(Here is her short post asking the question of what to do. Included is the best answer from her comment section. Consider how much we’ve slipped down the slope since 2008. We now have legitimate political prisoners. And censorship. Once CBDCs become a thing what Trudeau did to the Truckers will be common place.)

Do you ever wonder after dealing with all that is going on with the economy and the upcoming election if it's getting to be time to "go John Galt." For those of you who have never read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged,the basic theme is that John Galt and his allies take actions that include withdrawing their talents, 'stopping the motor of the world', and leading the 'strikers' (those who refuse to be exploited) against the 'looters' (the exploiters, backed by the government).

Perhaps the partisian politics we are dealing with now is really just a struggle between those of us who believe in productivity, personal responsibility, and keeping government interference to a minimum, and those who believe in the socialistic policies of taking from others, using the government as a watchdog, and rewarding those who overspend, underwork, or are just plain unproductive.

Obama talks about taking from those who are productive and redistributing to those who are not -- or who are not as successful. If success and productivity is to be punished, why bother? Perhaps it is time for those of us who make the money and pay the taxes to take it easy, live on less and let the looters of the world find their own way.

My question to readers is, what are some ways to "go John Galt" (legally, of course)--that is, should productive people cut back on what they need, make less money, and take it easy so that the government is starved for funds, or is there some other way of making a statement?

(Comment begins here)

Hi Helen:

I'm still here, waiting like a spider for asset valuations to drop to reasonable levels, just as Scarlet did when she went to Atlanta to await Ashley's return. And as I wait, I feel like John Galt - I have cut the operations of my business to a minimum because any investment (up till this last week, when Ashley may have made it at least to the outskirts of Atlanta) just didn’t seem to be worth the risk. My operating income is down 70% since last year, but guess what? - I don’t seem to have that much less to spend once my tax savings are factored in. I should qualify that by saying that I am spending a lot less money these days, but I already have so much junk that I don't need, that I able to entertain myself by pulling out my old toys.


I am playing a lot of golf, going on a lot of camping and rock-climbing trips with my kids and family, participating long range rifle competitions, continually and honing my forearms skills, and reading a lot. Of course I'm watching the financial and real estate markets like a hawk - or maybe I should say a vulture - but that is just what I do, it doesn't seem like work. I feel a lot less stressed and enjoying myself more than ever, especially the time with my kids (both are seniors, one in high school and one in college) with whom I have developed a closeness that never would have happened without this recession. In fact, by spending time with the kids, I have been able to instill a sense of frugality in them that is saving me thousands.


I realize that not everyone has the resources to do what I am doing, and I don't have the resources to do it forever, but I believe I have enough to weather this storm; and it is amazing how much less you need when you really decide to scale down.


About 8 months ago, I started noticing things that reminded me of the world painted by Rand in "Atlas Shrugged". Small things like fewer cars on the freeways, more cars with bald tires, more cars on the side of the road with mechanical problems or just out of gas, started to catch my attention. It also seemed to me that there was just less energy and vibrancy in the streets, stores, restaurants, and that there was a general feeling of malaise when I was out around town. So I pulled out my copy of “Atlas” and re-read it. After overcoming the initial period of depression that it brings on, I said to myself, “Self, you should withdraw, just like John Galt”. So I laid some people off (painful), put some long-term projects on hold, thereby reducing my legal, accounting, engineering, architectural, travel, and other consulting expenses (painful for all of those people as well), and started living the lifestyle described above.

You can’t wind everything down overnight, it takes time, and I am not finished. In the process, I have talked a few of my small-businessman friends into doing the same thing; and now of course many more are being forced to cut back, although maybe not as cheerfully as I am. I could go on for hours about the multiplier effects on the economy of my decision to back off, but let’s just say that they have pulled hundreds of thousands of dollars of tax revenue from the public trough; and that’s just me.


Like Galt, I feel that what I am doing will benefit everyone in the long run. The outrageous consumption habits of the American people, to a great degree encouraged by the example of the outrageous spending habits of the U.S. Government, have to stop. There is simply no way that we can spend our way into prosperity over the long term, although many still feel that we can.

I have generally been a Bush supporter, but when the first stimulus package passed, and he went on TV encouraging people to go out and spend the stimulus checks on more Chinese rubber dog shit, he lost me. Don’t we have enough stuff? Any responsible person who received one of those checks should have saved it, invested it, or used it to pay down debt. Assume they invested it in a mutual fund; they would still have some of the money left, rather than some stupid toy (probably made in a foreign country) gathering dust in the garage. With the government saying “take this money out and blow it”, I was shocked over how far off track we have gone. Bush’s advice to the People on what to do with those checks is probably what pushed me over the edge.

This recession is exactly what we need to bring some reality back into the picture. We have raised a generation, maybe two generations, of selfish, whining crybabies – both in and out of Government – whose primary business is trying to take money from others without providing any meaningful long term service to society. They need to be brought to their knees and shown the facts of life. As everyone starts to get it, as cities and hopefully even states go bankrupt, they will be forced to re-think just what is important. When the public sector gets it, to the point that many public sector employees and retirees see their benefits dramatically cut; when it is longer be possible for a 20-year civil servant to retire at 90% of his salary, and those that already have retired have their dole funds cut off by public sector bankruptcies, I will reach nirvana.


The sooner we reach that point, the better. When we do, I will get back in the game with gusto, knowing that for the first time in my life I am operating from a solid base.