When I was younger I fell in with a crowd of Libertarians.  We were younger and the emphasis was on the “Liberty” part.  I used to say, half jokingly, that Libertarians were just Republicans who wanted to smoke pot (legally).  In heavily Baptist Texas at the time it seemed like it could be a good idea.

I read Ayn Rand, but it was poorly written stuff and seemed very far-fetched.  I mean, would the world really collapse if a bunch of billionaires left society?  Really?  And how could they thrive, much less survive, Gilligan’s Island-like, with just a handful of people, even very smart people?  I mean, they certainly wouldn’t have iPhones.  I doubt they would have decent clothes after a year or two.  Forget the private planes zipping in and out.

I ran across this older PBS article that was probably bumped up by the Sears bankruptcy.    A good story.

Oh, those old friends:  I would say they are pretty much plain old Conservatives these days, maybe even far-right.  I could go on with the inherent flaws in Rand’s ideas, but that would take a while.  These days when I run into a younger person who seems to be taking this ‘philosophy’ seriously, I mostly try to show some disrespect for it and maybe let them figure it out themselves.

Column: This is what happens when you take Ayn Rand seriously