""Isn't it generally agreed that an owner is a parasite and an exploiter, that it is the employees who do all the work and make the product possible? I did not exploit anyone. I did not burden the San Sebastian Mines with my useless presence; I left them in the hands of the men who count. I did not pass judgment on the value of that property. I turned it over to a mining specialist. He was not a very good specialist, but he needed the job very badly. Isn't it generally conceded that when you hire a man for a job, it is his need that counts, not his ability? Doesn't everyone believe that in order to get the goods, all you have to do is need them? I have carried out every moral precept of our age. I expected gratitude and a citation of honor. I do not understand why I am being damned.""
""This is outrageous!" Taggart's voice started to rise. "It's perfectly outrageous to treat your public responsibilities with such thoughtless levity!" He turned to hurry away."
- Atlas Shrugged, By Ayn Rand, pg 143
The first paragraph is a statement by Francisco D'Anconia, to James Taggart who has been a staunch advocate for the public good. Francisco owns copper mines, and has a different philosophy than James Taggart who owns railroads.
James Taggart is a man who believes in the public good, but not this kind of public good. The question is, what is the public good then?
""This is outrageous!" Taggart's voice started to rise. "It's perfectly outrageous to treat your public responsibilities with such thoughtless levity!" He turned to hurry away."
- Atlas Shrugged, By Ayn Rand, pg 143
The first paragraph is a statement by Francisco D'Anconia, to James Taggart who has been a staunch advocate for the public good. Francisco owns copper mines, and has a different philosophy than James Taggart who owns railroads.
James Taggart is a man who believes in the public good, but not this kind of public good. The question is, what is the public good then?