Wednesday, March 04, 2009

"Going Galt" continued...

Michelle Malkin has a thought- provoking article at Townhall up today entitled, "Going Galt: America's Wealth Producers vs. Wealth Redistributors:"

Enough. Last Friday, thousands of Americans turned out to protest reckless government spending in the pork-laden stimulus package, the earmark-clogged budget bill, the massive mortgage-entitlement program and taxpayer-funded corporate rescues. Contrary to false left-wing blog smears that the hastily planned impromptu events were "Astro-turfed," the crowds were packed with first-time grassroots activists. They were people with families and day jobs whose usual definition of "community organizing" involves neighborhood yard sales or their kids' soccer matches. They were members of the silent majority who decided to be silent no more.


"Going Galt" isn't just about reducing taxable income, it is about getting involved politically. Many people are now carrying signs saying "Atlas will Shrug" or making references to John Galt. A small group can become a movement....

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34 Comments:

Blogger uncle ken said...

""Going Galt" isn't just about reducing taxable income, it is about getting involved politically."

In Rand's novel the movers and shakers of society don't become involved politically - they disappear, leaving the 'moochers'' to their fate. I guess you could say that dropping out was a political statement, and certainly Galt's broadcast monologue was a form of activism, but for me at least 'Going Galt" always inferred dropping out of productive society.

My personal fantasy, which may yet come true, involved a rusting double-wide in some remote burg like Austin, NV, a satellite dish, an old pickup, two bad dogs and a beer cooler.

'A dream is a wish your heart makes" said Jiminy Cricket. I dream of being left alone.

8:34 AM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger uncle ken said...

And a 12 gauge!

8:37 AM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger Helen said...

Uncle Ken,

"I dream of being left alone."

So do I but it's not going to happen without a fight. Right now, there are politicians in office who will not leave anyone alone--especially if you have a few bucks. We might have to make up the rules as we go along. Dropping out is an option--and a good one for some but where will that get us in terms of freedom?

9:02 AM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger Brett Rogers said...

Hands-on patriotism. That's what's required now...

9:11 AM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger javadoug said...

> "Going Galt" isn't just about reducing taxable income, it is about getting involved politically.

And I've been bombarding my friends until they be friends no more.
They now say that "I'm sick"
simply for reporting true facts about the Obama Administration.
Fancy that, and coming from those with a touch of the Bush Derangement Syndrome.

9:29 AM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger I R A Darth Aggie said...

Atlas shrugged,
Obama cried.

9:30 AM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger uncle ken said...

"Dropping out is an option--and a good one for some but where will that get us in terms of freedom? "

Well I think the premise is to hasten an economic collapse by withdrawing services and thus taxation revenue. The only alternatives I see are slow decline - giving in to the collectivist mantra, armed revolution or tax revolt.

There is the zombie scenario, but even if we could bring Reagan back from the dead, he's already served two terms...

9:55 AM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger HMT said...

I think it's quite possible that we'll get a "You got what you asked for and look where it got you" double shot.

Chapter One is complete. 2 terms of GWB, economy is in a shambles and we're still mired in an expensive overseas military operation. Public opinion of GOP is (was?) in the tank. Wakeup call for the GOP. Will they hit "snooze" or get to work?

Chapter Two is being written. Term one of the DNC Hero. Will he choke the left by giving it what it wants? Wake up call Dems? Will they hear it?

If so, what happens? If neither the GOP or the DNC can make it work as they're currently formed; what's the next step?

10:48 AM, March 04, 2009  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Slow decline, armed revolution, tax revolt. That's about it.

Because:
The lefties are exposed and can't stop now. This 4 year term is their only chance as it's a cinch Obama is a one term prez. Considering the speed at which they are moving, it is hard to imagine where we will be in 4 years.

12:28 PM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger Alex said...

br549 - dream on. Obama is already clinched his 2nd term as the GOP are all running clowns.

2:59 PM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger Derve Swanson said...

A small group can become a movement....

Except helen, some of us out here who reject the current liberalism in charge also are pretty wary of "movements" in general.

That is, we have our families, our churches, our towns and communities, our local teams ... we are suspicious of joining "movements" because this, "we're all in it together!" meme really comes from those who suffer groupthink, who really can't survive individually with their own "support systems" (see above) they have failed to build up and nuture over the years.

I'm not sure "dropping out" is the same as keeping quiet (because griping is no use now), continuing to make wise choices under the given circumstances, and putting your own individual values and freedoms first. (meaning, choice of where you live, who you associate with, what you do in your free time, how you spend/invest your time and monetary resources, etc.)

