Atlas is Shrugging in France: High Earners Prepare to Depart

The U.K. Telegraph reports that the affluent of France are preparing to depart their new socialist president and move elsewhere, mainly to England.  Just as in "Atlas Shrugged," those capitalists who are robbed of their production by socialist greed will simply move their wealth, their productivity, their jobs and their tax revenues, elsewhere.  Atlas is shrugging in France.

The Telegraph reports:

Mr Hollande plans to implement a 75pc tax rate on earnings over €1m (£800,000), on top of a 45pc rate for people making €150,000 or more. He is also expected to raise "wealth taxes" on property assets and end his predecessor's tax incentives to lure bankers back home.

In addition, France's high earners feel increasingly unwelcome in a country now led by a man who has admitted: "I don't like the rich." So where are they looking? London. It comes as no surprise – while Hollande prepares to raise taxes, over here David Cameron is cutting the 50pc tax rate for income above £150,000 to 45pc.

Read it all here. 

"Atlas Shrugged" the Movie Part II Due Out in October 2012: Too Late for France But Not the USA!

Some good news:  they finished Part II of the movie "Atlas Shrugged," based on the novel by Ayn Rand.  I really enjoyed the book and I watched the movie, Part I on Netflicks.  I thought the film was true to the book and well made.

Now it has been announced that Part II of the film will be due in theaters in October 2012 -- just in time for the presidential elections!  Great timing.

You can learn more about the movie and get on their newsletter list at the site "Who Is John Galt?"

"Atlas Shrugged" is a novel written in 1957 by libertarian Ayn Rand, a refugee from communist Russia.  She was an ardent believer in free market capitalism and limited government, but she was not your average conservative.  Rand was an atheist who opposed American intervention in the Korean and Viet Nam wars, even though she hated communism for the brutal evil that it was.

"Who is John Galt?" is a famous line from the novel; supposedly it became a popular saying meaning "Who knows?"  The saying existed only in the novel but has since become a kind of motto for free market capitalists who oppose socialism and government intervention into the marketplace.

John Galt was a capitalist character in the novel, who became disgusted with endless government meddling and intervention in the economy, so he drops out of the economy, stops producing goods and services.  He then starts his own private society, hidden in the mountains of Colorado, where pure capitalism reigns.  He encourages other capitalists to drop out as well, and soon captains of industry are disappearing along with the wealth they produce.  This causes great consternation among the socialists and statists in government, because if no one produces the wealth, there is nothing to appropriate or redistribute.

Today, in our increasingly socialist economy, the producers are dropping out.  Not to join private societies in the mountains, but to either take their productivity elsewhere or slow or even stop producing.  When this happens, they say that "Atlas is Shrugging" -- a reference to the mythical Atlas who held the world on his shoulders until he said to hell with it and let the orb free fall.

Currently, pundits are wondering if the French rich will cross the Channel and move to England or elsewhere, to prevent the new Bolsheviks from appropriating their wealth.  With regard to France we may ask, "Will Atlas shrug?"

"Atlas Shrugged" Movie Starts April 15: Who Is John Galt?

Pamela Geller as Dagny Taggart, VP of Taggart
Transcontinental Railroad Lines (of "Atlas Shrugged")

The Other McCain is reporting that the "Atlas Shrugged" movie begins showing in theaters on April 15.  I'd love to see that, and I hope it is true to the book.  Ayn Rand's famous novel about the capitalist good guys fighting the socialist morons is, without a doubt, the greatest pro-capitalism story of all time.  It has inspired the contempt and hatred of leftists since the book debuted in 1957.

The story is about key capitalists bowing out of the economy as governmental interference increases.  The capitalists start their own colony and economy in a hidden valley in Colorado, and let the larger economy crash on the shoals of governmental overreach.  The term "Who is John Galt?" refers to an early leader of the capitalist movement, who walks off the job one day after a pro-socialist meeting of the workers.  "Who is John Galt?" then becomes a popular saying like "What's the price of tea in China?" or "Does a bear sh*t in the woods?" or simply "Who knows?"

Today, more than fifty years later, politicians have learned nothing about economics, and governmental overreach is on steroids.  When major companies go out of business or move their operations overseas (to escape high taxation and onerous regulation), don't ask "Why?"  Ask "Who is John Galt?"

The term "Atlas Shrugged" refers to the great Atlas of capitalism who, instead of continuing to hoist the world on his shoulders, shrugs off the burden.  Now when companies shut down and entrepreneurs drop out of the economy or leave our tax world to find freer havens, people say that "Atlas is shrugging."  Pamela Geller named her blog after this phenomenon, i.e. "Atlas Shrugs."

This phenomenon is not new.  I remember years ago when European politicians complained of the "brain drain" to the United States, as talented European engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs fled to the greener pastures of North America.  Today we may be experiencing a "reverse brain drain" as the technically talented follow their ambition to China and India.  Socialism and its weaker sister liberalism do not strengthen an economy, they slowly choke the life out of it, resulting in lower productivity as the talented seek greater opportunity elsewhere.

A Tribute to Pamela Geller and "Atlas Shrugs"

There's a scene in Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" where Dagny gets out of the train to investigate a delay. She's the brains behind Taggart Railroad and soon has the train running on time. The Photoshop on the left was inspired by that scene.

Pamela Geller named her blog "Atlas Shrugs" in honor of Ayn Rand's great novel of economic freedom. Today I created this Photoshop tribute to Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs Blog, "Atlas Shrugged" the novel, and of course, to Ayn Rand.

The Dagny character in this Photoshop tribute looks a lot like Pamela Geller and why not? Dagny was a beautiful woman. So is Pamela.

Now if I could just convince Pamela to use this image as part of her blog banner.

Update: Pamela has linked to this post. Thanks Pamela!

Nancy Pelosi's Nightmare Scenario - or "Who is John Galt?"

Nancy Pelosi just got back from Greenland where she led a Congressional delegation to investigate climate change.

Pelosi said she hoped Bush would be open to considering a "different way"
in the future. The California Democrat pointed to her delegation's weekend
stop in Greenland, "where we saw firsthand evidence that climate change is a
reality; there is just no denying it."

Oh we agree, climate change is a reality. For instance, I have noted that right around June 21 the weather turns rather warm. It's called "summer." Then around November 1 it starts to get really cool. That's called "winter." Climate change is real. I have been observing this personally myself for some years.

Then Pelosi issues this nonsensical non-sequitur:

"It wasn't caused by the people of Greenland — it was caused by the behavior of the rest of the world," she said.

What a flaming idiot. What a non-sequitur. Man's affect on the environment is so miniscule it cannot be measured. The myth of manmade Global Warming, however, will be the next avenue for leftists to seize control of the American economy.

I'm currently reading "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. It's a work of fiction, but in it Rand describes a coalition of incompetents and Washington bureaucrats who scheme to control industry and dole out resources to individuals, companies, areas and industries of the government's choosing. Bureaucrats simply appropriate businesses and production through various schemes, "for the public good." The effect is to cause highly productive entrepreneurs and industrialists to just close shop and give up. Whole industries shut down. Rand's heros, Dagny Taggart and Hank Rearden, call the bureaucrats what they are: looters.

The nightmare scenario that Pelosi now supports is just a real life case, similar to one in "Atlas Shrugged." It will enable global leftism to merely appropriate business and production and transfer resources as they see fit. It will punish the producers and reward the non-producers. It is just another looting scheme.