Is Atlas Shrugging?

A Summary of the book.

A book that I read long ago and enjoyed as a page-turner. It paints a stark black-and-white picture of the government and the elites (“the looters”) taking such advantage of the productive people so much that they start to quit working, do their jobs poorly, or sometimes are chosen to leave for a utopia created by “John Galt.” (“Who is John Galt?” is a mystery question that comes up frequently as you read along.)

The punchline is that when you remove the productive, society falls apart. Who knew?

Aside from Rand becoming a Libertarian cult figure, and even such luminaries as Alan Greenspan being in her inner circle at one time, it is not a top-level intellectual achievement, but then neither is Star Trek, yet it has influenced many with one of the few positive visions of the future vs the typically dystopian one.

My brother and sister-in-law being marooned in Alaska since Monday (due back today after much trouble/expense) due to the CrowdStrike/Microsoft software bug is one of the causes of this post.

The fragile and more frequently failing power grid is another discouraging example, especially when nuclear could give us both green plus cheap/reliable energy. It won’t, however, burden the masses with costly and unreliable electricity, and transfer wealth to the proper elites.

The unbelievable level of Secret Service incompetence on July 14th exposed either the horror of DEI, or worse. From the sad/funny sloped roof SS director on down to the short pudgy women milling around in disorder trying to manipulate their sidearms, totally incapable of protecting Trump, to the counter sniper waiting for the shooter to shoot, etc., it screamed “DEI MEANS DIE!” The Keystone Cops are a top-notch professional organization compared to our Secret Service.

Or perhaps not. Crossfire Hurricane creating the Russia Hoax that lasted for over two years is a model that shocks the reasonable mind on conspiracies. It seems that the combination of a Deep State willing to manufacture a narrative to take down a president, a media willing to cover up or "explain” any glitches, and a population deep in Mass Formation really can be fooled all of the time. Just to have questions now is a sign one is “nuts,” which was certainly not the case when the JFK assassination happened. Perhaps our Deep State is actually very capable, and looking incompetent is just a ruse.

I am personally experiencing the destruction of our once great medical system by the combination of increased government bureaucracy/regulation due to Medicare and Obamacare, disgruntled medical professionals leaving because of the regulation effects, longer hours, rules preventing doctors from ordering tests they know are needed, long wait times, etc.

Boeing displays a tragic case of DEI mismanagement, massive government regulation, and just the standard infestation of administrative deadwood that infects all large organizations. People have died, and two astronauts are now marooned in space as the once greatest aerospace company in the world becomes a sad joke.

Between the combined pressures of Undocumented Democrats flooding in to take low-paying jobs, lax standards for “total disability” or “Welfare” (despondency assistance?), just living in the parent’s basement, or just on the street, is more compelling than working toward some goal. Many feel proud to be on the dole and look at those trying to support themselves as stupid. Taking is more honorable than making today.

Certainly “Corporate Greed” is a factor, but few realize that with the massive level of government regulation, legal peril, taxation, and global competition, profits are hard to come by. A quick scan of this list shows the NET profit for a lot of businesses is low to negative. OTOH, Apple maintains a net margin above 20%, Alphabet (Google) is similar. Results vary, a lot, but at the macro level, American business isn’t really raking in the bucks, as we are told.

The average US government employee's wages and benefits total $144k, while the average US worker makes $59k. Is there any evidence we have “looting” going on?

The party of “Our” (meaning their Oligarchy) “Democracy,” just threw the candidate elected with over 14 million votes in their primaries under the bus and appointed a new one. Certainly, Biden was obviously incompetent from day 1, even though he was declared “sharp as a tack” a month before the debate, with media sources claiming any questioning of his ability was “disinformation.” That lie was exposed, but it isn’t clear the ruling Oligarchy lost any credibility. Now, any questioning of Kamala is “racism, sexism, misogyny, etc.,” and “the nation” (the leftist Oligarchy), plus any manufactured votes needed are likely to keep Atlas shrugging and falling.

The evidence I see is that the Mass Formation is so strong that even obvious exposed propaganda is ignored, and the next narrative is greedily accepted. Many are so used to living as sheep that they will take no action even if the shepherds are exposed as ravenous wolves. They believe that if they stay quiet and compliant, the wolves won’t come for them.

Assuming Kamala and “whomever” manage to “win,” it might be time for the productive to form a much larger version of “Galt’s Gulch,” where excellence reigns and gold is the medium of exchange.

I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees. (Maybe a quote from Emilio Zapata)