As the socialist doctrines takes hold in Atlas shrugged, goods begin to diminish. One of the shortages begins with copper, largely because of the deal brokered with Mexico. The framing of this event is considered an altruistic pursuit, to help their poor government. It overall is championed as a public good and an achievement through the lens of Jim Taggert and practitioners of collectivist doctrine. Furthermore the collectivist mind by extension is imperative and functions based on the premise of majority rule rather than objective truth and expertise, in this the masses base their investment in mining off of the reputation of Franciso d’Anconia. Francisco, in rebellion to socialism, destroys his own Copper prospects and the prospects of those who invested in it. The media paints Franciso d’Anconia as a villain of sorts, a worthless playboy, rather than acknowledging those who invest with no empirical evidence of prospects.

The oil sector also suffers from shortages. With increasingly restrictive policies which proved to be too much for Ellis Wyatt. Wyatt had made technological advancements which brought the oil sector back from the brink. However a special tax proved to be a defining moment for Wyatt as he grew more jaded and disillusioned about the world of the irrational looters. Overtime industrialists had to fight the socialist dogmas increasing resistance and aspersions from the media, and this tax was the breaking point. The tax was “…imposed on the state of Colorado, “as the state best able to assist the needier states to bear the brunt of the national emergency (Ibid., pg. 356). In reaction Ellis Wyatt Set flames to his oil fields. Just as the fields had disappeared, so too did Wyatt’s knowledge. Without his ability to revive oil fields, shortages became inevitable. The events were re-written, as the reality was considered hysteria, and it was perceived as a tragic event in which Wyatt lost his life, and his property would be reclaimed by the government.

With a shortage of oil and policies that bind productivity, efficiency suffers and the transportation itself stalls. The policies limited the amount of freight a train can carry, as well as speed to counteract any competition. The heavy regulation and enforcement results in a plethora of shortages as the supplies needed to manufacture goods are delayed, this in turn led to businesses failing and not producing goods, and a pernicious feedback loop of less production and more businesses failing.

Government censorship is out of necessity to maintain their expanding positions of power. The corrupt politicians in government inherently have to increase their power to regulate the country, the selfish desire of those who are not productive wanting equal pay without equal work, want to continue their subsistence on others as long as possible. The stories released combat the realities of socialism and the dichotomy of its abilities against capitalism, this in tandem with indispensable minds leaving, propagates irrational thinking. This departure of the rational is analogous to collectivist doctrine of majority rule and the dilapidation that follows. The majority are not synonymous with expertise, and are in direct opposition of objective truth in the form of repudiations of the indispensable minds. This is in contrast with objective truth, as it simply is, regardless of how many want to acknowledge it.

The moral philosophy permeating in “Atlas Shrugged” is directly responsible for the inexorable disappearance of goods, and the economic annihilation that follows. It is the application of collectivist thought and the collective mind, that results in those who are essential and archetypal practitioners of capitalism to leave. Furthermore there is no such thing as a “collective brain”, it is for this reason the yearning to innovate is quintessentially self interest (“For the New Intellectual”, pg.78). The process of innovating in contemporary times are just derivations of the primordial nature of rational men to survive, because,  “Man cannot survive except by gaining knowledge, and reason…” (“Atlas Shrugged”, pg.1063). The socialist dogma conveyed is predicated on the false axiom that individuals are inherently selfless, and rational. This maxim provides fertile ground for those who are selfish, to take advantage of a system that is contingent on the selfless. This is why corruption is cultivated by manipulative dictators to obtain a stranglehold on production and power. A world which functions as a free market capitalism functions on the premise that people are selfish, but have a rational vested interest in contributing productively to society. If an individual makes an inferior product or abuses employees this is not a target of emulation and, people can seek employment or superior products elsewhere. In a socialist society the government expands influence and limits options, the inferior product may therefore be the only product.

