Capitalism Book

Do I hate the "philosophical" works of Ayn Rand because I disagree with her, or because they're atrociously written? Both.

Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal is below book review. It demands a an even more vulgar form of critique: a list of failures.

- Every sentence that contains the word welfare also contains the word Fascist.

- She posits that the most oppressed people in the United States are not women, African-Americans, gays, but-wait for it-rich businessmen (emphasis on "men"). At last a voice for the underclass! As corporate Fascists buy public policy, I'm sure there are many may agree with Rand that we need an "ACLU for businessmen," but I remain unconvinced. At least "radical capitalist" (read: capitalist crazy) Murray Rothbard somewhat understood the evils of big business, and condemned Rand for her rabid worship of robber barons.

- Saying the U. S. is already too Socialist is like saying a fetus is too old.

- That Alan Greenspan contributes an "essay" to this volume is a humorous enough set-up; his theory that laws protecting the consumer (eg: Pure Food and Drug Act) decrease freedom delivers the comedic goods.

- That the book reads like a dual advertisement for The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. The ever charitable Ayn Rand Institute has kindly included a coupon one can send to Leonard Peikoff for a few dozen more copies of those august novels.

- The essay stating that the "free" (read: social-Darwinist) market make a monopoly impossible. States, with their anti-trust laws, are the magical source of all monopolies.

- That the cover art depicts a factory off of Captain Planet's most wanted list. Is this the "ideal" she speaks of?

- Her surreal, free-form attack on the Berkley anti-war movement; this passage must be read to be believed, although it can never be fully understood.

- Her ghastly prose style.

And remember: these are just some of the highlights of this masterpiece. Gentle reader, many more gems await.