Post #2- Influence on Politics

Max Bochner

Mr. Shapiro

Period 1

I openly admit that before this weeks reading passage I did not particularly enjoy reading “Atlas Shrugged”. However, over the past week my interpretation on the book has changed dramatically. In fact, I am beginning to enjoy reading it because of the interesting storyline.

What is truly intriguing me is all the factors that goes into the decision making process for the James Taggart, Dagny Taggart, and Hank Rearden. When making  an important choice for their business, they always refer to their “friends in Washington”. This truly shows how society as a whole is sometimes corrupt when it comes to business. Large corporations such as Taggart Transcontinental and Rearden Steel have a huge influence on the decision making process of the government. However, this is not something that is only present inside the book. Everyday, large corporations have their own people in Washington fighting to make the laws better for their own sake.

In fact, the Taggarts do not only talk about influencing policy in the United States, but also in the People’s Republic of Mexico as well. CEO’s and Presidents of large corporation influence politics to only benefit themselves and increase the total income and profit of their company. However, this may not be a positive thing for the rest of the world, as these companies are basically creating the laws and controlling politics. Because of the decision to include this in the book, Ayn Rand ultimately made the book more realistic in my eyes.