Post New Article

Democrats Embrace Socialism:Are We
Headed Towards 'Atlas Shrugged'?

Original Article

Posted By: Hazymac, 5/21/2019 9:45:28 AM

There's a recurring theme in American science fiction where the country loses its way, endures some horrible but cleansing disaster, and then rediscovers the blessings of liberty. You'll find it in Robert Heinlein's "Future History" stories, where the Crazy Years -- a period of rapid technological advances, decaying social norms, and mass psychosis -- leads to the backlash of a religious dictatorship. The Prophets regime is eventually toppled by a liberty-loving group dedicated to individual rights. The theme is even more pronounced in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, where a socialist regime puts the country into another Great Depression, only worse. The country's capitalists

Comments:

At least some of those who are amenable to socialism can plead ignorance. They may be educable, be able to see socialism for what it is and what it has historically done. But about a third of the electorate is in the death grip of stupidity. Write 'em off.

Post Reply

Reply 1 - Posted by: bamboozle 5/21/2019 10:12:14 AM (No. 68083)
A couple of our very best conservative radio commentators have said that they were left-wing politically in their early days. Fortunately, they still had the ability to think logically and eventually came to the truth.
4 people like this.

Reply 2 - Posted by: skacmar 5/21/2019 10:20:47 AM (No. 68087)
The current cast of Democrat candidates are competing to see who can sound the most like Wesley Mouch from Atlas Shrugged. Their ideas and plans sound like they are straight out of a list from an Ayn Rand novel.
6 people like this.

Reply 3 - Posted by: MDConservative 5/21/2019 10:21:25 AM (No. 68088)
The vast majority of Americans embrace some form of socialism, regardless of political affiliation. I don't hear many Republicans seriously talking about ending Social Security or Medicare. The "healthcare reform" argument was more semantics - private vs public socialism labeled "insurance". Public education is more socialism - your government decides how to spend your tax money pursuing a curriculum it develops and promulgates. (Yes, let's teach "values" and "morals"...) Many think our Obamacare Lite system is just dandy, including many "mainstream" Republicans. So, let's not kid ourselves. Until Americans wake up to the fact that a Uniparty is controlling American politics and our lives and culture, nothing is going to deter further socialisim creep. And the majority of Americans will be too busy with their smartphones and Candy Crunch apps to notice.
7 people like this.

Reply 4 - Posted by: Highlander 5/21/2019 10:47:31 AM (No. 68113)
I read "Atlas Shrugged" in high school. It was extremely influential in my thinking. Be sure to click on the link at the end of the article. It's a good read.
5 people like this.

Reply 5 - Posted by: MattMusson 5/21/2019 10:49:10 AM (No. 68115)
We hit Atlas Shrugged under Obama when new business formation numbers fell off a cliff. People realized that working harder and making more money just meant paying more in taxes and now getting to keep any of it.
6 people like this.

Reply 6 - Posted by: WAN2 5/21/2019 11:08:03 AM (No. 68131)
Thanks to years (generations?) of K-17 indoctrination, few have ever heard of capitalism's superiority. Only free countries embrace it.
5 people like this.

Reply 7 - Posted by: bad-hair 5/21/2019 11:16:21 AM (No. 68139)
Ditto #6 but just not paying more taxes. 3/4 of the "working harder" part is dealing with government regulations and flat out interference in how you conduct business. Iff millennials want socialism, they can deal with the consequences.
3 people like this.

Reply 8 - Posted by: Timber Queen 5/21/2019 11:19:44 AM (No. 68142)
I devoured Atlas Shrugged during the Tea Party days. I've read it twice during the eight torturous years of the Obamanation. I was certain a Hildebeast presidency would plunge us into Part III. However, through Divine Providence, we elected a real Hank Reardon instead. I believe Trump will lead our nation through the denouement of the Deep State and a rebirth of our Constitutional government. MAGA - Rewriting Part III as we speak.
6 people like this.

