Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Amity Shlaes on Atlas Shrugged

Blogging has been sort of light here today; I've spent the day doing some overdue yard work and dealing with some Teenager issues. Teenagers are exhausting. Whoever said "boys are easier to raise than girls" didn't have mine.

At any rate, having recently finishing a re-read of "Atlas Shrugged", I enjoyed the Amity Shlaes column today. There have been several articles in the past four months about how relevant Rand's novel is today. It's true, it really is.

Shlaes writes, "In 1986, a year when 'Atlas Shrugged' sold between 60,000 and 80,000 copies, the top 1 percent of earners paid 26 percent of the income tax. By 2000, that 1 percent was paying 37 percent, and 'Atlas Shrugged' sales were at 120,000. By 2006, the top 1 percent carried 40 percent of the burden. Yet President Barack Obama has made it clear he would like to see the rich pay a greater share. Anyone irked at that prospect can find consolation in Rand’s fantasy, in which the most valued professionals evaporate from the work place because of such demands.

If you've read the novel, check out her column (linked above). Meanwhile, I'm going to regroup from my day and see what else is happening in the world.

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