A Babe in the Woods

Sometimes, I feel like I spent 25 years in cave and just missed out on what was happening in the real world. I watched three extraordinary programs on PBS last night. The one that got me though -- the one that made me feel like a babe in the woods -- was Frontline: The Warning.

I will go out on a limb and say the story the program relates will blow you away too. But the thing that got me -- the thing that somehow just passed me by for a couple of decades -- is represented by this picture below.

That is a picture of President Gerald R. Ford with his economic advisor Alan Greenspan. Mr. Greenspan, of course, became the legendary Chairman of the Federal Reserve. The Wizard. The Maestro. At one time, said to be the most powerful man on Earth. Standing on Mr. Greenspan’s left is his mentor: Ayn Rand.

I had no idea. I don’t know how this piece of information escaped my notice all these years but, now, this economic fantasy we’ve been living for 30 years makes a lot more sense. If you’d like a primer on Ayn Rand, I recommend this series at WWVB.

You’re most likely familiar with the concept of the separation of Church and State. Ayn Rand believed in the separation of the State and Economics. Zero regulation. Absolute laissez-faire economics.

Like I said, everything since 1981 makes a lot more sense now. I thought these people believed in limited regulation. Like Alan Greenspan, I was wrong. They believed in no regulation.

Remember, this is just a side issue in the program The Warning. It’s a full-length show (55+ minutes) so you’ll need to set aside some time to watch it. I thought it was a great show.

I mentioned that I watched three shows. Just in case you’re curious...the other shows were Frontline: Inside the Meltdown and an episode of NOVA -- Extreme Ice. The first is about the economic meltdown. The second is about glacial meltdown. The titles aren’t the only parallels you’ll find between the two programs.

Just remember, when the world starts melting down as fast as the economy, you received “The Warning”. And just as with the warning about the economy, the people giving the warning about the climate are being marginalized by those getting rich off of the status quo.

Don Brown
February 18, 2010

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