Reply 9 - Posted by: Plex 5/21/2019 12:02:08 PM (No. 68179)
The Constitution is almost irrelevant because it has been ignored so much. The only things that seem to be in the public's mind are the 1st and 2nd amendment (perhaps the 5th for some). There is no authority for the Department of Education, Energy, HHS, for Social Security, Medicare, Food Stamps, etc. etc. So, even though the Constitution doesn't support Socialism, we have much of it anyway. A second term of Trump could set back the Socialist movement considerably but not stop it.
4 people like this.

Reply 10 - Posted by: DVC 5/21/2019 12:37:36 PM (No. 68200)
#3, as a person getting the benefits of both SS and Medicare, I would HAPPILY agree to cancelling both of them any day, and would endure the financial losses from them taking large amounts of money from me during my working years, and then not getting it back if it would mean that the country would be free of these rolling, disastrous Ponzi schemes. I doubted and still doubt the reliability of both systems to long survive, and my wife and I saved a very substantial part of my income and invested it with excellent professional advice, well compensated. It was necessary to live well below our apparent "means", but it was an easy choice for us. We are comfortable now and have no financial problems, completely independent of these two horrible socialist nightmares. But, since they stole money from us for 50 years, we are perfectly fine getting some small fraction of it back. If we had the money and had invested it ourselves, it would amount to much more.
6 people like this.

Reply 11 - Posted by: LC Chihuahua 5/21/2019 12:53:58 PM (No. 68213)
The last four months, I have been rereading Atlas Shrugged. Most people went along with the Socialists until they saw it wasn't working for them. Its happening in real life too, and its been going on for a long time. We see people all around us that are anti-intelligence, anti-reason, anti-honesty, anti-value, anti-love, and ultimately anti-life destroyers. People are being dumbed down, but they can still think if they want. Tell people that our so-called 'leaders' aren't looking out for them. Most people get that.
3 people like this.

Reply 12 - Posted by: udanja99 5/21/2019 1:05:28 PM (No. 68230)
I think that the Second Amendment will insure that we ultimately don’t go down the socialist road.
3 people like this.

Reply 13 - Posted by: Newtsche 5/21/2019 1:15:27 PM (No. 68239)
In HS senior level English in the late 60's, small town, fly-over country, Ayn Rand's name came up. The teacher mocked Rand and made it clear that reading her was a waste of time.
0 people like this.

Reply 14 - Posted by: DVC 5/21/2019 1:46:49 PM (No. 68260)
#14, in contrast in a small city in central Fla, in a poor part of the state in the late 60s we had a required course called "Americanism versus Communism". We read "Animal Farm" and discussed it in detail. I am sure that if Ayn Rand had come up the young, female teacher would have recommended it. We really do need to have a course like that as a mandatory in all High Schools. But the left, now in charge, would freak out and ensure that it never was taught, or was taught to show the "advantages" of Communism.
2 people like this.

Reply 15 - Posted by: Videodrone 5/21/2019 3:31:51 PM (No. 68313)
about 7 years ago I was doing a lot of long drives (air travel being the joy that it is) I had the unabridged Atlas Shrugged audio book - it was sometimes difficult to tell when the CD ended and the news came on!
3 people like this.

Reply 16 - Posted by: Hermit_Crab 5/21/2019 4:50:17 PM (No. 68362)
Headed towards? Nope, Been there for years. I 'Went Galt' about 30 years ago, much in the same way, same industry and same reasons Fransisco d'Anconia did, without actually knowing anything about Ayn Rand. I only wish I had known about Atlas Shrugged (and The Fountainhead) from high school days. It would have prepared me better for the world I found myself in. When I did finally discover her works, I was surprised to have found a somewhat kindred spirit.
1 person likes this.

Reply 17 - Posted by: rocket-j-squirrel 5/21/2019 6:45:33 PM (No. 68412)
Test....
0 people like this.

Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "Hazymac"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Most Recent Articles posted by Hazymac"
Cops defunded, de Blasio's wife urges
New Yorkers to do their own policing
21 replies
Posted by Hazymac 3/9/2021 10:35:20 AM Post Reply
Did it occur to any of the leftist politicians boostering for the 'Defund the Police' far-left trope that they might just be left holding the bag? Seems not. And sure enough, it's slowly starting to dawn on them that were played for fools. Because in the wake of the media-vaunted 'defund police' movement, every last blue city in America kowtowing to this has, surprise, found itself in the middle of a crime wave. Crime-plagued blue cities are now becoming unliveable, and citizens who form their tax bases are fleeing, That presents some problems for these pols. Caracas-ization is not for the faint of heart. But remaining fools,
Climate and COVID: The Erosion of
Common Intelligence and Common Sense
3 replies
Posted by Hazymac 3/8/2021 12:25:49 PM Post Reply
In a recent article for PJ Media, I discussed the decline in IQ scores across the West over the last decades, a phenomenon confirmed by many psychological studies and clinical reports. In the article I provided links and documentation as well as numerous episodes and examples in support of the survey’s conclusions. But I omitted for reasons of space what strikes me as a cardinal illustration of the contemporary erosion of common intelligence and common sense, namely, the popular belief in “climate change” and so-called renewable energy sources, and,
Tracking the Course of Joe Biden 9 replies
Posted by Hazymac 3/5/2021 10:55:53 AM Post Reply
The Biden administration can be subjected to two empirical tests by any observer: first whether there will there be a new outbreak of war in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) owing to the repudiation of the Abraham Accords and second, will it endorse restrictions on the exercise of the First and Second Amendments? We can leave aside for a moment the question of whether these possible developments are justified or beneficial. All that need concern the analyst for the moment is whether they can be detected. They most probably can because their signal characteristics are strong enough to burn through any spin.
Mike Rowe: Everyone Is Essential 9 replies
Posted by Hazymac 3/3/2021 1:29:22 PM Post Reply
Politicians have too much power over our lives. Many used the pandemic as another excuse to take more. Early on, politicians declared that they would decide who was “essential.” Everyone else was told to stay home. Much of the economy stopped. Millions were laid off. Then politicians relaxed the rules for industries that they deemed “essential.” “You can’t just call somebody essential without implicitly suggesting that half the workforce is not essential,” points out Mike Rowe, host of the surprise hit TV series, “Dirty Jobs.” That’s a big problem, says Rowe, because people find purpose in work. Now the Biden administration is eager to give money to people not working. It’s pushing
Nadler on Equality Act: 'God's Will
Is No Concern of This Congress'
24 replies
Posted by Hazymac 3/1/2021 1:28:20 PM Post Reply
Last Thursday, as the House of Representatives debated H.R. 5, the Orwellian “Equality Act,” a seemingly exasperated Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) arguably revealed the true nature of his party’s radical legislation. In response to Rep. Greg Steube’s (R-Fla.) speech quoting the Bible, Nadler declared that “what any religious tradition describes as God’s will is no concern of this Congress.” The Equality Act would enshrine the concept of “gender identity” into federal civil rights law, mandating that Americans kowtow to biologically false transgender identities. Steube quoted the Bible to express the fact that millions of Americans
4 Arrested in Texas on 150
Counts of Voter Fraud
7 replies
Posted by Hazymac 3/1/2021 1:18:48 PM Post Reply
Four people were arrested in Texas last month on 150 counts of voter fraud dating back to the 2018 Medina County Primary Election, according to reports. The Texas attorney general’s Election Fraud Unit on Feb. 11 arrested Medina County Justice of the Peace Tomas Ramirez, and earlier detained Leonor Rivas Garza, Eva Ann Martinez and Mary Balderrama on election fraud allegations, News4SA reported. According to a release from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office, the case involved allegations of vote harvesting at assisted living centers in Medina County in the 2018 Medina County Primary Election. Ramirez faces one count of organized election fraud,
