Who is John Galt?
Atlas Shrugged was written by the Ayn Rand in the 1950’s. It is a long 1168-page novel. I just finished reading it and it took weeks to get through it. The longer I read the more engaged I was as I realized so much of what Ayn wrote is pertinent for today.
When I was at Borders and picked it up, the clerk said, “We sure have been selling a lot of these books this year.”
Atlas Shrugged is now at the Top of Amazons’ Best Selling Classic books and is the story of what happens in the United States economy as it collapses under the weight of government regulations and intervention. As the government intervenes the crisis goes deeper and deeper. (Think HVCC, Stimulus 01, GM, TARP)
A Classic
I was inspired to purchase the book by this article in the Wall Street Journal by Stephen Moore, from Fiction to Fact in 52 years.
“The moral of the story is that politicians act out of crisis, (usually created by themselves) creating more and more programs to get us out of a mess, which creates more and more government intervention. Under the burden of more taxes, the entrepreneurs are also forced into poverty. In the book they escape to continue using their minds.” Stephen Moore
Living it today
Altas Shrugged is an accurate portrayal of the stupidity of Socialism. Socialism does not work. This has proven true everywhere socialism and communism have been tried in the last 100 years. Throughout the book it is obvious that under the crushing role of more government intervention the U.S. economy is destroyed.
The quote below is from John Galt’s speech. (Which are 70 pages long and toward the end of the book). Really a book in and of itself as John Galt doesn’t appear himself until close to the end.
“You know that you can’t give away everything and starve yourself. You’ve forced yourselves to live with undeserved, irrational guilt. Is it ever proper to help another man? No, if he demands it as his right or as a duty that you owe him. Yes, if it’s your own free choice based on your judgment of the value of that person and his struggle. This country wasn’t built by men who sought handouts. In its brilliant youth, this country showed the rest of the world what greatness was possible to Man and what happiness is possible on Earth.”
Do I agree with everything written in Atlas Shrugged? No not at all but the story is fascinating and relevant during the times we are living in and well worth the read.
Don’t have time to read a novel this large?
Read the Cliff Notes, however you will miss the development of the characters which reveal how different people handle the crisis.
