Atlas Drugged

by Stephen L. Goldstein

  Governor Cott: “Mr. Scott, your question suggests that help in some form should be coming from the state, that whenever and wherever there’s a problem, government is going to come to the rescue. So, I’m delighted to be able to set the record straight: Government has no role to play. Anyone who thinks it does is guilty of a pre-Galtian, socialist, inhibiting, looter mindset. The overwhelming majority of the country has evolved way beyond it. You and others who think like you are a tiny minority of reactionaries. Storm preparation is a personal matter for families and individuals, which they can address by being responsible and buying appropriate goods and services from for-profit businesses. The same applies to the aftermath of any disaster. It’s the law of the marketplace. The state has no role in it.”

  President Cooper: “Well said, Governor Cott. Let me add my unconditional support. The federal government also has no role to play. After so many years, I’m shocked that anyone in the CSA still believes in socialism. Why should residents of California or New York or anywhere else have to pay to help people in Florida? If you live in a place where there might be bad storms, it ’sup to you to protect yourself. That’s a basic principle of Free-for-All economics. It’s what has made the CSA great and what will keep it great. This is no time to question or abandon the core principles that have made us the envy of the world. It’s taken too long for us to get where we are to abandon our beliefs because of one disaster.”

  Angela Rothbart of The People’s Voice: “Governor Cott, there are countless reports of people without their medications. Medical personnel on the ground fear the outbreak of infectious diseases. Serious injuries are not being treated. People are dying. Surely, this is a public health crisis of a magnitude that only government can deal with.”

  Governor Cott: “Ms. Rothbart, who should be responsible for making sure they have enough of their prescriptions on hand at all times? Can you honestly expect the government to send out reminder notices or, better yet, deliver medications to people’s homes?”

  Angela Rothbart: “Governor, thousands of homes were destroyed. High winds and tornadoes scattered everything over miles. Victims may have had all the medications they needed, but they were blown away.”

  Governor Cott: “Ms. Rothbart, Ms. Rothbart, private health providers are flying hundreds of medical relief helicopters into affected areas. They will bill insurance companies for services if people have proof of coverage. Anyone without coverage or proof of coverage may pay in cash or with a credit card. So, your statement that this crisis is so big only government can deal with it is totally and completely misguided.”

  Melinda Farkas of The Washington Reporter: “Mr. President, surely you are aware that polls show massive disapproval of the way Washington and Tallahassee are responding to the crisis. How do you explain the serious disconnect between your position and public opinion?”

  President Cooper: “I think I can answer for Governor Cott and myself. When people are hurting, for whatever reason, even the most enlightened may look to blame others. That’s human nature at its worst—and weakest—giving in to emotion instead of accepting full responsibility for people’s personal failure. They refuse to look in the mirror to find the source of their problems. They cannot bring themselves to accept that the uncomfortable position they’re in is proof of their own weakness, foolishness, and basic inadequacy. There’s no mystery in any of this. But I repeat: that doesn’t mean we have to abandon our core principles. When there are emergencies, some people are going to suffer. It can’t be helped. But everyone has a choice between playing the victim card or standing on their own two feet and turning a bad hand into a winning one. The aftermath of the hurricane is the perfect opportunity for Floridians to rise to the occasion and grow stronger.

  Jonathan Brown of South Florida Today: “Mr. President, the National Hurricane Center was privatized and eventually the for-profit business that replaced it went bankrupt. People are saying that, if Floridians had had early warning about the extent and force of the hurricane, lives and property could have been saved. In light of the current disaster and failure of the system, do you think the privatization of the Hurricane Center was a mistake and are you considering rebuilding it?”

