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Ayn Rand's Vision of Galt's Gulch Has Become Reality as of Today

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Re: Ayn Rand's Vision of Galt's Gulch Has Become Reality as of Today

#2
I'm something of a libertarian myself, but this is really stupid. Taking advantage of the infrastructure, market, and support of one country only to flee to a tax haven abroad is neither moral nor respectable.

If this happens, it's going to infuriate people and ultimately hurt the cause he's trying to promote. Headlines: "rich business people, calling themselves oppressed, flee to central Chile to avoid paying taxes."

Re: Ayn Rand's Vision of Galt's Gulch Has Become Reality as of Today

#3
post #2

I'm something of a libertarian myself, but this is really stupid. Taking advantage of the infrastructure, market, and support of one country only to flee to a tax haven abroad is neither moral nor respectable. If this happens, it's going to infuriate people and ultimately hurt the cause he's trying to promote. Headlines: "rich business people, calling themselves oppressed, flee to central Chile to avoid paying taxes.…

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. The West is full of self-righteous superficial Randians (who have never read her nonfiction in most cases) who in reality are welfare beneficiaries on a massive scale. It's only socialism if it's going into someone else's pocket.

Rand's philosophy contains some interesting points, but it's also extremely naive in a lot of ways. It's clear that she had little contact with the actual realities of the business world. Her heroes bear little resemblance to the vast majority of businessmen... who tend to more closely resemble her villains. Your typical businessman is indistinguishable from a party apparatchik in the former USSR.

Re: Ayn Rand's Vision of Galt's Gulch Has Become Reality as of Today

#4
post #2

I'm something of a libertarian myself, but this is really stupid. Taking advantage of the infrastructure, market, and support of one country only to flee to a tax haven abroad is neither moral nor respectable. If this happens, it's going to infuriate people and ultimately hurt the cause he's trying to promote. Headlines: "rich business people, calling themselves oppressed, flee to central Chile to avoid paying taxes.…

Honestly it doesn't bother me at all if they are self-sustained. If they generate more revenue than their costs, then big deal. If, long term, they spend more money than they're able to generate, then the project is a complete failure imo.

Re: Ayn Rand's Vision of Galt's Gulch Has Become Reality as of Today

#6
post #3
post #2

I'm something of a libertarian myself, but this is really stupid. Taking advantage of the infrastructure, market, and support of one country only to flee to a tax haven abroad is neither moral nor respectable. If this happens, it's going to infuriate people and ultimately hurt the cause he's trying to promote. Headlines: "rich business people, calling themselves oppressed, flee to central Chile to avoid paying taxes.…

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. The West is full of self-righteous superficial Randians (who have never read her nonfiction in most cases) who in reality are welfare beneficiaries on a massive scale. It's only socialism if it's going into someone else's pocket. Rand's philosophy contains some interesting points, but it's also extremely naive in a lot of ways. It's clear that she had little contact with the actual realitie…

Its naive only becaue it is idealist. If you have read her non-fiction, The Romantic Manifesto might give you the reasoning behind it. Art is the realm of the ideal, not the real. (I often give the analogy of the cave painters wasting their time painting skinny meatless cattle (which may have been the reality) instead of fat cattle that would feed their tribe for months...). And we all know what ideals are don't we?

Re: Ayn Rand's Vision of Galt's Gulch Has Become Reality as of Today

#7
post #2

I'm something of a libertarian myself, but this is really stupid. Taking advantage of the infrastructure, market, and support of one country only to flee to a tax haven abroad is neither moral nor respectable. If this happens, it's going to infuriate people and ultimately hurt the cause he's trying to promote. Headlines: "rich business people, calling themselves oppressed, flee to central Chile to avoid paying taxes.…

> Taking advantage of the infrastructure, market, and support of one country only to flee to a tax haven abroad is neither moral nor respectable.

A thief comes into your home and takes half of your property. He's done the same with your neighbors, and down the street, he's handing out some of the goods to whomever stops by.

Is it moral or respectable for you to go down the street, get something back, and then move out of the neighborhood because you don't like being robbed?

Re: Ayn Rand's Vision of Galt's Gulch Has Become Reality as of Today

#8
post #3
post #2

I'm something of a libertarian myself, but this is really stupid. Taking advantage of the infrastructure, market, and support of one country only to flee to a tax haven abroad is neither moral nor respectable. If this happens, it's going to infuriate people and ultimately hurt the cause he's trying to promote. Headlines: "rich business people, calling themselves oppressed, flee to central Chile to avoid paying taxes.…

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. The West is full of self-righteous superficial Randians (who have never read her nonfiction in most cases) who in reality are welfare beneficiaries on a massive scale. It's only socialism if it's going into someone else's pocket. Rand's philosophy contains some interesting points, but it's also extremely naive in a lot of ways. It's clear that she had little contact with the actual realitie…

> Her heroes bear little resemblance to the vast majority of businessmen... who tend to more closely resemble her villains.

I think this was the point.

Re: Ayn Rand's Vision of Galt's Gulch Has Become Reality as of Today

#9
post #7
post #2

I'm something of a libertarian myself, but this is really stupid. Taking advantage of the infrastructure, market, and support of one country only to flee to a tax haven abroad is neither moral nor respectable. If this happens, it's going to infuriate people and ultimately hurt the cause he's trying to promote. Headlines: "rich business people, calling themselves oppressed, flee to central Chile to avoid paying taxes.…

> Taking advantage of the infrastructure, market, and support of one country only to flee to a tax haven abroad is neither moral nor respectable. A thief comes into your home and takes half of your property. He's done the same with your neighbors, and down the street, he's handing out some of the goods to whomever stops by. Is it moral or respectable for you to go down the street, get something back, and then move ou…

That analogy is a fantastic failure. I was going to try to rebut it with some sort of home owner's association analogy, but why bother. The idea of the tax man as a thief in the night is just silly.

Re: Ayn Rand's Vision of Galt's Gulch Has Become Reality as of Today

#10
I love this quote from the end:

"Once you see the property and the location you’ll likely be thinking the same thing as me: This is like buying in Napa Valley or Santa Barbara fifty years ago, but with all of today’s modern amenities, and none of the modern day headaches."

If the best analogy for your Randian utopia is California, then we must have read different editions of Atlas Shrugged (although, to be fair, I listened to the audiobook and it might have been abridged).

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