Atlas Shrugged

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30 Dec 2010, 7:35 pm

The postal service has certain powers because they are delivering the mail. Granted the postal service rarely uses those powers, but part of those powers are in place to protect the safety of their workers.

Quatermass
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30 Dec 2010, 11:02 pm

Dox47 wrote:

Quatermass wrote:

Have to admit, I did giggle at a couple of them.

See, Ayn Rand + Twitter = some mild fun. Really though, mocking both a completely humorless book and hipster culture at the same time is kind of epic.

Dunno about epic, when it comes to mocking Atlas Shrugged. The words 'shooting', 'fish', 'barrel', and 'minigun' spring to mind very readily.

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31 Dec 2010, 7:38 am

Inuyasha wrote:

UPS could deliver the mail (better and cheaper). FedEx could deliver the mail (better and cheaper), DHS could deliver the mail (better and cheaper) but they are forbidden to deliver first class mail, by law.

Most packages (as opposed to first class mail in envelopes) are delivered by privately owned and privately capitalized carriers. Even the government uses the private carriers to deliver packages and parcels. Why:? Because they know they will be delivered on time and at less cost.

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31 Dec 2010, 7:49 pm

ruveyn wrote:

Even the government uses the private carriers to deliver packages and parcels. Why:? Because they know they will be delivered on time and at less cost.

When I applied for a federal government scholarship a few years back, I was explicitly instructed to send the relevant materials via a private mail carrier to ensure prompt delivery.

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31 Dec 2010, 7:55 pm

Inuyasha wrote:

If people bothered to look at her background you would know she lived under Communist rule in the Soviet Union, until she managed to emigrate to the United States. Which if you look at Atlas Shrugged from that viewpoint I would imagine one would realize where her book is coming from.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayn_Rand

Rand detested all forms of coercive collectivism - socialist, communist and fascist.

She was radically pro-capitalist and in her world there will be no government subsidies to business firms.

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31 Dec 2010, 10:41 pm

ruveyn wrote:

Inuyasha wrote:

and at least UPS FedEx and DHS actually turn a profit.

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31 Dec 2010, 10:49 pm

Quatermass wrote:

Dunno about epic, when it comes to mocking Atlas Shrugged. The words 'shooting', 'fish', 'barrel', and 'minigun' spring to mind very readily.

I should have been more specific; mocking Atlas Shrugged in a way that's actually funny, as opposed to shrill and angry which seems to be the normal mode of criticism when Ayn Rand is involved. I really can't think of another author who so completely polarizes people, I mean I've seen reviews of Mein Kampf that are more charitable than some of the things said of Rand and her work.

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31 Dec 2010, 11:07 pm

@ Dox47

Here is the problem with your reasoning, a lot of Atlas Shrugged (not the science fiction part) had some root in personal experience. I consider Atlas Shrugged to be a warning of what not to let happen.

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31 Dec 2010, 11:34 pm

Inuyasha wrote:

I'd actually agree with you, I think the book was clearly written because Ayn Rand wanted to "warn" Americans of the dangers of collectivism having seen it up close during her childhood in Russia. You'll notice that I'm not attacking Rand or her book, other than riffing off of the overly serious tone of the thing, I'm not a disciple of Rand by any means but I also don't think she deserves all the scorn heaped on her.

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31 Dec 2010, 11:39 pm

Dox47 wrote:

Inuyasha wrote:

The reason Glenn Beck constantly touts Ayn Rand, is because he views that book as a warning of things to come if we don't change things in Washington DC and put a stop to the Government power grab.

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01 Jan 2011, 7:55 am

Inuyasha wrote:

The reason Glenn Beck constantly touts Ayn Rand, is because he views that book as a warning of things to come if we don't change things in Washington DC and put a stop to the Government power grab.

That is true. Glenn Beck has latched onto Ayn Rand. I wonder if he knows that she was a militant atheist?

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01 Jan 2011, 1:39 pm

Glenn Beck is one of the worst political pundits in America. No one not even Rush, Coulter Matthews, Hannity, and the others are that bad.

Inuyasha
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01 Jan 2011, 2:00 pm

ruveyn wrote:

Inuyasha wrote:

The reason Glenn Beck constantly touts Ayn Rand, is because he views that book as a warning of things to come if we don't change things in Washington DC and put a stop to the Government power grab.

That is true. Glenn Beck has latched onto Ayn Rand. I wonder if he knows that she was a militant atheist?

ruveyn

I think he does know that, you can disagree with someone on matters of faith and still take a warning seriously.

JMF wrote:

Glenn Beck is one of the worst political pundits in America. No one not even Rush, Coulter Matthews, Hannity, and the others are that bad.

Have you ever even watched Beck?

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01 Jan 2011, 2:05 pm

The Right says that Atlas has shrugged in New York..."New York's Strongest" deliberately slowed down the snow cleanup and killed people in this way, they're whining. Their argument - the mayor has attacked them in recent months and this is payback and naturally the lesson should be don't offend such people... wait, that's not the message at all they're trying to send to us. So they're peddling this false story and claiming that this alleged strike has killed people and yet they cheer Atlas Shrugged's strike killing people!

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01 Jan 2011, 2:08 pm

Inuyasha wrote:

ruveyn wrote:

Inuyasha wrote:

The reason Glenn Beck constantly touts Ayn Rand, is because he views that book as a warning of things to come if we don't change things in Washington DC and put a stop to the Government power grab.

That is true. Glenn Beck has latched onto Ayn Rand. I wonder if he knows that she was a militant atheist?

ruveyn

I think he does know that, you can disagree with someone on matters of faith and still take a warning seriously.

JMF wrote:

Glenn Beck is one of the worst political pundits in America. No one not even Rush, Coulter Matthews, Hannity, and the others are that bad.

Have you ever even watched Beck?

Seen pieces of it, as well as reading few articles about him. Look at this BS he's saying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBv3BKY_ ... re=related

xenon13
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01 Jan 2011, 2:12 pm

Glenn Beck at CPAC. At the beginning of Part 1 he sounds like Liberace.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dEQhipNOpA[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf0bZsZ-DbI[/youtube]

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