

Looterism: The Cancerous Ethos That Is Gutting America - ScotterC
http://pandodaily.com/2012/08/07/looterism-the-cancerous-ethos-that-is-gutting-america/

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zacharyvoase
Wherein the concept of ‘value creation’ is never quite defined, and the author
seems blind to several thousand years of well-documented human history where
individuals relentlessly pursued self-interest, sometimes resulting in common
benefit and sometimes in common suffering. But no, apparently this is all a
new phenomenon.

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ScotterC
It's very Ayn Randish, Atlas Shrugged stuff but some days I can't help but
feel this way.

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jlarocco
I'm curious how you're making the connection between "Atlas Shrugged" and the
"looterism" in the article.

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ScotterC
The one's who do not want to create value but use the benefits of other's hard
work.

"Rand's heroes must continually fight against "parasites", "looters", and
"moochers" who demand the benefits of the heroes' labor. Edward Younkins
describes Atlas Shrugged as "an apocalyptic vision of the last stages of
conflict between two classes of humanity — the looters and the non-looters"

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_shrugged#Property_rights_...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_shrugged#Property_rights_and_individualism)

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pyoung
uhh, the looters in the article are bankers and CEO's. The looters in Atlas
Shrugged are government and people on welfare. Very different definitions.

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angersock

      "the looters in the article are bankers and CEO's"
      "ooters in Atlas Shrugged are government and people on 
      welfare"
    

But sir (or madam!), I believe you repeat yourself here.

In all seriousness, I think that Rand would've been pretty annoyed at what's
come to pass--the capitalist fetishism espoused in works such as _Atlas
Shrugged_ does not take kindly to those that do not actually generate capital
and wealth.

Also, you are strictly incorrect about the looters in _Atlas Shrugged_ : one
of the largest groups of looters (embodied in James Taggart and his cohorts)
in the novel are the businessmen who use lobbyists to further their companies
and stifle competition. This should, incidentally, seem somewhat familiar to
anyone watching the news for the past decade.

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kaonashi
The looters in America right now fetishize Rand.

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carsongross
"I doubt anyone can pinpoint the exact reason for the transformation."

I believe I can very much pin-point it. It was the creation of the Federal
Reserve.

What we are seeing now is the final stage where everyone with a bit of brains
realizes that the way to make money is to attach oneself as closely as
possible to the great gushing fiat spigots emerging from the FIRE and
government sectors, and malinvestment sits rudely triumphant on the wreck of
america's productive economy.

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kajecounterhack
<http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html>

"Please don't bait other users by inviting them to downmod you."

~~~
carsongross
unbaited

