Photo of Ayn Rand used for first edition back cover of her novel “The Fountainhead” (1943), Author published by Bobbs-Merrill Company, credited to “Talbot” (PD)
It has been over 50 years since the publication of Ayn Rand’s best-selling novel, Atlas Shrugged. Rand has been rediscovered in the past few years with sales of her books climbing. Two of the three parts of a film trilogy based on Atlas Shrugged have reached theaters. One poll ranked the novel as second only to the Bible among influential books of the 20th Century.
Whether the films succeed commercially or not, a new generation is being exposed to Rand’s philosophy of self-interest as the highest good. Worse, Ayn Rand is developing a growing popularity with the Tea Party, NeoConservatives (NeoCons), and Conservatives, in general.
This essay is an attempt to expose the fallacies in Rand’s position, and warn that her pernicious philosophy is rapidly being translated into a dangerous political reality.
Pride: A Skewed Viewpoint
From the outset, Rand appeals to the pride in her readers, few of whom would consider themselves anything less than exceptional. Since we all have a sin nature, i.e. a natural inclination to choose evil over good, pride is always a temptation. But pride always presents us with a skewed view of existence.
Rand assumes – erroneously – that men and women with exceptional ability somehow merited that quality which, in fact, was a free gift of God, bestowed for His purposes. Rand argues not only for a sense of superiority by those so blessed, but entitlement (that entitlement deriving solely from an accident of birth, if one does not choose to believe in a Divine Being).
Many of Rand’s supporters argue that she could not have meant what she said or advocated what she did; that “selfishness” as Rand used the term meant nothing more than being true to one’s own values; that, in her view, the challenge was to adopt rational values. These supporters would, themselves, include in such values a concern for those in need of help through no fault of their own. Rand, herself, never conceded that point.
Quite to the contrary: Rand said what she believed, i.e. that “[i]f [people] place such things as friendship and family ties above their own productive work, yes, then they are immoral. Friendship, family life and human relationships are not primary in a man’s life. A man who places others first, above his own creative work, is an emotional parasite.” Read more…
“Stream!”, Photo by Jon Sullivan (“jons”), Source
http://www.pdphoto.org/PictureDetail.php?mat=&pg=6916
“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water…’ ” (Num. 20: 7-8).
“You can’t get blood from a stone.” It is an idiomatic phrase we have heard countless times. There is more than a hint of anger conveyed by the expression. The source, in other words, is unyielding or has been bled dry.
“You can’t get blood from a stone.” Why would anyone try to get blood from a stone? How could that even to be done? Surely, the outcome is a foregone conclusion.
Short of water for thousands of thirsty people he had led into the desert, Moses must have thought the same. “Why did you make us leave Egypt?” they whined. “Why did you bring us to this evil place to die?” they complained to him. Read more…
Sadly, Christians can appear self-righteous, smug, and hypocritical to the unsaved world. This is hardly the way to attract converts, let alone live out our faith.
We need not compromise Christian beliefs to convey them in a loving manner to those unfamiliar with Christianity or with backgrounds we consider less “pristine” than our own. None of us is without sin.
Hypocrisy
Christ, Himself, hated hypocrisy and self-righteousness. He repeatedly criticized the Pharisees for these faults:
“Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, ‘Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?’ He answered and said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” ’ ”(Mark 7: 5-6).
“Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted’ ” (Luke 18: 9-14).
In a State of Sin
Christians, of all people, should be conscious of their sin and inadequacy. We, ourselves, were on the road to death, destruction, and damnation. Under the law, every last one of us deserved execution for our sins. Read more…
This is an examination of the question whether money – particularly in the form of government assistance programs supported by tax dollars – should be set aside for the needy, in the knowledge that an unprincipled few will attempt to cheat the system.
The USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly “Food Stamps”, is our case study, for this purpose.
The moral duty and various rationales for aid were set out in Parts 1 and 2 of this series.
Fraud
Philosophic questions aside, the first difficulty lies in keeping cheats off the rolls; the second, in catching them; the third, in penalizing them sufficiently to dissuade others from attempting to defraud the system. Each of these has an associated cost.
If we do set up a system that provides financial assistance to destitute children, how do we keep shirker parents from accessing the funds, logistically speaking? What about parents who work 18 hours a day or two jobs to put food on the table, and give their children a better life? Is it “fair” to those parents that we use their tax dollars to support the children of cheats?
There are no cut-and-dried answers. Fairness would depend on the number of such cheats, eligibility for the assistance program by struggling parents, and tax equity respecting the cost of the assistance program. Sadly, a focus on cheats is often used to distract from the issue of tax equity. Read more…
Hospital Room (“Krankenzimmer”), Photo by Tomasz Sienicki (“tsca”)
We do not use the term “heart trouble” much anymore. We discuss cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and atherosclerosis knowledgeably. We can tell the difference between “good” and “bad” cholesterol. We know the signs of a heart attack.
Though we may talk about it less, heart trouble continues to be a factor in our lives. Its symptoms include helplessness in the face of overwhelming illness; worry over a lost job, past-due mortgage or backlogged medical expenses; that clutching sensation in the chest accompanying fear for a loved one’s safety. Read more…
We are examining the question whether public moneys should be set aside for those in need, despite the knowledge that an unprincipled few will benefit from aid programs dishonestly.
Today we explore the arguments surrounding such aid. The USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly “Food Stamps”, serves as our case study.
Arguments for Aid
A. Spiritual
Scripture informs us that those giving from a generous heart will be blessed in the hereafter:
“ ‘But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just’ ” (Luke 14: 13-14).
