“When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion — when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing — when you see money flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors — when you see that men get richer by graft and pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you — when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice — you may know that your society is doomed.” -- Ayn Rand
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- After the 2008 election of Barack Obama, there was a run on Ayn Rand’s most famous novel, Atlas Shrugged. Amazon.com was deluged with orders, and it went into multiple reprints.
Those with a sense of foreboding about the incoming administration found a level of “I’m not the only one who sees it coming” in its pages. Hearing the phrases “Going Galt” or “Where is John Galt?” was not uncommon. There was a feeling in the air among those who embraced free-market capitalism, limited government, hard work, individual responsibility, strong adherence to the US Constitution and the inalienable individual freedoms that had so set our United States of America apart from any nation or society heretofore were about to be flushed down the drain.
The Fundamental Transformation of the USA.
The quotation leading this column is on point given our current climate of crony capitalism, distain for the Constitution and its mandated division of powers, big and getting bigger: Federal government, municipal and state deficits, over-regulation and back-breaking taxes.
Rand, having grown up in the environment and witnessed the destruction of individual opportunity and initiative at the hands of all-powerful government in the USSR, made her way to the USA. She, as a supporter of individual liberty, wrote several books extolling the human benefits of freedom from the oppressive state (as in, big, central government). This included freedom to pursue one’s personal dreams and have the opportunity to achieve prosperity without the boot of government on one’s neck.
I first read Atlas Shrugged during my college years, and it influenced my thinking about the economic engines of our nation. We were conceptually and unabashedly built on economic capitalism and free enterprise. How could we, a free people, ever deny a hard-working person who had a great idea and was willing use his/her own resources to get that idea/product into service of the American people?
Whether it was Eli Whitney and the cotton gin, Henry Ford and the Model T, Thomas Edison and the electric light bulb, Ray Croc and McDonalds, Sam Walton and WalMart, Steve Jobs and Apple, or somebody who envisioned and brought to market Pet Rocks, Rice-a-Roni, a line of cosmetics or whatever, these were products that were introduced into the marketplace and survived or failed on merit and public demand.
No government entity ever promised them a market or provided guarantees against risk and failure until now. Think Solyndra and other failed “green” energy companies. It was not too hard to influence a young person who had grown up in the ‘50s and 60s, who embraced the free market, individual opportunity to rise to the highest level of one’s ability and a belief in America as a unique and special nation.
My high school curriculum included “Americanism vs. Communism.” We studied Civics in 9th grade, American history in 8th grade and again in 11th. Western Civilization was also part of the required curriculum. The message was unabashedly pro-Western culture. America, though not perfect, was the greatest country that ever existed because of our founding principles and our constant struggle to improve and live up to our best possibilities. Today’s schools are mostly bereft of such affirming curriculum and messages.
Back to Atlas Shrugged. At the time I first read the book, the ”villains” -- rather silly, intellectually-limited, small men with no original thoughts or talents who stole ideas, products and profits from the smart guys who risked everything they had to bring a product, service or concept to market -- were unbelievable to me. That they did this with approval and in partnership with the Federal government was bizarre. I found this comical and inconceivable. Our Government would never be a party to this stupidity. Today, the image is no longer implausible, much less funny.
Indeed, on July 13 of this year in a campaign speech, our own President Obama stated: "If you've got a business—you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen." In his understanding of business development, entrepreneurs just get lucky, and the environment and infrastructure created by government in this country is responsible for their success.
For those not familiar with Atlas Shrugged, Going Galt is synonymous with removing one’s intellect, talent, products and person from the marketplace rather than letting government or government’s cronies steal them. John Galt is the mysterious character in the novel who – in legend -- first makes this bold move. Others follow. Innovation begins to disappear.
In time, no one knows how to repair, much less replace, the infrastructure that the entrepreneurs envisioned, built and operated. The country declines. More innovators, inventors, and risk-takers disappear, joining John Galt, wherever he is.
America has achieved its greatness because of the belief-system and atmosphere that encourages people to take risks, work hard, achieve and get rewarded. That doesn’t mean everyone becomes mega-wealthy. That doesn’t always mean building products and making money. Sometimes it means building a successful family and making enough income to ensure that the family is safe, on a strong footing and the children have opportunities. Sometimes it means having a satisfying career that is personally although not financially rewarding.
Rewards are personal, but, opportunities are unlimited. On our current path, which started before but has accelerated vastly with the current Federal administration, there will be many more people who mentally or physically go Galt, and our country – all of its citizens -- will be the lesser for it. To continue being “American,” we must reverse this path. Those with innovative ideas – large and small – must have the environment in which to implement them.
Those who are willing to risk rolling the dice with their own resources on new products, services and ideas that can advance our society must have the atmosphere in which to achieve, not be squelched by ill-conceived government policies and regulations. In ancient Western mythology, Atlas was the titan who carried the Earth on his shoulders, keeping it from falling away through the heavens. He was a metaphor for strength, self-sacrifice and stability, struggling and straining on behalf of humanity.
By using Atlas in the title of her iconic book, Rand intended to show that certain exceptional people/elements/ideas keep us afloat and ascending, while others of lesser mettle can lead to our stagnation and eventual demise if we let them. Her premise: What if Atlas, representing the thinkers, doers, innovators who maintain our civilization and move it forward, gives up?
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