The First Virtue
columnist: Nickalis N. Tower

Topic: Campaign for Liberty
American Moral Revolution Opening Round, circa 1957: Big Business and Politicians closed ranks to prevent an Atlas Shrugged Scenario

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Reading Chapter 8 of Jonah Goldberg's newest bestselling book, "Liberal Fascism", it becomes abundantly clear that Ayn Rand has had a deep impact on the economy, in the form of the political-business "axis of evil" strangling individualism and personal liberties from 1960 onward, with the whory marriage of big business and government.

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by Nickalis N. Tower
(Libertarian)
Wednesday, August 6, 2008

First, why should you care about Ayn Rand and her ideas?

Because, the big poltical-businessmen, the top religious 'leaders', the top career-paternal-politicians and oppressive-bureaucrats know enough about Ayn Rand to know their jobs are finished if enough people learn about her ideas.

In other words, if you hate big government, and political-pull-capitalism (corporatism), then you should give her ideas a thorough consideration, because implementing a social system based on her ideas would necessarily result in a limited government, objective-law society.

Background

It was the British Fabian socialists who began a world-wide campaign to take over capitalist societies, in opposition to the Marxist-Leninist socialists.  In America, fascism found its roots in the New Deal, but rose most dramatically after 1957, when the founding idea of a moral Individualism was pioneered by Ayn Rand in her last (and greatest) fictional novel, Atlas Shrugged.

In response to Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged" exploding onto the cultural scene in 1957, the vicious attacks came from all those spheres of influence... the big politicians, big businessmen, big religionists.  Not one of the 'leading intellectuals' of the day admitted her ideas were inspiring, uplifting, original. But they all understood that her ideas were revolutionary, and that they, as parasites on the innocent productive people in America, would be on the wrong side of Ayn Rand's moral revolution of Individualism - for they were collectivists.

That was 1957. And so the collectivist elites knew Ayn Rand's philosophy had to be nipped in the bud before this novel became the best seller the world over (which it has been, for the past 50+ years).

Starting with 1960 election of JFK, politicians began merging with big business, at the expense of harming smaller competitors, and limiting free-market choices. All the way through LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter administration... all the way through Clinton and today's G.W. Bush, the merging of political-business has been clear-cut, absolute, and advancing.

The Case 

Is my reasoning fallacious?  Is it a fallacy for me to assert that since American "happy-face" fascism arose most dramatically starting after the political elections of 1960, and since Ayn Rand's most ground-shaking novel challenged the entire 2400 years of western cultural status quo in 1957, that it was in response to her ideas that the fascists moved in to 'sell the public' on the good of merging government and business?  Don't you consider it interesting to learn that the 'hippy movement' and 'sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll' culture was pioneered by sons of big businessmen, at a great profit?  And how much did religionists profit later with the 'moral majority' movement, as a result of cashing in on those guilty by their juvenile hippy youth experiences?  Weren't all these 'for the public good' campaigns and mass distractions impediments to learning about an objective, individual standard of value (and a rational meaning of good vs evil) from Ayn Rand's works?

In a fascist system, you are the ping pong ball, and the leaders seek to own all the paddles.  You are their pawn, and they think they are your king.  They think they have a right to run your life, both morally and financially.  Unfortunately, the majority of 'regular people' don't fight against that evil idea.  Any American with pride should spit  on such an idea.  But don't spit on people... it makes it more difficult to persuade them that they are on the wrong side and they need to drop their improper views.

Time is Now

Isn't it time we laugh and scorn our so-called leaders out of office?

Isn't it time to vote out every incumbant, and demand deregulation of the economy now?

Isn't it time for a moral revolution based on individualism, individual rights, and liberty?

Isn't it time to learn about Ayn Rand's ideas?  The only objectively correct answer to collectivism in all its variants : fascism, socialism, communism, statism, political-capitalism.

The Evidence 

Read the entirety of Chapter 8 ("Liberal Fascist Economics"), of Jonah Goldberg's new book, "Liberal Fascism", and Chapter VIII from Part 3 ("The Egoist") in Atlas Shrugged, from the beginning of the chapter until the first break, where Mr. Thompson says "There's no such thing."

A Side Note

Ayn Rand made at least one error, in writing Atlas Shrugged.  That chapter, which shows the political-business establishment fretting about the next steps they must take in response to John Galt's radio broadcast, should've first included a top religious leader (even though the novel predated Jerry Falwell's celebrity by about two decades), because since the 1960s, the capitalists have always been religious apologists, and always paying off both the preachers and the politicians to keep their business monopolies intact, and remaining immune from significant attacks.  The second thing she should've included was making the 'moral conditioner' more concrete, like being a national education conditioner.  (Although the Department of Education didn't exist until the 70s).  She did a good job showing big businesses in bed with the legislators, to pass regulations that harm and destroy competition, but she missed showing how the establishment would've actively implemented plans to thwart public acceptance of John Galt's ideas.

Which is exactly what the political and business 'Establisments' in America did against Ayn Rand's ideas after 1957.  Everywhere you look, we have fewer freedoms, more controls, more personal and economic regulation of our lives.  The opening salvo went to Ayn Rand, in 1957... her ideas were timeless and universal.  The battles over the past 50 years have gone to the statists, both left and right, who've coerced and co-opted big business into implementing their "happy-face" fascist schemes in America.

What can one person do?

1) Learn the right ideas.  Talk about those ideas and get accustomed to defending your own values when they are being attacked by fascist slogans and ideas and media stories.

2) Get a productive career.  Continue advocating for the right ideas and become a respected member of your town.

3) Participate in local GOP or Democratic party, by becoming a Precint Committeeman or woman.  Run for local office on the good ideas you  have.

4) Keep an eye out for local people who can be your intellectual ally in the battle against statism.  Help them politically or in business, against the wrong ideas, to do what's right.

5) Realize everyone is struggling to live and enjoy their lives... its just that some people also think they have a god granted right to rule over others as if they were gods themselves.

6) Vote out incumbants in every election, if they prove not to be for free-markets (separation of state and economics), and not for individualism.

7) Live your life happily... fascists hate that the most - happy people.  Why?  Because happy people can't be controlled, only angry, fearful, or hateful people can be manipulated.  I always recommend the small non-fiction book, "Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand, for those who want a chance at understanding the morality of pursuing one's own happiness.

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2008 Nickalis N. Tower, all rights reserved.
Published: Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Last modified: Wednesday, August 6, 2008

The views expressed in this article are those of Nickalis N. Tower only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Nickalis N. Tower is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.

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