Who Is John Galt?

The Dr C Robert Jones Situation Report

A few months back, while clearing out a closet, I found a long-forgotten “Who is John Galt” coffee mug which also bears one of his quotes: “I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism, loosely stated, promotes rational self-interest and laissez-faire capitalism. John Galt epitomizes all that is glorious of capitalism in its purist form -- innovation, self-reliance, and freedom from government interference. How ironic that, this morning, I noticed that the mug, at its new home on my desk, was sitting on a newspaper whose feature article reported on the riots in Greece following a new round of legislated austerity measures. How would my fictional friend view the current state of Greece, the Euro and the EMU’s intervention, or the more activist policies of global central banks? I have no idea. My, admittedly, scant knowledge of Objectivism is similar to my view of Ron Paul’s platform: Some aspects appeal to me, but not at a price that I’d be willing to pay. This next presidential election presents a choice between two social contracts: the socialist-fascist contract of ? and the limited government-free enterprise-capitalist contract of Mr. Donald John Trump and the Republican Party. To help you choose your contract, please answer the following question. A simple Yes or No will do.