The American Myth

   There's been a lot of talk about John Galt recently. Let's take a look at what's behind it.
   John Galt, the hero of Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged, represents the American myth of "rugged individualism," which was widespread at a time when people had to depend largely on themselves alone for survival.
   It was a time when, if a man did not like conditions where he was, he could leave, and move elsewhere. America had fewer people at the time, big and open with plenty of space available for those who wanted to restart their lives with little or no interference. (That freedom to relocate didn't apply as much to women, but that's another issue.)
   America was the "Land of Opportunity" for many in Europe who felt stifled by social and economic pressures that prevented upward mobility.
   As expressed in the novel, the myth of individual freedom, opportunity and responsibility, coupled with John Galt's defiance of government attempts to control his life, strongly influenced Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's choice this year as vice presidential nominee for the Republican Party.
   To his credit, Ryan succeeded.
   America can still be a Land of Opportunity, but it takes more education and skill to succeed today than it did when the myth was born.
   Agriculture and manufacturing are no longer the main drivers of growth and success in the American economy. The days of low-skill, high-pay manufacturing jobs are are long gone, and the family farm has been displaced by agribusiness corporations.
   Factory towns have become ghost towns.
   Manufacturing regions in the Northeast are now finance and distribution centers.
   The John Galt myth is fiction, Trumped by wheeler-dealers and brought to earth by high-flying financiers.
   The Little House on the Prairie is no more. It is history, eroded by the winds of change.
   There is no going back. The "good old days" never were.
   Opportunists saw their opportunities, and they took 'em, locking out the many in favor of their own few.
   It's time to light the lamp of education, to unlock and reopen the Golden Door.