Anyone out there think that the scenario that set the stage for "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand is too close?

I do believe there are similarities between today's reality and the world of Atlas Shrugged. One key one comes to mind. As in Atlas Shrugged, there seems to be a search for a savior or quasi-mystical figure who will help to save us from the cruelties of life.

I think that the trend towards socialism one sees today is not a new one. It has been going on for a very long time. Thus, I do not see recent events as an indication that our market economy (I cannot use the term free market economy, because it certainly is not that) is doomed to extinction.

The current recession is a product of many factors. For example, global competition is exerting downward pressure on domestic wages and has done a great deal to undermine our manufacturing base. Since profitability is not to be found in manufacturing, a great deal of money was directed to the financial sector, and this sector grew, but in order for the sector to continue to grow, it had to find the way to generate ever-increasing profits. One could argue that this is why people were attracted to clearly dangerous investments and transfers of debt. The list of factors goes on and on, but the claim that the state of our current economy is what it is because regulations A, B and C were not enacted (as I believe many are suggesting) is dangerously oversimplified at best.

It will be interesting to see if socialism comes back into vogue. Of course, market economics has stood the test of time, whereas socialism has repeatedly been shown to be a failure, so one hopes that people will regain their good sense before proclaiming that the sky is falling, but one never knows.

I agree. This is an ideological battle that we are in right now. Objectivists use reason, but the majority of the US is ideologically convinced that expansions of government and interference in the free market is going to help.

I think that socialism is just another religion that is sweeping the globe right now.

I think that the tea parties are a great start. I was at one in Orlando last month that had 5000 people.

But all in all, there is really not much that can be done, except for Atlas to Shrug, which will happen eventually.

Last, I want to point out that human nature is and will always be capitalist, no matter what the government does. The poor people that benefit from socialism are doing it because it gets them more capital. People claim that greed got us into this mess, but they ignore the fact that the poor are going to rob the rich blind through taxes. If that is not greed, I don't know what is.

The unfortunate fact is that they are the majority. But when the truly productive people decide that they are sick of working for someone else's survival, they will shrug, and quit.

Then, the whole system will collapse.

We still have 3 years and 9 more months of this.

Absolutely!!

Dr. Yaron Brook just did an interview for the latest edition of The Objective Standard on this topic. Check it out!

It was a lack of regulation of the financial markets that led to the current situation. Not too much government control, to the contrary, it was market failure.

To think that Ayn Rand is in any way vindicated by the events of the day is to misunderstand them and her.