That’s what laws are for, Mr. Reardon. If the right people don’t break them, they are of no use whatsoever.
My recent quotes of Atlas Shrugged made me rewatch the trilogy. Part II was the best of the three.
It’s a fine balance we have. You depend on my coal for power, and to fill your hoppers. Hank uses my coal to make his steel. We use his steel to shore up my mines and to lay your rail. It’s perfect. Natural. Trading value for value.
The Hank Reardon in this episode was cast perfectly.
I honestly feel like going John Galt more and more often lately. My target for full retirement is 2030. Some days, I don’t know if I will make it.
11 Comments
Terrapod · September 15, 2026 at 7:55 am
Nationalization has never solved a problem, just made it worse. See UK pre Thatcher and post Thatcher for real world cause and effect results. There are many others, but that one is etched in my memory.
That said, I do wonder why we the people do not ask politely (as investors) that the refineries adopt an America first policy and voluntarily agree to support U.S. economy at some discount they themselves see as patriotic, before sending the surplus fuels to the export market at whatever the market will bear? Yes, this treads carefully between a good deed and forced deal but so long as the government is not involved and “we the people” are OK with slightly lower returns on investment, why not?
Divemedic · September 15, 2026 at 11:53 am
The oil companies have stockholders from all over the world. The question is: would shareholders be willing to take a cut to their profits to do this? That’s why US oil goes into the world market: stockholders want the largest returns, and don’t much care how they are earned.
The easiest way to accomplish this would be to charge a tariff on all exported petroleum products, say $10 per barrel.
Joe Blow · September 15, 2026 at 11:28 am
I think you might just squeak it out.
The midterms will be a shit-show. The next 2 years will be… something worse than a shit-show.
The NEXT pResidential Selection, if we don’t have a pre-emptive national crisis before then (just watch…), will be 2030, and you might just make it. There’s likely to be lots of work for you between now and then, for various reasons. Keep socking it away, and find ‘yer beta-site.
Worker · September 15, 2026 at 2:00 pm
Keep going. Keep your sights set. Never, ever despair or give up. Keep the target in sight (that’s sort of a pun) and don’t waver unless there’s an emergency. Given what has happen, is happening and (by all appearances) going to happen, the pay off/our will be tremendous. ‘
We worked for 30 years (professional employment), with virtually no vacations (except weekends but still worked), saved, bought land and are/remain debt free. Live in a small out of the way, non-descript relative safe location with (for the most part) good neighbors. With year-round water in the middle of the desert (an old-time valley): we could go easily a couple of years and never ‘go to town’. We invested in sustainable equipment, tools. hands on knowledge and such so….keep focus, (as was said in the movie ‘Gladiator’): Strength and Honor. If nothing else, it does provide a sense of comfort.
Big Ruckus D · September 15, 2026 at 11:34 pm
Exactly. We can easily evaluate the fairly recent example of Venezuela nationalizing their oil industry, to see how well that model works. It’s a sure fire way to end up in an even worse situation than we already are, as regards the domestic energy needs of this country.
Phil B · September 15, 2026 at 3:28 pm
What a brilliant idea. Nationalise everything and it will all be sweetness and light, world poverty will disappear and everyone will get a free pony.
Or, on the other hand, imagine the DMV in charge of the nationalised industries and the Unions dictating how the plants will be run and you’ll have a good idea of what Britain was like when the state effectively confiscated everything.
Maybe not such a good idea after all …
Anon · September 15, 2026 at 4:54 pm
The actor who plays Hank Reardon also plays the character Hank Voight on Chicago Fire and Chicago PD. ION TV typically carries the show. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Voight
Clabon Jones · September 15, 2026 at 5:44 pm
The book is good also
Fido · September 15, 2026 at 6:25 pm
Just as Ayn deduced, you cannot “go Galt”, if you still use their money.
The first step is de-dollarization at the personal level. That’s why almost no one is actually doing it… it has to be done in rural/remote places, preferably with the protection of steep terrain, and natural cover… Galt’s Gulch.
Divemedic · September 16, 2026 at 5:23 am
That part of it is unworkable. Galt’s gulch had things they just couldn’t get without interacting with the rest of the world.
Elrod · September 15, 2026 at 6:26 pm
“I honestly feel like going John Galt more and more often lately.”
OK. You’re not alone, but please elaborate on just how you wold accomplish that.