ThomNJ,

Obviously, Rand is not the “be all, and end all” however she had a very singularly powerful ability to stimulate serious thinking, even if you didn’t agree with all or any of her positions.

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Good articles and comments – but I don’t think the hip-pop generation has the reading skills or the patience to read any of Ayn Rand’s work. Sorry – can’t help but be negative about that. BUT having said that, I have met some younger folks at the college level now who seem to have more interest and a better handle on things than their slightly older peers.

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An astute commenter (Lee Dise) on David Solway’s article Knowing the Endgame — in Chess and the Economy published by Pajamas Media writes:

The old rules were, among other things: companies that make good economic decisions tend to prosper, and those that make bad decisions tend to suffer; secured debt means secured debt; the government referees the rules but does not dictate the outcome; you can expect to keep a large portion of the money you earn.

The new rules turn the old rules on their head. Companies that make bad decisions get federal money; companies that make good decisions get to pay for the subsidies. Secured debt means the government takes your money and gives it to the unions. The government picks the winners. You can expect to pay more in taxes to subsidize all this largess.

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We can safely assume that when Obama was writing his first 2 autobiographies, he probably hadn’t read or heard of Ayn Rand.

I dare say that she may have had more influence on the thinking that shaped America through the last century, than any other writer. Rand’s fiction was unusually powerful in its subtle delivery of her message. The hip-pop generation might do well to visit her corner of the library.

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John,

…. Current developments appear to strengthen the prescient Rand’s observations. Her barometer says, “government is seriously failing in its responsibilities.”

In the meantime, the MSM lead by the NYT with the help of people like P.Krugman pontificate with absolutely no common sense. Some of the recent articles are simply, …. well, downright pathetic.

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“Money is the barometer of a society’s virtue. 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 that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors – when you see that men get richer by graft and by 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, Atlas Shrugged

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