"Atlas Shrugged is a dot-by-dot four-color prophecy of the economic disaster and individual liberties threats we see today...."

I am reading a recent copy of The New Individualist that has an interesting interview with Anne C. Heller, the author of Ayn Rand and the World She Made. She discusses the five years it took her to write the biography and how difficult a job it was to find accurate sources and the time consuming research that went into the book. Heller is asked about the reasons for a revival of Rand's work and stated: "The main reason, however, has to be that from one perspective, at least, Atlas Shrugged is a dot-by-dot four-color prophecy of the economic disaster and individual liberties threats we see today and that Rand wrote about so brilliantly fifty years ago."

You can read more about Heller's work at her website www.anneheller.com.

Atlas Shrugged: The Making of a Movie

The Atlas Society emailed to let me know about an upcoming event in Manhattan on December 7th:

The Atlas Society is proud to present Atlas Shrugged: The Making of a Movie. After years of anticipation John Aglialoro has completed filming Part I of what will be a trilogy. David Kelley, Atlas Society founder and CEO, consulted on a script that is true to the characters and philosophy of Ayn Rand’s epic novel.

The program will feature a ten minute first time viewing of an Atlas Shrugged film clip, which will include the first scene from the movie. You’ll hear special remarks from producers John Aglialoro and Harmon Kaslow, Kelley, and select cast members. The event will be followed by a general cocktail reception. There will also be a VIP reception with an opportunity to meet and mingle with the producers and cast members.

If you are interested in the event, there is more information on the time and place here. If you want to see more about the Atlas Shrugged movie, here is the official Facebook page.

Tea parties, "going Galt" and Atlas Shrugged

The Atlas Society has an interesting post on "going Galt":

“Tea parties.” “Going Galt.” You’ve probably seen a growing number of references to these in the media, online, and on signs at rallies reacting to new government spending and controls.

The Boston Tea Party was a rebellion against excessive government. Today’s “tea parties” say “no” to spending without limit and the government takeover of our lives.

“Going Galt!” If you’ve read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged,you appreciate the parallels between today’s disintegrating world and the events depicted in that prophetic novel. Atlas Shrugged is the story ofhow productive people went on strike, withdrawing their services in protest against a society that damned them for being productive and expropriated the fruits of their labor.

The ideas in Atlas Shrugged can be powerful moral weapons to roll back the forces of repression and irrationality. The Atlas Society is your premier source for information on those ideas. We’ve compiled this page to help you understand the whole “Going Galt” phenomenon.

What is “Going Galt?”

* “Going Galt” doesn’t simply mean getting angry. That would be “Going Postal.” It means having righteous indignation at the injustice of a political system that bails out individuals and institutions for irresponsible behavior and at the expense of those like you who prosper through hard work and personal responsibly.

* “Going Galt” means asking in the face of new taxes and government controls, “Why work at all?” “For whom am I working?” “Am I a slave?”

Read the rest here.

And don't forget that tomorrow is the big Tea Party day. Join one in your area. Glenn and I will be at the Knoxville event covering it for PJTV.

"If you made it yourself,....Why shouldn't you keep it, you made it..."

So says Ayn Rand, in an interview with Phil Donahue (thanks to reader Jeff for the link) when talking about citizens keeping money that they make themselves. Take notice of the audience reaction to Rand's ideas in the clip--people seem to love her. Imagine what would happen if she were on Jon Stewart's show in today's political climate. The boos and hisses would be deafening. Take a listen, it is really interesting:

PJTV: Atlas Shrugged continued

PJTV interviews the executive director, Yaron Brook, of the Ayn Rand Institute about Atlas Shrugged, Rand's philosophy and how it pertains to the current crisis, and "going John Galt."

You can watch the interview here.

Is Rand relevant?

Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute asks and answers this question in an op-ed in the WSJ:

Ayn Rand died more than a quarter of a century ago, yet her name appears regularly in discussions of our current economic turmoil. Pundits including Rush Limbaugh and Rick Santelli urge listeners to read her books, and her magnum opus, "Atlas Shrugged," is selling at a faster rate today than at any time during its 51-year history.

There's a reason. In "Atlas," Rand tells the story of the U.S. economy crumbling under the weight of crushing government interventions and regulations. Meanwhile, blaming greed and the free market, Washington responds with more controls that only deepen the crisis. Sound familiar?

The novel's eerily prophetic nature is no coincidence. "If you understand the dominant philosophy of a society," Rand wrote elsewhere in "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal" "you can predict its course." Economic crises and runaway government power grabs don't just happen by themselves; they are the product of the philosophical ideas prevalent in a society -- particularly its dominant moral ideas.

While many people profess that Rand promotes unhealthy selfishness, that does not appear to be the case according to Brook:

The message is always the same: "Selfishness is evil; sacrifice for the needs of others is good." But Rand said this message is wrong -- selfishness, rather than being evil, is a virtue. By this she did not mean exploiting others à la Bernie Madoff. Selfishness -- that is, concern with one's genuine, long-range interest -- she wrote, required a man to think, to produce, and to prosper by trading with others voluntarily to mutual benefit.

While many people think that others will continue to produce for no other reason than helping others, even if they have to turn over most or all of their earnings to the government, I think we will learn otherwise. Human nature, without a lobotomy, does not change all that much. People will do what is in their interest, though, they will lie through their teeth and tell you otherwise (or do it subconsciously).

Hence, the easy way guys like Geithner talk a good game about how those who are successful must pay more for the greater good, but all the while, cheating on his own taxes. For in our society, claiming to be for the collective is now in vogue. But perhaps the pendulum will swing the other way and the rights of the individual and capitalism will prevail. Crazier things have happened.