Ayn Rand - Right Again

[CuteOldGuy]

"The goal of the “liberals”—as it emerges from the record of the past decades—was to smuggle this country into welfare statism by means of single, concrete, specific measures, enlarging the power of the government a step at a time, never permitting these steps to be summed up into principles, never permitting their direction to be identified or the basic issue to be named. Thus statism was to come, not by vote or by violence, but by slow rot—by a long process of evasion and epistemological corruption, leading to a fait accompli. (The goal of the “conservatives” was only to retard that process.)" - Ayn Rand, | “‘Extremism,’ or the Art of Smearing,” Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, 178

[catnipdipper]

COG; truth be told you would want to be the Earl of Wichita and have your serfs and indentured servants bring you sustenance and father your children.

If you guys get your way that is the way it will be just like it was 200 years ago.

[CuteOldGuy]

Catnip, I'd rather father my own children. And I like liberty. So sue me.

[catnipdipper]

Under your rules it will be too complicated, narrow and the compensation will be capped.

[CuteOldGuy]

What? It will be simple, broad, and no limits except those mandated by a free market.

You're describing the status quo.

C'mon, Catnip. I expect better of you.

[catnipdipper]

As a lawyer COG you like your clients to be blind hop scotch players on a busy freeway. After you get the retainer up front of course.

[CuteOldGuy]

Duh, of course, as a lawyer. What's your point?

[awl4knot]

CuteOldGuy;

Ms. Rand is aptly describing the antics of Bush, Cheney and the other "conservatives" who wanted to great an Imperial Presidency, curtail the Constitution (e.g. the Patriot Act), bribe Congress through uncontrolled earmarks and weaken the courts through ideological litmus tests. Bush also was a champion of those free markets that created our financial mess, as was that great liberal Bill Clinton.

If you stop using labels and focus on what people do, you may get a clearer picture of what is going on rather than casting blame through slogans at chimeras.

[CuteOldGuy]

You're right, she is describing Bush, Cheney, Clinton, Reagan, and Obama. Do you read what I post?

[Marshall]

Originally Posted by awl4knot

Ms. Rand is aptly describing the antics of Bush, Cheney and the other "conservatives"

Hey dumbass, just because Bush and Cheney called themselves conservatives doesn't mean they are conservatives....."conservativ e" is only what they said to get elected, not how they governed......

[CuteOldGuy]

And read the quote, Rand doesn't care for conservatives much either.

[MisterS]

Actually COG, when I saw the title of this thread, I expected something comparing "Occupy Wall Street" and "Atlas Shrugged". Anyone else seeing parallels?

[WTF]

...if devotion to truth is the hallmark of morality, then there is no greater, nobler, more heroic form of devotion than the act of a man who assumes the responsibility of thinking.... the alleged short-cut to knowledge, which is faith, is only a short-circuit destroying the mind. [Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

[CuteOldGuy]

The parallels between our current society and the one described in Atlas Shrugged is alarming. Especially when we have conservatives defending a form of capitalism which is not capitalism, and liberals promoting tyranny disguised as freedom.

[Doove]

Originally Posted by CuteOldGuy

The parallels between our current society and the one described in Atlas Shrugged is alarming. Especially when we have conservatives defending a form of capitalism which is not capitalism, and liberals promoting tyranny disguised as freedom.

There is more than plenty of tyranny in capitalism, my friend.