To the Editor,
We’ve got the Democrats, who are saying you’re just going to have to suffer because you should have recognized that they were right and done whatever they say; and you have the Republicans, who are saying you should suffer because you deserve to because if you didn’t deserve to suffer you wouldn’t be suffering, you dumb cluck.
How did we get here?
You see, ever since Reagan there’s been this weird philosophy that’s crept into almost every nook and cranny of American life. It’s called Objectivism, and it was started by doorstop-sized-book-writer Ayn Rand, who literally wrote that selfishness was a virtue. She believed that there should only be one rule, that you do what is best for you and to heck with everyone else.
Somehow, this person became the person we decided to base our society around. Not Jesus, not George Washington, not even Johnny Appleseed. Why? Because it tells the rich people that they deserve to be rich, and it’s okay that they literally had to destroy millions of lives to get there. This way of thinking is sick, but thankfully we don’t have to let it rule us any longer. We must look out for each other, take care of each other, and most of all pursue systems and government that will do the same, instead of continuing down this path of every person for themselves.
Eric Leitzen
Hokah, Minn.
Phillip Schearer says
My long-time advice regarding Ayn Rand: Don’t believe anything anyone (including me and especially Mr. Leitzen) tells you about Ayn Rand until you have read her yourself and can judge her for yourself.
Joseph C. says
“She believed that there should only be one rule, that you do what is best for you and to heck with everyone else.”
This is a gross characterization of Rand’s philosophy. I encourage people who are interested to seek a more objective summation.