Alan Greenspan: "Parasites who persistently avoid either purpose or reason perish as they should,"

[brentspeak]

That was Alan Greenspan in 1958, in letter to the New York Times, responding to a negative review of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged".

To the editor:
Atlas Shrugged is a celebration of life and happiness. Justice is unrelenting. Creative individuals and undeviating purpose and rationality achieve joy and fulfillment. Parasites who persistently avoid either purpose or reason perish as they should,

Alan Greenspan
New York"

http://oowr.blogspot.com/2007/10/alan-greenspan-and-ayn-rand.html

And if you ever wondered why the average American has found it tougher and tougher over the past 15-20 years to make ends meet, remember that it was "creative individuals" like Alan Greenspan who have been running the show.

[Toots]

1. Could he be talking about the Human race and the Planet Earth?

It is beginning to appear that the human race is nothing more than a parasite on the planet Earth and the parasite has turned into a plague..

[Turbineguy]

2. Having read Atlas Shrugged a number of times

I think I can safely say that Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter would qualify as parasites under Ayn Rands rules.

Also, Ayn Rands characters were against something-for-nothing socialism, not against charity and kindness. I think Hank Reardon saw it in his economic interest to have healthy employees instead of chiseling them on health care. He aslo was not threatened by Unions. Ayn Rands characters were also against something-for-nothing capitalism.

[sarge43]

5. Sounds like a spot on description of Dub, especially that reason thing. n/t

[jwirr]

8. All of this sounds so logical until I think about my severely disabled

daughter. She is totally unable to give anything but a smile back for what she is given.

[Turbineguy]

9. Someone who is disabled

Would not be included in these rules. They are for people who are able to make a choice. No Ayn Rand book I've read ever suggested that people should perish for what they are. People are responsible for the conscious and rational choices that they make. Rand says in effect, think carefully because you will have to live with the consequences. More capable people are therefore held to a higher standard.

The irony is that current day conservatives are actually farther away from Ayn Rands philosophy than most people here are (as far as I've seen).

Conservatives seem to be more of a mind that Progress is the theory of something for nothing. Since that doesn't work they wish to socialize costs and privatize profits. Clearly they do not accept being held responsible for their conscious and rational choices. In other words, they think like criminals.

Rand says that others do not automatically have a claim to your talent or creativity. If you are an artist and I want your paintings in my house I have to offer you something acceptable in return. In her books the only people who attempt to achieve what they want by trickery, coercion or deceit are the "Looters". In her books all the capitalists are honest and the socialists are looters. Greenspan makes an error if he thinks that just because he is a capitalist he cannot fall under the classification of "looter".

In Atlas Shrugged, Jim Taggart is vilified because he is a traitor to his class and talent. He gets a Railroad and runs it into the ground. He hooks up with politicians who having looted his inheritance help him loot others' creative efforts.

Her stories are very binary where good and evil are clearly defined and easily recognized. Also entire important areas of consideration are simply left out. They would clutter things up. In the fog of real life we have to make subtle discernments.

The question for me however is quite simple. I want to live in a proper civilized society. That means I have to be willing to give a portion of the results of my talent and creativity to help others. Obviously there could come a point where too much is taken but that has so far never happened.

[jwirr]

10. That makes more sense - especially because my daughter was a

victim of industrial pollution in well water.

[Turbineguy]

11. In Atlas Shrugged

the omission of industrial pollution concern is glaring. However, I read the book first in the late 60's and the book was written in the late 40's before concern for the environment came to the public consciousness. Chimneys belching smoke were considered a positive thing then.

[tom_paine]

3. Atlas Shrugged is a celebration of callousness and cruelty.

Perfect for Greenspan and for 21st Century Imperial Amerika.

[whistle]

4. Well, Ben Bernanke is making the decisions now at the Federal Reserve

...so, "Baby, you ain't seen nothing yet!"

Do you know what a one trillion dollar Federal Reserve bank note looks like? You will find out soon enough; $1,000,000,000,000.00

[Skidmore]

6. Greenspan operates from the huge misconception that he

is a man of reason and serves a purpose. Condescending twit that he is.

[xchrom]

7. greenspan has always proved that there is no virtue in Libertarianism. nt