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"Going John Galt"
Dec. 15th, 2008 09:26 amIt's no secret various right-wing sites are upset that Obama won the election. Having convinced themselves that a centerist Democrat is really a raving Socialist, their concern is no surprise.
At any rate, a number of libertarian types are talking about or claim to already have "go John Galt." Full disclaimer - I am not a libertarian. However, my understanding is that John Galt is a character in Ann Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. In this book, Galt and other creative individuals or "producers" withdraw from society and refuse to work. They do so because they are upset with liberal attempts to redistribute income, etc. etc.
So various folks are claiming or suggesting that they "go John Galt."
It struck me in the shower the other day (many profound thoughts come from there) that there is another, more commonly used, term for "going John Galt."
The term is "strike."
Strike, as in labor action, where people refuse to work as a form of protest.
Of course, the libertarians advocating "going John Galt" would never use the word "strike." They might get union cooties all over themselves, and that would be bad. After all, one of the forces the libertarians arestriking against going John Galt against are unions.
See, in the Republic Windows case, the union is upset, not that the company is closing, but that they aren't getting paid what they are owed by law (60 days wages plus vacation accrued). Libertarians are upset that the union has the gall to demand that the business owners actually follow the law.
Well, I support the right to strike, so I wish the libertarians good luck with their job action. I do suggest they might want to call the UAW and get some expertise in things like strike funds and PR.
At any rate, a number of libertarian types are talking about or claim to already have "go John Galt." Full disclaimer - I am not a libertarian. However, my understanding is that John Galt is a character in Ann Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. In this book, Galt and other creative individuals or "producers" withdraw from society and refuse to work. They do so because they are upset with liberal attempts to redistribute income, etc. etc.
So various folks are claiming or suggesting that they "go John Galt."
It struck me in the shower the other day (many profound thoughts come from there) that there is another, more commonly used, term for "going John Galt."
The term is "strike."
Strike, as in labor action, where people refuse to work as a form of protest.
Of course, the libertarians advocating "going John Galt" would never use the word "strike." They might get union cooties all over themselves, and that would be bad. After all, one of the forces the libertarians are
See, in the Republic Windows case, the union is upset, not that the company is closing, but that they aren't getting paid what they are owed by law (60 days wages plus vacation accrued). Libertarians are upset that the union has the gall to demand that the business owners actually follow the law.
Well, I support the right to strike, so I wish the libertarians good luck with their job action. I do suggest they might want to call the UAW and get some expertise in things like strike funds and PR.
