Though Ayn Rand was an atheist, on the subject of collectivism vs. the individual another important distinction is lost on the religious lot who has unearthed portions of her philosophy today to wring out arguments.
"Don't get me wrong,"
Rand distinguished,
"Today's conservatives are worse than today's liberals. I believe it's religious conservatives that will destroy this country."
(More on this subject next class, where we'll discuss the topic of Liberty.)
Today's debate over health care is a moral debate. Though that factor, too, seems to be lost behind political rhetoric. As we attempt to rationalize some of what we hear let's not forget to take a breath before we swallow some of these unwarranted accusations made against Ferris. Irrational government spending was institutionalized by the hacks of the previous administration, and this, in the name of religion and sealed by the tenets of unregulated capitalism. Checks and balances are what the Constitution calls for in times, such as The Weird Times we are living in. There is a time and a place for everything. We got behind the Patriot Act under the guise of freedom when we were actually being duped, and continued to be duped for the duration, which seemed like a lifetime. Shouldn't we then get behind a president who actually cares for this country and give him a shot and allow him to see through some of the items on his agenda? Can't have an FDR presidency without FDR loyalty. Can we find another outlet for our wounded ego? Remember. That's what bullies do. And we're already seeing that sham play out; do we really need to follow suit? Shouldn't we, then, wake up to the fact that we should stop emulating those who are attacking Ferris for the very achievements that we have voted him in, in the first place?
Ayn Rand, who became an American by choice, was an outsider who embraced the profound value of our democracy because she had seen the other extreme with her own eyes. I doubt she'd crucify Ferris as some of the exponents of her theory have today. She diagnosed the sickness of our free society in her time. But this isn't her time. Those are the same people who trace around our constitutional value system in order to project their point-of-view to the disarmed masses. And Ayn Rand would say of them,
"In fact people who preach that they are the ones who are mawkish about the evil people, the failures, the liars, the cheats, everybody who is weak."
Sarah Palin, et al? (My sincere apologies for even mentioning that name.)
Whatever's left of summer recess the revisionism of the Right continues full throttle, and I'd like to leave you with an Edmund Burke quote to provide some food for thought before school comes back to session:
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Maybe Ferris shouldn't have been as soft on the opposition. Mistakes are made. But considering his A-game performance thus far, is this grounds for such disapproval? It takes hard work to accomplish virtue. Ayn Rand illustrated this point in saying,
"People will attack you for exercising your ability, for hard work, for ambition. They will want to make you feel guilty of it."
I think Ferris understands what she meant by that, all too well.