By systematically changing the economy to cater to the less productive, the incentive of self interest is to do nothing, because regardless individuals will be given arbitrarily according to “need”. The ideology does not liberate the poor from poverty it binds it to the rich, it doesn’t increase prosperity it decreases it. It is self immolation to punish those who contribute the most and reward those who don’t, eventually the futile nature of society begins collapsing in on the weight of itself. A successful economy is a byproduct of individualistic desire and is antithetical to the very philosophy of collectivist ideologies. The political philosophy impeded the very nature of men and the corollary innovation by extension. It is for this reason the oath John Galt made those who join him state, “I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine” (“Atlas Shrugged”, pg. 766). As a compensatory response to the bondages of society, the men of the mind submit to the philosophy that those who are able are a threat, and remove themselves and their pursuit of profit and happiness.

The indispensable minds fleeing and shortages, parallels contemporary times of “California’s mass exodus”. This is largely due to government interventions in the form of taxation, out of all the states, California has the highest individual income tax rates” (Highest Taxed States 2022).  In some cases, “California taxpayer’s income can be subject to federal and state rates totaling 50.2%”. Similar to Atlas Shrugged, the majority fleeing are experts and trail blazers fleeing as a direct result of the burdening of the wealthiest with unjustifiably high taxation (Wagner, Thomas). “Oracle, Palantir and Hewlett- Packard Enterprise were among the companies that announced they’re relocating their headquarters out of the Golden State…” (Schoolov, Katie) The businesses leaving California can increase their quality of life along with their workers, as in other states like Texas there is “…no corporate or personal income tax” (“Why Texas?”). Faced with the two options many entrepreneurs pick the latter rather than continue to succeed in a state that creates more and more restrictions. Due to such a high cost of living, skilled workers leaving isn’t uncommon. One business owner stated of 8 employees “three had moved to areas with a lower cost of living”(White, Martha C). Once gone the normally taxed income of the top earners disappears and more skilled workers with it. The result is a market in which “The demand was there” however without people means “…fewer days, fewer hours a day and fewer products” (White, Martha C.). In addition, taxes on gas in California are so much higher than in other areas, “many prospective employees say they can no longer afford to commute an hour or more” (Ibid.). This is not an isolated incident and the state’s labor force is still nearly 400,000 people short, which will lead to supply chain issues and fewer goods (Beam, Adam). Unlike the novel however California is capitalistic and the means of production and property are not state owned (“Socialism”).

So many have left California bill AB 2088 was proposed, which would continue to tax those fleeing California for 10 years after they leave (Calvey, Mark). Some argued, it holds “Californians prisoner”(Calvey, Mark). An eerie echoing of the legislation implemented in Atlas shrugged, Directive 10-289 which was a direct response to dissertation and does not allow individuals to leave their jobs, as well as attempts to stop Rearden from leaving by tying up his funds under the ruse of “personal income tax” (“Atlas Shrugged”, pg. 1010). All the government’s attempts were to make it financially undesirable to escape resembling the proposition proposed in California. Both of these attempts seem to be examples contrary to the way Rand believed taxation should be implemented,  “leaving the government no power to enlarge the scope of its services at its own arbitrary discretion.” (Rand, Ayn, and Nathaniel Branden, pg.118). The irrationality is shown in the cannibalistic nature of those who are left in power, the emblematic irrational.  As Ayn Rand states,“higher taxes imposed on the rich (and the semi-rich) will not come out of their consumption expenditures, but out of their investment capital (i.e., their savings); that such taxes will mean less investment, i.e., less production, fewer jobs, higher prices for scarcer goods…” (Rand, Ayn, and Michael S. Berliner)

In order to fix the shortage of goods one has to logically approach the shortage of labor, in order to do that one has to acknowledge self interest, and finally the ideals of capitalism. The philosophy has to be ameliorated, one in which people are rewarded rather than punished for their contributions. To apply logic to the facts rather than arbitrary feelings and illogical morality. Objectivism.