Press On: Who is John Galt?
If you have been focusing on the national news lately, you have probably noticed that the s-word has been being batted about with a high degree of frequency. No, I”m not talking about the four-letter s-word that invokes the thought of a foul stench when heard or read. I”m referring to the nine-letter s-word that, at least in my mind, conjures up the image of being fleeced by the government: socialism. There, it”s out in the open.
As far as I know, President Obama has never come right out and stated that he is a socialist, but it is obvious, by his words and actions, that he is more of a socialist than he is a capitalist. His “spread the wealth” and “entitlements for everyone” philosophy makes it quite clear which system he believes in and that is what worries many.
To me, it seems like it has always been an us-against-them situation, when you talk about which system is best for this nation. I remember when I was in college, I was always carrying around an Ayn Rand or Milton Friedman book, each extolling the virtues and benefits of capitalism, while students of a different persuasion were proud to carry and quote from their books by Marx and Engels about what is good for the masses.
When the Soviet Union collapsed and many of those nations openly embraced capitalism, I thought the socialism/communism threat around the world would actually disappear. I just figured that after that monumental failure everyone would see that government control of everything in a system that attempts to equalize everyone, regardless of how much they contribute, is ludicrous.
Boy, was I na?ve. The socialism movement in America is stronger than it has ever been, especially among the young. In a recent Rasmussen Reports poll, only 53 percent of Americans said that they believe capitalism is a better system than socialism. It is surprising that this is the case. In the establishment of this country, over 230 years ago, the founding fathers were rebelling against government control, the very thing that many seem to now be welcoming with open arms.
I find Ayn Rand”s masterpiece “Atlas Shrugged” to be more relevant now than when it was first published in 1957. If you haven”t read the novel: When the real producers in the country get fed up with having big government take control of their businesses and wastefully spend the money they have been taxed (sound familiar?) they go on strike and drop out of society, leaving the bureaucrats to try to pick up the pieces.
The leader of the strike, John Galt, explains the reason for the strike in his eloquent speech to those in power. He said, “All the men who have vanished, the men you hated, yet dreaded to lose, it is I who have taken them away from you. Do not attempt to find us. We do not choose to be found. Do not cry that you need us. We do not consider need as a claim. Do not cry that you own us. You don”t. Do not beg us to return. We are on strike, we, the men of the mind.” A few lines later he states, “We are on strike against the creed of unearned rewards and unrewarded duties.”
Sure, those are just words from a book, but I wonder what will happen in the real world when those who can and do produce get tired of having too much of what is rightfully theirs taken away and handed out to those who decide its easier just to let the government take care of them?
If the local and national April 15 TEA (taxed enough already) parties are any indication, it appears that there is a large group of hard-working, tax-paying citizens who probably can”t afford to go on strike like John Galt did, but nonetheless aren”t afraid to be vocal about their concerns.
Having dealt with the big government of England, Thomas Jefferson knew what he was talking about when he said, “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
Gary Dickson is the editor and publisher of the Record-Bee. Contact him at gdickson@record-bee.com or 263-5636 Ext. 24.
