Barbara Branden Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Why is America falling apart? Ask Ayn RandCollapsing bridges, flooded subways, trapped miners: our recent disasters recall a novel from a half century ago. Fortune's Adam Lashinsky explores the nation's 'Atlas Shrugged' moment.By Adam Lashinsky, Fortune senior writerAugust 14 2007: 6:16 AM EDT(Fortune) -- It was the breaking-news headline last Friday that three construction workers had died in a coal-mine accident in Princeton, Ind., and maybe the markets melting down too, that congealed in my mind a thought I'd been kicking around for a while now: Our country is having an "Atlas Shrugged" moment.Trapped coal miners in Utah, smashed levees in New Orleans, busted steam pipes and flooded subways in New York City, a collapsed bridge over the Mississippi River in Minnesota, an air-traffic-control system stressed to its break point. Could this really be a description of the most prosperous country on the planet? Can these all be coincidences? Is it time for a good old-fashioned conspiracy theory, the type that a reflection on Ayn Rand, Alan Greenspan's early mentor, might inform?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For the rest of the article, go to: http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/13/commentary...sion=2007081406Barbara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Grieb Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Barbara:Thanks for the link. The best point was the recognition by Gov. Spitzer that politicians loving to open bridges but not wanting to do inspections and maintenance. The opening are glamorous. The inspections and maintenance are drudgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reidy Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Thomas Sowell has made the same point recently:http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTYyY...DE2ODhhOGNjYzg=andhttp://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MWI4Y...mQzOGI0NTk4MWE=I guess it's catching on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara Branden Posted August 18, 2007 Author Share Posted August 18, 2007 Thomas Sowell has made the same point recently:http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTYyY...DE2ODhhOGNjYzg=andhttp://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MWI4Y...mQzOGI0NTk4MWE=I guess it's catching on.Peter, it's too bad he didn't reference Atlas Shrugged.Barbara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 I was going to say that I was shocked to read that "Fortune" doesn't think that private markets can be trusted to handle bridge inspections, but perhaps that response is naive of me. Didn't Ayn Rand once say that big business is no friend of capitalism? Judith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfonso Jones Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 I was going to say that I was shocked to read that "Fortune" doesn't think that private markets can be trusted to handle bridge inspections, but perhaps that response is naive of me. Didn't Ayn Rand once say that big business is no friend of capitalism? Judith Yes. Unfortunately, neither are business schools. Alfonso (who knows first hand as a Professor in a business school) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now