I'd like to break Rand's statement down into its component parts and comment on them using the concepts and semantics I've used in other contexts.Higgenbotham wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2014 1:54 amAyn Rand: No it isn't. This country was made not by robber barons. But by independent men, by industrialists, who succeeded on sheer ability. By ability, I mean without political force, help, or compulsion. But at the same time there were men, industrialists who did use government power, as a club, to help them against competitors. They were the original collectivists. Today, the liberals believe that the same compulsion should be used against the industrialists for the sake of workers, but the basic principle there is, "Should there be any compulsion?" And the regulations are creating robber barons, they are creating capitalists with government help, which is the worst of all economic phenomenon.
"This country was made not by robber barons. But by independent men, by industrialists, who succeeded on sheer ability. By ability, I mean without political force, help, or compulsion."
I've discussed the ability of certain categories of people in terms of percentiles. So here, Rand is discussing the lone "independent" industrialist who has created something of value to sell to the world based on sheer ability alone "without political force, help, or compulsion." This type of person is rare. These types of people may exist at a frequency of 1 in several tens of thousands, depending on the industry and the level of success. Luck is involved to a great extent, but there's nothing we can do to mitigate that factor. So it may be that some with rare ability succeed and some don't. But, at the same time, those with rare ability who do succeed don't need to form gangs to maintain their success, and their success normally leads them to become a positive force in society.
"But at the same time there were men, industrialists who did use government power, as a club, to help them against competitors. They were the original collectivists."
This is The 97th Percentile. These people are common. There is one in every room of 30. Despite being common, they normally don't see themselves that way, but rather see themselves as the smartest person in the room. For example, if Dick Cheney happened to be the smartest kid in his first grade class, he will think he is the smartest person in the Roosevelt Room when he tells the rest of the room that Ronald Reagan proved that debt doesn't matter. These people generally aren't smart enough to know how stupid and dangerous they are. They are like monkeys flying 747s. The 97th Percentile fears those independent individuals of rare ability that Rand describes in her books. Since those in The 97th Percentile are common, they can find each other and form gangs to cast individuals of rare ability off to the side. That is what has happened in America today and it is the principal reason why the American economy is failing.
"The basic principle there is, "Should there be any compulsion?" And the regulations are creating robber barons, they are creating capitalists with government help, which is the worst of all economic phenomenon."
It is indeed the worst of all economic phenomenon. Absolutely without any doubt in my mind. I've watched it happen, I've lived it, and it is awful. I've come to the same conclusion before reading Rand's comment and she was spot on.