William A. Manning

2 comments

1. escrivaYour Name Said,

   Mr. Manning, you have a very interesting blog. I read Atlas Shrugged and as a novel, I thought the plot was inferior. To me, it seemed to glorify fornication, power and greed. I am not an Ayn Rand admirer, I disagree with her on many issues and I did not admire her as a person. I do, however, consider her an expert on life in Soviet Russia. The real gems in Atlas Shrugged were the stories in the background. For instance I thought the story about Ivy Starnes was priceless. Like Animal Farm and 1984, every student learning about socialism should read it. I enjoyed visiting you site!

   Posted on Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 12:24:00 AM EDT

    
2. William A Manning Said,

   Thank you for stopping by, and thank you for taking the time to post a comment.
   
   Everyone has their own opinions about Ayn Rand. I agree that the story of 20th Century Motors is a great example of what could happen to a "democratic" company, and more people need to see that before every large corporation is "democratized".
   
   The book glorified production and to be productive. The characters were meant to portray the downside of the pursuit of power through the use of government intervention.
   
   “The Anti-dog-eat-dog Rule was described as a measure of ‘voluntary self-regulation’ intended ‘the better to enforce’ the laws long since passed by the country’s Legislature. The Rule provided that the members of the National Alliance of Railroads were forbidden to engage in practices defined as ‘constructive competition’; that in regions declared to be restricted, no more than one railroad would be permitted to operate; that in such regions, seniority belonged to the oldest railroad now operating there, and that the newcomers, who had encroached unfairly upon its territory, would suspend operations within nine months after being so ordered; that the Executive Board of the National Alliance of Railroads was empowered to decided, at its sole discretion, which regions were to be restricted.” Ayn Rand
   
   To create something that people use and you get wealthy in the process, is that wrong? You've created jobs. You've hired people. You "share" your wealth with them. You earned yours and they earned theirs. Thats not greed. It could be if you use the power of the government to put your competitors at a disadvantage.
   
   As to the "glorifying fornication"? I'm at a loss at to why you think that. Maybe you don't enjoy books with sex in them, I don't know, but those passages were minimal and showed you different sides of the characters. I admit, I did scan through them without putting too much thought in them.

   Posted on Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 1:41:00 AM EDT