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Introducing John Allison, Libertarian, Objectivist, a man for our times?

Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 4 months ago to Politics
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http://fee.org/freeman/curing-our-lea...

I've been calling him George Allison here and there by mistake. The former President of the BB&T Bank who had all of his 30,000 employees read Economics In One Lesson by Hazlitt and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand as a condition of employee training and ran the bank into perhaps the one success story of that industry using Randian principles. I'm off to order his books at present, There are two and I didn't spare the pennies using Amazon Prime for faster delivery - but here's a section of the interview which addresses the often argued place of subjective thought in an objective world.

“Objectivity” in this context simply means making logical decisions based on the facts of reality. Obviously, in many situations, we do not have all the facts, nor can we necessarily integrate all the factors that might impact the outcome. So there is a subjective (subconscious and nonmathematical) component based on past experiences that can be part of objective decision making.

However, the dictionary defines subjective as based on personal feelings, taste, and opinions. While there are some individuals who can be successful decision makers because their subconscious integrations are naturally logical, this type of mind is rare. Making decisions on personal, subjective whims often leads to disaster."

Mr. Allison is a former board member of Ayn Rand Institute and at present the President of the Cato Institutes and head of their Economics and Finance Area.

So far I'm impressed and wondering why i don't see his name suggested as a Candidate for much higher office and worthy of support by a wide range of anti-socialist thinkers and doers.

Question: Why are we not seeing people of this caliber instead of the dregs and leavings of the current two faced cesspool of failure? Are we that much in thralldom to the present system of despair with only the excrement of Rinos and Dinos from which to choose?

Professional Biography

https://en.wikipedia.or/wiki/John_A._Allison_IV


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  • Posted by term2 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I would love to get a glimpse of life in the USA during the next 50 years. Just curious. I dont want to live through it actually. Living through Obama was quite enough.
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  • Posted by $ 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Apparently so....ah well....having not connected the actions of the institute with the actions of the individual in question I'll keep digging.... so what flip flop stance is Paul going to adopt this week? Looks like the Trump/Carson move has him in check for this pool of votes never mind his stance on State Economics - Fascist Economics to the rest of you. That by the way is an evaluation of his deeds and his words. Carson? Out of his depth But if he escapes the Bimbo Brigade he's ahead of the game.
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  • Posted by $ allosaur 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Ask someone on the street what an Objectvist is and you'll either get a blank look or an intoned questioning reply like "someone with objections about stuff?"--which is in a way lamely correct if you think about it.
    Even my spellchecker has Objectivist lit up in red.
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  • Posted by term2 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    But I bet most of the 30,000 would have subsequently voted for the likes of an Obama to get the goodies he promised (but didnt deliver of course)
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  • Posted by term2 9 years, 4 months ago
    The country is not ready for an Objectivist to be a celebrity. This is the beginning of the end of socialism and there is a majority today who eagerly anticipate the socialist takeover of the USA. These people are going to have to hold socialism accountable for whats happened in this country, and they dont seem ready to do that. Collapse will eventually lead them to this conclusion, but until then Objectivist thinking is not going to be popular.

    Not to say that some people are very much into Objectivist thinking- just not enough to make a difference to politics and the general culture.
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  • Posted by Boilermaker 9 years, 4 months ago
    The problems in business and government trace back to an education system that is "goal oriented" to the extent that decision makers only look at data that supports their desired objective, or use "consensus" to base their decisions. "Climate Change" policy ring a bell?
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  • Posted by $ 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Right so we have anti-property rights. There are none in any case in terms of ownership. We have Austrian Economics which is irrational. Well I confess somewhere in my 200 or so books I haven't run across that yet...so I spent time today doing just that. Also the connections between one thing and another. Never found one but found plenty of the pro "Austrian" school damning Allison because he headed up the Ayn Rand institute. His bank refused to make loans or any business dealings with any imminent domain violation of property rights and he's been quite vocal about that.

    So all that aside. To tell the truth I found the Mizes etc school even more convoluted and hard to fathom or credit than some others I've waded through and to less purpose. and found nothing to connect Allison's words and actions so if you lead me to water I will drink but I'm not going searching for another spring to no purpose, the water is just fine where I'm at....What was IP again?

    I'm 20 books behind now and and another dozen on the way...However...

    The question remains ...how the hell did we lose all the bright successful people who are obviously in our camp while the dregs and leavings end up running for office and it doesn't matter spit which one of them win?

    My guess is too much narrow, myopic thinking that don't mind getting their teeth kicked in every two and four years as long as their precious dogma stays intact. Didn't cooperate and didn't graduate....but let the social promotions take the lead.

    Am I being to rough after all I am just a simple soldier....that doesn't do dialectics.
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  • Posted by $ 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    My point was why are we wasting time on crap when their are obviously some bright people out there. I have yet to read about anyone who is objectivist that has done as much or risen has high or has influenced as many people as this guy. So how did he happen to 'go astray?' Did he go astray? I use CATO as a resource but like ALL resources I fact check them as much as possible and I've rejected some things while using others.

    How the hell did some one that bright get over looked is there a hidden dirt little secret. Who else had not onloy bought 30,000 of the text books Rand, Hazlitt etc.and not only taught the course but used it as a work improvement but a work requirement. What was IP again?

    I'm thinking of funding a bunch of those toe bandages. No wonder the left outnumbers us.
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  • -1
    Posted by $ WilliamShipley 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    An ad hominem attack on the publication doing the interview has nothing to do with the person being interviewed.
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  • Posted by dbhalling 9 years, 4 months ago
    FEE is anti-property rights and pushes Austrian Economics and its irrationalism.
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  • Posted by khalling 9 years, 4 months ago
    I am mixed. He is at CATO and CATO is anti-IP. You know how we feel about that
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