If you plan wisely, and stand by your choices (of lover/spouse, region of the country, car purchase, investment opportunities, etc) you're still very much free in this country. Just, like you noted in previous posts, be sure to keep the incoming income under $250K folks (really, not too hard to do if you're making good choices for how you spend your free time and aren't too tethered to your "work".)

All the best to all the readers here. Meaning, just because we're not "all in it together" doesn't mean we can't wish one another well in making the wisest decisions possible now, that surely if we plan properly, indeed will pay off tomorrow.

(Hi Trey! Warm enough where you are at to play outside w/the kiddies this afternoon? If so, enjoy!!)

3:33 PM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger Keyester said...

"Men of the mind" should go on strike, refusing to contribute their inventions, art, business leadership, scientific research, or new ideas of any kind to the rest of the world. Men of ability are hampered with unnecessary, burdensome regulations and are undervalued for their contributions. Stop working. Stop paying taxes. I'm with John Galt and uncle ken. Liberals rule the mass media and our education system, so eventually the government was next. It's too late. Every MAN and forthright woman for themselves.

5:08 PM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger Alex said...

Keyester - you fail to understand the motivation of the intellectual class. I don't mean academics who teach Marxist history. I'm talking about scientists, engineers, architects. They will continue to labor for what they love despite society's ingratitude and scorn.

5:11 PM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger Francis W. Porretto said...

As long as the federal government controls both the borders and the supply of currency and credit, I'm afraid such a reaction is up against Say's Law. It's not necessarily doomed, but that's one hell of a tough opponent to defeat.

5:17 PM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger Keyester said...

Alex - I paraphrased "Atlas Shrugged". In today's context it's just anyone who positively contributes to society; works and improves upon a necessary function for us to exist comfortably, and pays taxes. From the lowly garbage man or sewage plant worker on up. Men of simple means who "do" and/or "think". The male half of the species has become superfluous. I'm learning to hunt again as it may be a required skill to eat.

5:32 PM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger Derve Swanson said...

I'm learning to hunt again as it may be a required skill to eat.

????
Isn't it a bit like riding a bike -- once learned, how does one forget?

5:44 PM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger . said...

MGTOW/Ghost Nation…

…Therefore we work at things that interest us. We become harder to control because we are no longer willing to work inhuman hours for a woman’s approval.

Gradually we extricate ourselves from everything we have been brainwashed to believe is normal. This includes consumer credit, expensive chemical sludge pretending to be food and that strange 19th century invention, the career.

Gradually we eliminate, point by point, everything that ties us to the feminist state. This takes both economic and emotional form. Rather than let the media form our opinions for us because we are too tired to do anything else, we form our views actively on the internet.

Gradually, gradually we fade from view. We cannot even talk to people who are still within the system because most of them can only talk about their work…

6:06 PM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger Alex said...

Keyester - why get so hyperbolic? As long as we can't grow human beings in test tubes from manufactured genetic input, males will continue to be required.

Regarding hunting, you realize that there are few legal hunting grounds unless of course you move to rural West Virginia...

6:17 PM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger uncle ken said...

"scientists, engineers, architects. They will continue to labor for what they love despite society's ingratitude and scorn"

Only up to a point. Same as the book, "Atlas Shrugged'

"Regarding hunting, you realize that there are few legal hunting grounds unless of course you move to rural West Virginia..."

In a worst-case scenario, if people are starving legailty will be the least of their worries.

7:56 PM, March 04, 2009  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

we'll see, alex.

8:29 PM, March 04, 2009  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

mary, seems you are assuming the government will still allow us to do the things you are saying, to keep the freedoms of which you speak.

8:33 PM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger Alex said...

Actually I'd say Romney is the only Republican who stands a chance in 2012 simply because the media can't easily ridicule him. He's rich, handsome, articulate, a policy wonk, not pro-Creationism. Sure he's Mormon, but there's no radicalism in there, so they can't really pounce there unless they want to come off looking totally bigoted.

8:33 PM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger Bill Quick said...

The problem is a simple one of nomenclature: Going Galt means dropping out. That's what it means. Trying to twist it into some sort of political activism merely fuzzes the original meaning of the phrase.

Instead, and better, in my opinion, is to talk about going into libertarian activism.

Because that's what you're really talking about, anyway.

10:31 PM, March 04, 2009  
Blogger uncle ken said...

