January 1998
The Pulse: The Influence of Atlas Shrugged
Who is John Galt? He's the hero of the book that LP members say influenced them more than any other in their journey to libertarianism.
But Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged was not a runaway winner of this month's Pulse question: While it came in first with 14% of the votes, Robert J. Ringer's Restoring the American Dream was a not-too-distant second with 8.4%.
Tied for third were six books, each with 5.6% of the vote: The Bible; Why Government Doesn't Work by Harry Browne; The Road to Serfdom by Henry Hayek; 1984 by George Orwell; Libertarianism in One Lesson by David Bergland, and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein.
In all 37 books were nominated by respondents to the Pulse question as their "most influential" book. Here's a sampling of the books, and the reasons for selecting them:
-
Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand:
"She put into words what I only had an
inkling about, but could never express in writing.
She taught me laissez-faire capitalism
and what made America great."
-- David Gialdini, Cody, Wyoming -
The Bible:
"From the Bible I learned that God limits all political
authority to the standards of right and wrong that He established at the
Creation. Therefore, the state has no legitimate authority over the individual
except that delegated to it by the Creator."
-- James G. Landis, Arbovale, West Virginia -
Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do, by Peter McWilliams:
"I was
reminded of what a dismal state the U.S. government and our Constitutional
"rights" are in. McWilliams' mentioning of the LP also reminded me of the LP's
political stance, and compelled me to seek out more information on the party."
-- Mitchell Altum, South Bend, Indiana -
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein: "The suggestions
made by the character Professor Bernardo de la Paz as to the nature of the
government certainly made a lot of sense to
me. I recognized a lot of common ground
between the professor's ideas and those of the LP.
-- Bob Harvey, Georgetown, Colorado -
The Law, Frederic Bastiat:
"It is a timeless exposition of the
forces at work in politics to reduce individual freedom and build the power of
government. It is an intellectual book that carries incredible emotional
force."
-- Dick Rowland, Aiea, Hawaii -
Tarzan, by Edgar Rice Burroughs:
"Tarzan is the penultimate
individualist.
I really admired the heroic qualities of honor, freedom, and reason, and also
respect for the sanctity of life, embodied within the character of Tarzan."
-- Jerry Molaison, Tylertown, Mississippi -
The Road to Serfdom, Henry Hayek:
"A happy, unabashed defense of
capitalism is the best antidote to the creeping planning of the
Republicrats.
-- King Banaian, St. Cloud, Minnesota -
Restoring the American Dream, by Robert Ringer:
"The
first book that I read on Libertarianism that really had an impact on the way
I viewed government and individual rights, and how
one inevitably conflicts with the other."
-- Henry I. Widman, West Carrolton, Ohio -
Why Government Doesn't Work, by Harry Browne,
"I was surprised how
simple, elegant, and reasonable the Libertarian solutions were to such tough
problems as drugs, schools, the deficit, etc."
-- Sue Cox, Rochester, Minnesota
March Question
It's no secret that most Libertarians are not too fond of politics ... or politicians. But every Libertarian seems to have one particular politician who particularly irks them.QUESTION: What one politician (local, state, or national) do you most dislike, disdain, or scorn? And why? (Please keep your answers to 100 words or less.)
DEADLINE: Feb. 5, 1998
February Question
There has been discussion among Libertarians about the appropriateness of Murray Sabrin's campaign for governor accepting N.J. state matching funds. Some argue that it was "un-Libertarian," while others say it just "levels the playing field."QUESTION: Should Libertarian Party candidates accept matching funds -- state or federal? If yes, why? If not, why not?
DEADLINE: January 5, 1998
Pulse Entry Guidelines
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