Elite wealthy capitalists, who earn their wealth through merit, are oppressed by Governments who steal the products of their citizen’s endeavors. The US does this through progressive taxation and laws that sanction the victims.

Rand’s father built two profitable businesses from scratch, but the oppressive State seized his businesses (the products of his labor) for the good of the people.

Today, Obama’s Keynesian deficit spending (AKA: Socialism on demand) is generational theft from all future generations of Americans, poor and rich alike. That is why Rand was entirely correct to conclude capitalism is our only moral economic system.

Only a left-winger full of economic envy and class warfare would rationalize the seizing of another’s labors for being successful. Merit is vilified,; victims are sanctioned.

Greedy socialists demand tax transfers from the successful to their parasite-selves. Socialism is greed wrapped in progressive dogma. That is why Russian communists often turned their neighbors in for murder over slight material differences, such as having a few eggs more. Socialism is the most destructive ideology the world has ever known.

Tyrannical States have seized the wealth of rich and poor alike. Perhaps that is why Rand learned, first hand, to rationally oppose overreaching State power. Her life experiences lead to her preferring individual liberty over collectivist tyranny.

The reason why Objectivists today oppose Obamaoist society is because rational thinkers can learn vicariously from Rand, who lived under Big Government oppression. Rand personally knew State tyranny. We all see growing Obamiast tyranny with our own eyes. Obama and his fellow leftwing cronies are no different from Chavez, Mugabe and other modern socialists. However, there will be differences in the magnitude of the destruction because Obama is inflicting on the worlds economic engine (America’s capitalist economy).

With a heavy heart, I rationally predict that Obama will eventually go down besides Mao and Stalin as one of three most destructive leaders in human history. The immense immorality and irrationality of Obama, is quickly becoming apparent to all.

You realize this post if serious makes you certifiable right?

I am a republican and I like some of what Rand has to say and I have defended her here but comparing Obama to Mao and Stalin is ridiculous. We get to vote in 3 years. If Obama runs after his second term then I'll worry, but until then there is no reason to be overly hyperbolic. B

Anyone ever get the feeling that there are a lot of posters here who really feel like they missed out not living during the 50s and getting to root for McCarthy first-hand? I imagine it's like some of those WHO protesters who feel like they missed out big time by being born after the 60s ended.

I missed out by being born after the 20s ended:(

The Lost Generation, those were the days.

"Tyrannical States have seized the wealth of rich and poor alike."

Is it really so hard for some people to tell the difference between North Korea and Sweden?

Well, one of them has a lot more blonds.

"In the 2006 general election, the Social Democratic Party received the smallest share of votes (34.99 %) ever in a general election with universal suffrage, resulting in the loss of office to the opposition, the centre-right coalition Alliance for Sweden"

-Taken from statistics Sweden July 2004

The Scandinavian Nanny State: <link> - lists of countries of the world sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita,- 2007. The relatively homogeneous European nations that do well on the Transparency and Economic Freedom scales have lower corporate taxes rates than the US (to keep businesses in country) coupled with much higher personal income rates (than the US) to fund their welfare states. For example, Norway is a tiny nation, far more homogenous than the US, which can more efficiently educate its population. The creative destruction of capitalism requires the “flexibility” of a relatively well educated populous, where people can change jobs at will.

To be succinct, the Swedish economic model would not work in a large diverse nation with 300 million people, including 40 people million who not speak English.

We should lower corporate tax rates to match the European example so that America may continue to create jobs. Of course, Obama would raise business and energy taxes thereby increasing national unemployment.

