Thursday 19 February 2009

‘Atlas’ and today: The parallels are striking! [updated]

* * In the wake of the passing of the Obamessiah’s US$787 billion ‘Throw-Money-at-Everything-You-Can-Think-Of’ Bill, Glenn Beck talks to Yaron Brook from the Ayn Rand Institute about the parallels between Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged and what’s happening right now in the world’s economies and the corridors of political power.

The parallels are striking! 

“The economic catastrophe we’re witnessing now parallels very much the catastrophe in the book” … with one key difference.

Key point: the prevalent political ethic today is that “failure is the standard.”  And until that changes…

* * And here’s Beck on his own on the same theme: Is America on the road to socialism?  Or fascism?  Hell, we’re moving towards state ownership or state control of everything!

* * And just for completeness’ sake, here’s Rand herself interviewed by Mike Wallace all of fifty years ago, predicting just what we’re seeing today:

(NB: No, I just couldn’t resist that pun in this post’s title.  Could you?)

UPDATE: Who “owns” the economy “owns” you, says Edward Cline.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now that Wallace vs Rand interview was classic & brilliant.

Notice how each person was allowed to speak their mind without interruption. Both were given time to set their ideas plainly without the other interjecting with an outburst.

It was a debate, not some celebrity interview death-match theatre. More of that style of interview if you please. That is part of the antidote to today's malaise. Rational discussion and exchange of ideas.

Dinther said...

"Striking" clever, I find the similarities almost scary. You could just about put the books character names on the various politicians around us.

Obama announced the USA mortgage problems caused by Freddy Mae and Freddy Mac will be solved by...

You guessed it, removing even more restrictions on those mortgage banks.

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUKTRE51H50I20090218?virtualBrandChannel=10112

Dinther said...

Still chuckling. Just ran into the word "Spendulus"

Anonymous said...

I like those guys, Glen Beck & Phil O'Reilly from Fox TV, there is no holding back. Mr. O'Reilly said last week in his regular program, that Barney Frank (House Financial Services Chairman), should go to jail because he (primarily) and Pelosi had engineered this trillion dollar stimulus package, in his view, that had the taxpayers were given some detail explanations of its consequences in approving this stimulus package (higher taxes & debt for future generations), they would rise up and oppose it. He thought that Barney Frank, Obama & Pelosi had mislead the public, by using scare tactics.

Also that Fox TV blonde lawyer (Megyn Kelly) who frequently appears on O'Reilly is awesome (her looks & brains), in debunking and hitting hard on the Obama admin for their almost dictatorial socialist agendas.

Fox News is much much better than CNN.

Anonymous said...

Watching the video, I just can't help but admire how articulate Ayn Rand was - remembering that English was her second language. She was the master of cutting through the crap and telling it like it is!

Interesting that Mike Wallace, the interviewer, was smoking through most of the interview. Even when the camera was focused on Rand, you could see the drifts of smoke heading her way. Doesn't seem to have done Wallace too much harm as he turned 90 last year.

Anonymous said...

Trouble is, there is no Gault's Gulch to retire to....

LGM