B. Public-Spirited
There is no indication in Scripture that those in a position to render aid will be reimbursed monetarily [1]. Along with bringing spiritual rewards, however, largesse is recognized as benefiting society as a whole.
If the Bible is not sufficiently persuasive: It has been a mark of civilization since the Neanderthals that the able-bodied and well-off help their less fortunate brothers and sisters. Aside from being compassionate, this preserves for the community the knowledge and wisdom aged individuals or those not constantly engaged in labor may have acquired.
Though the benefit to society may not always be quantifiable on a dollar for dollar basis – how would one quantify the musical talent of a boy like Beethoven, born into poverty – that benefit is, nonetheless, “real”.
SNAP, for instance, provides a direct and indirect fiscal boost during economic slumps. A food purchase by a SNAP program participant not only impacts the store where food is bought, and the trucker who delivered it, but the warehouse that stocked it, the plant that processed it, and the farmer who produced it. Each $1 billion increase in SNAP benefits is estimated to create or maintain the equivalent of 18,000 full time positions.
The value of “food security” to a family is incalculable. Read more…
As legal professionals, we are faced with countless decisions. Even when we seek the Lord’s guidance, we do not always “feel” certain we have made the right choice. So many factors to be weighed, so many intangibles…and so much riding on the outcome.
We’d prefer the certainty of the burning bush, a neon sign pointing to the correct course of action. Read more…
Auction (1830), Source Specimen of Printing-Types, and Ornaments, from the Letter Foundry of J. Howe & Co. (https://archive.org/details/specimenofprinti00jhow/page/n177/mode/2up), (PD)
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedom, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” — Abraham Lincoln
We are rapidly losing something precious in this country. Before our eyes, representative government [1] is being transformed into a silent auction. Already eroded is the belief in representative government, the belief that people — fallible, breathing human beings — have a right to select their own leaders.
Influence
Influence over our representatives is today bought and sold — out of the limelight, away from prying eyes. That statement is not a blanket allegation of fraud. It is rather an observation that the electoral process has been corrupted by funding, with the result that lobbyists spend more time with our elected officials than ordinary citizens do, and have greater influence.
The ball is in play, but we cannot tell the score.
Promises
This being an election year, we are currently bombarded by political ads. These carefully crafted grenades may or may not contain a kernel of truth. We can be reasonably certain the campaign promises made will last as long as soap bubbles.
Cost
The combined cost of presidential and congressional campaigns in 2012 is projected at a record $5.8 billion. Yes, that is a “b”.
Citizens United. v. Federal Election Commission thrust the knife home against representative government. That damaging decision — holding that corporations have a First Amendment right (unfettered by monetary constraints) to support or oppose a candidate — deserves an article all its own.
Meanwhile, unfounded allegations of fraud are being used as a ploy to reduce the number of real people allowed to exercise their right to vote.
Without Representation
This all matters because the vote matters. It is more than an empty exercise; it is nothing less than the cornerstone on which this nation was built. (Does the phrase “No taxation without representation” perhaps ring a bell?)
Men and women have shed their blood, given their very lives to secure and protect the right to vote. Every voice should be heard; every vote should count.
If we tolerate these abuses, we are complicit in them.
[1] Though democracy may be traced to the Magna Carta, an argument can be made that the Bible served as one inspiration for the concept. The Israelites met at their tabernacle to address issues involving the nation (Num. 8: 9, 10: 3). People met at a city’s gates to address issues involving that city (Ruth 3: 11, 4: 1-4; Deut. 21: 18-21). With the elders serving as their representatives, the people sought a king from the prophet, Samuel (1 Sam. 8: 1-9). See, Mercer Dictionary of the Bible.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed
Woman with her disabled grandson, Author AnikaMeyer, (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)
There has been a great deal of public discussion lately about the funding of government programs for the aged, impoverished, and disadvantaged. This has left many with the impression that fraud is rampant, and all those seeking aid are intent upon “milking” the system.
The reverse is true. By far the vast majority of aid recipients are children, the elderly, the disabled and/or those genuinely living in poverty.
But the question of whether money should be set aside for those in need, despite the knowledge that some unprincipled recipients will be cheats, is worth examining.
Data from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as “Food Stamps”, will be used here to explore the problem.
Scope of Need
As of 2011, SNAP helped feed nearly 45 million men, women, and children in the United States – 1 in 7. Participation – based on low income and limited financial resources – has risen to over 46 million this year.
- The maximum monthly benefit for a family of four is currently $668 (less than $1.90 per person per meal).
- 47% of program participants are children under the age of 18.
- About 16% of households include an elderly member; about 20% include a disabled member.
- About 41% of program participants live in households with some earnings.
- 75% of program participants receiving benefits for a year or less live in households with some earnings.
- Only 4% of program participants are noncitizens (legal immigrants, permanent resident aliens, and refugees).
SNAP participation closely tracks poverty in America. As the number of persons living in poverty rises, so does SNAP participation. As that number falls, so does SNAP participation. SNAP likewise expands in times of recession, and retracts in times of economic growth. Read more…
Rarely, are we lawyers at a loss for words. For the most part, we enjoy the sound of our own voices, offer our opinions whether invited to or not, and relish a good argument whichever side we take. Educated, authoritative, and generally well off, we expect our views to be heard and taken into account.
But there are enormous numbers of men, women, and children in our nation and across the globe whose voices will never be heard, unless we intervene for them. For them, our words are a matter of life and death. Read more…
A Lawyer's Prayers 