Forum Post: SECOND message to followers of Ayn Rand

I think all you Ayn Rand lovers out there are deluded. Here's why:

You don't see government as being the people, the citizens (which is what it is). You see it as some evil other. You say government can't solve all problems so it should solve none. You throw the baby out with the bath water.

I own a company. I built it from the ground up and in the process of doing so, I've dealt with a lot of business people. A lot of them are selfish, self centered, only in it for themselves. They're shortsighted. They don't realize that what might be a sacrifice in the short term might be best in the long run.

But it's worse than that. They want to privatize the profits and socialize the losses. They and their companies are also are externalization machines: they'll pollute. . . because the right environmental equipment is a cost and why pay the cost when you can get away with letting the public deal with the problem, right? I know how this stuff works. I have owned a successful company for almost fifteen years. Earlier in life, I worked for my congressman on Capitol Hill. And It is simply a fact that unregulated corporations and unregulated business people do bad things. Bad things that aren't in the best interest of the general population, bad things that aren't good for the integrity of the financial markets and bad things that aren't even in their own interests or the interests of their children or grandchildren.

So that's point number one. Ask the son of a former slave sold on the auction block in Mississippi if the free market can do no harm. Regulated capitalism can work. Unregulated capitalism is ruthless and leads to a dismal world. To ignore this is to misunderstand human nature and give way too much credit to those George Carlin called "the business assholes". Many of them would sell their own mothers or buy yours if it would make 'em a buck. You call them horoes and suggest the market will somehow punish or reward them as appropriate. I know it won't. The sandbox needs rules. You want to let brute force win. And I'm saying no fuckin' way. That's not the world I want my family, my grandkids to live in.

Point 2 is this. Many of you Ayn Randy's say you'll feed your neighbor because his hunger is your danger. First of all, leaving that to individuals or the church is a total fuckin cop out no matter how you slice it. Deep down you know that. C'mon. Get real. Capitalism is always going to have some carnage. You, sir, seem willing and ready to cheer when people without health insurance die for lack of care. You're ready to let the old ladies eat cat food and wiill probably have some wacky reasoning for why that's the best thing for society.

Government is the people. And the people need a system to take care of the downtrodden so they're not dying in the streets. The people need a system that will help improve education for all, including the downtrodden so they can improve their lot (a benefit to society by the way).

One other thing I'd say about your philosophy of "I feed my neighbor because I'd be in danger if he was hungry": I think you and your fellow Ayn Randy's are just plain not being honest here. You feed your neighbor because you have compassion. And if you have compassion, you don't stop there. You work with other people to have a system (government) whereby the needs of the downtrodden are not left to the chance kindness of strangers or neighbors. How do you want your daughter treated if she ends up poor and alone at age 80?

I also think this is an unnecessarily negative code of ethics you all are espousing based on fear. You're saying you only help people out of fear. So you base your life on fear?

Additionally, it seems you philosophy is trapped in a materialistic viewpoint. For you it seems to be about who has what stuff and you assume that people with more stuff or comfort are better off. I think you and I both know that ain't the case. As a matter a fact, quite often it's the opposite.