“Who is John Galt?”

“Better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate.” – St. Thomas Aquinas

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6 March 2009 No Comment

atlasshrugged
BY: NCVIKING

“Who is John Galt?” is a pop-culture reference to a character in the 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged about a strike against a socialist, exploitative society of oppressive bureaucracy and a culture that embraces mediocrity and socialistic ideals. The strike is from individuals that are no longer willing to work their tails off to give more to those who don’t, led by character John Galt. Throughout the novel the question “Who is John Galt?” is repeated as people search for the answer. Sound familiar?

“Going Galt!” has become a symbol as of late for conservatives crying fowl over the encroachment of Obama’s socialistic vision over our economy and society. It has become a popular subject over at Michelle Malkin.com, along with the subsequent Tax Day Tea Party and her Photoshop contest for RECOVERY.GOV logos (including ours).

Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.), who gives his departing interns copies of Ayn Rand’s novel “Atlas Shrugged,” told me today that the response to President Obama’s economic policies reminded him of what happened in the 52-year-old novel.

“People are starting to feel like we’re living through the scenario that happened in ‘Atlas Shrugged,’” said Campbell. “The achievers, the people who create all the things that benefit the rest of us, are going on strike. I’m seeing, at a small level, a kind of protest from the people who create jobs, the people who create wealth, who are pulling back from their ambitions because they see how they’ll be punished for them.”

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