%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% "GALT'S GULCH" PROJECT %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% The purpose of this project is to stimulate discussion among Objectivists regarding the merits and practicalities of starting a real-life Galt's Gulch. Before setting forth my own thoughts on the subject, I'd like to remind you of the words of Ayn Rand, from John Galt's radio address: "If you find a chance to vanish into some wilderness out of their reach, do so, but not to exist as a bandit or to create a gang competing with their racket; build a productive life of your own with those who accept your moral code and are willing to struggle for a human existence. ... raise a standard to which the honest people will repair: the standard of Life and Reason. Act as a rational being and aim at becoming a rallying point for all those who are starved for a voice of integrity -- act on your rational values. In that world, you'll be able to rise in the morning with the spirit you had known in your childhood; that spirit of eagerness, adventure and certainty which comes from dealing with a rational universe. ...You will live in a world of responsible beings, who will be as consistent and reliable as facts; the guarantee of their character will be a system of existence where objective reality is the standard and the judge. Your virtues will be given protection, your vices and weaknesses will not. Every chance will be open to your good, none will be provided for your evil. What you'll receive from men will not be alms, or pity, or mercy, or forgiveness of sins, but a single value: justice. And when you'll look at men or at yourself, you will feel not disgust, suspicion and guilt, but a single constant: respect. "Such is the future you are capable of winning. It requires a struggle; so does any human value. All life is a purposeful struggle, and your only choice is the choice of a goal." Atlas Shrugged. In a 1977 interview for Reason magazine, F.A. Hayek was asked whether the horror of financing the U.S.'s colossal welfare bureaucracy would prove the stimulus to "shock" Americans into a more rational government framework. Professor Hayek replied: "No. My only hope is that some minor country or countries which for different reasons will have to construct a new constitution will do so along sensible lines and will be so successful that the others find it in their interest to imitate it." This is the primary purpose for establishing a Galt's Gulch, to become a model for the rest of the world of laissez-faire capitalism. If you agree with the foregoing premise -- the crucial need for a model of laissez-faire capitalism -- then join with me in debating the who, how, where, and when, of establishing Galt's Gulch. The criteria for finding a workable location for Galt's Gulch would appear to include 1) remoteness from centers of population and government; 2) availability of natural resources necessary for survival and creation of wealth; 3) access to modern telecommunications (most writers, computer software programers, financial consultants, etc. can work anywhere in the world if they have access to a fax machine or computer modem); and 4) access to modern hospital/health care facilities. To air your views on establishing a Galt's Gulch, please write to: James Clement, c/o The Chapter House, 404 Stewart Avenue, Ithaca, NY 14850, or EMail to Chapterhouse@mcimail.com or 6017611@mcimail.com. LIBERTARIANS: Help us form a real-life Galt's Gulch, based on the principles of Randian Objectivism. Write: Galt's Gulch, P.O. Box 73 203, Fairbanks, AK 99707.