The Big 3: Taking, Giving, and Shrugging with Atlas

Atlas Shrugged was so good, we were skimming over the sex parts to get back to the better stuff...

Cody, Great group of folks you got here. A little display of what will be needed to save the ideals of the Founding Fathers called "Out of the Box" thinking. We will need a "Split Economic/Social System" You will be able to "Vote" with your money. Sort of like put your own money where your mouth is and not someone elses. So lets say we have a "Split Economy" and we have one group paid in "Dollars" and one group paid in "Donuts". You declare to be a "Socialsist" so are paid and taxed like all good socialists are with your "Dollars". You declare to be a "Capitalist" and you commit to living under the financial realities of a "Capitalist" economy. Two prices for everything (that's what we have technology for) so a gallon of milk would cost say like 2 "Dollars" or 1/2 of a "Donut". I won't take up any more space with why we need to be thinking more "Out of the Box" instead of living with this insane swinging Pendulum but just try and apply this to the Public Education system. You want your education system run by "Socialists" then you will get what you pay for in dollars. But the rest of us don't want what the current education system spews into its students so we should be able to do a separate system and pay for it with our Donuts. Our money, our kids, our Donuts. Anyway some body has to begin the real recovery of the "American Dream" and I'm trying to design a "Benign" Revolution instead of swimming in this escalating insanity. It's the short version folks so be kind...and I know I'm leaving out the effects of "Scum" like George Soros but if he had to spend more time keeping his own group in line the rest of us might have a chance to rebuild the whole nation. Thanks all for your Great Comments.

My comment on the big three is # 1 they should not be allowed to use any of the twenty five billion dollars allotted to research and build fuel efficient cars, this money was allotted to make the country energy efficient so foreign powers could not hold us hostage and eliminate the need for out troops to fight and die for foreign oil imports, we failed to do this after the oil crises of the seventies and we have to stick with it this time to save not only the economy of the country but also the lives of our soldiers, as far as the big three are concerned it is simple, present the country with a plan to get costs in line with foreign auto makers in the country. The government and taxpayers will then dictate compensation for all salary employees and upper management including all compensation packages and perks before any taxpayer money can be used for the daily operations and solvency of the companies, if there in no agreement let the companies try to reorganize under bankruptcy, if they fail to do so i guess the foreign auto workers and companies will just pick up the slack, as far as the cars produced by the big three in the past they will be well maintained by companies that will produce parts and maintenance in line with other profitable auto manufactures in the country.

When the bailouts started I immediately thought of Atlas Shrugged. What's the point in working hard, saving, making good financial and ethical decisions if all you get is Boo! Goody Two Shoes. Let's clap for the guy who used to beat his wife, just got out of rehab for the second time, and has finally found a job but still lives with his parents. The looters and moochers are going to take it away using gummint force. The wife and I are already planning on leaving the country when we retire in ten years. No wonder banks won't lend. When the gummint keeps changing the rules (no foreclosing, debt forgiveness mandated, free money to your competitors) banks can't set a probable rate of return. When no one is a risk then we are all at risk.

HEY CODY...WATCH YOU ON FOX BUSINESS PRETTY MUCH EVERYDAY, AND I READ YOUR ARTICLES ON HERE TOO! FIRST OFF, NEVER READ ATLAS SHRUGGED, BUT I HAVE A FEW COMMENTS TO MAKE. I AGREE TOTALLY WITH ERIC'S COMMENT. GIVE US THE MONEY, LET US STIMULATE THE ECONOMY. I TRULY FEEL WE ARE SMARTER THEN THOSES IDIOTS IN WASHINGTON, CAUSE SO FAR THEY HAVE PROCEEDED TO SCREW UP ANY ATTEMPT TO DO IT RIGHT! ALSO MY HUSBAND IS A G.M. RETIREE, HE WORKED FOR 34 YEARS IN A FOUNDRY HERE IN OHIO, AND WHAT G.M. IS ABOUT TO DO TO US AND ALL OTHER RETIREE'S IS DISPICABLE, BUT SITTING THERE AND WATCHING THESE SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN GRILL THOSE 3 CEO'S WAS ALMOST LAFFABLE. THEY ARE SO LIKE THE CEO'S THEY WERE GRILLING. CROOKED AS HELL, AND I'M PRETTY POSITIVE THOSES SOB'S WON'T GIVE UP THEIR PENSION OR INSURANCE FOR THE GOOD OF THE COUNTRY. YOU KNOW LIKE CUTTING BACK THEIR ACTIVITYS, SPEND LESS AND SO FORTH. HA! NO WAY WILL THEY DO IT, BUT THEY WANT US TO DO IT!!!! I'M SO MAD, I COULD SCREAM!!! MY HUSBAND EARNED HIS PENSION, AND WORKED VERY HARD FOR MANY YEARS SO HE COULD RETIRE, COMFORTABLLY. WE AREN'T RICH BY A LONG SHOT. IF G.M. GOES DOWN, ALOT OF PEOPLE WIL BE STANDING IN LINE FOR WELFARE....DO ALL YOU PEOPLE OUT THERE WANT THAT TO HAPPEN? WE NEED TO BACK AMERICAN WORKERS, BUY AMERICAN PRODUCTS...SCREW THE OTHER COUNTRYS (RIGHT NOW) LET THEM FEND FOR THEMSELVES, AND WE WILL DO THE SAME! SORRY TO GO OFF IN HERE CODY, BUT I HAVE HAD IT WITH THE GOVERMENT, GIVING TO SOME AND NOT TO OTHERS. EITHER WE DO IT FOR ALL OR NOT FOR ANY! HAVE A GOOD DAY :-) ONE P.O. LADY IN OHIO

So, Cody, you call sitting beside and chatting with that georgous lady working? Seriously, though, I would urge you to re-read Atlas. You will be blown away by the unbelievable insight Ayn Rand had to the future, just by following the logic of the principles involved in the philosophy that is prevalent in the culture.

