Obey on the Ayn Rand influence

Retired U.S. Rep. Dave Obey, a Democrat from Wausau who represented Wisconsin's 7th district for more than 40 years, on Ayn Rand's influence on some Republicans.

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[CarnieKing]

He obviously doesn't understand Ayn Rand. this may be long but i think its worth it

The irreducible primary of altruism, the basic absolute, is self-sacrifice—which means; self-immolation, self-abnegation, self-denial, self-destruction—which means: the self as a standard of evil, the selfless as a standard of the good.

The issue is whether man is to be regarded as a sacrificial animal. Any man of self-esteem will answer: “No.” Altruism says: “Yes.”

Portions of "Philosophy: Who Needs It"

[HBinswanger]

He ends "I don't blame her, you don't need a God if you believe that [that men's rational self-interests are in harmony]. What an amazing confession he makes there! He's saying, because we think that men are animals fighting over a static amount of nature-given wealth (and this in the internet age!), we invent the notion of a supernatural Being who threatens us with (imaginary) Hell to keep us animals in line!

[justintempler]

There is no safety net. The safety net is an illusion created by the socialist thinking of FDR that requires ever more sacrifice from future generations that haven't even been born yet.

The safety net is being paid for with our own slavery.

[Aynology]

"Zealous (enthusiastic) ideology, soulless..."

Ayn Rand's philosophy is the first in history to project life from a source of reason in its complete, consistent form. After centuries of mystic irrationality & living one's life for others it must be very traumatic for these creatures to open their eyes to the enormous fraud that has been perpetrated on man all these centuries.

What's the objection to bringing intelligence and men of the mind to Washington?

Unless fear & favor is your way

A $ A

[HBinswanger]

Yes, it's a fundamental choice--between the morality of life (Rand's) and the morality of death (Christianity's).

[MrAdvancedAtheist]

I find it interesting that Rand's world view has suddenly emerged as a kind of alternative humanism for people on the right. And that it has happened through the sales of Rand's novels in the market, not because government & academia have pushed it upon us.

[grantsinmypants2]

4/4 ...When a man feels fear without reason, you call him to the attention of a psychiatrist; you are not so careful to protect the meaning, the nature and the dignity of love." - John Galt, Atlas Shrugged

[grantsinmypants2]

3/4 ... "“Observe that he does not expect you to feel a causeless fear. When his kind get into power, they are expert at contriving means of terror, at giving you ample cause to feel the fear by which they desire to rule you. But when it comes to love, the highest of emotions, you permit them to shriek at you accusingly that you are a moral delinquent if you're incapable of feeling causeless love...

[grantsinmypants2]

2/4 ...for all comers.

“As there can be no causeless wealth, so there can be no causeless love or any sort of causeless emotion. An emotion is a response to a face of reality, an estimate dictated by your standards. To love is to value. The man who tells you that it is possible to value without values, to love those whom you appraise as worthless, IS THE MAN WHO TELLS YOU IT IS POSSIBLE TO GROW RICH BY CONSUMING WITHOUT PRODUCING AND THAT PAPER MONEY IS AS VALUABLE AS GOLD...

[grantsinmypants2]

1/4 “The justification of sacrifice, that your morality propounds, is more corrupt than the corruption it purports to justify. The motive of your sacrifice, it tells you, should be love-the love you ought to feel for every man. A morality that professes the belief that the values of the spirit are more precious than matter, a morality that teaches you to scorn a whore who gives her body indiscriminately to all men - this same morality demands to you surrender your soul to promiscuous love...