Going Galt: The Atlas Shrugged Books-to-Politicians Campaign - Suggestions Page

Latest Update: October 26, 2010  ( 0:50 AM)

The following are suggestions submitted by readers on their ideas for how to make the Atlas Shrugged Book Campaign more effective. If you have ideas of your own, please do not hesitate to contribute them.

Suggestion No. 1:

1. I'd recommend that a list of the typical political offices that should receive a copy be prepared and provided to those volunteering. It would be far more effective if books could be sent not only to national (congress, white house), but to state & local (including mayors, school boards, city councils), who will likely make up our future national leaders.
2. I'd recommend targeting a mailing date (e.g. April 7th) so that most books are arriving about the same time.
3. I'd recommend having participants report back on the name (office) or names to whom they've sent books, and that a detailed list be compiled and sent to the national news services so they will receive some press. A very short, simple explanatory letter should accompany the list.
4. Copies of participant's letters (accompanying books) to politicians might be posted on your go-galt.org website. Those posted should be notably clear, well thought out, and avoid inflammatory language. Words such as slavery and dictatorship, however well used, will still diminish the desired effect of such letters. A good letter can intimate such concerns without actually stating them.
5. I bought a spare copy of AS Saturday for the sole purpose of giving it to someone (wasn't sure who), and now know whom I will give it to.


Response by C. Jeffery Small:

Thank you for your submitting your ideas. They are greatly appreciated.

Regarding point #1: Back on the main page, I believe that I have done my best to provide sources of contact information for as many politicians as possible. The address for the President is listed. There is a link to Congress Merge which will locate addresses for all State Senators and Representatives. Another link provides addresses for all White House cabinet members, with certain ones listed explicitly. And a final link will give you the addresses of all State Governors. I do think your idea of mailing books to local officials such as mayors, school boards, city council members, and so on, is a good one. Each person should decide who in their community would best be served by receiving a copy and send one with a letter crafted for those individuals.

Point #2: It would be great if we could get people across the entire country coordinated to mail the books at the same time, but I think this is an unrealistic expectation. I am also hoping that this campaign will be announced at all of the April 15th Tea Party protests, so many people will be hearing of this idea for the first time will need until the end of the month to make their purchase and get the books into the mail. Nevertheless, I am confident that a steady stream of books arriving at politicians' offices throughout the month will still have tremendous impact upon them.

Point #3: I am collecting the number of copies of Atlas Shrugged sent to various types of politicians here, and I do intend to use this information to notify the press during as well as at the end of the campaign. If people wish to identify in greater detail exactly who received their copies, I suggest using the Comment field on the main page and list them there. However, don't wait for me to do all the contacting. You can refer to the summary pages on this site and can write up your own press releases or letter-to-the-editor of your local papers, expressing your concerns and highlighting the issues motivating your actions.

Point #4: There is a form on the main page where people can submit copies of their letters, which will then be displayed here.

Point #5: Great! Be sure to record your book here.

Suggestion No. 2:

Read the link on the main page titled The Brain Drain. This is a resignation letter from AIG executive vice president Jake DeSantis to his boss Edward M. Liddy, where he spells out why he is unwilling to continue working in a lynch-mob environment that exhibits neither an understanding of, nor a respect for his dedication and hard work. The letter is well written and points out the moral bankruptcy of many of our politicians and public servants, as well as the unwillingness of most business leaders to stand up to these 21st century inquisitors. Let's see how well our financial institutions run when all the people with ambition, commitment and brains are driven from its ranks.

My suggestion is to make a copy of this letter, mark it up with your comments, and send it to your favorite politicians, separately, or included with your copy of Atlas Shrugged.

Regards,
--
C. Jeffery Small

Suggestion No. 3:

Perhaps at the April 15th Tea Parties, booths could be set up to allow attendees to 1)purchase an AS book (& postage), and 2) select an official from a checklist, and 3) sign a prepared or personalized cover letter to their chosen official. This might be appealing to many of the attendees, who, in the spirit of the moment, will make a purchase. Depending upon the resources of the booth sponsor, books could be purchased on-line or supplied on site. With as little as a laptop and potable printer, letters could be easily prepared and signed right at the event. And if the books can be supplied on site, everything (letter, book, posting) all in one easy operation, assuring timely dispatch.


Response by C. Jeffery Small:

That's a great idea. I will pass it along to all of the Tea Party coordinators.

Suggestion No. 4:

Someone needs to stand up in the United States and say this to the President and the members of congress. (Thanks to Sam Erica for bring this to my attention.)


Regards,
--
C. Jeffery Small

Suggestion No. 5:

I am a used book store junkie, and pick up every Rand book I come across. My brother is in the U.S. Army and on his 4th tour in Iraq. Every time I send him a care package, I include the books I've picked up. He reads them, then passes them on to others. Our soldiers are doing a lot of reading in their downtime, many are at the age when they're working out philosophical concepts and these guys and gals are already liberty-supporting.