Stick a Fork in Andrew
Cuomo... He's Done
26 replies
Posted by Hazymac 3/1/2021 8:32:28 AM Post Reply
Between killing thousands of elderly folks with his deadly nursing home COVID-19 policy, and the now two allegations of sexual harassment, the Emmy Award-winning Governor Andrew Cuomo has found himself lacking in political capital recently… and it just got worse. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has finally spoken out about the allegations against the governor, and called both of the charges made against him “credible.” “The women who have come forward with serious and credible charges against Governor Cuomo deserve to be heard and to be treated with dignity,” Pelosi said
Kamala Harris: Equality is Old
News, Let's Talk About Equity
29 replies
Posted by Hazymac 2/28/2021 10:36:34 AM Post Reply
Kamala Harris has only one card and she plays it over and over again. And then she plays it some more. "When we look at black history, we know that so much of the fight — especially during the Civil Rights Movement and, of course, before — has been about equality. (Snip) You can't fight for equality and equity. No one starts out from the same place. Kamala started out as the daughter of wealthy foreign students who grew up in Canada and lives in a Brentwood mansion. That doesn't mean that she should be held back. Different people are born with different skills, physical abilities,
Not a Rose Garland 10 replies
Posted by Hazymac 2/28/2021 9:17:45 AM Post Reply
If you’ve a memory longer than a nanosecond you might recall that in 2016 when he was nominated by then-President Obama to the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, Merrick Garland was widely touted as a “moderate.” President Biden has now nominated him for the slot of Attorney General, and the confirmation vote is scheduled for this coming week. How do you define moderate? His confirmation hearings reveal to me that Garland is certainly not one: Last summer, 220 cities were besieged by gangs that attacked homes, businesses, federal buildings, and local law enforcement. In his confirmation hearing,
Democrats Turn the Thumbscrews
to Make Us Suffer
6 replies
Posted by Hazymac 2/26/2021 1:39:29 PM Post Reply
Everything the Democrat Party does should be seen not from an economic or a political perspective, but one of sin and suffering -- the suffering it imposes on us to expiate our imagery sins. It came to me in a flash of insight when I heard of a now-disgraced bureaucrat (“an undersecretary of climate change” in Massachusetts) who told a gathering of his colleagues that to fight melting ice caps and rising sea levels they would have to “break the will” of ordinary Americans, by “turning the screws” -- raising energy costs so high that they would have to “stop emitting.” Admirable candor from a functionary
Everybody (Almost) Has a Last Stand 7 replies
Posted by Hazymac 2/26/2021 12:17:41 PM Post Reply
There’s an old joke about the housewife who calls her husband on his cell phone during the evening commute. “Be careful, Dear,” she says. “The news says there’s a wrong-way driver on the Beltway.” “A wrong-way driver?” the husband shouts. “There are thousands of them!” This came to mind while enjoying Michael Walsh’s superb book Last Stands: Why Soldiers Fight When All Is Lost. Freedom-loving men will fight to the death for all they hold sacred, and Michael’s book is adorned by a moving memoir of his father, a Marine officer during the terrible American retreat from the Chosin Reservoir.
Ex-USA Gymnastics coach John
Geddert's suicide was an 'escape
from justice': former gymnast
10 replies
Posted by Hazymac 2/26/2021 11:09:54 AM Post Reply
John Geddert's suicide was an "escape from justice" and "traumatizing beyond words," said Sarah Klein, a former gymnast who trained under the U.S. Olympic coach. Geddert died by suicide Thursday after Michigan authorities announced several charges against him, including human trafficking. Geddert was the U.S. Olympic coach for the 2012 team that won a gold medal in London with a team that included Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross and McKayla Maroney. "His suicide is an admission of guilt that the entire world can now see," Klein, who is now a lawyer, said Thursday. Geddert had ties to Larry Nassar, the disgraced sports doctor who was convicted of
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Biden's Incoherence Just Hit Critical Mass,
This Is Scary Awful
48 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 3/8/2021 11:45:49 PM Post Reply