The Path To Sustainable Growth, Lessons From 20 Years Growth Differentials In Europe: (<link>)"Big government" is the main cause of Europe's weak performance. The oversized Public-Sector lacks productivity and undoes the entire productivity gains of the Private Sector, eradicating all of its outstanding performance and productiveness. Europe can improve its overall performance by copying the Irish success formulas: Scaling down Public Spending, downsizing bureaucracy, and shifting the tax burden from income on consumption. This book demonstrates why the Lisbon Agenda and decades of Keynesian inflationist demand stimulation have failed. It develops alternative and workable supply-side strategies as well as effective cures for humane growth and a financially sustainable social security....The main conclusion is that two factors of the public policy mix cause weak growth performances: excessive public spending and a demotivating tax structure, on the one hand, and over- consumption with a lack of savings and investment on the other hand. We conclude that the public sector in most European countries is far too large, depriving the private sector of the recourses to realize its full wealth potential.

US Joint Economic Commission: <link> -Government serves many useful functions, including some economic ones. The findings here support the view that the growth of government in newly emerging nations and economies tends to increase output. Presumably this reflects the reduction in transactions' costs and the improved environment for investment associated with a rule of law and enforceable property rights. At the same time, in modern times relative American federal government spending has expanded rapidly, reflecting sharp increases in transfer payments. The evidence suggests that large transfer payments in particular have negative consequences for growth. The results for the federal government are confirmed for state and local governments and several other countries. The findings suggest that a federal budget strategy of constraining spending growth below output growth, with particular attention paid to constraining transfer payments, would have positive effects on economic growth.

Economic Freedom Indexes: <link> "Public spending" or "Government size" or taxation" is different than "economic freedom." The curve shows that governments mostly tax, redistribute and spend themselves into economic destruction - even in nations with high degrees of economic freedom. The curve proves taxation, redistribution, and government size hinders economic growth in most Western nations because most nations tax their populations too much for optimal tax rates. The study tries to find the optimal tax rate which generates the most tax revenues. I would prefer to have less revenues and smaller government over the optimal rate.

Very recommended links:

1. 5% growth is no utopia. Causes of Growth differentials in europe. (Abstract WFA Study)

2. Causes of Growth Differentials in Europe: (Full Report of the WFA Study):

3. The myth of the Scandinavian Model. (The Brussels Journal)

4. Europe's Ailing Social Model: Fairy-Tale & Facts

5. Can we still avoid Inflation ( Friedrich A. Hayek on inflationary policies )

6. The Swedish model: Admire the best, forget the rest (The Economist)

7. Decay and the welfare state, Time to Reevaluate the European Social Model. Has the time come? (FT)

8. Dr Robert A. Mundell's Nobel Prize Lecture: "A Reconsideration of the 20th Century" claiming that Supply Side Economics leads to growth and price stability.

9. THE PATH TO SUSTAINABLE GROWTH - Lessons From 20 Years Growth Differentials In Europe.

More Research on Europe:

1. Is Europe Doomed to Continued Economic Stagnation? <link> Europe suffers from particular weaknesses. 2007 Index of Economic Freedom says, "Europe suffers from the second-worst regional score in labor freedom and is dead last in fiscal free­dom from government.… [S]trong state sectors and rigid labor markets have already prompted significant social turmoil, not least in France."

2. Jean-Claude Trichet, "The Need for Structural Reforms in Europe," lecture to the Lisbon Council, June 4, 2007, at www.ecb.eu/press/key/date/2007­­­/html/sp070604.en.html#fnid2­­ (June 7, 2007).

3. OpenEurope, "ICM Survey of Chief Executives for Open Europe," at www.openeurope.org.uk/research­­­/businesspres.pdf

4. "The Road to Hell Was Paved with Good Intentions," The European Journal, March/April 2006, pp. 19–21, at <link>

5. Sean Dorgan, "How Ireland Became the Celtic Tiger," Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 1945, June 23, 2006, at <link>.

BTW: I’m not a Republican. I have always been a registered Democrat that moved towards libertarianism (I even voted for Nader twice and Al Gore). However, Obama is the worst president I have ever had to endure, because of his non-stop assaults on capitalism.

