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Title: "Rise of the double standard" foretold in Atlas Shrugged
Source:
Idaho Observer
URL Source: http://proliberty.com/observer/20081105.htm
Published: Nov 11, 2008
Author: n
Post Date: 2008-12-11 17:31:01 by OliviaFNewton
Keywords: doublestandard, tyranny, fiat`, gold
Views: 537
Comments: 38
From the November 2008 Idaho Observer: "Rise of the double standard" foretold in Atlas Shrugged If you have never read Atlas Shrugged (1957) by Ayn Rand, you should. In one passage, a stereotypically "liberal" New York journalist named Bertram Scudder was overheard by South American copper magnate Francisco d’Aconia stating to a girl during a social event, "Don’t let him disturb you. You know, money is the root of all evil – and he’s the typical product of money." Rand gave d’Aconia some very excellent lines here to describe "money." Aside from being, at least from an "individualist" point of view, a concise and brilliant overview of what money, people, good and evil really are, Rand used d’Aconia to foreshadow exactly what is happening today. Ironically, one of Rand’s philosophical devotees was Alan Greenspan—the man who set in motion the exact circumstances described below. "...Then you will see the rise of the double standard—the men who live by force, yet count on those who live by trade to create the value of their looted money—the men who are the hitchhikers of virtue. In a moral society, these are the criminals, and the statutes are written to protect you against them. But when a society establishes criminals-by-right and looters-by-law—men who use force to seize the wealth of disarmed victims—then money becomes its creators’ avenger. Such looters believe it safe to rob defenseless men, once they’ve passed a law to disarm them. But their loot becomes the magnet for other looters, who get it from them as they got it. Then the race goes, not to the ablest at production, but to those most ruthless at brutality. When force is the standard, the murderer wins over the pickpocket. And then that society vanishes, in a spread of ruins and slaughter. "Do you wish to know whether that day is coming? Watch money. Money is the barometer of a society’s virtue. When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion—when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing—when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors—when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you—when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice—you may know that your society is doomed. Money is so noble a medium that it does not compete with guns and it does not make terms with brutality. It will not permit a country to survive as half-property, half-loot. "Whenever destroyers appear among men, they start by destroying money, for money is men’s protection and the base of a moral existence. Destroyers seize gold and leave to its owners a counterfeit pile of paper. This kills all objective standards and delivers men into the arbitrary power of an arbitrary setter of values. Gold was an objective value, an equivalent of wealth produced. Paper is a mortgage on wealth that does not exist, backed by a gun aimed at those who are expected to produce it. Paper is a check drawn by legal looters upon an account which is not theirs: upon the virtue of the victims. Watch for the day when it becomes, marked: ‘Account overdrawn.’ "When you have made evil the means of survival, do not expect men to remain good. Do not expect them to stay moral and lose their lives for the purpose of becoming the fodder of the immoral. Do not expect them to produce, when production is punished and looting rewarded. Do not ask, ‘Who is destroying the world?’ You are."
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#1. To: OliviaFNewton (#0)
Her idea is not original with her. It's been noticed long before she was even born. It's generally called the Political Means (force) and the Economic Means (trade).
Republicans believe in abortion -- they just wait until they're born and then call them 'collateral damage'.
Let us count on one hand the number of posters that recognize this.
Turtle is brilliant, not to mention adorable amd really, really cute.
Republicans believe in abortion -- they just wait until they're born and then call them 'collateral damage'.
Yeah, me too!
And a pug whisperer. You got it goin' on!
Turtle loves pugs.
Republicans believe in abortion -- they just wait until they're born and then call them 'collateral damage'.
I read several of Ms. Rands diatribes about half a century ago. It didn't take me long to discard her bitter "individualist", anti-Christian "ideals" into the dustbin of radicalism. I'm the first to grant that she had a tremendous effect on many otherwise good self-centered people. We now owe much to her .... consumerism, hedonism, Bushism ... good God, the list goes on for ever.
