Recently I declared that I’d “go Galt,” that is, disengage from the economy to the greatest extent possible because my family is part of the 40% who are actually net contributors to the federal government, not the 60% who take out more than they put in.  It’s going pretty well so far. [Read more...]

So on behalf of those few of us who still believe in the Land of Opportunity, I beg you and implore you, in the name of our common patriot ancestors who worked so hard and sacrificed so much so that we could become so spoiled and ungrateful: take your 60% of the total income taxes and just go away.Because if you do, then there will no longer be an Enemy for the Left to stick it to. Then, perhaps, the half of the country that pays no income tax might have to put some skin in the game. Then, perhaps, with most of the wealth generation gone we will turn to our community organizers to provide the wealth creation, and the tax dollars, and the innovation. When you have gone the President of the United States, supported by an army of little acorns like Joel Berg, will have to start calling for the rest of us to be taxed more to address the inequality gap.That’s what I want.

Preach it, brother.

And about that “inequality gap” – it’s a load of crap.  The gap between the rich and the poor is shrinking, in terms of consumption.

The Liberty Papers notices The White House appropriating some “Going Galt” phrasing. (Well, what did you expect?  Were you awake at all during the campaign, when Barack “Moderate to Conservative Bipartisan” Obama was selling his snake oil?)

If only we could somehow generate electricity via Orwell’s spinning in his grave… a Galt machine for our brave new world. 

Edward Cline notes the left-wing reaction to all this and offers some excellent advice: [Read more...]

I really love Atlas Shrugged. I don’t agree with everything in it (please. I’m an evangelical Christian!) and the truth is it’s really poorly written. But the story… that’s a different matter. Rand was a great storyteller, and this was a good one.

At the same time, I think that the response by most people who disagree with the idea of “going Galt” aren’t disagreeing with it as I defined it here. It’s a work of fiction.  Granted, Rand was amazingly prescient, much like Tom Clancy has been on quite a few issues. But it’s fiction. There’s no Galt electricity machine, no profitable train industry – Amtrak’s been on the dole for years – and no Rearden Metal. None of us are on a par with Rand’s fictional heroes. The loss of my small business isn’t going to make a substantial impact; believe me, I’m not trying to engage in self-aggrandizement. But me plus thousands, tens of thousands like me – that would make an impact.  To take “going Galt” literally – i.e. snidely remark that nobody’s a genius who invented a Rearden Metal that we can now withhold – is a really specious argument. [Read more...]