Mark:

Book critic Dorothy Parker once famously wrote "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force." Nonetheless, Atlas Shrugged has sold over 5 million copies since appearing in 1957. While the railroads and steel mills described in the book are somewhat dated technology, the ideas Rand expressed have never been more relevant.

Rand never used a sentence where a paragraph would do. Near the book's end, Galt's famous monologue alone goes on for 30 odd pages.

Still; read it - its highly worth it. And besides the brain, you will develop stronger chest and arm muscles just by packing it around! :-))

5:14 AM, March 05, 2009  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tune in
Turn off
Drop out

With absolutely no apologies to the late Timothy Leary.

5:32 AM, March 05, 2009  
Blogger Keyester said...

Of course hunting/fishing might have been considered poaching. But in the new post-Galt America there will be no enforcement to worry about. It will be survival as the pioneers once did. A good life will be food for your children and a warm place to sleep.

I hunted and trapped as a kid in the northeast, so I'd have to re-learn some of the techniques involved against game in the southwest.

The key to thriving is psychological preparation and adaptation. The basics of food and water and shelter aren't as difficult.

12:02 PM, March 05, 2009  
Blogger Unknown said...

Michelle Malkin just referred to your blog on Fox News. . .I am commenting here on her off the wall and negative comments because I could not find her email address. . .
Michelle Malkin should be the very last person criticizing the new president. . .she is obviously of mixed cultures. . . how dare she attempt to 'side' with the rightwing or The Republican party because they would just as soon throw her under the bus because she is certainly not white enough. . .

A fellow Tennessean

4:22 PM, March 05, 2009  
Blogger Sparks said...

One minority is not allowed to be critical of somebody else if they happen to also be a minority?

I'm a white conservative. I like people of all sizes, shapes and colors. Ethnicity isn't a factor in how I judge people.

Private, I bet you have a problem with people who are different than you in some way or another. Do you feel that minorities should all band together and only criticize white people? Maybe you're just projecting your own intolerance.

I think you, not the right-wingers, that would be the first person to throw Michelle under the bus.

4:36 PM, March 05, 2009  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here's a pesky little problem:

The government can crush you.

People in East Germany hated the Russians, and there was an uprising in 1953. Result: Lots of Germans shot to death. That's it.

Then there was the "Prag Spring" and the revolt in Hungary etc. People finally put it through in Germany in 1989 when the Wall came down. Lots of individual people shot to death in the meanwhile.

Today, the government can crush men. Look up all of the provisions of the "Brady Amendment" on child support, 42 USC 666 and you will be in disbelief.

The government can crush you.

Clarence Brandley was wrongly convicted of a rape and murder of a girl, and he was even on death row for a while. Around ten years later, new evidence led to the release of Clarence Brandley. He didn't do it.

But in the intervening years in prison, he had built up a child support debt of around $50,000, and according to the Bradley Amendment, that amount can never be erased by a judge for any reason. And it was growing every day with interest.

I'm telling you, if a woman makes a claim against you, the government could crush you. And is there anyone here who has ever had sex with a woman in a way that she could use that sperm to become pregnant? Yeah, you got lucky.

6:14 PM, March 05, 2009  
Blogger Keyester said...

". . . how dare she attempt to 'side' with the rightwing or The Republican party because they would just as soon throw her under the bus because she is certainly not white enough. . ."

Michelle Malkin doesn't identify herself as a (victim) minority. She's an American first.

11:28 AM, March 06, 2009  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

sparks:

You mean like how the lefties tossed Michael Steele under the bus? They even Joe the plumber'ed his ass.

6:12 AM, March 07, 2009  
Blogger Hitchcock said...

Does anyone else feel like The Forgotten Man because you do not have a team of lobbyist advocating your victim status in Washington? Tired of hearing how cruel and bigoted our society has become all the while special interest groups receive billions of your tax dollars in the name of “social justice”. Have you sacrificed much of your life to gain a modest level of success only to see the fruits of your labor confiscated by government taxation? And how does this administration reward us for our lifetime of responsibility? The tone we receive from Washington is not one of gratitude, but rather of entitlement and contempt.

The sheer arrogance of our President to portray himself as a great man merely because he takes from one American just to give to another is a sad comment to the twisted ideology that now pervades our political climate. Well, I for one have had enough. I pledge to do my best not to support this government in any way. Only by refusing to feed this cancerous system that views hard-earned success as evil greed will it stop growing and metastasizing. I love my country so it pains me to see its very fabric destroyed by an ideology that proudly rewards bad behavior over merit. I am John Galt.

Rodney Elliott
Chicago

11:04 PM, March 07, 2009  
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