John Galt et al.

It occurred to me the other day, while reading a remarkable study of the figurehead and inspiration behind our latest round of privateering, that we've really missed the mark.  It really occurred after I attempted to watch Atlas Shrugged in its most recent film incarnation, not wishing to subject myself to the turgid prose and rancid philosophizing of the one person most responsible for the progressive decline of anything good to say about the libertarian ideal.  If  The Book of Mormon could spawn a highly successful Broadway appearance, why not Atlas Shrugged: The Musical,  or better yet, Who is John Galt?: The Musical. It could be paired with a revival of Springtime for Hitler  or Hitler on Ice: The Ice Capades Spectacular (as featured at the end of History of the World: part I). Think of the possible profits--the ability to exploit the poor and downtrodden--the possibility of proselytization.

On a more serious note--a more sobering and bracing study of the influence of Ms. Rand and her perennial and pernicious philosophy could not hope to be found anywhere.  Mr. Weiss takes a look at Rand and her circle of followers and notes the preponderance of Randites in the progenitors of our recent Wall Street and Bank Crises.  People who tore down the fabric of the American economy, but who are for the most part, at present, doing quite nicely for themselves, thank you.

Worth looking into if you are interested in objectivism and its pervasive but often unremarked upon influence on current society.