Interview With The Ghost Of Ayn Rand

ayn_rand

As regular readers know, I am often visited by ghosts when I work late at my office in the historic Helmsley Building.

I recently had an encounter with none other than the ghost of Ayn Rand, the creator of the objectivist philosophical movement and author of Atlas Shrugged, an ideological novel that argued for absolute freedom from government intervention of any kind for society’s elite.

As you can imagine, I was quite unprepared to do rhetorical battle with a personage as intimidating as Ayn Rand, but I think I held my own:

Ayn Rand:  Good evening, young Joshua.  Do you happen to have a match or a lighter?

The Reformed Broker:  Sorry, No.  And I don’t think that’s such a good idea, you smoking…

AR:  Don’t be a fool!  I’m already dead, and besides, smoking had nothing to do with my demise.  Rather, the lit tip of my cigarette was not unlike the Promethean torch of creativity and individualistic enterprise, shining like a beacon of inspiration in a darkening world filled with the blackness of Bolshevik ideals.

TRB:  Umm, ok.  Whatever you say.  Since you’re here anyway, do you mind if I interview you for my blog, Ms. Rand?

AR:  As I have absolutely no idea what a blog is, I’m not sure.  But on second thought, you did use the word interview and it’s been a while since I’ve I’ve been able to publicly pontificate…so please, proceed, young man.

TRB:  Great.  For starters, one of the most enduring aspects of your philosophy was that the smartest, most capable citizens should be absolutely free from any government or regulatory interference in order for the society as a whole to move forward.  Well, that experiment has been carried out in the US over the last decade or so and it almost led to the end of the world.  Any thoughts on where you may have been wrong?

AR:  (long exhale of smoke) I simply have no idea what you could possibly be referring to.

TRB:  OK, I’ll compress 7 years into one sentence.  So, the Federal Reserve completely removed almost any relevant oversight or as you’d phrase it “government tampering” from the financial sector and the financial sector destroyed itself to the point that it is now run by the very government that ignored it.

AR:  Ah, you are referring to the recent free market adjustment now into its third year of necessity and inevitability?  I hardly would equate a temporary hiccup in credit markets and a slight drop in asset values a “crisis”.

TRB:  Umm, global stock markets were cut in half in less than 18 months, there are 300-something-thousand new foreclosures a month nationwide and 26 million Americans wake up without jobs to go to.  This sounds Utopian to you?

AR:  Certainly not, but to suggest that freedom for the individual to better his situation in the capital markets is at fault for this would be utter nonsense.  If anything, it was the restrictions on enterprising people that were at fault.

TRB:  Is there something other than tobacco in your cigarette, Ms. Rand?  There was almost no restriction whatsoever for two decades.  Lawmakers were literally taking chainsaws to the rulebook while bank executives were in the backrooms of Capitol Hill writing up the new ones.  Exactly what government interference could you possibly cite?

AR:  (coughing fit)  Excuse me, Joshua, this line of questioning is rather off-putting to me.  What you refer to as a meltdown, I prefer to call an opportunity.  If government would just step away, the banking industry would be fully capable of exploiting this moment and producing a great boon for the underclass.

TRB:  Ayn, if government were to have stepped away last year, there would no longer be any banks, but fine, let’s change the subject.  Why do you think Atlas Shrugged has not yet been made into a film?

AR:  Most likely because my preferred directorial choice has been exiled in Europe.  But one day, my Roman will be set free to once again create, without the grubby hands of the Proletariat and their lawmaking appointees dragging him down.

TRB:  Okay…Any regrets, Ms. Rand?

AR:  Just two.  The first is that I couldn’t stick around long enough to see my boychick Alan revolutionize the role of the Federal Reserve and preside over decades of laissez-faire glory.

TRB:  Actually, your “boychick” Alan Greenspan produced more bubbles than a laundromat.  But do tell, your second regret?

AR:  I had a shot with Ludwig Van Mises one night after a symposium in Paris.  That was one brilliant, red-blooded Austrian how-you-say…ah, yes – hunk.  Oh, well.

TRB:  Thank you for your time, Ms. Rand.  Please put that out elsewhere, the building doesn’t allow smoking.

AR:  I see that the rulemaking operatchniks are still tying the hands of the most useful members of society.  I’m happy to be rid of these interminable chains of bureaucracy.  Do svidaniya, Joshua!

And with that, a gust of wind swept the apparition from my office suite back out into the unregulated aether.

Read Also:

Interview With The Ghost of J. Pierpont Morgan

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

This content, which contains security-related opinions and/or information, is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon in any manner as professional advice, or an endorsement of any practices, products or services. There can be no guarantees or assurances that the views expressed here will be applicable for any particular facts or circumstances, and should not be relied upon in any manner. You should consult your own advisers as to legal, business, tax, and other related matters concerning any investment.

The commentary in this “post” (including any related blog, podcasts, videos, and social media) reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints, and analyses of the Ritholtz Wealth Management employees providing such comments, and should not be regarded the views of Ritholtz Wealth Management LLC. or its respective affiliates or as a description of advisory services provided by Ritholtz Wealth Management or performance returns of any Ritholtz Wealth Management Investments client.

References to any securities or digital assets, or performance data, are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others.

Wealthcast Media, an affiliate of Ritholtz Wealth Management, receives payment from various entities for advertisements in affiliated podcasts, blogs and emails. Inclusion of such advertisements does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof, or any affiliation therewith, by the Content Creator or by Ritholtz Wealth Management or any of its employees. Investments in securities involve the risk of loss. For additional advertisement disclaimers see here: https://www.ritholtzwealth.com/advertising-disclaimers

Please see disclosures here.

What's been said:

Discussions found on the web
  1. cialis generic for sale commented on Jan 23

    cialis generic for sale

    Interview With The Ghost Of Ayn Rand – The Reformed Broker

  2. viagra online pharmacy commented on Jan 24

    viagra online pharmacy

    Interview With The Ghost Of Ayn Rand – The Reformed Broker

  3. watermelon natural viagra commented on Jan 24

    watermelon natural viagra

    Interview With The Ghost Of Ayn Rand – The Reformed Broker

  4. generic viagra coupon commented on Jan 24

    generic viagra coupon

    Interview With The Ghost Of Ayn Rand – The Reformed Broker

  5. cialis dosage for bph commented on Jan 26

    cialis dosage for bph

    Interview With The Ghost Of Ayn Rand – The Reformed Broker

  6. order sildenafil online commented on Jan 31

    order sildenafil online

    Interview With The Ghost Of Ayn Rand – The Reformed Broker