Tag: 1:8

August 26, 2022 – Atlas Shrugged 1:8

August 26, 2022 /

This book is rapidly earning a spot on the reading list. I suppose you could say that I enjoy a story with a bunch of subversive subplots going on. I also appreciate a long and intricate story. If a book is going to be short like Animal Farm, it very well better get to the point and quickly. Animal Farm is going on the review list too, I have a couple others ahead of it first.

There is a lot going on in this chapter that is relevant to the current story lines in the plot. In fact, it is probably an end to the most controversial issues to date. I didn’t recognize that there were a lot of new concepts however. I am not sure where things are going from this chapter other than there is sure to be more interaction between Frank D’aconia, Jim Taggert, Dabny Taggert and Henry Reardon.

In the first, third of the chapter, we have the Equalization of Opportunity bill in action. Reardon ends up selling his different business interests to individual industrialists. Some of them are consolidating operations and others seem to be friends. It is clear that many industrialist are not happy with the status quo, but we get a glimpse into Reardon’s character. He will fight for his business in management and the marketplace but not in the political arena.

In the second, third we have more doubt on the John Galt Line. Dabny holds a press conference, concerning the near completion of the line. We have the same battle lines with the media saying it is going to be a disaster and the normal folks betting on success. The third, third of this chapter had the first run on the John Galt line. Of course it was successful, what did you think was going to happen?

So, lets talk about the media and misdirection or agenda pushing. Did anyone hear about the Inflation Reduction Act 2022? If you see the title, you would think that this is an attempt to actually reduce inflation. Despite the fact that the government is claiming there is no recession and inflation is minimal, why would we need to reduce inflation?

You can follow the link above to see what is actually in the bill (on a summary level). But, if you ignore the actual details and just look at the cost summary, you will see that this is touted as a deficit reduction. How is this actually done? Primarily there are some rebates that are terminated and taxes are raised on corporations.

Let us look into the bill for a minute. The ‘benefits’ of the bill are targeted toward climate change and health care rebates and changes. Now, if we take the name of the bill at it’s face value, how in the world are these things related to inflation reduction? I really don’t have the time and/or space to discuss how inflation works. But, simplifying inflation for a quick bite: inflation is driven by the federal reserve (non-governmental entity of member banks) increasing the money supply and this is done through fractional reserve banking. I hate to break this to you readers, but inflation is actually desired by the government because this is how the federal debt is financed. Older (more valuable) debt is payed with less valuable money.

Circling back to the media now. We have the useful idiots parroting all the great inflation reduction that we are going to see just like the media is publishing false information sourced by the State Science Institute in Atlas Shrugged . We are going to do that by raising taxes on the rich and giving money to people to buy electric cars, all the while the national debt is reduced. Huh, I can’t make the connection.

End Your Programming Routine: Pick your issue here. Trump has nuclear secrets at his home, the election was stolen, there is no inflation, stay home and save lives, two weeks to flatten the curve, get your vaccination to do your part… lies. I don’t like to talk about politics this definitively but if you are wrapped up in the BS that is being fed, then you are a drone. The government is going to do what they are going to do. We the people need to focus on things that matter to us. The political circus is still happening every day, don’t go.

April 30, 2021 -1984 1:8

April 30, 2021 /

The road to hell is paved with good intentions… is that how the saying goes? Anyway, I read this chapter three weeks ago with the intent on writing about it immediately. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out that way.

This was one of the longer chapters in the book to date. Despite the length, it is also one of the lighter chapters in terms of heavy hitting content. This chapter has Winston out and about in the ‘forbidden’ world. The sights are the everyday life of the Proles; from the constant danger of errant explosions to the daily routine of the pub. As Winston said, it is not expressly prohibited to walk amongst the Proles, but highly suspicious.

History is Grounding- Let it be said that history is an interpretation of the facts from the perspective of the person writing it. It is no different than today’s news or this blog. That means that there is an inherent bias but that is not really important. Just like adopted people search for their real parents or siblings, there is something to knowing where you came from. It gives us perspective on why we are who we are, why we look and act the way that we do. Once we can reconcile our history to our current position, there is a certain inner peace.

Tokens Complete Our Picture- Trinkets sometimes bridge the gap between our history and the present. In the case of Winston, he become infatuated with a glass ball. His speculation was that it was paper weight but regardless, Winston was infatuated with it. So much so, that he would risk his safety to buy it and take it home. We all have those items that usually have sentimental value or for some reason we are drawn to it. Fortunately, in most cases we are not risking our lives to hold on to such things.

This is the final setup into Winston’s life changing decisions. Using the English term it is foreshadowing. The urgency to discover the historical truth has been growing in frequency and importance over the last couple of chapters. I tried to relate the role of history to our understanding above. The fundamental questions of Who are we, How did we get here, What are we supposed to be doing require context to satisfactorily answer.

I am developing a different opinion of this book than I had after the first time I read it. My plan is cover that more in-depth at the end when I summarize all of these entries in the final closure. When you look at the book from different perspectives, it may be this chapter is more important depending on the lense the reader is viewing the story.