GUEST COLUMN: Ayn Rand should remain in her grave – The Northwest Florida Daily News

William White | Special to the Daily News

For decades our Libertarian leaning Daily News, really our only local paper, sat dutifully in my driveway. Like most media, clearly tilted toward its customers. The Reagan/Thatcher team found ample comfort here claiming government was the problem. Odd, considering our huge government attachment!

Then Libertarian ideas took hold, moving Southerners into the Republican column. Where they remain. Paradoxically Red States with their social/financial shortcomings would appear most in need of government props. Not overlooking sea to shining sea DoD dependence. Okaloosans? Obviously.

Perhaps the parallels to socialism are obvious, uniformed and otherwise. Still the religion-like lure of Libertarianism runs deep here. Even within the federal government itself. Secretary Tillerson, Speaker Ryan, Congressman Paul, son Senator Rand Paul. All devotees of trickle down economics. Such thinking directly traceable to economist Milton Friedman and the Chicago School. Not to overlook the Feds keeper for many years, Allan Greenspan. Understandably left sobbing by the fall of 08! Incidentally Greenspan was a contemporary and disciple of Ayn Rand herself.

Ayn who?

What college freshman hasnt cut his teeth on Rands 1184 page tome Atlas Shrugged? Even non-prolific reader Donald Trump admires her book Fountainhead. Rands work, put to music, could well be the theme for todays often shady Tea Party itself.

Ayn who?

Born Alisa Zinov Rossenbaum in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1905, Rands family was brought to ruin by incoming socialists replacing the Czar. This hatred of anything collective would remain with her until her death in California in 1982. Strangely, this lifelong atheist has now experienced re-birth in the U.S., even among Christian evangelicals!

Part of her huge writing output included a philosophy which she termed Objectivism. Much like the Bible, exhaustingly prone to interpretation. Heres the gist of it, in Rands own words:

Man exists for his own sake, that the pursuit of his own happiness is his highest moral purpose, and that he must not sacrifice himself to others, nor sacrifice others to himself. In Atlas Shrugged the message revolves around capitalist genius John Galt who engineers strikes by men of talent (job creators?) to withdraw their genius, letting the world wind down. Thus removing the motor. Lesson being, only the truly capable must run the world. The rest dine on their crumbs. No collectivist she! Let the devil take the hindmost.

Yet government remains the only tool capable of withstanding the pressures of wealth, unless morphed into a bought and sold Plutocracy. Ironically, technology can now provide actual, direct government participation by citizens. Nine of the top 10 nations most pleased with life, function just fine with social-democratic foundations. So critical as workers worldwide either lack work, consider their jobs threatened by shrinking salaries or digitized automation. Anger and fear giving power brokers much populist leverage. Yet solutions can hardly exist within the endless striving for production, profit and ceaseless consumerism pillaging our planet! Rand should remain in her grave.

If you would like to respond to this guest column with a letter to the editor, follow this link.

This guest column was written by William White, who is a resident of Fort Walton Beach.

Go here to see the original:

GUEST COLUMN: Ayn Rand should remain in her grave - The Northwest Florida Daily News