If you don't have a soldier of your own, www.anysoldier.com can hook you up and gives great information about what and how to send packages to them.

Suggestion No. 6:

Because the reporting buttons on the main page go from 1-50, someone asked why would you want to send more than one copy of a book to a single individual - for example the President. In most cases, I suspect that people would only send a single copy, but it is possible that a few of you might consider making a point by sending more than one.

For example, at Barnes & Noble, with the price of Atlas Shrugged being only $3.98 with free shipping on orders over $25.00, you could have 25 copies of the book dropped-shipped directly to the White House for less than $100.00, with a pithy note that said something like: "Get Out Of Our Way", or "I Earned My Wealth. Leave It Alone!", or "Stop Trying To Socialize Our Country!". You get the idea. Be sure that you include your name and address with the message, but you must keep it short as they limit the text to just a few hundred characters. This is a pretty inexpensive way to get the attention of the President of the United States!

Regards,
--
C. Jeffery Small

Suggestion No. 7:

As it was pointed out in the ROR forum that some politician's offices might be reluctant to open unsolicited packages, would suggest that aside from the accompanying letter, participants also send a short e-mail to their intended recipients, essentially saying 'I have sent you a package/copy of Atlas Shrugged' . I'd go further to suggest each of these emails be copied out to several press agencies.


Response by C. Jeffery Small:

That's a great idea. It is even better than sending them copies of Atlas Shrugged because it costs nothing, and the editors will be much more impressed by the fact that they receive notices from many people, rather than just one or two lone individuals. This should entice them to look deeper into the story. If anyone researches the names and addresses of editors at major news publications, please send them to me at jeff@gogalt.org and I will post them on the main page so that everyone will know how to contact them. Thanks.

Suggestion No. 8:

I have a small mail order book store, The Book Resource. And I am so taken with this idea that I'll offer the following deal:

We'll send the book FOR YOU, to the President, Vice President or any congresspersons you choose, with a letter composed by you.

Price $6.75 per book, any quantity, plus $3.60 for shipping.

Or, we can send the Cliff Notes for $5.75 per book, plus $3.20 for shipping.

To take advantage of this please place your order by phone, giving us your name, address and credit card information and the names of your recipients.

Then email us with the text of the letter you wish included.

Phone: 718 802 0821
email: service@bookresource.com

Cynthia Gillis


Response by C. Jeffery Small:

Cynthia, thank you for your participation.

Suggestion No. 9:

It's too bad Alan Greenspan isn't the fed chairman anymore. You could have sent a copy of Atlas Shrugged to him.


Response by C. Jeffery Small:

Ha, that's funny. Particularly so because just last night I had the exact same thought!

Suggestion No. 10:

Play Cribbage with John Galt ...

I just received word from Joe Kane that for the month of April he is making a special offer on his Cribbaholics Unanimous web site that if anyone orders two Crash Cribbage boards from www.crashcribbage.com, he will include a free copy of Atlas Shrugged with each order. Just mention that you want to "Play cribbage with John Galt".

Thanks Joe!

Suggestion No. 11:

Of all Objectivist writings Ayn Rands essay "Egalitarianism and Inflation" in 1974 really hit's the nail on the head. In the simplist possible form she explains the necssity of capital, the continual refueling of the economy. I'm not sure if this argument can be used because as we know the new government is driven by ideology not the desire to improve the economy. When Obama speaks of sacrifice he means it.

Mickey Rhode
Pleasant Hill CA
94523

mrhode2@comcast.net

Suggestion No. 12:

For bookmarking/dog-earring:

Francisco's money speech: pg.382-387

Rearden's court speech and scene: pg.442-450

Galt "We are on strike": pg. 681-688

Dr. Hendrick's speech: pg. 687

Rearden and the Pull Peddlers: pg. 902-908

Suggestion No. 13:

Be a Tea Party reporter!

Write a report of the Tea Party you attended. Take a couple of pictures with the best signs in the foreground. Make a one or two-paragraph summary of the real meaning of Tea Parties, not that we don't like to be taxed, but that bail-outs and stimulative spending makes us slaves and wards of the government. (As Jeff put it, below!)

These reports can be emailed or mailed to radio talk-shows, TV newsrooms, print media, and also to all levels of politicians!

Suggestion No. 14:

I suggest you re-read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and look for the essential theme of the role of man's reasoning mind in one's life and how John Galt was on strike against the ethical code of altruism. Ayn Rand held that individuals should be selfish. I would suggest after you're finished reading Atlas Shrugged you should check out Ayn Rand's non-fiction work The Virtue of Selfishness. The ethics of selfishness is the support that capitalism and limited gov't needs.