  President Cooper: “The answer to both of your questions is: Absolutely not! I find it truly amazing that, when things get a little tough, there are still people who think that all we should do is return to the days when government coddled its citizens. There was a time when the National Hurricane Center didn’t exist and people got along just fine. Then, we went through years of pouring tax money down a rat hole to keep the place going—without any return on the dollar. Once we sold the Center off, everyone could see it was simply a losing proposition. The company that bought it was able to make money selling the land, the building, and its equipment. The CSA was saved from continuing to throw good money after bad. The CSA is not in the business of funding losing propositions.”

  Governor Cott: “I’d like to add my wholehearted support for President Cooper’s position. The CSA federal government lost hundreds of millions of dollars propping up the money-losing National Hurricane Center that never had a chance of breaking even, let alone returning a profit. And since the Center’s building was located in Miami, the state of Florida lost millions of dollars because it didn’t have to pay taxes. After the for-profit company that took it over went bankrupt, an investment group bought it, and it’s finally generating a healthy bottom line. All the tracking equipment was sold off and the original building was leveled. The new multipurpose, business and residential facility is ten stories. There are shops on the ground floor, parking on two floors, offices and condos on six floors, and a state-of-the-art fitness center on the top floor, complete with an indoor-outdoor swimming pool. That’s the CSA spirit of entrepreneurship that drives us in Florida. The whole country needs to keep the cash registers ringing.

  Geraldine Fredericks of Washington Today: “Gentlemen, what do you say to victims of the disaster who have lost their homes, are literally living exposed to the elements, haven’t eaten in going on four days, and who may have been injured or have health issues?”

  Governor Cott: “My answer is simple: Get to work. Roll up your sleeves and start digging out and rebuilding your lives. Pay others to help you if you can afford it. Don’t wait for anyone to come to your rescue because no one’s coming. You live and die in your own skin. If you didn’t know that before, you know it now. Floridians need to learn from this experience to better prepare themselves in the future. No one is going to be there to bail them out.”

  President Cooper: “I’ll ditto that, Governor Cott. There is an especially good business opportunity, mostly in the central core of the state, for Floridians who have escaped the most serious loss and damage. But it’s also good advice for people anywhere in the CSA. Ask real entrepreneurs and they’ll tell you that one person’s misery is another person’s profit. That’s just a simple fact. So, people who can hear this message should hop into their trucks. It won’t be long before they wind up in a disaster zone—and start making money.”

  Agnes Richards of TV 7 Miami: “What is the role of government if not to come to the aid of its citizens during crises? Can you really believe that we’re all on our own, totally alone, that there should be no social structure to help people when they are truly victims of forces beyond their control?”

  President Cooper: “Ms. Richards, I can’t believe what you’re saying. Honestly, I guess living in the White House I have to be reminded from time to time that, as unthinkable as it sounds, there are still people who think as you do. Your questions are filled with all the socialistic buzz words that sent John Galt and his companions on strike in the first place. ‘Aid’? Government should come ‘to the aid of its citizens’? Have you any idea how feeble that thought is? You suggest that responsible adults should simply sit back and wait for someone to make everything better for them, that they have no responsibility to get themselves out of a jam. It’s really unbelievable. You s
uggest that there should be a ‘social structure to help people when they are victims of forces beyond their control’? Help and victim are words that should be banned from the English language—at least as it’s spoken in the CSA. If I help you because you’re a ‘victim’ for any reason, I make you into a victim for a second time—my victim. What a useless existence that would be! How anyone would want that is beyond me.”

  George Knight of The South Florida Times: “Governor Cott, this disaster has been called ‘the rich man’s hurricane,’ because it has destroyed some of the most expensive homes in Florida. In many cases, property owners paid premiums for years and thought they were insured against hurricanes. But now they’re discovering that those companies have gone out of business or don’t have reserves to cover claims. What’s their recourse? We’re getting reports that some people are planning to sue the state.”