Obama will fail. It is a mathematical and logical impossibility that raising taxes on Corporations, small businesses (LLCs that make more than $250K), the wealthy, energy and capital gains will not increase unemployment rates and decrease economic growth. Therefore, Obama’s economic agenda is for other reasons, probably is to create racial/sexual/ethnic equality. Individual liberty, adherence to contracts, minimal Government collusion, and individual responsibility will be thrown out for those who need, from each according to his ability.

Rationally we know that once people are given entitlements, it is a near political impossibility for Government to retract them later. Therefore, Obama’s Government expansion will be permanent.

In order to preserve democracy, the people must me protected from overreaching Government tyranny. Obama along with his fellow socialists, fascists and leftwing progressives Hitler (2nd in election than popularly placed in power) , Mugabe, and Chavez were elected, so the ignorant masses can be fooled into giving up their freedoms to the new latest progressive cult of personality.

1. I support living in a racially diverse, liberal, open-minded, accepting society; however, I also support absolute equality under the law, without preferences and redistribution. I support increasing legal skilled immigration from everywhere, but limiting unskilled illegal immigration.
2. The basis of my philosophy is that the world is fair (excluding socialism, fascism, stateism, collectivism and communist systems). I support minimal Government, economic liberty and unalienable private property and unalienable civil rights, because free individuals who work hard will earn their wealth.
3. All individual Americans deserve life, liberty and to right pursue happiness without Government intervention. Some groups do earn more wealth than others, because those groups have cultures that stress education and work ethics, and those diverse results are fair. Diversity of outcome is liberty. Equality of outcome is oppression.
4. Government should do NOTHING to promote racial or economic equality, besides enforcing the law equally. Basically, in a free market economy, the economic distribution patters are always fair, and redistribution is always vile (distortive and oppressive).
5. Government should do nothing to prevent business failure. Furthermore, Government should neither grant favors nor pick winners. Bankruptcy and reorganization is the market solution. Corrupt business should fail. Government is our most corrupting element. Bad management is punished by the free market, but bailout and Government distortion allows bad managers to stay in place. The free market insures that bad managers are soon without a job. The free market continuously insures that better business practices replace worse.
6. Once a Government becomes too powerful, then people are powerless to prevent tyranny, so encroaching Government power must ALWAYS be limited! We are currently on the Road to Serfdom where Government is usurping power, and violating the U.S. Constitution, which I consider to be the greatest political document ever written.
7. Capitalism, coupled with civil liberties, best combats poverty while preventing tyranny: The free market solution for the poor - in a free society - is to work hard, gain skill, become educated, save capital for investment and move up an organization based on merit or invest in your own business. Additionally, free markets lead to free minds and free peoples. Free markets also create mutually beneficial wealth and prosperity, while free trade promotes peace and understanding.

Smores, my friend --

Back when you were posting as Ralph7 and Island Muffin and Escalation and Cusano18 you were insisting that Obama would be remembered as the most destructive leader in world history -- why the cowardly backpedaling? And how will we know it's you if you don't maintain absolute rigidity?

Thanks!

Hitler must be turning in his grave to be relegated to number four or is he one of your heroes?

Hitler was also into deficit spending, but only the kind that allows you to conquer Europe, so that was OK. And Pol Pot said something nice about We the Living. Duh!

We live in a country that practices interventionist capitalism, not socialism. One of the foundations of democracy is protection of the weak from the strong, not only brute physical protection via the criminal justice system, but also protection from gross economic exploitation. That's the idea, along with a system of checks and balances that prevent any one person or group from granting themselves unlimited sovereignty. We assume that unlimited power has a corrupting influence on human beings, and we also understand the nature of EXTREME wealth concentrated in a few hands - its ability to reinforce and self-perpetuate itself - especially now that the finance industry has completely abstracted wealth from what actually has use-value. Interventionist capitalism means, that the government steps in to save the system and the people who depend on it from the disaster zones created by the unfettered free market - which is not the same as bringing down the market, which works quite well much of the time. Try not to retreat into an emotional appeal next time, it doesn't serve to clarify what you're saying.