What I do not understand is why $700 billion dollars goes out to corporations to give out loans. Wouldn't it be more ethical to distribute that money evenly to every U.S. taxpayer to do what they will? If I were given my share of the money it would go to pay off one of my 2 houses and/or vehicles. Even if the everyday Joe went and blew his share of the money on useless wants, the money would still be getting put into the system. Not to mention, like our stimulus checks, this money would be taxed...let's say a rough 25%; which goes right back into the government's hands anyway. Call me naive, but it seems funny that people with just a 2 year degree or less can come up with a better solution than some with doctroates. Also, isn't it funny how the GM and Chrysler CEOs can fly to Washington on leased private jets to beg for money? THAT is Americana for ya!

Cody, nice article. Some of us are already thinking about how stupid we are and why WE just don't throw our hands up in the air - retire - and tell the goverment to take care of us too!

Well, Cody, it must be nice to make more than $77,000. The median household income in the U.S. is under $50K. So most of us DO fall into that category. I think you are a bit out of touch living in NY. My family can get by on $1200/month. With 6 (working on 7) in the family, that puts us below the "official" poverty level. So while I think government handouts of any kind are unethical, illegal, and immoral, not everyone who fits into the "welfare" needs it nor wants it. Just watch that you don't alienate your audience. Be aware of who we are. After all, my husband and I are both engineers (and I'm an RPI grad and grew up in NYS). Perhaps we've already shrugged Atlas.

I just finished Atlas Shrugged and can't believe how eerily similar our current environment is! http://blog.2sparrows.org/2008/11/10/atlas-shrugged-ayn-rand/

Unbelievable Cody, I'm not most of those either, good point. Hopefully I’m a home OWNER real soon. Got to love the depleted housing market in Northeastern Ohio. Wouldn't want to pay for a Manhattan property in this market, I'd have to be put on suicide watch. Question 1, how many media people from all the networks are leveraged up on the shorts? Question 2 How many know this isn't good for market survival and they're just not being honest? They really defend this. Cramer credits it with a partial demise in caps and I agree. Large cash injections (thanks Prince)=Short more, problem big problem. No wonder nobody wants to put money into this market. Thought I was investing in a company not a hedge fund. People won't put money into companies under this condition. This is a critical market survival adjustment that must be made and I’ve been expressing my concerns via e-mail to the SEC for months. Hey, they add liquidity, what a joke. Shifting liquidity to some low life hedge fund manager away from a company trying to readjust and survive, companies that actually employ people. Even the media is so buried into this BS that they can't be honest. SEC needs to seriously look at the market framework. This situation could lead to mass privatization, if a good company can't legitimately raise capital in the market place, which is the primary purpose for the market, than they will go elsewhere. So many BS trading vehicles, companies can't effectively raise capital in this environment anymore. Naked shorts and the other entire ridiculous trading vehicles should have never been allowed to happen. Its all momentum trading that adds no value to the market. You buy a stock from a good company, you don't, and it’s that simple. Back to the basics, less volatility, hey back to actually looking at fundamentals again. If there are no measurable guidelines, like now, business advice and information is virtually worthless, why have a TV show if the information you share is totally worthless. That’s why stock advice has become completely foolish now. I actually think about shorting momentum before I purchase, not good. Computers changed the game on shorting, moving it from a institutional, brokerage activity to every Tom, Dick and Harry, can be successful with momentum. I’ve mad money on these, but it needs to stop. It’s not right. It’s not a free market. Even a boxer gets a ten count. These companies have to be afforded the opportunity of a ten count.

Cody, I wrote this two days ago and decided not to post it. You got me. In 1963, when I was in High School, I picked up a book written by Ayn Rand titled Atlas Shrugged. Reading the book had a profound effect on me. If you haven’t read the book, it is about the decline and fall of our economic systems and whys of it. Without going into a diatribe on why it effected me so, let me say that I have spent my entire working career trying to be worthy of John Galt. If you don’t understand that, read the book. It is a very entertaining story… not dry at all. Things I see: Unions negotiate their contracts from a position of power rather than proficiency. Doing this takes the worker and the company out of competitive markets. This destructive power manifests itself both within the union as well as outside of it. Example: You need to slow down. You are making us look bad. I have personally seen this. Woe to the person that refuses and bucks the system. Just look at who the heroes are today… sports figures and movie stars. We have educational systems and subcultures, in and out of businesses, where the brightest among us must hide that gift in order to be accepted by the majority. If you stand out or think differently (brilliantly) from the majority, you have a target painted on your back. The brightest can navigate this kind of environment but the hazards are many. To the majority, if you excel, you have an unfair advantage. Media, and those that govern, support vilification of large corporations to gain the approval of large groups of people whether it is justified or not. Corporations and leaders of same, in order to feed their need for more and more profit for themselves, export manufacturing jobs, as well as their manufacturing technology, out of the country. They do this under the guise of remaining competitive. That may be true but perhaps they could have avoided the situation by managing their businesses for expense, product quality, value, and profit rather than just profit. The profiteers in the financial system and government, people making money from money and people who live on public money, have overpowered manufacturing’s ability to support them. Corruption is almost everywhere. The end justifies the means mentality exists in business as well as in government. Ethics, for many, is just another word in the dictionary. They may know what it means but do not live that way. ** What does all of that mean? Capitalism has not failed. We have… all of us. Perhaps we can start by determining what are wants and needs are. Happiness is not having what you want. Happiness is wanting what you have. Care must be taken as we rebuild or we will lose the last little bit of freedom we have.