Success is relative. It is what we can make of the mess we have made of things. T. S. Eliot
Yes, I know. Very cute picture. How are pugs at cave life?
I'm the first to grant that she had a tremendous effect on many otherwise good self-centered people. We now owe much to her .... consumerism, hedonism, Bushism ... good God, the list goes on for ever. You are good little statist. Carry on.
I'm still...
Republicans believe in abortion -- they just wait until they're born and then call them 'collateral damage'.
Great song! An old fav. You always have the tree, you know.
Republicans believe in abortion -- they just wait until they're born and then call them 'collateral damage'.
Hehehehe~!! Very cute! Pugs got moves.
Lady X loves cats..
I have a new one, someone dumped off. Cost me $217.50 already. Christine is going to share the bill with me, I think.
Cool! I'm sorry he is expensive..
Pugs rule, cats drool. Pugs are heroes, cat are zeroes.
Republicans believe in abortion -- they just wait until they're born and then call them 'collateral damage'.
HE????????????????????? Its a lady I will have you know. Vet said so as she took away her motherhood. I think it is nice of Christine to help. hehehehehe
Mean person you. If you were here I would set my cat on you, tear you up.
Nope, all animals love me. Kids, too, especially babies. I only like pugs, though, don't much care for babies, either.
Republicans believe in abortion -- they just wait until they're born and then call them 'collateral damage'.
I only like pugs, though, don't much care for babies, either. Nonsense, you make all babies cry, admit it. You are insufferable AND a mean man.
You are insufferable AND a mean man. Nope, kids follow me down the street, wave at me and ignore everyone else. Dogs and cats follow me around, too. I am an amimal and baby magnet. So there, nyah, nyah.
Republicans believe in abortion -- they just wait until they're born and then call them 'collateral damage'.
I wonder if there are any truly original ideas in Rand. She always seemed like a blowhard, one of the most overrated "thinkers" of the Right. If you want libertarian ideas stated clearly and sanely, the Scottish enlightenment thinkers and the Austrian economists do a much better job.
Yep, I dismissed Rand years ago as simple-minded. Now as for the Scottish Enlightenment, that should be taught in middle school.
Republicans believe in abortion -- they just wait until they're born and then call them 'collateral damage'.
so does christine..
yep. you said she was mine. what happened to yours?
I'm curious, have they changed your meds or forgotten to change your diapers there at the home ? You've become intolerably obnoxious as of late !
They call it the AMERIKAN DREAM because you have to be asleep (and you are) to believe it !
"When you have made evil the means of survival, do not expect men to remain good. Do not expect them to stay moral and lose their lives for the purpose of becoming the fodder of the immoral. Do not expect them to produce, when production is punished and looting rewarded. Do not ask, ‘Who is destroying the world?’ You are." Anyone care to vote on pulling this thread? Most seem unable to grasp the point of it. Waste of bandwidth. End it now, and move on.
I tricked this one into the house with food one cold day. The other one still comes at night to be fed but wont come in. We named this one Cali as she is part Calico. Being an outside cat, she is house broke and has me trained aready bout going in and out and being fed. Typical female.
Because I'm not impressed by Ayn Rand?
Republicans believe in abortion -- they just wait until they're born and then call them 'collateral damage'.
No, because you felt you had to tell everyone.
They call it the AMERIKAN DREAM because you have to be asleep (and you are) to believe it !
Doesn't that make anyone who posts on an internet site a nutcase? I mean, we all post here thinking that other people care about our opinions, when they probably don't.
I consider the woman to be a lunatic, who thank God never had political power, becaue she might have killed a lot of people.
Republicans believe in abortion -- they just wait until they're born and then call them 'collateral damage'.
I tried reading her work once, I came away feeling she was just another BS artist.
Her real name was Alice Rosenbaum, heh heh heh. Of course, the naive gullible goyim fall for her.
