are "indefensible".
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=99474

I highly recommend those of you with Facebook accouns to join the group for the abolition of tax havens...

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=88650005117

FC

FC

[Trakker]

Hi Fernando. It's good to hear that leaders around the world are beginning to catch on that we've been hoodwinked by the Randian mantra that government oversight of banks is unnecessary and stifles growth. No, it protects the rest of us from excessive greed.

[Dan D. Doty]

But who protects us from the government?

[Trakker]

But who protects us from the government?

YOU DO. It's called voting and writing to your elected officials and running for office if you don't like the candidates.

[Dan D. Doty]

Not a very good answer there, Trakker.

How about limiting their power and creating term limits.

[Trakker]

How about limiting their power and creating term limits.

I support term limits. Limiting their power? How? I fell strongly that after their term is up that they not be allowed to become lobbyists or work for companies that benefited from their legislation.

[Dan D. Doty]

Just remember Trakker, the King does not protect you from himself.

Keep your powder dry, your sword sharp and your wits intact; you never know when Big Brother is going to go off the deep end.

[Trakker]

Just remember Trakker, the King does not protect you from himself.

Keep your powder dry, your sword sharp and your wits intact; you never know when Big Brother is going to go off the deep end.

If you've read enough of my blog you know I have little respect for our leaders, especially Congress. I think the most dangerous administration in U.S. history was Bush/Cheney. Others were Nixon's and Wilson's. On the other hand I fear the armed loonies of the far right more than I fear the government (now that Cheney is gone).

I'm just curious. Were you as anti-government during the Bush administration as you are now?