Thirty years ago, a friend told me to read this book. At the time, it had a reputation as a New Age alternate reality. A philosophy book spreading dangerous ideas. Its volume and size kept me from it. The period drama creates a distracting overtone at times. Its hard to imagine people so corrupt and self-absorbed but I’ve met them and unfortunately they’re still alive and well. This book is a very contemporary look at government over-regulation and public corruption. Written in the 50s, it foretold the struggle of being exceptional in a fallen, selfish world.
Part 1 is dominated by a new technology, Rearden Metal, a new alloy, lighter and stronger than anything on the market. The lengths the antagonists went to to take it off the market are incredible. Once proven successful, the over-regulation should have taken it off except for Hank Rearden’s ego. It seems the laws and agreements made by industry groups became the basis for what we see in current efforts. Sarbanes-Oxley and the volume of regulation added to banking since the crash. Its crazy that Washington doesn’t recognize that over-regulation is squashing competition and creating the wage gap that we see now. I think back to the ‘80s and the airline industry. I remember the time but can’t discern if de-regulation was actually that or if it caused more issues. Either way, we see smart people having to fight government regulation and finding a way to keep what they earn in a time of high taxes and unemployment. True or not, its an interesting read with true heroes and villains representing the haves and have-nots that are always with us.
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