As we reported two days ago, Joe Biden completely made no sense when he was trying to explain the Wuhan coronavirus relief bill. It was really bad and it explains why they’re afraid to have him deliver an address to Congress or do any kind of a real solo press conference, because at this point they have to be afraid this is all going to fall apart if he does anything live and this all becomes too obvious to the American people. But there’s only so long that they can hold this off. And it’s getting worse, as video today revealed. Biden was holding an event to announce the nomination
‘Huge Development’: Democrat Sen. Joe
Manchin Starts To Crack On Filibuster,
Signals Openness To Change
41 replies
Posted by Imright 3/8/2021 12:32:41 AM Post Reply
Democrat Senator Joe Manchin (WV) appears to have started to shift his views on the filibuster with remarks that he made on two news shows on Sunday morning.The shift from Manchin comes after he has repeatedly stated that he would not vote to end the filibuster, despite pressure from the far-Left. During the interviews on Sunday, Manchin repeatedly claimed that he was not open to ending the filibuster because he did not want to strip the minority party of their power in the Senate, but signaled that he was open to changing it.Fox News host Chris Wallace asked Manchin if he would consider “reforming the filibuster” if “Republicans
Evangelicals For Biden ‘Feel Used And Betrayed’
By Biden Fulfilling His Radical Abortion Promises
37 replies
Posted by Calvinesq 3/8/2021 10:37:51 AM Post Reply
In an open letter released Sunday, Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden urged him to “honor his commitment” and include the Hyde Amendment in Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID-19 spending package, writing “we feel used and betrayed.” The letter states: We are very disappointed about the COVID-19 relief package’s exclusion of the Hyde Amendment, a longstanding bipartisan policy that prevents taxpayer funding for abortion. [snip] As pro-life leaders in the evangelical community, we publicly supported President Biden’s candidacy with the understanding that there would be engagement [with] us on the issue of abortion and particularly the Hyde Amendment
Meghan Markle reveals her true
self in Oprah interview
32 replies
Posted by Imright 3/8/2021 9:11:10 AM Post Reply
If you had any doubts that Meghan Markle is a manipulative piece of work, her bombshell Oprah interview Sunday night dumping on the British monarchy would set you straight. Prince Harry’s American wife accused his family of hateful racism against her baby, claimed they refused to protect her and drove her to the point of suicide.She made the incendiary and implausible charge that when she was pregnant with Archie, the royal family decreed that her unborn son would be denied the title of “prince” because her mixed race meant he might have dark skin.
Biden’s German Shepherds Shipped Back
to Delaware After ‘Biting Incident’
Involving White House Security
31 replies
Posted by Imright 3/8/2021 11:38:50 PM Post Reply
Joe and Jill Biden’s German Shepherds were shipped back to Delaware after a “biting incident” involving White House security, CNN reported.Major was adopted by Joe Biden and his handler wife Jill in 2018 from an animal shelter.Major and Champ moved into the White House in January and they’re already gone. The condition of the victim was not disclosed but it was serious enough to remove both dogs from the White House.CNN reported: The two German Shepherds belonging to President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden were returned to the Biden family home in Delaware last week
Pelosi’s HR1 bill a blatant power grab for Democrats 30 replies
Posted by FlyRight 3/8/2021 5:28:52 AM Post Reply
Nancy Pelosi’s top priority is to turn America into a one-party nation ruled by Democrats. Her bill HR 1 trashes the U.S. Constitution in an attempt to rig the system and make it virtually impossible to elect a Republican president or Congress again. It’s a power grab. The bill eviscerates state voting laws and forces all the states to conform to a set of rules that includes automatic voter registration. Anyone who goes to a DMV or applies for food stamps, Medicaid or other social services, or attends a public college will be automatically enrolled to vote. Noncitizens are obligated to identify themselves and opt out,
Biden seems to forget defense
secretary’s name, calls him
'the guy who runs that outfit'
29 replies
Posted by Ribicon 3/8/2021 8:37:17 PM Post Reply