Republicans believe in abortion -- they just wait until they're born and then call them 'collateral damage'.
Critter loves ladies.
I shall not vote for evil, lesser or otherwise. I have to admit, I tried to read Atlas Shrugged and put it down after a couple of chapters. That wasn't enough info for me to develop an animus. A "libertarian" friend had given me the book. He ran for the State Senate in California last year as a libertarian, and I respect the guy, but hated the book.
They call it the AMERIKAN DREAM because you have to be asleep (and you are) to believe it !
I tried to read one of her books, Anthem probably, and got no more than twenty pages into it before growing tired of being preached at. Condescended to and preached at all at once, sounds like the pricks at AEI.
And they write innumerable books; being too vain and distracted for silence: seeking every one after his own elevation, and dodging his emptiness. - T. S. Eliot
#2. To: Turtle (#1)
Her idea is not original with her. It's been noticed long before she was even born. It's generally called the Political Means (force) and the Economic Means (trade).
#3. To: OliviaFNewton (#2)
Let us count on one hand the number of posters that recognize this.
#4. To: Turtle (#3)
#5. To: Turtle (#3)
Turtle is brilliant, not to mention adorable amd really, really cute.
#6. To: OliviaFNewton, Lady X (#5)
#7. To: OliviaFNewton (#0)
If you have never read Atlas Shrugged (1957) by Ayn Rand, you should.
#8. To: Turtle (#6)
Turtle loves pugs.
#9. To: iconoclast (#7)
I read several of Ms. Rands diatribes about half a century ago. It didn't take me long to discard her bitter "individualist", anti-Christian "ideals" into the dustbin of radicalism.
#10. To: OliviaFNewton (#8)
How are pugs at cave life?
#11. To: Turtle (#10)
#12. To: OliviaFNewton (#11)
#13. To: Turtle (#12)
#14. To: Turtle (#6)
Turtle loves pugs.
#15. To: Lady X, christine, turtle (#14)
Lady X loves cats..
#16. To: Cynicom (#15)
#17. To: Lady X (#14)
Lady X loves cats..
#18. To: Lady X, christine (#16)
Cool! I'm sorry he is expensive..
#19. To: Turtle (#17)
(Edited)
Pugs rule, cats drool. Pugs are heroes, cat are zeroes.
#20. To: Cynicom (#19)
If you were here I would set my cat on you, tear you up.
#21. To: Turtle (#20)
Nope, all animals love me. Kids, too, especially babies.
#22. To: Cynicom (#21)
Nonsense, you make all babies cry, admit it.
#23. To: Turtle (#1)
(Edited)
Her idea is not original with her. It's been noticed long before she was even born. It's generally called the Political Means (force) and the Economic Means (trade).
#24. To: Rupert_Pupkin (#23)
Scottish enlightenment thinkers
#25. To: Lady X (#14)
Lady X loves cats..
#26. To: Cynicom (#15)
#27. To: Turtle, all, thread, anyonethat's noticed turtlebeing anasshole (#24)
Yep, I dismissed Rand years ago as simple-minded.
#28. To: all, christine (#27)
Paper is a check drawn by legal looters upon an account which is not theirs: upon the virtue of the victims. Watch for the day when it becomes, marked: ‘Account overdrawn.’
#29. To: christine (#26)
yep. you said she was mine. what happened to yours?
#30. To: noone222 (#27)
#31. To: Turtle (#30)
Because I'm not impressed by Ayn Rand?
#32. To: noone222 (#31)
No, because you felt you had to tell everyone.
#33. To: noone222 (#31)
No, because you felt you had to tell everyone.
#34. To: Turtle (#33)
I consider the woman to be a lunatic,
#35. To: Cynicom (#34)
just another BS artist
#36. To: Lady X (#14)
Tattoos Middleburgh, NY
#37. To: Turtle (#33)
#38. To: noone222 (#37)
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