I liked MOST of the GOOD characters... Because they played their roles (on the non-looting side). They created a harmony. My least favorite was (Ragnor) attacking boats... He was, by definition, destroying the work of others. I always struggled with that.

I HATED every moocher pretty much to their core. Dagny's brother (James) was the absolute worst.

Now, I asked GPT why Dagny picked Galt over Francisco. Because I felt she would be happier with Francisco as well... (Putting aside Hero and heroin)...

it said:
Your reaction is valid because Rand's philosophy prioritizes logic over psychology. Francisco is more humanly appealing—he has tragedy, loss, and unrequited longing. Galt is a philosophical ideal, not a psychological one. He is flawless, which makes him cold. Dagny ends up with Galt because Rand is writing a fable about the triumph of the mind, not the triumph of the heart. Francisco represents the heart's longing; Galt represents the mind's final, objective judgment.

In the end, Dagny chooses the man who would never compromise his standards for her, because that is the only man she could truly respect. But you're entirely justified in feeling that Francisco was the more compelling, more generous, and more human lover. Rand would say that's exactly why he wasn't the right choice—because love, to her, isn't about generosity or humanity. It's about ruthless, unyielding recognition of value.

==
To which I say... I am not sure how that kind of love grows old!!!
That could look a lot more like a platonic relationship after 30 years!

I am considering a non-university educational venture that would be like a Montessori system.

Kudos, this is the proper attitude.
But so is the utter frustration of the youth of today, having been sold a book of lies.

Now, I do NOT blame Boomers, as it was the elected officials who raped our country for their gains.

But I do BLAME EVERY Parent that let their child go to school, BORROW MONEY, while getting some "BS" degree that would NEVER be worth anything, much less the debt burden. (One more thing making modern young ladies unmarriable. They want to have $300K worth of student debt, and saddle their hubby with it while refusing to make him a sandwich!)

A parent that can't be bothered to explain the COST/BENEFIT of a degree should discourage their children from borrowing money to get one.

FWIW, The Caitlin Clark Meme could have been BETTER...

Caitlin and the other Blond Rowing. And the rest of their team, standing, pointing, and WHIPPING them with Whips... Screaming "It will be your fault if we are not there on time!"

All of the things I love right now... Are the Baby Trump stuff.

His 250 Celebration where he says "she doesn't look a day over 200 if you ask me!"

Honestly. I have like 1,000 reasons to be happy with Trump. And the impersonators, and the Baby Trump are TWO of the biggies.

He's the first president to flip fries, work the drive thru, and drive a garbage truck... Much less in the same month... And then became President...

So, what an American. He WAS President. And wasn't too proud to do Honest, Hard Work...
And that got him elected President Again...

Expect more of the same -- more government and more grifting. Show me the Incentive and I will show you the Results. There is little downside to the grifting and outright "In Plain Sight" theft. It's part of the operating system. I do what I can to isolate myself from the noise and nonsense, and there is an ever increasing quantity of both.

However, it's actually rather easy to go off-grid and just turn off the media inputs, get outside (or even inside with a good read, music) and focus on living in the elemental physical world (knocking out some home maintenance or similar can be satisfying).

Irrespective of fuel prices, I continue to enjoy road trips ... my 2021 Camry gets 46 mpg on the Interstate and I can cover a lot of road, with sundry trails, peaks and roadside (BLM) camping... all on a low budget.

Your friend and I are two peas in a pod then. I never thought there was anything about John Galt that was attractive to me. And yep, Dagny absolutely made the wrong choice!

Very well said - thank you.

I like your choice. I lent my copy to a friend who said he didn't like the end of the book because Dagny picked the wrong guy - she should have picked Frisco!

Government is a self-licking ice cream cone. It will never reduce itself. Diets and exercise are hard. Eating is easy.
We need GLP-1, Government Limiting Process.

Me the dino am for clinging to the American heritage that we all done inherited too!
Let's make all those oozing Schiff silver spoon commies go crying "Wah, Wah! Wah!" all the way back home to their ritzy neighborhood mommies!
Mamcommie, me the dino hath spoken. FU!

As an aside, it would be an intriguing topic: who is your favorite AS character, and why?

Mine has always been and will always be Francisco. Not only was he sexy as heck (not in the movie - in the book) but he is the one who discussed the value of money, which is THE number one topic to me. Anyone who doesn't understand the value and the reason for money will never truly understand the rest of the book.

Have you noticed that the speaker's ears repeatedly disappear and reappear as the video progresses.
Is she real or not? Is that video editing or AI created?

A most interesting and insightful observation re. "Leaders with no ties to the future..."
Thank you!

My wife at the time loved it.....

Neal Boortz! Listened to him every day for years....Moved away from the ATL area about the time he retired. His book on the flat tax was the best tax system I had ever reviewed.

Only fear would be once in place the "peoples representatives" would think the rate would need to be increased.....and increased....sigh...and you know the rest!

Most welcome. Neal Boortz was the first one I heard use that a whole lotta years ago. But it's still appropriate today.

Obliviots - I really like that! Gonna use it...

Thanks RM0720

But they'll squabble over the juicy remnants......

and Trump has been getting the McCarthy treatment by the lying media.

Hard not to feel some sadness after reading that. Government webs that need cutting are attached to everything. However, today I choose not to dwell on that and I will celebrate the freedoms I do have above most of the rest of the world. Tomorrow we can get back to trying to untangle the web.

Very nice piece of history, FFA!

Americans of today have certainly won the lottery of time and place to be born and live. Nicely written, LibertyPen, and thanks for posting here in the Gulch!

I have to admit I've never seen this musical though I've heard of it. Maybe it's time to check it out.

Tag 'em now, swat 'em later? We'll see.