Suggestion No. 15:

a wonderful movement.. keep up the IMPORTANT work

Suggestion No. 16:

ATLAS SHRUGGED is FAR TOO L O N G! lIKE PLODDING THROUGH TEL DIR. Do you think most members of Congress have the time to read it, I dont? They dont even read most Bills now. How about: THE NAKED CAPITALIST,121 pgs; THE UNSEEN HAND,436 pgs, THE FED. RES. CONSPIRACY,148 pgs; WALL STREET AND THE RISE OF HITLER, 177 pgs, plus others.


Response by C. Jeffery Small:

As I say on the homepage:

"Do we actually expect the politicians to read the book and have it change their minds? Of course not. They don't even bother to read their own legislation! But that was never the point. Just as with the Tea Party protests, it is the organized act as a whole that sends the potent message, not any individual book in isolation."

I agree that there are many other fine books that make important points about freedom, or Capitalism, or individual rights. However, Atlas Shrugged is unique in that it details a complete and consistent philosophy which explains why Capitalism is not only the most practical, but also the only moral political/economic system. And it is the moral message that forms the basis of this particular campaign.

I am not interested in negotiating with the legislators such issues as whether I should be taxed at a rate of 15% or 30%. The message that I, and hopefully others of you, want to convey to the politicians is that our lives, and the product of our efforts, are our own, to do with as we see fit. We are not government chattel, to be disposed of at their whim. We need to inform the politicians that we understand that they have moved far beyond their constitutionally sanctioned authority, and we intend nothing less than to see them reigned back in and limited to their proper function of protecting the individual rights of all citizens. Period. Atlas Shrugged is the perfect symbol to convey this message.

Also, I'm sorry to hear you describe your experience with Atlas Shrugged as "LIKE PLODDING THROUGH TEL DIR. This is certainly not the experience that many of us have with this book. Some of us find it an exhilarating read; both a superb work of literature as well as a treasure chest of provocative ideas and deep insights into the nature of the world. For those of us who have found its message to be inspirational, it seem like just the right length.

Suggestion No. 17:

I think this is an amazing idea. I am going to do likewise and send Atlas Shrugged to some of the leaders in our Armed Forces as well. The best Ayn Rand sign I've seen out of the four Tea Party's we went to here in South Carolina was "Hey Oprah, how about adding Atlas Shrugged to your Book Club".

Suggestion No. 18:

you could tie your site in with Amazon so that with a single click the book and letter are sent. perhaps acquiring and selling the book with your own store on Amazon would be the easiest way.


Response by C. Jeffery Small:

Good suggestion, but I specifically chose not to tie the campaign in with any particular bookstore or service to avoid the appearance that there was any money being made by this site for books sold.

Suggestion No. 19:

Send copies to RNC Chairman Michael Steele. Your kids school principal, too.

Suggestion No. 20:

Keep at it! I sent another 5 copies today ... a total of 10 in last 48 hours.
David Hall
Kensington, MD
halldavidr@mac.com


Response by C. Jeffery Small:

Excellent! Thanks David.

Suggestion No. 21:

It would be interesting to hear from those of you who got a response from the people that received copies of Atlas Shrugged. In my case, of the 45 books and letters sent out to 21 different people, the only legislator to send a response was Senator Patty Murray from WA. Of course, it was a form letter that didn't really address any specifics from my letter or acknowledge receiving the book. I was under the opinion that all legislators responded to personal letters from their constituents, but apparently that is not the case.

Regards,
--
C. Jeffery Small

Suggestion No. 22:

The British actor, Michael Caine, has had enough of his country's tax-and-spend policies. As reported here, he is quoted as saying:


As this statement clearly demonstrates, the United States has been the "Galt's Gulch" refuge for people throughout the world - at least symbolically, even for those who could not escape the oppression of their own government's policies.

It is a travesty that we are now in the process of destroying that last haven for freedom seekers. If the current crop of politicians are not stopped, there will be no place left to turn.

Regards,
--
C. Jeffery Small

Suggestion No. 23:

I'm going Tom Joad

Suggestion No. 24:

You might consider some other books. Many people do love Atlas Shrugged, but I also liked "The Fountainhead." You might also consider books by other authors, such as Alongside Night by J. Neil Schulman. Best wishes for a successful Summer at the tea parties. Check out bostontea.us sometime.

Suggestion No. 25:

Frances@machinepolitick.com
I was unable to afford books for the campaign. However, I have an old copy, that I reserve to lend people with passages underlined and notes in the margins. I photocopied the most important pages because I have a copier at home. This made for an impressive stack of paper that I sent to Obama, and my Senators with some tea bag tags to drive the point home. My Representative received a thank you card for being the only one who consistently does his job. I made a point of having them post-marked on tax day in case any of them were astute enough to notice.

Suggestion No. 26:

How about, when possible, drawing parallels between the US Constitution citing articles and amendments to the relevant section of the book.