It's Coming True!

I posted this over at the New Clarion a few minutes ago. Now I post it here.


In Ayn Rand's 1957 classic Atlas Shrugged, one of the bureaucrats, in response to the nation's economic collapse, provides his reasons for Directive No. 10-289.

"The picture now is this, said Wesley Mouch. "The economic condition of the country was better the year before last than it was last year, and last year it was better than it is at present. It's obvious that we would not be able to survive another year of the same progression. Therefore, our sole objective must be to hold the line. To stand still in order to catch our stride. To achieve total stability. Freedom has been given a chance and has failed. Therefore, more stringent controls are necessary. Since men are unable and unwilling to solve their problems voluntarily, they must be forced to do it." He paused,picked up the sheet of paper, then added in a less formal tone of voice, "Hell,what it comes down to is that we can manage to exist as and where we are, but we can't afford to move. So we've got to stand still. We've got to stand still. We've got to make those bastards stand still."
(Page536 in the large edition, 491 in the small paperback)

I was reminded of this quote when I read this article at Digital Trends. (Hat tip to OActivists) The first paragraph:

"The Federal Communications Commission just handed down new regulation designed to protect small, independent networks, and cable providers are getting seriously riled up. The FCC’s “standstill order” states that cable providers can’t pull networks off the air during contract disputes."

This demonstrates how government regulations create the need for more regulations, and what happens when the powers that be cannot properly adjudicate property rights which said regulations work to thwart. This incident should tell Republicans of the need to replace government regulations with market regulations. Sadly, I don't think there are but a few Republicans who even know what market regulations are or how they work. That is why the 2012 election is so important. The events in Atlas Shrugged are materializing faster now than in previous decades.