Who is John Galt? I’m not sure, but I know he’s not John McCain. In Blake Hasenmiller’s commentary about the election, he quoted from the Ayn Rand novel “Atlas Shrugged.” A little background: In the story, a man invents a miraculous motor (similar to a perpetual motion machine, really). However, the factory he works for votes to take all profits and distribute them evenly among the workers, regardless of ability or contribution. Almost immediately, all of the researchers at the factory quit, since they’re angry they won’t receive rewards for their accomplishments.

The factory, left with little revenue generation potential, eventually goes bankrupt, leaving the town in ruin.

Blake equates those voting for Obama to those who voted to annex the brilliant researcher’s ideas for their own gain. He presumes that a vote for McCain is a vote against such a philosophy. This is incorrect, since McCain recently voted for H.R. 1424. Maybe you’ve even heard of it: The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, more affectionately known as the “bailout bill.” In fact, since 1950 the national debt has increased more under Republican presidents than it has Democrats. The idea that the red team stands for small government and less spending (and therefore, less taxes) is ridiculous.

Indeed, had anyone used Rand’s philosophy to select a candidate, they would have been sorely disappointed. There was nobody to vote for (not even Barr).

Please, Blake, refrain from the out of context quotes. Some of us know and love Rand’s objectivist philosophy, and we don’t appreciate the misrepresentation.

Tycho Andersen

Senior

Computer Engineering