Paul B. Farrell: Ayn Rand: Patron saint or soulless capitalist?

[marmar]

Ayn Rand: Patron saint or soulless capitalist?
Commentary: History will decide between two extremes

By Paul B. Farrell, MarketWatch


SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (MarketWatch) — “Atlas Shrugged” is Ayn Rand’s most popular work. And Paul Ryan’s favorite. In the book, the hero, a mysterious rebel leader John Galt saves America from economic collapse. But before we rise from the ashes, before the redemption, the past must be blown up.

For that, let’s turn to my favorite, “The Fountainhead,” where Rand offers a subtle hint to capitalism’s eventual self-inflicted shot-in-the-foot.

In “The Fountainhead,” Howard Roark is the ultimate individualist, an idealistic architect and archetypal free-market capitalist: Architecture was my first degree so Roark naturally became my hero. Enraged when second-rate competitors compromise the integrity of his plans for a modern building, Roark seeks revenge, takes the law into his own hands, sneaks onto the construction site in the dead of night … dynamites the building … kaboom … destroyed.

Flash forward: What a perfect metaphor for Rand’s extreme ideology now spinning out of control, turning against mainstream America. You are witnessing the drama from within, as the new Ryan Budget approaches critical mass, set to explode Adam Smith’s Great 1776 Cathedral of Capitalism, self-destructing on an overdose of high-octane ideology. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ayn-rand-patron-saint-or-soulless-capitalist-2012-08-21

[BeyondGeography]

1. Can't rec this enough

Goes beyond the absurdity of our politics to the deeper problem of our nation. Lasch's insights are great. The narcissism of personal survival...then again, there are places like Bellingham, WA, and other examples of cooperative economics at the local level that are pointing the way forward.