Atlas Shrugged

“Sales of Ayn Rand’s ‘Atlas Shrugged’ have almost tripled over the first seven weeks of this year [2009] compared with sales for the same period in 2008. This continues a strong trend after bookstore sales reached an all-time annual high in 2008 of about 200,000 copies sold.” – the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

In the words of the director of the Ayn Rand Center,
“There are uncanny similarities between the plot-line of the book and the events of our day. Americans are rightfully concerned about the economic crisis and government’s increasing intervention and attempts to control the economy. Ayn Rand understood and identified the deeper causes of the crisis we’re facing, and she offered, in ‘Atlas Shrugged,’ a principled and practical solution consistent with American values."

‘Atlas Shrugged’ was published in 1957 by Russian-American author Ayn Rand. She was age 12 during the Russian Revolution, attended a Soviet University, and at age 21, while visiting relatives in America, decided never to go back. Her works reflect the struggle of creative individuals versus corporate and government bureaucracies. Of those who are productive versus “second-handers” who live off the work of others.

The plot of ‘Atlas Shrugged’ shows the sometimes fatal impact of stupid policy decisions made by politicians and managers. Eventually the hero, John Galt, says enough, and calls for a strike of entrepreneurs to stop supporting a dystopian United States. The “creative people” retreat to a mountainous hideaway where they build a Utopian free economy. Without "the men of the mind," the US economy collapses and society falls apart. The title is an allusion to the titan Atlas who, according to Greek mythology, carried the Earth on his shoulders. What would happen if Atlas (like John Galt) decided to "shrug" and stop carrying the weight of the Earth?

In the past few months, there has been increased blog traffic about going “John Galt”. To escape the US laws and regulations that have become hostile to creativity and individual capitalism by retreating from civilization to some private utopia like a cabin in the woods or Walden’s Pond. However if you were a true John Galt you’d establish a colony or compound of like-minded individualists.

Personally I’d be reluctant to join a compound given the many bad examples:
- the Jonestown cult who committed suicide via purple kool-aid
- the "God Salvation Church" flying saucer cult
- break-away polygamy sects in Utah
- the FBI assault on the Branch Davidians cult in Texas

Still there are some positive examples of people living by their own rules:
- the Amish & Mennonites
- the Amana Colonies

Bottom Line
I like Ayn Rand's writings for her support of “individualism, laissez-faire capitalism, and the constitutional protection of the right to life, liberty, and property.” For her fierce opposition to “all forms of collectivism and statism, including fascism, communism, and the welfare state.”

Since the time of FDR and his depression era programs, US law and government focus has switched from protection of property right to protection of personal welfare. In the ‘World is Flat’, Thomas Friedman points out that it was strong property rights laws that made America a world power. The ability to own land, mortgage it, use the money to start a business, and hire/fire who you want and run it as you deem fit, has allowed for the flourishing of American creativity.

Yes some government regulation is needed as was pointed out of the meat industry in “the Jungle” by Upton Sinclair. But rules should be limited to prevent the worst cases instead of micro-managing the majority. Many think that when regulation fails, the answer is yet more rules. After a century of FDA rules, a bad apple like the Peanut Corp of America factory in Georgia never registered itself with State and Federal regulators and so avoided all the rules. It is similar to gun restriction laws that prevent “good” law-abiding citizens from owning a gun while criminals have no problem buying weapons on the black market. Criminals don’t follow rules and the result of extreme regulation is less productivity for everyone else.

Update

A recent quote by Congressional Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.)

“People are starting to feel like we’re living through the scenario that happened in ‘Atlas Shrugged, The achievers, the people who create all the things that benefit rest of us, are going on strike. I’m seeing, at a small level, a kind of protest from the people who create jobs, the people who create wealth, who are pulling back from their ambitions because they see how they’ll be punished for them.”