  Governor Cott: “Rich man’s hurricane? You media people make up words like that. Mother Nature doesn’t know the difference between rich and poor. And it doesn’t make any difference to me and the state either. Recourse? Recourse? That word is right up there with “victim” and “help” and “aid” and all the other copout vocabulary that people use to get others to sympathize with them and shift the blame onto innocent businessmen, whose only job is to maximize profits. I am proud of the fact that, after years and years of sorting through a maze of laws and regulations, the state of Florida freed the insurance industry to compete in the marketplace without profit-killing restrictions. What used to be called consumer protections were nothing more than wealth-redistributing, socialistic schemes to defraud corporations. Sue the state? Let them try! I don’t care how much money they have or who they are, whatever gripe they have is strictly between them and their insurer. The state has absolutely no responsibility or liability. They should have protected themselves before they signed a contract.”

  George Knight: “Governor, a followup question, please. Are you saying that the state of Florida has no responsibility to see to it that insurance companies operating within its borders are not committing fraud and are able to cover the policies they issue and live up to the terms of their agreements?”

  Governor Cott: “Why of course! I’m saying exactly that. How could it be anything but that? Fraud? What’s fraud? Isn’t it in the eye of the beholder? One person’s fraud is another person’s not paying attention to the terms of an agreement. Buyer beware is standard operating procedure for anyone with half a brain. Read the fine print. And what about consumers defrauding businesses? Would you have the state protecting corporate interests against the illegal acts of individuals? Shouldn’t what’s good for one be good for all? The beauty of Free-for-All economics is that the sacred marketplace takes care of everything. You don’t need a judge and jury with it. Consumers will spread the word about fraudulent insurance companies, others won’t buy policies from them, and they’ll go out of business. It’s a perfect model!”

  George Knight: “Governor, a followup question, please.”

  Governor Cott: “OK, but this is your last one. You’re hogging the stage.”

  “In your scenario, the damage is done and people have to be shafted, before the word gets out that companies are being unethical and ruthless. And there’s no guarantee that it will get out quickly and to enough people or that people will believe what they hear—assuming that the accusations are accurate.”

  “Mr. Knight, there are no guarantees in life. Grow up. Accept ultimate freedom. You lead your life alone, on your own. Don’t expect anyone or anything, especially the government, to be there for you.”

  Phillip Cohen of Washington Insider: “Governor, five years ago, you signed into Florida law a sweeping bill that replaced state building codes and preempted county and local standards designed to ensure construction that was able to withstand hurricanes. Do you regret doing that— and do you plan to reinstate former building codes that deal specifically with hurricane conditions?”

  Governor Cott: “In a word, no. The codes we eliminated cost developers too much, increased the price of new construction, and reduced jobs. The government has absolutely no role to play in micromanaging construction. If developers want to build to a hurricane-proof standard, the choice should be theirs and theirs alone. If customers want stronger construction, they can pay extra for it. And insurance companies can charge more or less for policies based upon criteria they establish. That’s the beauty of the Free-for-All market.”

  Phillip Cohen: “A followup, please. President Cooper, with two-thirds of Florida destroyed, what steps do you plan to take from Washington to help businesses recover?”

  President Cooper: “Mr. Cohen, you’re obviously asking a leading question because you assume that the CSA should do something in the first place. Well, let me go on record, as I’ve said before: Those businesses will survive and thrive that take care of themselves, without expecting anything from anyone else. If everyone in a given business pitches in and digs out from the debris, they’ll have a bright future. If they don’t, they don’t deserve to continue. Do you think our pioneer forefathers relied upon the government to rescue them as they tramped across the Continental Divide? Of course not! They set out to overcome unknown obstacles with the kind of resolve that made this country great. That’s what we’ve got to keep reinforcing. To keep the CSA strong, we’ve got to keep individuals resolved to look no farther than the end of their nose for the power to succeed.”

  Governor Cott: “President Cooper, ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our press conference.”

  From back of the room in Tallahassee, a tall, unidentified, redheaded, young man shouts out, “President Cooper, Carey Hinton is saying that you have abandoned Floridians in their time of dire need and is making that an issue in the presidential election.” But Cooper is already out of earshot.

  MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 10 A.M.: THE WHITE HOUSE CABINET ROOM. President Cooper and Florida Governor Cott are meeting with the executive committee of the Corporate Council. Cooper is beaming. For the first time, he appears jubilant after the monumental embarrassment of the July 4th gala. He slowly looks around the room, shoots both arms over his head like an Olympian winning a gold medal, fists clenched, and proclaims, “Gentlemen, we’re here to carve up a pie called Florida. It’s huge and each one of you can get in on the ground floor. There’s no limit to how much money you can make. This is pure Free-for-All economics. The recent sweeping disaster is nothing less than the windfall we’ve all been waiting for, but could never have imagined or engineered. It’s a godsend, my fellow patriots. The storm hit mostly the richest areas of the state. Those people have got insurance. Plus, they’ll personally pay extra and do anything to get their property rebuilt. You’re all going to have a whole state to privatize. It could become a model for the rest of the country. I don’t mean to get carried away, but I’m sure all of you can see where this is going. If you play your cards right, you’ll make profits you could never have dreamed of. Governor Cott, please share your thoughts with us.”

  “First, I’d like to ditto President Cooper’s reading of the situation and the enormous, unprecedented riches that await you,” says Cott. “We’re here to transform the state of Florida into Florida, Inc. As the president said, if we play our cards right, and I see no reason why we wouldn’t, we can wipe away the last vestiges of state government that have stood in our way of creating a pure corporate state.”

  “Governor Cott and I would now like to hear your thoughts on how we might proceed to create Florida, Inc. Feel free to speak up and share your ideas. Be bold. This is a unique time in our history and we should let our imaginations run wild. With the right strategy, what happens in Florida won’t stay in Florida, but it will set the pace for the rest of the CSA. That’s forty-nine other ways for you to reap trillions of dollars. Yes, you heard me. That’s trillions with a T!”

  “Gentlemen, I’m Jonathan Smythe of Consolidated Industries. First, let me say that I totally agree with you that we have an historic opp
ortunity to achieve John Galt’s vision. I’ve been imagining a corporate-takeover scenario for years. I suggest that we turn Florida into seven profit centers individually owned and operated.” He moves to the front of the room holding a map of the state. “I’ve drawn a line up the middle of the peninsula, then one east to west from just south of Fort Pierce to Sarasota, and another from just below Daytona Beach past Ocala to the west coast. I’ve also drawn a north-south line east of Tallahassee, creating a zone from the capital to the Alabama border. In my proposal, those seven profit centers would be for sale to the highest bidder—members of the Corporate Council, of course. Corporations could own one or more—or all seven. What used to be called government would become Florida, Inc., a board of directors made up of the owners of the zones.”

  “I love the overall concept, Jonathan,” Cott says, “but how do we take over existing government assets and the property and other assets of existing individuals and businesses?”

  “Governor, I told you I’ve been running various scripts in my mind for years, including how we could sell the idea to the public. You could issue an executive order, declaring the entire state a disaster. You could call it something like ‘The Florida Humanitarian Relief and Restoration Initiative.’ In due time, you can get the legislature to approve establishing Florida, Inc., a holding company, retroactively, to tie it up neatly in a bow. Under the Initiative, you would first declare the existing state bankrupt because it is self-insured and without the money to rebuild the physical structures it owns and to provide the services it has in the past. That would open up the door to sweeping privatization.

  “In addition, private individuals and businesses would be given sixty days to establish their claims to real property. That’s all we really care about because, with control of the land, we control everything. Under powers of eminent domain granted to you in the Initiative, in the public interest, you would confiscate all undocumented property in the name of the state. Documented rights to property would be compensated at ten cents on the dollar out of state funds, less whatever insurance companies pay out. Then, you could open up the zones, like Smythe suggests, to the highest bidder.”