Atlantis

Ayn Rand’s picture of a utopian society is one of a pure free market system, without rules but with the general understanding amongst it constituents, a moral code embedded into the frame work of the society, that no one gives or needs, everything must be earned.  It is a society where everyone gets what he or she deserves and that it all; where ability and talent is demonstrated by the money earned. Those who provide no valuable assets to the society do not belong and are in fact shunned. Ayn Rand illustrates her dream through the creation of Galt Gulch, and John Galt as its protector and leader. This so called “Atlantis” is filled with the world’s most productive and intelligent people. All the citizens of “Galt’s Gulch” shared the knowledge that the outside world is a place that is no longer livable. They provide only for themselves and thus there is no illusion that they are working for the common good. If this is Ayn Rand’s prefect world then I wonder what she would think of the world now.  After reading this section of the book I wonder how Ayn Rand would feel about the United States in 2013. I think about what the United States once was. What it once stood for.  I think about what Ayn Rand said about it glory days, where it was the hub of freedom. The United States has truly become a shell of its former glory, hiding behind the brute force of its military and its less then competent leaders. I remember reading the rants of Jim Taggart and laughing. He was clearly delusional and no one in their right mind could possibly believe in anything he was saying. He did not even believe in the things that he was saying. He claimed that everything he was doing was “for the common people” and “for the welfare of the public”. It was lunacy but I watch the news today and they are preaching the same things. That everyone deserves free health care. The leader of our country claims the people in America that have the money must consider the “needs” of the people without the money. So they take a quarter of the richest’s money and “return” it to the poor, the needy.  People consider it selfish for those with money not to dump their savings into charity. Why should they give money to charity when it seems that the government is taking their money and giving it to charitable causes anyways? They are already paying for it in one respect, why bother paying for it in another. I wonder if Ayn Rand saw our country today, would she be proud?