President Biden on Monday seemed to forget Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s name at a White House event—calling the Pentagon chief “the guy who runs that outfit over there.” Biden was announcing the nomination of two female generals to lead US military combatant commands. “And I want to thank the sec—the, the, ah former general. I keep calling him general, but my, my—the guy who runs that outfit over there,” Biden said.(Snip) Earlier at the event, Biden mentioned the Defense Department leader by his name, “Secretary Austin,” while appearing to read from a teleprompter.
Oprah interview bombshells: Meghan claims
she was suicidal when she was five months
pregnant, Kate made HER cry and Royals
refused to make Archie a prince because
they were worried how 'dark' he would be
27 replies
Posted by Imright 3/8/2021 8:21:02 AM Post Reply
The Royal Family was left reeling this morning after Meghan Markle tearfully revealed that the stress of royal life made her suicidal when she was five months pregnant, claimed Archie was denied the title of prince because he is mixed-race and said Kate Middleton made her cry before she married Harry in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.The couple also chose to reveal that they are having a baby girl to the tens of millions of people watching the CBS show broadcast in the US before accusing the Royal Family of racism and revealing the deep rift 'Megxit' has caused with Prince Charles and Prince William.
Meghan Markle openly
accuses the Royals
of racism
26 replies
Posted by Magnante 3/8/2021 5:26:07 AM Post Reply
I’m probably second to none in my dislike for Meghan Markle. There’s something unattractive about a mature woman marrying into the British Royal family with one of the world’s most expensive weddings, hanging out with the Queen, living in insane luxury…and then whining non-stop about the horror of her life. There’s something even less appealing when that woman accuses the Royal family of race hatred. And the problem is that, when it comes to that left-wing diva, Meghan Markle, it’s hard to believe most of what she says. After weeks of hype, CBS finally televised Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah.
Watch: John Solomon Gives Stunning Update
in Durham’s ‘Russiagate’ Investigation
24 replies
Posted by Imright 3/8/2021 4:56:55 PM Post Reply
Without question, the vast majority of Americans who support former President Donald Trump were angry and frustrated throughout 2020 passed with barely a mention of then-U.S. Attorney John Durham’s criminal investigation into the FBI’s fraudulent “Russiagate” counterterrorism operation directed at his 2016 campaign.In the weeks before the November election, word got out that then-Attorney General William Barr wasn’t going to announce any indictments or even a report on Durham’s investigation because he did not want to influence the outcome.So far, in fact, the only indictment to come out of the Durham probe is that of former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who essentially got a slap on the wrist
Democrats renew calls to remove
J. Edgar Hoover's name from FBI building
24 replies
Posted by Ribicon 3/8/2021 2:56:29 PM Post Reply
Rep. Steve Cohen vowed to renew the push to remove former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s name from the bureau’s downtown Washington headquarters, according to an interview released Monday. Appearing on Yahoo! News’ Skullduggery podcast, the Tennessee Democrat said the effort is getting a fresh look after the release of a new movie highlighting the FBI’s secret program to discredit civil rights activists. The Washington Times in 2019 first reported Democrats’ bid to strip the longtime FBI director’s name from the bureau’s headquarters. Mr. Cohen said the impetus to revive the bid is the new movie, “Judas and the Black Messiah.” The movie details
Jill Biden, the Meghan Markle
in the WH, is egregiously
guilty of elder abuse
23 replies
Posted by Magnante 3/9/2021 4:40:38 AM Post Reply
“There must have been a moment, at the beginning, when we could have said –-no. But somehow we missed it.” Tom Stoppard The millions of Americans who were paying attention throughout the 2020 election campaign all became painfully aware of the fact that Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities were slipping and slipping fast. His wife, as the person closest to him, should have been the one to call the campaign quits in order to reduce stress on the man. Instead, apparently so anxious to become the First Lady by any means necessary, Mrs. Biden continued to push her failing husband’s campaign forward as if he were mentally qualified.
Post New Article